The Sayyed and Lodhi Dynasty

The Sayyed and Lodhi Dynasty

The Sayyid Dynasty: 1414–50 AD

Khizr Khan (1414–21)

• Timur's nominee captured Delhi and was proclaimed the new Sultan.

• He was the first of the Sayyid dynasty, which ruled over Delhi and the surrounding districts.

Mubarak Shah (1421–34)

• He succeeded Khizr on the throne after his successful expeditions against Mewatis, Katehars, and the Gangetic Doab area.

• He was killed by the nobles in his court.

Muhammad Shah (1434–43)

• The nobles put Muhammad Shah on the throne, but he could not survive the infighting among the nobles in the court.

• He was authorized to rule only a meager area of around 30 miles, and the rest of the Sultanate was ruled by nobles.

Alam Shah (1443–51)

• The last Sayyid king descended in favor of Bahlol Lodhi and retired.

• Thus began the Lodhi dynasty, which was confined to Delhi and a few surrounding areas.

The Lodhi Dynasty: 1451–1526 AD

Bahlol Lodhi (1451–88)

• Bahlol Lodhi was one of the Afghan Sardars. He established himself in Punjab after the invasion of Timur.

• He founded the Lodhi dynasty.

Sikandar Lodhi (1489–1517)

• Sikandar Lodi was the son of Bahlol Lodhi, who conquered Bihar and Western Bengal.

• He shifted his capital from Delhi to Agra, a city founded by him.

• Sikandar was a fanatical Muslim and broke the sacred images of the Iwalamukhi Temple at Nagar Kot and ordered the temples of Mathura to be destroyed.

• He took a keen interest in the development of agriculture. He introduced the Gaz--Sikandari (Sikandar's yard) of 32 digits for measuring cultivated fields.

• He was a poet and composed poems in Persian with the pen name Gulrukhu.

Ibrahim Lodhi (1517–26)

• He was the last king of the Lodhi dynasty and the last Sultan of Delhi.

• He was the son of Sikandar Lodhi.

• The Afghan nobility was brave and freedom-loving people, but it was because of its fissiparous and individualistic tendencies that the Afghan monarchy was weakened.

• Moreover, Ibrahim Lodhi asserted the absolute power of the Sultan. As a result, some of the nobles turned against him.

• At last, Daulat Khan Lodhi, the governor of Punjab, invited Babur to overthrow Ibrahim Lodhi.

• Babur accepted the offer and inflicted a crushing defeat on Ibrahim Lodhi in the first battle of Panipat in 1526.

• Ibrahim Lodhi was killed in the battle, and with him ended the Delhi Sultanate.

Causes of the Decline of the Delhi Sultanate

The main causes were:

1. A despotic and military type of government that did not have the confidence of the people

2. Degeneration of Delhi Sultans (esp. the wild projects of Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq, Incompetence of Firoz Tughlaq)

3. War of succession, as there was no fixed law for succession

4. The greed and incompetence of the nobles

5. Defective military organization

6. The vastness of the empire and the poor means of communication

7. Financial instability

8. The number of slaves increased to 1,80,000 in Firoz Tughlaq's time, which was a burden on the treasury.

9. Invasion of Timur

Mongolian Invasions During the Delhi Sultanate

• The Turkish Sultan in India declared himself Lieutenant of the faithful, i.e.,. Of the Abbasid caliphate of Baghdad, AD, and included his name in the Khutba.

• It did not mean that the caliph became the legal ruler. The caliph had only a moral position.

• Political, legal, and military authority was vested in the Sultan. He was responsible for administration and was also the commander-in-chief of the military forces.

• No clear law of succession developed among Muslim rulers. Thus, military strength was the main factor in succession to the throne.

Art and Architecture under the Delhi Sultanate

• The new features brought by the Turkish conquerors were:

  1. the dome

  2. The lofty towers

  3. The true arch is unsupported by the beam of 

  4. the vault

• They also brought with them expert knowledge, little used in India.

• Adhai Din ka Jhonpra at Ajmer has a beautiful prayer hall, an exquisitely carved Mehrab with marble, and a decorative arch screen.

• The first example of a true or voussoired arch is said to be the tomb of Ghiyasuddin Balban in Mehrauli (Delhi).

• In the Khilji period, the usage of voussoired arch and dome was established. A famous example is the tomb of Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia in Delhi.

• The Tughlaq buildings show stark simplicity and sobriety, probably indicating fewer financial resources. Thick walls and a dark appearance characterize the buildings.

• Some notable Tughlaq monuments were:

  • The Fort of Tughlaqabad

  • The tomb of Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq marked a new phase in Indo-Islamic architecture by serving as a model for later tombs.

  • The Fort of Adilabad

• The Sayyid period was too short to allow the construction of elaborate buildings.

• The construction of double domes was the main feature of Lodhi Architecture.

• One building worth noting is the Moth ki Masjid erected by the prime minister of Sikandar Lodhi.

Literature of the Delhi Sultanate

Final Thoughts

The Sayyid and Lodhi dynasties, though relatively short-lived, played a crucial role in the final chapter of the Delhi Sultanate. Following the decline of the Tughlaq dynasty, these rulers struggled to maintain centralized control.

The administration of the Delhi Sultanate under them faced challenges like weak succession, internal conflicts, and invasions. Despite efforts by rulers like Bahlol Lodhi and Sikandar Lodhi to restore order, their reigns could not match the earlier strength of the Tughlaq dynasty.

Ultimately, the fall of Ibrahim Lodhi in 1526 marked the end of the Delhi Sultanate and the beginning of Mughal rule in India.