Complete Biography of Ghiyas-ud-Din Balban

Balban was the greatest of the slave kings. His original name was Baha-ud-Din, He was an Ilbari Turk. When he was young, he was captured by the Mongols and carried to Ghazni and sold to Khawaja Jamal-ud-Din of Basra, a man of piety and learning.

The latter brought him to Delhi in 1232 A.D. along with other slaves and all of them were purchased by Iltutmish. Balban belonged to the famous band of Turkish slaves of Iltutmish known as “The Forty (Chahelgan).” By his efforts, he became the Amir-i-Shikar of Lord of the Hunt in the reign of Raziya. He was given the Jagir of Rewari in the Punjab by Bahram Shah.

He was also given the district of Hansi. In 1246, he forced the Mongols to raise the siege of Uch. He was instrumental in overthrowing Masud Shah and putting Nasir-ud-Din Mahmud on the throne of Delhi. The result was that Nasir-ud-Din placed all power in his hands.

Kishlu Khan, the younger brother of Balban, was appointed Amir-i-Hajib or Lord “Chamberlain. Sher Khan, his cousin, was appointed the Governor of Lahore and Bhatinda. In 1249, Balban was appointed Naib-i-Mamlikat. In the same year, he married his daughter to Sultan Nasir-ud-Din. It was in this way that all power came into the hands of Balban.

In 1253, there was a temporary eclipse in the power of Balban. There were many Turkish nobles who hated Balban as he had monopolized all power. Imad-ud-Din Raihan put himself at the head of all those who were opposed to Balban. The Sultan also joined them.

The result was that in 1253, Balban and his brother were dismissed. Raihan became Prime Minister. This Raihan has been described as a renegade Hindu, vile upstart, usurper and a conspirator. The truth is that he was nothing of the kind. He was a good a Muslim as any Turk.

He was neither a ruffian nor a scoundrel. However, he was a clever politician who took advantage of the dissatisfaction amongst the nobles and the Sultan and managed to usurp power. Raihan was not able to remain in power for long. The Turkish nobles joined hands once again with Balban and in 1254, Raihan was dismissed and Balban was reappointed as Naib.

After his restoration, Balban continued the policy of consolidating his authority. Tughan Khan, the Governor of Bengal, had repudiated the authority of Delhi and even invaded Avadh. However, Tughan Khan requested Balban to help him when he was defeated by the Raja of Jajnagar in Orissa.

Tamur Khan was sent by Balban with instructions to take charge of Bengal itself and the same was done by him successfully. Tughan Khan was compensated otherwise but he died soon after. Bengal gave trouble to Balban once again. One of the successors of Tughan Khan took up royal title, struck coins and got the Khutba read in his own name in about 1255.

However, he died in 1257 and the rule of Delhi was established in Bengal. There was trouble once again when Arslan Khan, Governor of Kara, occupied Lakhnauti and ruled Bengal as an independent ruler and this state of affairs continued till the end of the reign of Nasir-ud-Din.

Balban also took steps to crush the Hindus of the Doab. There was bitter fighting and a large number of the Hindus were slaughtered and their women and children were made slaves. Balban also punished the people of Mewat with his usual brutality. Ranthambhor was captured after many expeditions. In 1247, Balban suppressed a rising of the Chandela Chief of Kalinjar. In 1251, he led an expedition against the ruler of Gwalior.

Balban as King

When Nasir-ud-Din Mahmud died in 1266, Balban himself became the Sultan. At the time of his accession to the throne, he had to meet many difficulties. The affairs of the state had fallen into confusion on account of the incompetence of the successors of Iltutmish.

The royal treasury was practically empty. The prestige of the state had sunk low. The arrogance of the Turkish nobles the Foundation of Muslim Rule in India-Dr. Habibullah, page, 160 had increased.

To quote Barani, “Fear of the governing power, which is the basis of all good government and the sources of the glory and splendor of the state, had departed from the hearts of all men and the country had fallen into a wretched condition.”The Delhi Sultan was also exposed to Mongol raids. Balban proved himself to be more than an equal for the emergency.