Mahmud Ghaznavi

Ghazni was ruled by Mahmud Ghazni, also known as Mahmud of Ghazni, from 971 until 1030 AD. So, in order to plunder India's wealth, he made his first attack in 1001. He made 17 attacks on India. In 1025, he made his 16th raid on the Somnath temple solely for the purpose of plundering the wealth.

Ghazni's king, Mahmud Ghaznavi, ruled from 971 until 1030 AD. Subuktgeen was his father. Gahznavi was attracted to India's wealth and attacked it multiple times. In actuality, Ghaznavi launched 17 attacks on India. The key objective of his invasions was to plunder Ghaznavi's wealth.

Let us discuss who was Mahmud Ghaznavi and Mahmud Ghaznavi and why he attacked 17 times on india in detail from this Article.

Why Mahmud Ghaznavi Attacked India?

Mahmud of Ghazni's Invasion in 1000 AD: Mahmud of Ghazni launched his first attack on modern-day Afghanistan and Pakistan in 1000 AD. He overthrew Hindu ruler Jaya Pala, who later committed suicide, leaving his son Anandpala to rule.

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• In 1005 AD, Ghazni attacked Bhatia.

• Multan was attacked by Ghazni in 1006 AD. Ananda Pala attacked him during this moment.

• In 1007 AD, Mahmud of Ghazni attacked and defeated Sukha Pala, the ruler of Bhatinda.

• In 1011 AD, Ghazni attacked Nagarkot in the Punjab hills.

• In the Battle of Waihind, the Hind shahi capital near Peshawar, Mahmud attacked and conquered Anand Pala's shahi dynasty in 1013 AD.

• In 1014 AD, Mahmud of Ghazni captured Thanesar.

• In 1015 AD, Mahmud of Ghazni launched attacks on Kashmir.

• In 1018 AD, he attacked Mathura and defeated a coalition of rulers, including Chandra Pala.

• In 1021 AD, Mahmud conquered Kanauj King Chandella Gauda and conquered Kanauj.

• In 1023 AD, Mahmud Ghazni besieged Gwalior and seized the city.

• In 1025 AD, Mahmud Ghazni attacked the Somnath temple in order to seize the temple's wealth.

• During his last invasion in 1030 AD, Mahmud Ghaznavi died of malaria.

Why Mahmud Ghaznavi Attacked India?

He was attracted by India's (mahmud ghaznavi in India) enormous wealth. As a result, he raided India several times. His conquest of India took on a religious component as well. He earned the moniker Idol Breaker by destroying the temples of Somnath, Kangra, Mathura, and Jwalamukhi.

Discuss the Early life of Mahmud Ghaznavi in India?

Mahmud of Ghazni, also known as Yamin ad-Dawlah Abdul-Qasim Mahmud ibn Sabuktegin, was born on November 2, 971, in Ghazna (now Ghazni), in southeast Afghanistan. Abu Mansur Sabuktegin's father was a Turkic enslaved Mamluk warrior from Ghazni.

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Sabuktegin took control of his city of Ghazni in 977, as the Samanid dynasty of Bukhara (now Uzbekistan) began to fall apart. He then went on to take other key Afghan cities including Kandahar. His kingdom was the core of the Ghaznavid Empire, and he is credited with the dynasty's founding.

Mahmud of Ghazni's childhood is largely unknown. He had two younger brothers, the second of them, Ismail, was Sabuktegin's primary wife's child. When Sabuktegin died during a military battle in 997, the fact that she was a free-born woman of noble blood, unlike Mahmud's mother, would become crucial in the question of succession.

Rise to Power and Expansion of His Empire

Mamd was the son of Sebüktigin, a Turkish slave who created the Ghaznavid dynasty in 977 when he became ruler of Ghazna. Mamd had already shown remarkable administrative ability and statesmanship when he ascended the throne in 998 at the age of 27. Ghazna was a small kingdom at the time of his succession.

Mamd aspired to be a great ruler, and during more than 20 successful expeditions, he amassed sufficient wealth to build a massive empire that eventually covered the Kashmir and Punjab areas, as well as a large portion of Iran.

Mamd consolidated his position in Ghazna throughout the first two years of his reign. Despite being an independent ruler, Mamd offered nominal allegiance to the Abbasid caliph in Baghdad for political reasons. Mamd was recognised as the legitimate ruler of the regions he held by the caliph, who encouraged him in his conquests.

Mamd is reported to have vowed to invade India once a year and led around 17 such expeditions. In 1001, the first large-scale campaign began, and the last in 1026. Mamd's first expeditions were aimed towards Punjab and northeastern India, while his most recent campaign took him to Somnath on the southern coast of what is now Gujarat state.

Jaipal, the ruler of Punjab, was his main antagonist in northern India. In 1001, Mamd marched into India with 15,000 horsemen, 30,000 foot soldiers, and 300 elephants. Jaipal met him with 12,000 horsemen, 30,000 foot soldiers, and 300 elephants. Despite having superior numbers and equipment, the Indians fell back against the onslaught of the Muslim horsemen near Peshawar (now Pakistan), leaving 15,000 dead.

Jaipal, along with 15 of his relatives and officers, was finally released after falling into the hands of the victors. However, the raja could not bear his defeat and, after abdicating in favour of his son, Anandpal, jumped into his own funeral pyre and died in the flames.

Anandpal requested help from the other Indian rajas. Some replied in person, while others sent armies. The women of India sold their jewels to finance a huge army. When Mamd finally met the powerful force that had been formed in 1008, the two armies faced one another for 40 days between Und and Peshawar. The sultan eventually convinced the Indians to attack him. When a force of 30,000 fierce Khokar tribesmen charged both flanks of the sultan's army with such violence, Mamd was about to call a retreat.

Anandpal's elephant, on the other hand, became panicked and fled at that key moment. The Indians ran from the battlefield, which was strewn with their dead and dying, believing that their chief was leaving.

The historic victory in 1008 paved the way for Mamd's subsequent advance into India's heart. The conquest of Kannauj, a prosperous city, in 1018 was notable. As with his expedition into Kashmir in 1015, he did not always achieve his goals. During other battles, like those against Gwalior in 1022 and Kalinjar in 1023, Mamd was unable to subdue the fortresses but was able to extract tribute from their rulers. As a result, he returned to Ghazna with a large amount of booty.

Mahmud Ghaznavi Legacy

For South Asian Muslims, Mahmood of Ghazni has become a symbol of respect and bravery, and is regarded as a hero. Because they couldn't attack the newly established Muslim state, Mahmood reduced the power of the bordering kings. The spoils of war were used to cement the state's power. In 1021, Mahmood added Punjab to his empire after defeating Multan and Lahore. In Lahore, he also established his provincial headquarters. Ghazni and Lahore become educational and cultural hubs.

As a result, Mahmood founded a strong Muslim empire that lasted hundreds of years. He also exposed Hindu rajas' weaknesses, allowing Muslim rulers to conquer India in the future. For the Muslims of South Asia, he became a hero as a result of all of this.

Mahmood of Ghazna was a big supporter of education. His court featured Firdosi the poet, Behqi the historian, and Al-Biruni the scholar and scientist. Ghazni grew to be one of the Islamic world's most important and beautiful cities. Lahore developed as a cultural and educational hub.

Mahmud was also a devout follower of Islam. He wrote a book on Fiqh himself. Other religions were respected by him. In Ghazni, there were a huge number of Hindus who had religious freedom. Tilak, one of his commanders, was a Hindu. A number of his army's soldiers were Hindus. Mahmud attacked Hindu temples in India for political reasons rather than religious ones. On April 30, 1030AD, Mahmud Ghaznavi died.