GEC ASSIGNMENT

Topic: Qila-e-Siri

Name- Vanshika Kundu

Roll no.- 21/POL/141
Submitted to- Ms. Ruchika Sharma

Qila-e-Siri
Qutb ul -Din Aibek, a former slave of Muizz ul-Din Ghawri, was the first ruler of Delhi
Sultanate died in 1210. The death of Aibek was followed by the assassination of Aram Shah-
who succeeded after Aibek- by Iltutmish. After assassinating Aram Shah, Shams ud-Din
Iltutmish became the second ruler of Delhi Sultanate. Before long, he shifted his capital from
Lahore to Delhi. Indeed, it is noteworthy that during Iltutmish’s accession in 1210 CE the
capital of ‘Delhi’ Sultans was Lahore-not Delhi. By the time of his death, he had constructed
a group of carefully trained and trusted Turkish military slaves known as Bandagan.
According to an important Persian source Tabqaat-e-Nasiri, written by a good chronicler
Juzjaani, Sultan Iltutmish relied upon twenty-five Bandagan. Following Iltutmish’s death,
these Bandagan became more powerful and unanimously seated Rukn al-Din Firoz on the
throne. Subsequently, power shifted from Rukn ul- Din Firoz to Razia Sultan and others, until
Ghiyas ul-Din Balban an authoritative ruler came to power. He was succeeded by Kaykubad,
who appointed a deracinate commander Jala al-Din Khalaji. Jalal al-Din Khalaji assassinated
Kaykubad and enthroned himself on the throne, thus ending the reign of Mamluk dynasty and
starting the Khalaji dynasty.
After the death of Iltutmish, the Delhi Sultanate succession saw a series of weak rulers, short-
lived tenures and subsequent change in capitals, as shown in the given table. The given table
provides the information about: regnal years and the capitals of the respective sultans of the
Delhi Sultanate.

From the perusal of the above table,

we sniff out that during the reign of Rukn al-Din Firoz the capital was shifted from Delhi-yi
Kuhnah to Kilokhri or Shahr-e-naw in response to the challenges posed by de facto- Shamsi
Bandagan. The shift in the capital was not related to cultural rationale but a result of
increasing powers of Bandagan. So, to create alternate loyalties and for neutralizing the
influence of Bandagan he shifted his (Rukn ul-Din Firoz) capital to Kilokhri. The Bandagan
restored their authority over Delhi-yi Kuhna by assassinating Rukn al-Din Firoz and deployed
Razziyah, daughter of Iltutmish, to the throne. After ruling for four consecutive years,
Raziyyah was also deposed by the Shamsi Bandagan. Subsequently, power shifted from
Bahram Shah to two others. Since the descendants of Iltutmish were unable to rule effectively
as they had been de jure sultans and the Bandagan were de facto rulers since their father’s
(Iltutmish’s) death. Then, one of the powerful Bandagans, Ghiyas ul-Din Balban, ascended
the throne. Unlike shifting of the capital and creating alternate loyalties, Balban killed
umpteen Bandagan, who opposed his rule and enthroned himself in Dilhi-i-Kuhna itself.
Balban (1266-87) and Ala al-Din khalaji (1296-1316) were stable rulers and never changed
their capitals. However, Ala al-Din Khalaji oscillated between Dilhi-e-kuhna and Siri. Siri
was very important for Ala al-Din Khalaji, the successor of Jala al-Din Khalaji.
According to Barani, Ala al-Din Khalaji in first phase-inclusive and accommodative- of his
rule started distributing largesse indiscriminately to win support of the people and Jalali
commanders after assassinating Jalal al-Din Khalaji. He couldn’t restore the support of Jalali
commanders, and yet, he chose Dilhi-e-Kuhna as his capital. As the newly enthroned sultan
sought to consolidate their power through deployment of loyal (to the existing sultan)
military personnel and a building where newly constituted court could be mustered- Ala al-
Din khalaji, second ruler of Khalaji dynasty, camped his loyal and huge standing army at
Siri- a military cantonment (Lashkargah) and carried an ample amount of work in Dilhi-i-
kuhna. In the last phase of his rule, the monarch had completely relied upon his commander
Malik Kafur Hazardinari. Then, his son Qutb al-Din Mubarak succeeded Ala al-Din Khalaji
and made Siri his capital and provided it some urban characters. During his reign Siri was
ceremoniously known as dar-al-khilafat or residence of caliph. After an unchallenged and
short rule of Khusrow Khan, Ghiyas ul-Din Tughlaq ascended the throne. He found prudent
to live in Siri- until his new capital, Tughluqabad, would form- to maintain political stability
and relations with old elites.

Ruler Ala al-Din Khalaji and Siri’s strategic importance

According to Barani, the second phase of the authoritative reign of Ala-al-Din Khalaji led to
the exclusion of Jalali commanders and subsequently led to the sheathing inclusion of old
military elites like Nusrat Khan and administrators like Malik Hamid al-Din. Apart from
alteration of subordinates, the Old City or Dilhi-i-Kuhna had witnessed large-scale building
activities like construction of Alai Darwaza and Alai Minar, renovation works and
overhauling the fortifications of the city, and a huge increase in population. Moreover, the
expansion of Delhi’s first congregational mosque, the building of a large water reservoir
(Hawz-i-khass) by replacing the old sultan’s water reservoir, the introduction of a market-
controlled policy and a uniform taxation system, however, regressive for poor, and most
importantly the construction of a new suburb (outside the city) Siri-a military cantonment
(Lashkargah) were done under Ala al-Din Khalaji. According to Barani, Ala al-Din Khalaji
didn’t live in the Old City despite his huge investments therein because the assassination of
Jalal al-Din Khalaji by him invoked a feeling of resistance by old elites or vitriolic supporters
of Jalal, therefore, angst by the resistance- Ala al-Din Khalaji preferred to live outside the
city in the vicinity of Siri which he developed as a cantonment in due course and his alternate
residence. Since Ala al-Din Khalaji was an ambitious ruler, he wanted to expand his rule with
the help of his large standing army. Indeed, he managed to raise such a large standing army
by paying relatively low salaries to his soldiers, and introduced market price control
measures-by fixing the rates of commodities and ensuring the regulated prices- so that the
low salaries were acceptable to his soldiers. Thus, he had a cost-effective army. Siri became
the cantonment where his huge and cost-effective army could be garrisoned to defend the city
from the tireless onslaughts and invasion of Mongols. Siri was important for Ala al-Din
Khalaji to construct his dispensation: it allowed him to monitor the status of the Old City; and
it was a critical adjunct to Dilhi-i-Kuhna for him. Apparently, the authority and political base
of Ala al- Din Khalaji swayed between Delhi-e-Kuhna and Siri. The latter provided strategic
importance to the ruler and he spent most of his time thereof.

Siri’s primary objectives before Ala al-Din Khalaji

The city of Siri existed before Ala al-Din Khalaji but its historicity was not clear as
Kilokhari. The first reference of Siri in the sultanate period (1290-1 CE) was associated with
the reign of Jalal al-Din Khalaji. He used this site just as an assembly point for his army.
Strategically, Ala al-Din Khalaji also used Siri as a military encampment and provided it with
fortifications somewhat between 1300-1303 CE in response to the tireless Mongol invasions
of Mongol commanders, Qutlugh Qocha and Taraghay. Also, Amir-i-Khusrov mentioned Siri
as a site, located between Delhi-e-Kuhna and Kilokhari.
Changing role of Siri
When Ala al-Din Khalaji fell sick in 1316 CE, his military slave Malik Kafur Hazardinari
fought with other Alai commanders, especially Alp khan, and in intra-dispensational conflict
Khalaji’s princes like Khizr khan and Shihab al Din were fronted by rival camps. In the
competition for ascending the throne- the third candidate, Qutub al-Din Mubarak Shah, son
of Ala al-Din Khalaji succeeded. After ascending the throne as a regent (after the murder of
Malik Kafur), he deployed the Alai commanders as governors and created a group of loyal
military slaves to rule Delhi region. At the same time, Mubarak Shah Khalaji created Siri as
his capital- by changing its role from a military encampment to a sultan’s capital- and place
of his dispensation and deliberately the importance of Dilhi-i-Kuhna got evaporated into thin
air. During Mubarak Shah’s reign, the relationship between Siri and Dilhi-i-Kuhna was
similar to one that existed through the reign of his predecessors between Kilokhari and Dilhi-
i-Kuhna. He established a new congregational mosque in Siri and repaired the damaged
fortifications of the city to give it an urban character just like Kilokhari. He assumed the
extravagant title of Khalifah for him and ceremoniously Siri was referred to as the ‘residence
of caliph’ or dar-al-khilafat. Even though, Siri was continued to be identified as ‘army
camp’. Just as Kaykubad’s recruitment of deracine (not from the ruler’s origin) commander
Jala al-Din khalaji, Mubarak Shah Khalaji earmarked Khusraw Khan as his subordinate.
Khusraw khan who had acquired the trust of the ruler murdered Mubarak Shah Khalaji in
1320 CE. Prior to this he managed to bring his kinsmen and Barwarids/Parwarids to Delhi, in
order to create his loyalties.
Faltering of Siri’s importance with the rising of Tughlaqs
The rule of Khusraw Khan was unchallenged in the Delhi region but the governor of
Dipalpur, Ghiyas al-din Tughlaq refused to acknowledge the ascension of Khusrow khan.
Ghiyas al-din Tughlaq’s efforts to gain support from Khalaji commanders were negated.
However, he led a miscellaneous (including Guzz, Turks and Mongols from Rum and Rus)
crowd of frontiersman to Delhi. Accordingly, Ghiyas ul-Din Tughlaq won the battle and
annexed the throne. He deployed the old Khilaji commanders to the office and continued to
reside at Siri to gain support from the old sultan’s elites who welcomed the sultan with some
ambivalent feelings, so he considered it (residing at Siri) prudent to maintain his political
stability in tacit acquiescence with the old elites. The first phase of Tughlaq’s reign coincided
with his residence at Siri marked political stability in Delhi. Abruptly, when the Khalaji
commanders were campaigning in South India they purportedly believed a rumour that the
Sultan had ordered their execution. So, they rebelled and this rebellion resulted in their
execution, which marked the final dissolution of Khalaji commanders. The news of their
execution was sent to Ghiyas ul- Din Tughlaq in his new court situated at Tughlaqabad.
That was the last time in the initial years of Ghiyas ul- Din Tughlaq: Siri had become the
capital of a monarch from Tughlaq dynasty. With the rise of the Tughlaq dynasty, Siri lost his
strategic importance and would never use again as a capital. The following sultans of
Tughlaq dynasty commenced another round of capitals as Tughlaqabad was followed by
Adilabad, Jahanpanah and Firuzabad.