Ala-ud-din Khilji and the push south

Around the year 1300, Ala-ud-din Khilji led military campaigns over large parts of north and central India, sacking and plundering many cities.

He also faced a huge threat from outside. The Mongol Empire then covered most of Asia, and Mongol armies were trying to add India to it. Ala-ud-din pushed back several Mongol invasions.

So his reign runs in two directions at once: plundering inside India, and keeping a far bigger empire out of it.

One object shows how he saw himself. A coin he made carries the words 'Sikander Sani': 'the second Alexander' in Persian.

Alexander was the famous conqueror who came to India in ancient times. Putting his name on your coins is a statement of ambition, and everyone who handled the coin read it.

His slave-general Malik Kafur pushed the Sultanate's power south, conquering several kingdoms on the way.

The book links this to money: their plundered wealth helped pay for the Sultanate's enormous army. Plunder paid for the army, and the army made more plunder possible.

Malik Kafur also attacked several Hindu centres: Srirangam, Madurai, Chidambaram, and possibly Rameswaram.