Madurai Sultanate
Encyclopedia
The Madurai Sultanate or the Ma'bar Sultanate was a short lived independent Muslim kingdom based in the city of Madurai
in Tamil Nadu
, India
during the 14th century CE. It lasted from 1335 until 1378. It came into existence following the decline of the Second Pandyan empire and was destroyed by the rise of Vijayanagar
.
. There were three separate invasions within a period of fifteen years. The first invasion was that of Malik Kafur
in 1311 CE which sacked Madurai. Following this there were two more expeditions from the Delhi Sultanate - the second in 1314 CE led by Khusrav Khan and the third in 1323 CE by Ulugh Khan
. These invasions shattered the Pandyan empire beyond revival. While the previous invasions were content with plunder, Ulugh Khan annexed the former Pandyan dominions to the Delhi Sultanate as the province of Ma'bar. Most of South India came under the Delhi's rule and was divided into five provinces - Devagiri, Tiling, Kampili
, Dorasamudra
and Ma'bar.
In 1325, Ulugh Khan acceded to the throne in Delhi as Muhammad bin Tughluq
. His plans for invading Persia and Khorasan
, bankrupted his treasury and led to the issuing of token currency. This led to counterfeiting and further worsened the sultanate's finances. He was unable to pay his huge army and the soldiers stationed in distant provinces revolted. The first province to rebel was Bengal and Ma'bar soon followed. The Governor of Ma'bar, Jalaluddin Ahsan Khan
declared independence and set up the Madurai Sultanate. The exact year of founding of the Madurai Sultanate is not clear. Numismatic evidence points to 1335 CE as the founding year. The Persian historian Firishta
however places the year of Ma'bar's revolt as 1340 CE.
declared independence from Delhi Sultanate around 1335 CE. His daughter was married to the historian Ibn Battuta
and his son Ibrahim was the purse bearer of Muhammad bin Tughluq
. When Tughluq heard of Jalaluddin's rebellion he had Ibrahim killed in retaliation. Jalaluddin is variously referred to as "Syed", "Hasan" or "Hussun" by the historians Firishta
and Ziauddin Barani
. Tughluq tried to conquer Ma'bar back in 1337 CE. But he fell ill at Bidar on the way to Ma'bar and had to return to Deogiri. His army was defeated by Jalaluddin. Jalaluddin was killed by one of his nobles in 1340 CE.
visited Madurai during his reign and wrote about Ghiyasuddin's atrocities. Ibn Battuta writes about how the sultan impaled Hindus alive and cut the throats of women and children. An appalled Battuta wrote that it was for this reason that God fastened Ghiyasuddin's death.
Ghiyasuddin was defeated by the Hoysala king Veera Ballala III
at first, but later managed to capture and kill Ballala in 1343 CE during the siege of Kannanur Koppam. Ghiyasuddin captured Balalla, robbed him of his wealth, had him killed and his stuffed body displayed on the walls of Madurai. Ghiyasuddin died in 1344 CE from the after effects of an aphrodisiac.
made a series of efforts to conquer Southern India. There were a series of Vijayanagar invasions in the middle of the fourteenth century which succeeded in initially restricting and finally ending the Madurai Sultanate's rule over South India. Vijayanagar's armies were led by Bukka's son Kumara Kampanna Udaiyar. Kampanna first subdued the Sampuvarayars in present day Kanchipuram district and then conquered Madurai. Kampanna's invasion has been chronicled in the Sanskrit epic poem Madhura Vijayam
(The conquest of Madurai) or Vira Kamparaya Charithram (History of Kampanna) written by Kampanna's wife Gangadevi
. Kampanna's victory is symbolised by the restoration of Srirangam
temple to its old glory in 1371 CE. Vijayanagar formally declared Madurai to be its possession during Harihara II
's rule in 1378 CE .
Ibn Batuta describes Ghiyasuddin Dhamgani's actions as:
Gangadevi's Madhura Vijayam declares the Muslim rule to be the pain to the three worlds:
On the condition of Madurai
under the Muslim rule, Gangadevi writes:
Ibn Batuta describes a plague afflicting Madurai:
Gangadevi agrees with the Ibn Batuta on the prevalence of unnatural death:
Madurai
Madurai is the third largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It served as the capital city of the Pandyan Kingdom. It is the administrative headquarters of Madurai District and is famous for its temples built by Pandyan and...
in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
during the 14th century CE. It lasted from 1335 until 1378. It came into existence following the decline of the Second Pandyan empire and was destroyed by the rise of Vijayanagar
Vijayanagara Empire
The Vijayanagara Empire , referred as the Kingdom of Bisnaga by the Portuguese, was an empire based in South Indian in the Deccan Plateau region. It was established in 1336 by Harihara I and his brother Bukka Raya I of the Yadava lineage. The empire rose to prominence as a culmination of attempts...
.
Origins
In the early 14th Century, South India was subjected to repeated invasions by armies of the Delhi SultanateDelhi Sultanate
The Delhi Sultanate is a term used to cover five short-lived, Delhi based kingdoms or sultanates, of Turkic origin in medieval India. The sultanates ruled from Delhi between 1206 and 1526, when the last was replaced by the Mughal dynasty...
. There were three separate invasions within a period of fifteen years. The first invasion was that of Malik Kafur
Malik Kafur
Malik Kafur, General , or Chand Ram as his name was originally, was a slave who became a head general in the army of Alauddin Khilji, ruler of the Delhi sultanate from 1296 to 1316 AD. He was originally seized by Alauddin's army after the army conquered the city of Khambhat...
in 1311 CE which sacked Madurai. Following this there were two more expeditions from the Delhi Sultanate - the second in 1314 CE led by Khusrav Khan and the third in 1323 CE by Ulugh Khan
Muhammad bin Tughluq
Muhammad bin Tughluq was the Turkic Sultan of Delhi from 1325 to 1351. He was the eldest son of Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq.He was born in Kotla Tolay Khan in Multan. His wife was daughter of the raja of Dipalpur...
. These invasions shattered the Pandyan empire beyond revival. While the previous invasions were content with plunder, Ulugh Khan annexed the former Pandyan dominions to the Delhi Sultanate as the province of Ma'bar. Most of South India came under the Delhi's rule and was divided into five provinces - Devagiri, Tiling, Kampili
Kampili
Kampili was a tiny kingdom on the banks of the Tungabhadra river in present day Karnataka state during the 13th century.The founder of the kingdom was a Hoysala commander, Singeya Nayaka-III who declared himself independent and created a small chiefdom...
, Dorasamudra
Halebidu
Halebidu is located in Hassan District, Karnataka, India. Halebidu was the regal capital of the Hoysala Empire in the 12th century. It is home to one of the best examples of Hoysala architecture in the ornate Hoysaleswara and Kedareswara temples. Halebidu literally means ruined city...
and Ma'bar.
In 1325, Ulugh Khan acceded to the throne in Delhi as Muhammad bin Tughluq
Muhammad bin Tughluq
Muhammad bin Tughluq was the Turkic Sultan of Delhi from 1325 to 1351. He was the eldest son of Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq.He was born in Kotla Tolay Khan in Multan. His wife was daughter of the raja of Dipalpur...
. His plans for invading Persia and Khorasan
Greater Khorasan
Greater Khorasan or Ancient Khorasan is a historical region of Greater Iran mentioned in sources from Sassanid and Islamic eras which "frequently" had a denotation wider than current three provinces of Khorasan in Iran...
, bankrupted his treasury and led to the issuing of token currency. This led to counterfeiting and further worsened the sultanate's finances. He was unable to pay his huge army and the soldiers stationed in distant provinces revolted. The first province to rebel was Bengal and Ma'bar soon followed. The Governor of Ma'bar, Jalaluddin Ahsan Khan
Jalaluddin Ahsan Khan
Jalaluddin Ahsan Khan was the first Sultan of Madurai Sultanate and father-in-law of the Moorish traveller Ibn Batutah.- Declaration of independence :...
declared independence and set up the Madurai Sultanate. The exact year of founding of the Madurai Sultanate is not clear. Numismatic evidence points to 1335 CE as the founding year. The Persian historian Firishta
Firishta
Firishta or Ferishta, full name Muhammad Qasim Hindu Shah , was born in 1560 and died in 1620 and he was a Persian historian. The name Firishta means angel or one who is sent in Persian.-Life:...
however places the year of Ma'bar's revolt as 1340 CE.
Jalal-ud-Din Ahsan Khan
Jalaluddin Ahsan KhanJalaluddin Ahsan Khan
Jalaluddin Ahsan Khan was the first Sultan of Madurai Sultanate and father-in-law of the Moorish traveller Ibn Batutah.- Declaration of independence :...
declared independence from Delhi Sultanate around 1335 CE. His daughter was married to the historian Ibn Battuta
Ibn Battuta
Abu Abdullah Muhammad Ibn Battuta , or simply Ibn Battuta, also known as Shams ad–Din , was a Muslim Moroccan Berber explorer, known for his extensive travels published in the Rihla...
and his son Ibrahim was the purse bearer of Muhammad bin Tughluq
Muhammad bin Tughluq
Muhammad bin Tughluq was the Turkic Sultan of Delhi from 1325 to 1351. He was the eldest son of Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq.He was born in Kotla Tolay Khan in Multan. His wife was daughter of the raja of Dipalpur...
. When Tughluq heard of Jalaluddin's rebellion he had Ibrahim killed in retaliation. Jalaluddin is variously referred to as "Syed", "Hasan" or "Hussun" by the historians Firishta
Firishta
Firishta or Ferishta, full name Muhammad Qasim Hindu Shah , was born in 1560 and died in 1620 and he was a Persian historian. The name Firishta means angel or one who is sent in Persian.-Life:...
and Ziauddin Barani
Ziauddin Barani
Ziauddin Barani was a Muslim historian and political thinker who lived in India during Muhammad bin Tughlaq and Firuz Shah's reign. He was best known for composing the Tarikh-i-Firuz Shahi, a major historical work on medieval India, which covers the period from the reign of Ghiyas ud din Balban to...
. Tughluq tried to conquer Ma'bar back in 1337 CE. But he fell ill at Bidar on the way to Ma'bar and had to return to Deogiri. His army was defeated by Jalaluddin. Jalaluddin was killed by one of his nobles in 1340 CE.
Ala-ud-Din Udauji and Qutb-ud-Din Firuz
After Jalaluddin's murder, Ala-ud-Din Udauji Shah took power in 1340 CE. He too was soon assassinated during a battle with Hindu armies. He was succeeded by his son in law Qutb-ud-Din Firuz Shah, who in turn was assassinated within forty days of taking power. Qutbuddin's killer Ghiyas-ud-din Dhamagani took over as Sultan in 1340.Ghiyas-ud-Din Muhammad Damghani
Ghiyasuddin was originally a soldier in the service of Muhammad bin Tughluq. He consolidated his position by marrying a daughter of Jalaluddin Ahsan Khan. Ibn BattutaIbn Battuta
Abu Abdullah Muhammad Ibn Battuta , or simply Ibn Battuta, also known as Shams ad–Din , was a Muslim Moroccan Berber explorer, known for his extensive travels published in the Rihla...
visited Madurai during his reign and wrote about Ghiyasuddin's atrocities. Ibn Battuta writes about how the sultan impaled Hindus alive and cut the throats of women and children. An appalled Battuta wrote that it was for this reason that God fastened Ghiyasuddin's death.
Ghiyasuddin was defeated by the Hoysala king Veera Ballala III
Veera Ballala III
Veera Ballala III was the last great king of the Hoysala Empire that ruled over what is now the South Indian state of Karnataka. Veera Ballala's commanders, Harihara and Bukkaraya are perhaps better known in Kannada folklore as the founders of the Vijayanagar Empire...
at first, but later managed to capture and kill Ballala in 1343 CE during the siege of Kannanur Koppam. Ghiyasuddin captured Balalla, robbed him of his wealth, had him killed and his stuffed body displayed on the walls of Madurai. Ghiyasuddin died in 1344 CE from the after effects of an aphrodisiac.
Decline
Ghiyasuddin was succeeded by his nephew Nasir-ud-Din Mahmud Damghan Shah who killed all the officers likely to disturb his possession of the throne. Between 1344 and 1357 CE, the Madurai Sultanate went into a decline due to infighting and the rise of Vijayanagar in the North. This is inferred by the lack of any coinage issued during this period. However coins from 1358 to 1378 bearing the names of three Madurai Sultans - Shams-ud-Din Adil Shah, Fakhr-ud-Din Mubarak Shah and Ala-ud-Din Sikandar Shah - have been found. This indicates an interruption of the Muslim power during 1344-57 CE and a brief revival during 1357-78 CE.Fall
The Vijayanagar empire under Bukka Raya IBukka
Bukka was an emperor of the Vijayanagara Empire from the Sangama Dynasty. Bukka patronised Telugu poet Nachana Soma....
made a series of efforts to conquer Southern India. There were a series of Vijayanagar invasions in the middle of the fourteenth century which succeeded in initially restricting and finally ending the Madurai Sultanate's rule over South India. Vijayanagar's armies were led by Bukka's son Kumara Kampanna Udaiyar. Kampanna first subdued the Sampuvarayars in present day Kanchipuram district and then conquered Madurai. Kampanna's invasion has been chronicled in the Sanskrit epic poem Madhura Vijayam
Madura Vijayam
Madura Vijayam also spelled as Madhura Vijayam is a 14th century C.E Sanskrit poem written by the poetess Gangadevi. It is also called as Vira Kamparaya Charitham. It chronicles the life of Kumara Kampanna Udayar or Kumara Kampanna II, a prince of the Vijayanagara Empire and the second son of...
(The conquest of Madurai) or Vira Kamparaya Charithram (History of Kampanna) written by Kampanna's wife Gangadevi
Gangadevi
Gangadevi, also known as Gangambika, was a poet in the Vijayanagara Empire during the 14th century and chronicled the story of the victory of her husband, Kumara Kampana, son of Bukka Raya I over the Muslims in Madhura in the form of a poem. The title of the eight chapter poem was Madhura...
. Kampanna's victory is symbolised by the restoration of Srirangam
Srirangam
Srirangam , Old name is Vellithirumutha gramam and Tamil name is Thiruvarangam , is an island and a part of the city of Tiruchirapalli , in South India....
temple to its old glory in 1371 CE. Vijayanagar formally declared Madurai to be its possession during Harihara II
Harihara II
Harihara II was an emperor of the Vijayanagara Empire from the Sangama Dynasty. He patronised Kannada poet Madhura, a Jaina. An important work on Vedas was completed during his time...
's rule in 1378 CE .
Rule
From contemporary historical accounts, the rulers of Madurai Sultanate come across as tyrants and persecutors of Hindus. Both Ibn Batutta's and Gangadevi's accounts contain graphic descriptions of atrocities committed by the Muslim Sultans on the Hindu population.Ibn Batuta describes Ghiyasuddin Dhamgani's actions as:
Gangadevi's Madhura Vijayam declares the Muslim rule to be the pain to the three worlds:
On the condition of Madurai
Madurai
Madurai is the third largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It served as the capital city of the Pandyan Kingdom. It is the administrative headquarters of Madurai District and is famous for its temples built by Pandyan and...
under the Muslim rule, Gangadevi writes:
Ibn Batuta describes a plague afflicting Madurai:
Gangadevi agrees with the Ibn Batuta on the prevalence of unnatural death:
List of Madurai Sultans
| Sultan | Years of Reign |
|---|---|
| Jalaluddin Ahsan Khan Jalaluddin Ahsan Khan Jalaluddin Ahsan Khan was the first Sultan of Madurai Sultanate and father-in-law of the Moorish traveller Ibn Batutah.- Declaration of independence :... |
1335–1339 CE |
| Ala-ud-Din Udauji | 1339 CE |
| Qutb-ud-Din Firuz | 1339–1340 CE |
| Ghiyas-ud-Din Muhammad Damghani | 1340–1344 CE |
| Nasir-ud-Din Mahmud Damghani | 1344–1356 CE |
| Shams-ud-Din Adil Shah | 1356–1358 CE |
| Fakhr-ud-Din Mubarak Shah | 1358–1368 CE |
| Ala-ud-Din Sikandar Shah | 1368–1378 CE |