Achievements of Balban in Dehli Sultanate

INTRODUCTION
Ghiyas-ud-din Balban was famous and one of the most powerful Sultans
of India's Delhi Sultanate. Ghiyas-ud-din Balban's real name was Ulugh
Khan. His famous titles were Nababe Kuda (Follower of God), Zir-e-
Elah (Shadow of God) and Kuda-e-Vangal (Follower of God). He was
born in 1216 in the Turkic tribes of Central Asia. Barban belongs to the
Mamluk dynasty of Delhi. Ghiyas-ud-din was the 9th Sultan of Delhi and the 2nd
Sultan of the Mamluk dynasty who ruled the Delhi Sultanate. He ruled Delhi from his
1266 to his 1286. He was one of 40 Turkish slaves that Iltutmish had. Barban made
several conquests as Chancellor. He successfully dealt with Mewat, reclaimed Bengal,
and repelled the Mongol threat. This series of conquests made him one of Delhi's
most famous rulers.
“A great warrior; ruler and statesman who saved the infant Muslim state from
extinction at a critical time, Balban will ever remain a great figure in medieval
Indian history”-Dr. Iswari Prasad

Early Life:
Barban was born into a Turkic family of the Ilbari tribe, just like his master Iltumish.
He was kidnapped by the Mongols at a young age and sold to a slave trader named
Khwaja Jamal-ud-din. He took him to Delhi where he was bought by Iltumish. During
his time in Delhi, Iltumish was so impressed with Balban's intelligence and skill that
he enrolled him as a member of his famous Forty Slave Corps (Chalgan).
During the reign of Raziya Sultana, he was promoted to his Amir-i-Shikar (Lordof the
hunt). He was loyal to the early Rajya. But later, he joined the nobles who
successfully deposed Rajya his sultana from the throne of Delhi. The next Sultan was
Bahram Shah, who in exchange for serving him gave Jagir of Rewari and Hansi.
He played the role of Kingmaker. A great warrior, he successfully repelled a Mongol
invasion during the time of Bahram Shah. Likewise, he was instrumental in deposing
Masood and elevating Nasir al-Din Mahmud to the throne of Delhi. Nasir-ud-din
rewarded him by offering the post of Chief Advisor to the Sultan. He also
strengthened his relationship with the Sultan through his daughter who married him.
The Sultan, satisfied with Burban's loyalty and devotion, bestowed upon him the title
of Ulugh Khan, making him Naib-i Mamlikat, or Vice-Sultan. This is probably
because Nasiruddin was weak and incompetent, relying more on him to manage state
affairs. As a result, real power gradually passed into the hands of Balban.
His power and popularity continued to grow. He put down many domestic rebellions
and also controlled external invasions, especially by the Mongols. Sultan Nasiruddin
considered him indispensable. Since Nasiruddin had no heir to the throne, he named
Barban as his successor. Nasir-ud-din Mahmud died in 1266 and Balban assumed the
throne, succeeding the title of Ghiyasuddin Balban.

His Early Problems

Barban faced many problems after taking the throne. The state affairs were in
turmoil, and the crown's prestige fell to the ground under the weak and incompetent
rule of Iltutmish's successors. As the nobility grew in power, most of the glorious
members of Forty distrusted the throne.
They were proud, arrogant, and jealous of Balban. In the words of Barani, “Fear of
the governing power which is the basis of all good governments and the source of
the glory and splendor of the state, had departed from the hearts of all men, and
the country had fallen into a wretched condition.”
The treasury was empty and the army was poorly organized. A Mongol invasion was
imminent, and internal revolts regularly reared their heads. This was a critical time
when Barban was given the responsibility to face and fight. He proved to be more
than an equal for them.
Balban ruled the empire with an iron fist that included crushing Mewatis and training
officers, he also reorganized his army and usurped power from Chihargani. He never
gave authority to Hindus in administration or in the military.
Major Achievements of Balban’s reign
The following are the major achievements of Balban’s reign:
 Balban’s Theory of Kingship and Restoration of the Prestige of the Sultan
 The Destruction of ‘The Forty’
 The Army
 The Administration and the Spy-System
 The Suppression of Revolts
 The Conquest of Bengal
 The Judicial System
 Confiscation of ‘fiefs’ (Jagirs)
 Liquidation of thieves and robbers
 Massacre of the Mewati Rajput’s

Balban’s Theory of Kingship and Restoration of the Prestige of the Sultan:

Barban was the first ruler of the Delhi Sultanate to express a clear and firm opinion of
the Sultanate's power. There was a clear need to restore the dignity of the Sultan and
eradicate not only the possibility of conflict with the nobility, but also the
consequences of feelings of inferiority and guilt.

Balban wanted to persuade the nobles that they had attained the throne by the will of
God and not by a poisoned chalice or an assassin's dagger. Balban, emphasized two
main points of the theory of kingship. First,the monarchy was by God's will, and
second, the Sultan had to be a despot. He said that the kingship is God's sub-regent
(niyabat-i-khudai) on earth and exists only as a prophet, so that his actions are not
judged by the nobility or the people. told his son Bughra Khan that kingship is the
embodiment of tyranny. On another occasion, he declared that it was the king's
superhuman respect and status that could ensure the obedience of his people.

Balban put these ideas into practice. Claiming to be a descendant of the Turkish
mythological hero Afrasiyab of Turan, he gave up drinking wine and reveling, kept a
low profile, maintained dignified restraint, and served the nobility as well as the
common people. also affected. He never expressed any unusual joy or sorrow in
public.
The news of his eldest son Muhammad's death did not faze him, and he went about
his daily routine, weeping in his apartment. He never came to court without his full
royal attire and never smiled or smiled.

He established certain rules of conduct in court and strictly enforced them. He took
over many ceremonies of the Persian court. He instituted the practice of the zaminbos
and phibos (prostrating on the throne and kissing the king's feet), appointed tall and
formidable guards to stand around the king's body with naked swords, ordered
everyone else to stand at court.
Aristocrats were provided with court attire and were forbidden to drink wine. No one
could smile or laugh in court. Naulauzi's annual festival was celebrated with great
gusts and shows at his court. Foreigners were overwhelmed by the splendor of his
court. Whenever Barban left the palace, his ferocious guards marched with him,
drawing their swords and shouting "Bismillah Bismillah!" All these measures
certainly helped restore the Sultan's prestige and add brilliance to his personality.

Also, Barban gave shelter to all foreign scholars and nobles and named their
residences after their countries and families, so he was considered a protector of
Islamic culture. gave it a respectable position abroad in the Islamic world.

The Destruction of ‘The Forty’:

Balban tried to break up the power of the group known as "the forty" (Turkan-i-
Chihalgani) when he was Sultan Nasir-ud-din's Naib because he thought it was
necessary to restore the Sultan's power. He used every means at his disposal to
achieve this goal when he himself became the Sultan. Both a poisoned cup and an
assassin's knife were beneficial to him.

The majority of these nobles had either perished on their own or been destroyed by
Balban by the time he ascended the throne. The remaining members either perished or
lost their positions of power. Malik Baqbaq, governor of Badaun, was publicly
flogged for killing one of his slaves. Haibat Khan, governor of Avadh and another
powerful noble, was flogged with 500 stripes and then given to the slave's widow,
whom he had killed while he was drunk.

Haibat Khan was so ashamed of himself that he never left his palace until he died.
Similar to how Amin Khan, governor of Avadh, was hanged at the gate of Ayodhya
for failing to quell Tughril Khan of Bengal's revolt. Sher Khan, a cousin of Balban
and another member of the "40," was poisoned as Balban became envious of his
abilities and suspicious of his ambition.

Because there was no more powerful noble who could compete with him or challenge
his despotism, that marked the end of "the forty." After eliminating the previous
powerful nobles, Balban naturally promoted his own loyal followers to higher
positions, but none of them could claim equality with him. As a result, Balban, a
member of "the forty," was responsible for the group's demise, which had taken
control of the state from the weak hands of Iltutmish's successors.

Balban is also given a lot of praise for his sense of justice. There were instances
where Balban upheld justice by punishing high-ranking nobles. However, it should
not be forgotten that Balban used justice as a weapon to destroy "the forty's" power
and prestige. In addition, Balban sealed the fate of the Turkish race in India and
destroyed the power of the Turkish nobles.

Prof. K.A. Nizami writes:

“Anxious to secure his personal and family interests, he completely ignored the
interests of the Turkish governing class. He destroyed the talent amongst the Turkish
nobles so ruthlessly that when the Khaljis entered the field as competitors for the
throne against them, they were completely outmanoeuvred and defeated. Balban’s
responsibility for the fall of the Turks’ power in India cannot be denied.”
The Army:
A powerful monarchy needed a lot of soldiers. Balban realized that it was necessary
for his despotism to work, to protect his empire from the Mongol invasion, and to put
down rebellions. He made more officers and soldiers part of his army, paid them well,
and took an active interest in how they were trained.
He used to go up to Rewari every day during the winter with a thousand horsemen to
teach them how to exert themselves. In order to ensure that he did not run out of
money, he made Imad-ul-mulk his Diwan-i-ariz and freed him from the control of the
vazir to oversee the recruitment, pay, and equipment of his troops.

Imad-ul-mulk proved to be a competent and trustworthy officer, and he undoubtedly

helped Balban organize an army that was effective and well-equipped. In addition,
Balban did not engage in unnecessary military pursuits that could have depleted his
military resources. He planned each military campaign himself and kept it a secret
until the day of the operation. It was instructed to his soldiers not to trouble the poor
and weak.
Balban was instructed to investigate the lands and jagirs given to various individuals
by previous Sultans in exchange for their military service. He discovered that many of
these lands and jagirs were kept by elderly people, widows, and orphans who did not
serve the state.
He made arrangements for them to receive cash pensions and issued an order to return
all such lands and jagirs to the state. Even the land and jagirs of those who were
serving the state were given to state officers for care, and cash payments were made to
them. However, these orders required some adjustments from Balban.
Many elderly people and widows begged Balban's friend Fakhr-ud-din, the Delhi
Kotwal, for mercy, who in turn begged Balban for mercy for them. Balban granted his
request and canceled his orders regarding the elderly, widows, and orphans,
eliminating a useful measure.
Balban did not try to put the army in one place. It was up to the governors and the
nobles to organize their own armies on their own. There was no arrangement to pay
the soldiers in cash. Instead, they were given lands, just like previous rulers. As a
result, the army's organization remained plagued by serious flaws. However, Balban
was able to boost the army's strength and effectiveness.
The Administration and the Spy-System:
Balban's administration was a mix of civil and military forces. It was expected of each
officer to carry out both administrative and military responsibilities. The entire
administration was under Balban's control. During his reign, there was no naib
position, and the vazir position had also declined significantly.
All officers were appointed by Balban himself, and he made sure that only nobles
were promoted to higher positions. Balban undoubtedly achieved peace and justice for
his subjects.
Balban owed much of his success to the effective organization of his spy system. In
order to monitor the activities of his governors, military and civil officers, and even
his own sons, he appointed spies (Barids). They were appointed by Balban himself,
and they were paid well.
They were expected to provide the Sultan with all crucial information, and those who
failed to do so were severely punished. Even though no one met the Sultan in the
court, every spy had direct access to him. Balban's administration's success was due to
the effectiveness of his spy system.

The Suppression of Revolts:

Balban immediately took measures to ensure Delhi's safety. Four forts were
constructed on Delhi's four corners, housing ferocious Afghan troops, and the forests
surrounding Delhi were cleared. In Delhi, robbers and freeloaders were constantly
targeted and brutally killed.
Within a year, the people who had made the lives of Delhi's residents unsafe in the
capital vanished. The revolts in Doab and Oudh were put down the following year by
Balban. He established military checkpoints at a number of locations, cleared the
jungles, divided the region into several military commands, and followed the
rebellious people from one location to another. Peace was restored in these areas as a
result of his efforts. Balban then went to Katehar.
He took semi-barbaric measures to terrorize the population there. Children and
innocent women were also targeted. He instructed his soldiers to slaughter all males,
burn their villages and fields, and enslave women and children. This strategy worked.
According to Barani's writing, the people of Katehar never attempted to rebel again.
In addition, Balban built roads, cleared the jungle, and ensured the travelers' safety.
His kingdom was kept in peace by these various measures. Balban was able to not
only put an end to the uprisings and restore peace and security to his subjects within a
few years of taking the throne.

The Conquest of Bengal:

When Arsalan Khan declared independence, Bengal fell to the Delhi Sultanate during
Sultan Nasir-ud-din's reign. However, Tatar Khan, the son of Arsalan Khan, sent
sixty-three elephants to show his respect for Balban when he ascended the throne. He
did not openly declare that he was in charge.
However, Balban appointed Tughril Khan to the position of governor of Bengal after
Tatar Khan either passed away or was removed from his position. However, in 1279
A.D., Tughril Khan rebelled, declared independence, and assumed the title of Sultan
Mughis-ud-din. Balban's authority was rudely shocked by the rebellion. It was the
first slave-noble revolt, and if it had been allowed to succeed, it would have destroyed
Balban's entire awe-and-fear structure.
As a result, it became necessary to put an end to Tughril Khan's uprising. Balban
immediately instructed Oudh governor Amin Khan to launch an attack on Bengal.
Balban, on the other hand, defeated Amin Khan and executed him. The subsequent
two expeditions also suffered the same fate.
Balban was enraged by this. He went personally to Bengal with a large army and
vowed never to return without the rebel leader. He reached Bengal with two million
soldiers and his son, Bughra Khan, adding to his strength with additional Avadh
troops.
Lakhnauti was the last place Tughril Khan went. Balban continued to pursue him and,
in the end, killed him at Hajinagar in East Bengal. After that, Balban went back to
Lakhnauti and dealt Tughril's followers a terrible blow.

Barani wrote:
“On either side of the principal bazar, in a street more than two miles in length,
a row of stakes was set up and the adherents of Tughril were impaled upon
them. None of the beholders had ever seen a spectacle so terrible, and many
swooned with terror and disgust.”
Balban came back to Dehli after appointing hid son , Bughra Khan as a governer of
Bengal and advising him to remain loyal to the Dehli Sultanate.

Judicial system of Balban

Balban adhered to the strict impartiality principle in judicial administration matters. If
they were in any way involved in any act of omission or commission, his close friends
and family could not avoid the legal system. As a result, the amirs and maliks no
longer dared to abuse their male or female servants or even their slaves because they
were aware that they would be subject to retribution for their actions. Inhumane
treatment cost one of a certain malik's slaves his life. The Sultan heard about this from
the slave's widow, so he ordered the Malik to be openly flogged for it. A favorite of
the Saltan himself, Haibat Khan killed a man and paid the man's widow twenty
thousand rupees as compensation to avoid being punished by Balban. Balban's
establishment of an espionage system has already been mentioned. were also required
to inform the Sultan of all miscarriages of justice, in addition to advising Balban of
important occurrences and high-ranking officers, including Bughra Khan, Balban's
son.
By removing their hideouts in the forests, Balban also brutally removed the threat
posed by robbers and thieves.

Confiscation of ‘fiefs’ (Jagirs):

The Jagirdar system, a form of land tenancy that emerged in India during Muslim rule
(beginning in the early 13th century), gave an official of the state the authority to
collect an estate's revenues and run it. Two Persian words were combined to create the
term: Jagir, or "holding land," and Dar, or "official." A Jagirs bestowal to a Jagirdar
could be conditional or unconditional. A conditional Jagir required the recipient to
perform some kind of public service in return, such as raising and maintaining troops
for the realm's benefit. In most cases, an Iqta—an assignment of land—was made for
life, and the Jagir would pass to the state upon the holder's death. However, the heir
could renew it for a fee.
Balban directed an inquiry into the "Jagirdars'" status. It was discovered that the
majority of the people who lived in Jagirs were not the actual owners. As a result, he
seized these jagirs. Feudal lords benefited from this, and they demonstrated their
devotion to the Sultan.
Massacre of the Mewati Rajput’s:
The important city of Central India, which had been conquered by Turks, was under
the control of the powerful Rajput state. Balban, aa a Wazir, attempted to conquer
these cities multiple times. Balban attacked Kalinjar in 1249, but he was unable to
capture him. He failed to retake Gwalior in 1251. Made three unsuccessful attempts to
conquer Ranthambore between 1248 and 1259. Mewatis, who lived in the southwest
of Delhi, were also becoming more assertive. They carried out raids not only in the
vicinity of Delhi but also in Delhi itself. Balban launched a campaign against Mewati
in 1259. He engaged in a series of battles but was unable to defeat them. He then
attempted a massacre, but it proved unsuccessful. The Sultan insisted that he put an
end to the massacre.
Conclusion
There is no doubt that Balban was one of Delhi's greatest sultans. He deserves credit
for leading the Sultanate's destiny for forty years, twenty of those as prime minister
and twenty as Sultan. He did everything right and appropriate for the restoration of
the crown's prestige and the state's good governance by ascending the throne during a
time of confusion and crisis.
He kept a great distance from the common people by adhering to the divine right
theory of kingship. With kingly dignity, he established a magnificent court and
demonstrated his power and authority. He did everything he could to make the people
and officers in the administration feel afraid. He could thus restore the Sultan's status
and prestige.
The most significant impediment to his royal despotism was the power and influence
of the forty-man corps, which he then destroyed with success. Even for the minor
mistakes and offenses they had committed, he did not mind inflicting severe
exemplary punishments on them. He was also successful in establishing law and order
in the nation by establishing an effective espionage system.
He consolidated the Central Government and kept the nobles under control.
Additionally, he had a strong sense of justice and was an effective administrator. His
administration's primary goals were empire consolidation, peace, and protection.
Balban was the one who repelled the country's frequent Mongol invasions. He was the
one who made the empire stronger by bringing Rajput states into the Sultanate of
Delhi and running it well.
Balban was a great advocate for education and learning. Numerous educated men who
had immigrated from Central Asia had received access to space and amenities from
him. During his time, the great Persian poet Amir Khusru and Amir Hosan prospered.
Prince Muhammad, his son, was a wise man who was greatly influenced by those two
great poets. In addition, he was a very loving father. He was very fond of his sons and
family. He was so shocked by his son's death that he almost died. He was also very
religious and respected the Ulemas a lot.

However, there were significant flaws in his character. Balban was frequently cruel.
Even for minor offenses, he refused to forgive anyone. He was uninterested in the
methods for achieving his objective. Balban hated Indian Muslims very much and was
not like other low-born men. He always demanded a high birth rate and recruited
Turkish-born soldiers for the army. Because of this, he was unable to field a large and
powerful army.

References
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghiyas_ud_din_Balban
2. http://www.history-india.in/ghiasuddin-balban/
3. https://www.historydiscussion.net/history-of-india/policy-of-blood-and-iron-at-
work-11-achievements-of-balban/2662
4. https://www.jagranjosh.com/general-knowledge/delhi-sultanate-balban-slave-
dynasty-1437123358-1
5. https://www.britannica.com/topic/jagirdar-system
6. https://unacademy.com/content/railway-exam/study-material/ancient-history-of-
india/a-short-note-on-ghiyas-ud-din-balban/