Today USA is the world’s richest and the sole super power. Europeans pride over their material progress. Arabs dictate the world through their oil power and the astronomical amounts of money it earns them. India and china are leading developing nations. But only five hundred years ago the situation was just the opposite. No one knew about America. Europe was floundering in the medieval ignorance. Arabs were just managing to stay alive visualising oasis and mirages in the descrt of hopelessness. The history is witness that five thousand years back only China, India and Egypt were the most advanced and rich. For the rest of the world India was the golden bird.
India and China were not only prosperous but their boundaries extended upto Arab lands and Mangolia. Hence the two countries had been constantly under attack of Arab countries and Mangols. To stonewall the marauding Mangols, China constructed the famous Great Wall of China but India could not construct any such wall to check alien invaders. Consequently, India continued to suffer from invasions from the west. The invasions came in broadly three waves. 2500 years ago arrived Shaka, Heun and Kushana invaders. They settled down in India and became part of its populace. Kanishka made Peshawar (Now in Pakistan) his capital and expanded his empire upto Mathura and Agra in the east. Later, he converted to Buddhism. Others accepted various sects of Hindu faith. Then Aryans had become main population of India and the invaders became part of them. Now they were so mixed up that it was difficult to separate them. Part of a big Hindu family they became.
Upto 8th century Arabs were also idol worshippers. They lived in small tribes. The bands from these tribes used to enter Indian border regions, plunder and then dash back. Those acts can’t be taken as aggressions. They better qualify to be termed as big robberies. But when Islam was introduced as a faith by Prophet Mohammad, most of the Arabs became its faithfuls. As a religious group Arabs became a big organised force. Consequently the invasions of India now carried a religious sentiment. Mohammad Bin Kasim plundered Punjab and Sindh time and again. Mahmud Gaznavi subjected Indian kingdoms to several attacks between 1000 and 1026 AD. He targeted temples in Mathura, Kashi and Somnath situated in Gujarat. In each attack Mahmud Gaznavi looted tons of gold, silver and precious gems plus other articles and went home. He never tried to settle down or establish empire in India. This was the second wave of invasions.
Gazni was name of the capital city of Mahmud Gaznavi where he had treasured all his loot from India. A mind blowing treasure he had amassed, 150 years later another Afghan named Mohammad Gauri, ruler of Gaur state set out to invade India inspired by the exploits of Gaznavi. Compared to Gaznavi he was lesser warrior but his aim was not to plunder only but to establish his empire in India. Mahmud Gaznavi succeeded in his very first battle and he never tasted defeat. Gauri lost many of his battles. Often he met a succession of defeats. He was able to defeat Prithviraj Chauhan of Delhi only with the help of a native king Jaichand who had a score to settle with the Delhi ruler. The victory of Delhi firmly founded Gauri’s empire in India. This victory came to him in 1192 AD. at an advanced age. His empire extended from Afghanistan to U.P. plains. It was a massive area.
Mohammad Gauri had no son. He had a slave called Kutubuddin Aibak. Through his ability, courage and bravery Kutubuddin had risen from the status of a slave to chief commander. Later Gauri turned against his former ally Jaichand and killed him. In 1194 he returned to his homeland of Gaur after appointing his faithful slave Kutubuddin Aibak as the Governor of his empire.
Kutubuddin Aibak won Gujarat in 1197 and Bundelkhand in 1202. Thus, he truly established a Muslim Empire in India. In 1206 Mohammad Gauri died.
In India Kutubuddin Aibak declared himself the Emperor of state he ruled. He was no more bound by the loyalty to his master Gauri who was gone now. Kutubuddin himself was the master of thousands of slaves. Iltutmish was his favoured slave and his own son-in-law who functioned as the governor of Badayun. After the death of Kutubuddin Aibak his son-in-law Iltutmish descended on the Delhi throne as his heir.
Iltutmish ruled from 1210 to 1229. He expanded his empire to Kashmir in north-west and in the east upto Bengal. It was a great empire which included almost entire north Indian plains.
In 1229, Iltutmish died after proclaiming his able daughter Razia to be the heir to Delhi throne. But the Muslim courtiers and commanders did not like it. A woman lording over them was not acceptable to them. In a male chauvinist mindset they were groomed in and the religious caliphate (leadership) interpreted tenets to suit that mindset.
With their conspiracy the influential elements put the son of Iltutmish on throne. Ekunuddin was his name and he was a good for nothing fellow. He lasted only 6 months and 26 days. Then with the help of some wise and faithful elements Razia intervened and removed her mentally retarded brother from the throne. Now she ruled the Muslim empire of Delhi as Razia Sultana. She was far superior a ruler compared to her slow brain brother. Her father knew it.
Two men were behind her success. One was a powerful chieftain called Altunia and the other was her faithful Negro slave Yakut. After taking over the throne Razia proclaimed, “My loved subjects, with Allah as witness I promise to redeem the trust you have put in me. Although I am a woman yet I will emulate the example of my father in serving you and defending the interests of the empire. I will build roads, sink wills, dig canals and open madarsas for the religious education for all. I request you to stand by me and I will ever be proving useful to you in every way.”
But it was a new element in the Muslim tradition. The orthodox mobs made up of the male chauvinists could not expect a woman ruling over them. The majority of the courtiers, chieftains, zamindars and army commanders were against her. The clergy was dead set against Razia. They could interpret Islamic tenets to suit their own prejudices against women.
As soon as Razia sat on throne the conspiracies began to be hatched against her. Her biggest crime was being a woman who the pig headed orthodox males could not accept as their superior. Even today the sick mindset continues. During that age in Muslim tradition women were kept behind veils and partition or in enclosures at homes. The courtiers did not approve of a woman ruling over them as a Sultana.
Razia used to ride horses, wear male dresses and go around without veil. The clergymen used to spread all kinds of canards about Razia to run her down. Only two persons Amir Altunia and slave Yakut were her true supporters.
Altunia was a powerful and wealthy courtier besides being an able administrator. He was in love with Razia. Even during the life time of Iltutmish he had expressed his love for Razia to her frankly.
Razia had said that her first aim was to seize the throne. Only after becoming Sultana of Delhi she could think about marriage.
So, as soon as Razia became Sultana, Altunia began to put pressure on her for marriage. But Razia Sultana put him off each time on some pretext or other.
The slave Yakut had saved the life of Razia on many occasions. So, Sultana was grateful to him and may be, secretly loved him or felt attracted to. Yakut knew his limits. As a reward for his loyalty Razia Sultana had granted him a high position.
Her excessive generosity to Yakut made the courtiers jealous and tongues began to wag. The rumours spread that Razia and Yakut were carrying on illicit relationship. Even Altunia had begun to suspect the intentions of Razia. Why was she spurning him?
On administrative front Razia was doing good work. She had waived Zazia, a tax imposed on Hindus specially for belonging to a non-Islamic faith. Orthodox Muslim clergy criticized her step as the tax was basically their idea.
Altunia had also turned against Razia. He was angry at her for her relationship with Yakut. To him it looked like a betrayal. He declared rebellion against Razia Sultana at Bhatinda (Punjab) where he had been lately posted. It was a spurned lover’s revenge.
On April 3, 1290 Razia Sultana set out from Delhi with a large force to crush the rebellion. Most of her vaziers and commanders were not with her by heart because she was a woman ruler and they felt uncomfortable under her. The male ego kept biting them. A battle was fought. Yakut, the only true faithful of Razia got killed through connivance of all. Razia was taken prisoner. Before Altunia she was produced as a prisoner. She had to make a compromise and marry her victor who had worked the death of her loyal lover Yakut. The destiny had played a cruel game.
Meanwhile, in Delhi the courtiers and amirs crowned Bahram, the good for nothing step brother of Razia. He was now new ruler of Delhi.
Razia had lost power due to the betrayal of Altunia but now they had united as wife-husband team. They had to regain Delhi. So, they moved against the new Delhi rulers. The interest of Altunia, in the changed situation also lay in making Razia again Sultana of Delhi. But the battle went against them. Both of them got killed eventually after fleeing from the battle when the defeat was imminent.
Thus, Razia Sultana became martyr after ruling Delhi for three years only.
Razia Sultana was an able administrator, courageous, skilled commander, justice loving and people caring ruler. She patronised scholars, artists, musicians and other talents in her court. Artisans and traders were also given due share of honour. But her being a woman proved her undoing. All her talents got lost in the muddy of gender bias.
The courtiers, vaziers, commanders and influential people began conspiring against her the day she sat on throne. Aspersions were cast on her character. The succession of the conspiracies boiled up into an open revolt and it ended in her death.
Her only crime was that she was a woman. But against so many hurdle and prejudices the courageous Razia gained power. She became a source of inspiration for the women. Later, emulating her example scores of Hindu queens ruled states, fought wars and sacrificed lives.
Chand Bibi, Rani of Jhansi, Durgawati etc. all drew strength from the example of Razia. She remains a secular icon of women power.
