The rule of the successors of Mahmud lasted from 1030 to 1186 A.D. It was marked by discord, degeneracy and decay. There were in all 15 rulers after Mahmud. One of them- Ibrahim-ruled as many as 40 years. Bahram Shah ruled for 35 years. Khusru Malik ruled nominally for 26 years. In all their troubles and misfortunes, India was the asylum of the successors of Mahmud.

Masud (1030 to 1040 A.D.)

Before his death, Mahmud divided his empire between his two sons, Masud and Muhammad. However, there was no peace after his death. There was a struggle for supremacy between Masud and Muhammad and ultimately Masud was successful and he blinded his brother Muhammad and put him in prison. Masud got the blessings of the Khalifa on whom he bestowed enormous gifts.

Masud was a true son of his father. He was full of ambition, courage and war-like zeal. He had a reputation for being a Rustam. The court of Ghazni in the time of Masud was without an equal at that time. Baihaki refers to the splendor of the court of Masud. The habit of drinking was taken to extremes and Masud himself became the leader of a notorious party of drunkards nad debauchees.

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The following is a contemporary account: “On Tuesday the 12th of Muharram the Amir went to the Firozi Garden and sat in the Green Pavilion on the Golden Plain. A sumptuous feast was ordered. The Amir Maudud (Masud’s son) and the Minister came and sat down, and the army passed in review before them. First passed the star of Amir Maudud, the canopy, waving standers and two hundred slaves of the household with jackets of mail and spears and many led horses and camels and infantry with their banners displayed and a hundred and seventy slaves fully armed and equipped with all their stars borne before them.

After them came Irtigin the Chamberlain and his slaves to the number of eighty and then fifty military slaves of the household, preceded by twenty officers finely accoutered, with many led horses and camels followed by other officers till all had passed.

“It was now near mid-day prayer, when the Amir bade his son and the Minister and the chief Chamberlain and the officers to sit down to the feast. He too sat down and ate bread….The Amir said, ‘Let us begin without ceremony, for we have come into the country and we will drink in the Firozi Garden. ‘Accordingly much wine was brought immediately from the pavilion into the garden and fifty goblets and flagons were placed in the middle of a small tent.

“The goblets were sent round and the Amir said, ‘Let us keep fair measure and fill the cups evenly, in order that there may be no unfairness’. Each goblet contained nearly a pint. They began to get jolly and the minstrels sang. Bu-l-Hasan drank five goblets, his head was affected at the sixth, and he lost his senses at the seventh and began to vomit at the eighth, when the servants carried him off.

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Bu-I-Ala the physician dropped his head at the fifth cup and he also was carried off. Khalil Daud drank ten; Siyabiruz nine, and both were borne away to the hill of Dailaman. Bu-Naim drank twelve and ran away. Daud Maimandi fell down drunk and the singers and buffoons all rolled off tipsy topsy, when the Sultan and Khwaja Abdur Razak alone remained.

“When the Khwaja had drunk eighteen cups, he made his obedience and prepared to go, saying to the Amir, ‘if you give your slave any more, he will lose his respect for your Majesty as well as his own wits’. The Amir laughed and gave him leave to go, when he got up and departed in a more respectful manner.”

“After this the Amir kept on drinking and enjoying himself. He drank twenty-seven full goblets of half a maand each. He then arose, called for a basin of water and his praying carpet washed his face and read the mid-day prayers as well as the afternoon ones and so acquitted himself that you would have said he had not drunk a single cup. He then got on an elephant and returned to the palace.

“1 witnessed the whole of this scene with mine own eyes-I, Abu-I-Fadil.”

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Hasnak

Hasnak was a minister of Masud. He was accused of Karmatian heresy. He denied the charge but in spite of that he was sentenced to death. The Ex-Minister requested Khawaja Ahmad, the new minister, to have pity on him and his faimly and the Khawaja promised to grant his wish. However, the Khalifa directed Masud to execute Hasnak, the Karmatian, who had offered fealty to the house of Egypt.

Ultimately he was mercilessly hanged and his head was served up in a dish at a feast. When the mother of Hasnak heard of the end of her son, she said: “What a fortune were my son’s; a king like Mahmud gave him this world and one like Masud, the next.”

After the dismissal of Hasnak, Masud placed the affairs of the state in the hands of Khawaja Ahmad Maimandi whom he liberated from prison. To begin with the Khawaja hesitated but ultimately agreed to become minister. Masud invested Khawaja with a dignity second to his own and ordered all to execute the orders of the Khawaja as if they were his own. Under the Khawaja, the administration began to show new vigour and activity.

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Ariyarak

As regards the affairs in India, Ariyarak had been in charge of the same. He was an ambitious man and he behaved like an autocrat without caring for the commands of his sovereign. He was contumacious and arrogant. Whenever an attempt was made to enforce the royal authority, he created trouble. He had given proof of his ambition even during the time of Mahmud but nothing came out of his designs on account of the might of Mahmud.

Khawaja Ahmad was able to induce Ariyarak to go to Ghazni and he promised to intercede with Sultan Masud on his behalf. Ariyarak accompanied the Khawaja to Ghazni. There he was invited to a drinking feast and to his utte~ surprise was arrestred by Baktagin, the captain of the guards. His feet were bound in fetters and he was thrown in prison. Probably, he was poisoned afterwards. All his wealth v as confiscated.

Niyaltgin

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Ahmad Niyaltgin was put in charge of the Indian province in place of Ariyarak. He was asked to leave his son at Ghazni as a hostage. The new governor was as ambitious as Ariyarak and in the words of Baihaki, he also “turned away from the path of rectitude and took a crooked course.”

When Niyaltgin came to India, he found that it was difficult to work with his colleague, Qazi Shiraz. The latter was a hot-tempered and pugnacious man. He wanted to impose his will in everything. Before appointing him the Governer, the Khawaja had warned him not to encroach upon the jurisdiction of Qazi Shiraz. The following were the instructions of the Khawaja to Niyaltgin: “You must not say anything to any person respecting the political or revenue matters, so that no one’s word may be heard against you, but you must perform all the duties of a commander so that fellow many not be able to put his hand upon your sinews and drag you down.”

In spite of this, Niyaltgin did not consult Qazi Shiraz in the discharge of his duties. Niyaltgin and Qazi Shiraz quarrelled over the appointment of the commander of an expedition. The matter was referred home and Nivaltgin was allowed to command the expedition. Niyaltgin took an expedition to Banaras which was wholly successful. A lot of booty fell into the hands of Niyaltgin. Qazi Shiraz sent spies to inform the Sultan that Niyaltgin was giving himself out the son of Sultan Mahmud and was trying to become independent.

The other enemies of Niyaltgin also poisoned the mind of Sultan Masud and impressed upon him the necessity of taking immediate action. The conduct of Niyaltgin himself confirmed the reports of his enemies as he did not send the share of the booty from Banaras to Ghazni.

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Ultimately, it was decided to send Tilak to India to restore order. Tilak was a Hindu of low birth but a man of great ability and courage. He was the private secretary of Masud and the official interpreter between the Hindus and the State. Referring to the appointment of Tilak, Baihaki observes thus: “Wise men do not wonder at such facts because nobody is born great, men become such. But it is important that they should leave a good name behind.”

Tilak

When Tilak reached India, the followers of Niyaltgin appeared and he himself had to run for his life. Niyaltgin was pursued by Tilak and defeated. He escaped from the battle-field but a price of 5 lacs of Dirhams was put on his head by Tilak. The Jats caught hold of Niyaltgin and cut off his head. Masud was happy to hear the news of victory.

Hansi

Masud was so very happy about the success of Tilak that he decided to fulfil his old vow of capturing the fort of Hansi, a place near Hissar in the Punjab. The .Khawaja told Masud that it was not proper to undertake the expedition under the prevailing circumstances. However, the reply of the Sultan was: “The vow is upon my neck and accomplish it, I will, in my own person.”

Masud started from Ghazni in October 1037 A.D. and reached the town of Hansi. The fort was considered to be impregnable and a siege was laid to it. The Hindus defended the fort with great courage but in spite of that the Muslims took it by storm. The Brahmans and other men of dignity were killed. Women and children were made slaves. From Hansi, Sultan Masud went to Sonipat, a place new Delhi. Its ruler surrendered without any fighting and after getting a lot of booty, the Sultan went back to Ghazni.

The Khawaja was right in advising Sultan. Masud not to lead an expedition to India. Events showed that the expedition was a blunder. The Saljuq Turks took advantage of the absence of the Sultan from Ghazni and began to press hard on the territories of Ghazni. When the people of I Balkh complained of the acts of high-handedness of the Turks, Masud decided to advance against I them. Tughril Beg, the Saljuq Turk, attacked Ghazni and sacked a portion of the town.

In 1037 A.D., he captured Nishapur and brought Khorasan under his rule. In 1040 A.D., Sultan Masud was overpowered by the Turks at a place near Merv. After his defeat, Masud decided to come to India t although he was advised not to do so by his able Minister, the Khawaja. When the royal party reached Marigalah, a pass situated between Rawalpindi and Attock, a few miles east of Hasan Abdal, the Turkish and Hindu slaves mutinied and put on the throne Muhammad, his younger brother. Masud was put into prison and then put to death in 1041 A.D.

Firishta ”tells us that Masud was “a prince of uncommon personal strength and courage, affable and of easy access, generous to prodigality, particularly to learned men, whose company he was so extremely fond of, that many were induced to come from all parts to his court.”

Masud patronized men of letters. He built mosques. He endowed schools and colleges in various parts of his empire. He possessed dignity and a strong will. In spite of his splendour, he met with a terrible end. No wonder, Baihaki observes thus: “Man has no power to strive against fate.”