Timur (also known as Timur-I-lang and Tamerlane) ruled a vast empire that included Afghanistan, Persia, northern Iraq, Syria, and Asia Minor. Then, in 1398-99, at the age of 65, he decided to invade India. He invaded because he believed the Muslim sultans were being too tolerant of their Hindu subjects, and this needed to be corrected. In his Tuzuk-i-Timuri, he clearly states his reasoning: “O Prophet, make war on the infidels and unbelievers, and

 

Treat them harshly… My main goal in invading Hindustan had been to

 

wage a religious war against the infidel Hindus [and] the Islamic army may come to your aid gain something by plundering the Hindus’ wealth and valuables.”

This demonstrates how shallow his thinking was, as he desired to invade India for blood and wealth, believing that doing so would grant him a place in paradise.

He first stopped in India at the fort of Kator, on the outskirts of Kashmir. His soldiers were given orders to kill all of the men, kidnap all of the women and children, and destroy all of their property. He then instructed them to construct towers on the mountain of unbelievers’ skulls.

He then proceeded to Bhatnir. They surrendered and were pardoned after fighting with the Rajputs. But Timur, according to Islam, was not bound to keep his word to infidels, so he quickly had his soldiers slaughter all the people in the fort, and 10,000 infidels’ heads were cut off in one hour. They then set fire to the fort and houses, razing them to the ground.

They then set fire to the fort and houses, levelling everything.

Following this, the Hindus of Sarsuti, Haryana, and Loni, as well as every village in between, were slaughtered by the slaughtering sword.

Women and children were imprisoned. Except for a few Muslims who were kept separate, everyone they met was killed.

Timor had captured up to 100,000 prisoners, the majority of whom were women and children. He was now preparing to cross the Yamuna and march into Delhi to fight the Tughlaq army. His advisors, however, said that not only should this large number of prisoners not be left with the baggage, but idolaters and infidels could not be released. So, what should you do? As a result, Timur ordered that they all be turned into food for the sword. Every soldier who had prisoners had to execute them, and anyone who failed to do so would be executed and his property confiscated.

As a result, 100,000 Hindus were killed in a single day. The next day, Timur defeated the Tughlaq army. He also learned that several Hindus were entering Delhi with their wives and belongings. He ordered his soldiers to seize these Hindus and their property, as detailed in his Tuzuk-i-Timuri. Many Hindus took up swords in defiance, and rage quickly spread throughout the city. The Hindus set fire to their own homes, burned their wives and children inside, rather than allowing them to be taken as slaves, and then rushed into battle and were killed. Timur described his 15,000 Turk soldiers doing nothing but killing and plundering on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, each gathering 20 to 100 prisoners of men, women, and children. The booty was so massive it couldn’t be counted. The entire city was sacked, with the exception of the Muslim quarters.

When one of his soldiers was beaten to death for raping a Hindu lady in Meerut, he attacked and massacred 300,000 people. The Hindu carnage trails, particularly in Panipat and Delhi during only three months (September to December), were so devastating that it took 100 years to rebuild Delhi. Timur left a trail of blood, torture, conversion or mass killings, and enslavement wherever he went. It was far more ferocious and savage than Mahmoud Ghazni.

 

Source: Crimes against India by Stephen Knapp

 

 

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