“The blood of the infidels flowed so copiously that the stream was discoloured, and people were unable to drink it.”

~ Al-Utbi, Tarikh Yamini [Mahmud of Ghazni’s court historian]

Al-Utbi’s lines describe the carnage Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni, a city in eastern Afghanistan, inflicted on the wealthy temple cities of medieval India. From 1001 to 1026, Mahmud attacked northwest India 17 times, revelling in the destruction of the Hindu idols, and stripping the cities of its gold, silver, and wealth.

Mahmud was not interested in permanently owning the sub-continent. The resistance by the likes of Rajput King Vidyadhara Chandela was at times way too stiff, so alliances were made instead when required. His strategy was simple: attack, loot, return. Every year. It was a vow he had made to himself.

Bereft of any other major source of income, the Indian booty helped finance Mahmud’s empire, its capital Ghazni, and army. Under Mahmud’s rule [998 – 1030], the Ghaznavid empire founded by his father, reached its zenith stretching from Iran to Punjab in northwest India. Continue reading →