Short Essay on Mohd Tughluq and Rebellion of Gurshasp

Thus when Mohd. Tughluq ascended the throne; most of south India acknowledged the sovereignty of the Sultan of Delhi. Marhatta and Tiling were directly under the rule of the Delhi emperor while there was a viceroy at Mabar to establish the imperial authority on a permanent basis in this newly conquered territory.

But there were quite a few Hindu kingdoms such as Kandhyana, Kampili and Dwarasamudra which defied the imperial authority and they were independent for all practical purposes. The sultan had hardly ruled for 2 years when his attention was distracted by a serious rebellion in the Deccan.

The leader of the revolt was Baha-ud-din Gurshasp, a cousin of Muhammad Tughluq. The real cause of his revolt, according to Mahdi Husain’s Tughluq Dynasty, was emperor’s avowed opposition to Muslim orthodoxy by taking over the position of a mujtahid who could make radical reforms in the religious practices.

This was greatly resented by ulemas. The king, on his part, became suspicious of their sincerity and tried to deprive them of their supremacy. To quote the contemporary chronicler Isami, author of Futuh-us-Salatin, “when Bahu-ud-din Gurshasp, son of the emperor’s aunt who had been governor of Sagar noticed this change in him, he threw off the veneer of allegiance.

He collected troops in right royal fashion and lay hands on the remotest parts and gave a shock to the empire”. Gurshasp’s rebellion is also ascribed to the intrigues of the nobles in the court.

Perhaps the real grievance of Gurshasp was that the sultan had not cared to bestow any honour on him after his accession. He thought the time to be quite opportune when there was disaffection among the people and asserted his right to the throne. He was a far-sighted and brave general.

He made careful plans, won over the loyalty of his nobles and amassed large sums of money. He also befriended Hindu rajas, particularly the king of Kampili, who offered to give him asylum if he failed in his ambition. As soon as the sultan heard of his preparations, he ordered Malik Zada Ahmad Ayas, governor of Gujarat, to proceed against the rebel.

Bahu-ud-din put his forces in order and proceeded to give them a battle on the other side of the river Godavari. The battle began with a fierce attack by Gurshasp who created confusion in the rank of the Imperial forces.

But at this time Khizr Bahram, chief lieutenant of Gurshasp, deserted him and joined Malik Zada against his master. Gurshasp knew that his fate had been sealed. Therefore, he took to flight and took refuge with his friend, king of Kampili.