Question.

What was the motives and effects of Mahmud Ghaznavi

invasions of India ?
 Sabuktigin's son was Mahmud of Ghazni, renowned as the
first independent ruler of Ghazni.
 Mahmud Ghazni continued the Ghazi invasions starting
in 999 CE.
 The title “Mahmud Ghazni” is not found on his coins which
simply designate him as Amir Mahmud.
 Fight with Jayapal:

Reasons for Invading India

Mahmud Ghazni invaded India because of the following reasons:

To prove his might in Central Asia

Mahmud of Ghazni wanted the capital of Ghazni to be the center of all
political power in Central Asia, and invading India was one of the
steps to accomplish this task. By invading India, he wanted to prove
his might and also expand his empire.

The Wealth of India

Mahmud Ghazni was attracted by the wealth of India, which in many
ways coerced him to invade India many times. Temples in India were
the repositories of a lot of wealth, especially antique idols and jewelry,
and it made these temples most vulnerable to attacks from invaders.

Fertile Land in India

The fertile land in India, especially of Punjab that appeared lush and
rich as compared to the barren lands of Hindukush mountains, was
another reason for the invasion of India. This was also one of the main
reasons why his invasions never extended to central, southern, or
eastern parts of the country. Each of the invasions of Mahmud of
Ghazni not only made India lose its wealth but also made several great
rulers and dynasties succumb. Some of the well-known dynasties that
were defeated by Mahmud of Ghazni and his army were the Rajputs of
Gwalior, the Pratiharas of Kanauj, and the Chandela of Khajuraho.

Chronology of Invasions
The First Invasion
The first invasion by Mahmud of Ghazni was in 1000 A.D. that led to
the capture of some of the frontier forts in the Khyber Pass. After
capturing the forts, Mahmud of Ghazni appointed governors in these
cities and forts and left India.

The Second Invasion

In 1001 A.D., Mahmud of Ghazni invaded the Hindu Shahi kingdom
near Peshawar. The ruler of the kingdom, Jaipal, fought a fierce battle
with the invader but lost. In this invasion, Mahmud of Ghazni added
50 elephants and 2,50,000 dinars to his booty. Mahmud of Ghazni
also added several thousand Indians as slaves to his empire.

The Third Invasion

The third invasion took place in 1005 A.D. when Mahmud attacked
Bhera. The ruler Bijai Rai offered a tough fight to the invaders but lost.
The entire kingdom was looted by Mahmud of Ghazni and several
people were killed mercilessly.

The Fourth Invasion

In 1006 A.D., Mahmud Ghazni invaded Multan which was under an
Arab ruler. He was able to conquer Multan in a week and plundered all
of its wealth.

The Fifth Invasion

The year 1007 A.D., saw Multan being invaded yet again and Mahmud
Ghazni was easily able to defeat the ruler who had denounced Islam.
The Sixth Invasion
In 1008 A.D., Mahmud Ghazni attacked Anandpal, the ruler of the
Hindu Shahi kingdom. Anandpal had called upon the rules of Ujjain,
Gwalior, Delhi, Kanauj, Ajmer, etc. to help him defeat the invaders. A
race called Khokars also helped Anandpal attack Mahmud Ghazni’s
army and killed almost 5000 soldiers of Mahmud’s army. However, on
the battlefield, Ananpal’s elephant got scared and fled from the field,
leaving the other rulers and the entire army at the mercy of Mahmud
of Ghazni. Reportedly, Ghazni’s army slaughtered the army of the
Hindus and killed almost 20,000 of them.

The Seventh Invasion

The seventh invasion of Mahmud of Ghazni was that of Nagarkot in
Kangra. The region was known for its wealthy temples. It is believed
that after this invasion, Mahmud of Ghazni returned with so much
wealth, jewelry, silver, and gold that his people congregated to see the
wealth of India.

The Invasion of Thanesar

Mahmud of Ghazni came to know about the wealth in Thanesar’s
temples and decided to invade it in 1014 A.D. Mahmud of Ghazni and
his army plundered the city, killing many people and plundered its
temples.

Invasions of Mathura and Kanauj

The invasions of Mathura and Kanauj took place in 1018 and 1019 A.D., respectively. Mathura,
a city with over 1000 temples, attracted Mahmud of Ghazni to invade it and loot it. The people
and the rulers of Mathura did not resist the invasion. The same was the story of Kanauj from
where Mahmud of Ghazni was able to amass a lot of wealth.

The Invasion of the Somnath

Temple
The invasion of the Somnath Temple was the last invasion of Mahmud of Ghazni in India in
1026 A.D. In 1025 A.D., Mahmud invaded this temple for the first time and took away a lot of
its wealth. The temple was known for its riches. It is said that Mahmud of Ghazni gathered a
wealth equal to almost 20 million U.S. dollars after invading this temple. Though the Rajput
kings gave a tough fights to the army of Mahmud of Ghazni, they ultimately were defeated. In
1026 A.D., Mahmud of Ghazni invaded the temple again to defeat the Jats who had attacked the
army when it was on its way back after amassing a lot of wealth from the Somnath Temple.

Expansion of Empire
One of the major consequences of the invasions of Ghazni was the
expansion of his empire. Mahmud Ghazni was able to annex Punjab to
a Ghazni Sultanate, thereby disturbing the political scene of North
India.
The Downfall of the Hindu Shahis
and Rajputs
Hindu Shahis, the defenders of Punjab, perished because of the
invasions of Mahmud of Ghazni. The capture of forts at the Khyber
Pass resulted in the Hindu Shahis losing all their power. Additionally,
when the North-Western Frontier perished, the dignity and valour of
the Rajput kings also went for a toss.
Loss of Lives
The invasions by Mahmud of Ghazni led to the killing of several
thousand of soldiers in various encounters. Additionally, many
soldiers were taken slaves and those who survived were demoralized
and not motivated enough to prevent further attacks.

Increase in Trade
One of the positive consequences of these invasions was the increase
in trade in India. Indian traders were able to establish trade links with
traders in South Asia, China, and Europe.

Destruction of Art and

Architecture in India
Mahmud of Ghazni plundered and destroyed several temples in India.
This ruined the art and architecture of India.

Spread of Islam
The invasions of Mahmud Ghazni led to the spread of Islam in India.
In fact, several people were forced to convert to Islam, and it also
provided a basis for the Mughal Dynasty in India.

A Gateway to Further Invasions

The invasions by Mahmud of Ghazni revealed the weaknesses of the
Indian rulers as well the political structure of India, leaving the
country even more vulnerable to further invasions.

 Loss of Art and Literature

 Arrivals of Muslim Saints
 Exposition of India’s military
weakness
 Exposition of India’s Political
disunity
 Weakening of the economic
condition of india

o He fought a furious battle against Jayapal (Pala

Dynasty) in 1001 CE.
 It was a battle of cavalry and skillful military tactics.
o Jayapal was severely routed by Mahmud’s forces and
his capital of Waihind/Peshawar was devastated.
 o Jayapal was succeeded by his
son Anandapal/Anantpal who continued to
challenge Turkish raids in his territory.
 Fight With Anandapal:
o Before entering Punjab, Mahmud still had to contend
with Anandapal’s forces near the Indus.
o After a tough interface his army conquered the upper
Indus in 1006 CE.
o Anandapal lost the battle and himself suffered much
financial and territorial loss.
o This was his last resistance to Mahmud.
 Annexation of Lahore and Multan:
o However, in 1015 CE, Mahmud even annexed Lahore to
extend his empire up to the Jhelum River.
o Multan which was ruled by a Muslim Sultan was also
conquered despite Anandapal’s alliance with him.
o This is how Mahmud made his way towards India by
conquering eastern Afghanistan and
then Punjab and Multan.
o After Punjab he made three expeditions in the Gangetic
plains for acquisition of wealth.
 Expedition to Gangetic Plain:
o He made two more raids in the Ganga
valley in 1019 and 1021 CE.
o Next in line was his aim to acquire wealth through his
raids in the Gangetic plains.
o The first one was to break a Rajput alliance in
the Gangetic valley.
 o Towards the end of 1015 CE he marched along the
Himalayan foothills and defeated a local Rajput ruler
at Baran or Bulandshahr with the help of some
feudatory rulers.
o Mahmud defeated both the Hindu Shahi as well as
the Chandela rulers.
o The Rajput king of Gwalior had provided help to the
Hindu Shahi emperor against Mahmud.
o Such expeditions in north India were not aimed at
expanding Mahmud’s empire beyond Punjab.
 They were only to plunder the wealth of the states on
one hand and make the upper Ganga doab as a
neutral territory without any powerful local stronghold
on the other.
 The wealth looted and earned from plunders in India
helped him against his enemies in central Asia.
 Others:
o Mahmud’s last major raid was on Somnath
temple in Saurashtra on the western coast of
Gujarat in 1025 CE.
o However, Mahmud’s desire to conquer Kashmir remained
unfulfilled with the defeat of his forces in 1015 CE due to
unfavorable weather conditions and this was his first
defeat in India.
o He even extended his empire in Iran and additionally got
more recognition from the Khalifa at Baghdad.
o He was a bold warrior who had great military capabilities
and political achievements.
o He had turned the small state
of Ghazna/Ghazni/Ghaznin into a vast and wealthy
 empire comprising most parts of the present-
day Afghanistan, eastern Iran and north-western parts
of the Indian subcontinent.
 Death of Mahmud Ghazni:
o When Mahmud Ghazni acquired malaria during one of
his expeditions in April 1030, he was 58 years old. Due
to further issues, He contracted tuberculosis, which
caused his death.
How did the Ghaznavids in Central Asia and India fall,
and the Ghurids rise?
 Despite the wealth plundered from India, Mahmud was
unable to become a good and capable ruler.
 He built no lasting institutions in his state and his rule
outside Ghazni was tyrannical.
 An unexpected rise of Ghurids at a small and isolated
province of Ghur located between Ghaznavid empire and that
of the Seljuqids was an unusual development in
the 12th century.
o It was one of the least developed regions of the
present-day territory of Afghanistan.
o It lay west of Ghazni and east of the Herat province in
the fertile valley of the Herat/Hari River in western
Afghanistan. Since it was a hilly tract of land, the main
occupation was mostly cattle-rearing or agriculture.
o It was “Islamicized” by Ghaznavids in the late 10th and
the early 11th century.
 The Ghurid rulers or the Shansabanids were humble
pastoral chieftains. They tried to make themselves supreme
in the middle of the 12th century by intervening in Herat when
 its governor had rebelled against the Seljuqid
king named Sanjar.
 The Ghaznavids felt threatened by this act of
the Ghurids, they captured and poisoned the brother of
the Ghauri emperor Alauddin Hussain Shah.
 Subsequently, he captured Ghazni (city) by defeating
the Ghaznavid ruler Bahram Shah.
 The city of Ghazni was plundered and thoroughly destroyed.
 For the same reason Alauddin was given the title of Jahan
Soz (“world burner”).
 This marked the fall of Ghaznavids and the rise of Ghurids.
What is the occurrence of Somnath Plunder?
 In 1025-26 CE, Mahmud undertook his final invasion of
Gujarat and consolidated his successes with the plunder of
the very wealthy Somnath temple.
 It is claimed that 100,000 pilgrims would congregate there at
any given time, 1,000 Brahmanas would service the temple
and look after its treasures, and hundreds of
dancers and singers would perform in front of the temple's
gates.
 The well-known Linga, a pillar-stone with brilliant
jewels and illuminated gems candelabra, was in
the garbhagriha.
o It was mirrored in the lavish hangings that decorated the
shrine and were embroidered with precious stones in the
shape of stars.
 He continued his laborious march from Multan to
Anhalwara and then on to the coast, battling and killing along
 the way, until he finally arrived at the temple fortress that the
waves of the Arabian Sea had washed.
 He and his soldiers stormed the walls, killing roughly 50,000
Hindus, undeterred by the overwhelming strength of the men
serving as guards and in service to the shrine.
 The invader-troops plunderer's who accompanied him on his
vengeful journeys to India and beyond received a reward of a
million pounds' worth of treasure when the temple-gates were
raised at Ghazni.
 Mahmud of Ghazni was hailed as a pioneer of the Islamic
faith, who opposed the Hindu belief-system, in the eyes of
every Muhammadan for nearly nine centuries as a result of
the destruction of Somnath.