When Balban ascended the throne of Delhi, he did not find it a bed of roses. It was surrounded by a number of problems. Dr. Tripathi remarks, “The task of Balban was not easy. The prestige of the Sultanate had suffered considerably, while the Turkish nobility had become accustomed to enjoy virtually independent power.”
Balban had to face the following problems and he solved them in a competent manner:
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1. Nasiruddin passed his life like a mendicant. He did not have much interest in the affairs of the state. Hence the Sultanate began to disintegrate. The .reorganization of the Sultanate was the fundamental task facing Balban.
2. There were two main groups in the court. One consisted of Turkish Amirs and the other of Indian Muslims. Both these parties were at daggers drawn with each other and both of them had harmed the prestige of Delhi Sultanate.
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3. Iltutmish had organized a group of forty slaves to help in his administration, but Balban wanted to reinforce and consolidate the Turkish Empire with their help. Earlier, they were an asset for the empire but later on they captured the powers of the Sultan and became the makers of Sultans. Balban himself had been an active member of this group and he knew it well that they were now no more helpful to the Sultanate but had become treacherous, luxurious and rebellious. Hence he wanted to crush this group mercilessly for it was essential for his own safety.
4. No doubt, Balban was all powerful; however, there were some nobles who were against Balban and opposed him vehemently. Balban had tried to crush them in the reign of Nasiruddin but many of them still survived and intended to become the Sultan of Delhi.
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5. The influence of orthodox ulema enhanced in the early days of Delhi Sultanate. They were appointed on high posts in the kingdom and consulted on political issues They were becoming fed up with their social and religious duties day by day. Hence it was the duty of the Sultan to set them right.
6. Chaos and confusion was prevailing in the country before the accession of Balba. The frontier of Punjab and north-west was not at all secure. The Khokhars and Mewatis were also creating disturbances. The Rajputs and Hindus were also trying to get rid of the sway of Muslims. So the problem of establishing peace in the kingdom was quite acute. Even the capital was unsafe from their terror; so the western gate of the city of Delhi was closed in the evenings, for fear of being plundered.
7. Barani remarks, “But even before the afternoon prayers, they (Mewatis) molested water carriers and slave girls who went to fetch water from the tank: they took off their clothes and left them nude ”
8. Owing to weaknesses and incompetency of the successors of llitutmish the prestige of the crown had fallen quite low and the economic position of the Sultanate” had worsened. Agriculture, commerce and trade also sunk quite low, hence it was essential to improve things in order to fill the empty coffers of the Sultanate.
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9. Barani writes, “Fear of the government power which is the basis of all goo if government and” the source of glory and splendour of the state had departed from the hearts of all men, and the country had fallen into a wretched condition.”
10. Balban faced all these difficulties with courage, ability and wisdom. He paid personal attention to these problems and solved them by dint of his courage and tact. Professor A. B. M. Habibullah, therefore, remarks, “Iltutmish had only outlined the institution, it was left to Balban to regenerate and raise it to its full stature.”