Topic > The Politics of Muhammad Bin Tughlaq

One of the most controversial steps taken by Muhammad bin Tughlaq at the beginning of his reign was the so-called transfer of the capital to Deogiri, which was renamed Daultabad, and the sultan's alleged orders ordering a relocation in mass of the population from Delhi to the new capital. The reason for the step taken by the sultan was stated by Barani himself, viz. which was central to all parts of the empire. As we have seen, during the reign of Ghiyasuddin and the early years of Muhammad bin Tughlaq, Delhi's direct rule had expanded to cover almost the entire south. Since Alauddin's time, Deogiri had been the virtual base of operations in the Deccan. Muhammad bin Tughlaq had spent several years in the south, both as prince and ruler, campaigning, and knew Deogiri had a pleasant climate, being surrounded by hills. He wanted to have a second capital in the south to be able to control it more easily. The decision to make Deogiri a second capital was apparently taken in 1327 when Muhammad bin Tughlaq passed through Deogiri after his journey to Karnataka to suppress the rebellion of his cousin, Gurshasp. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay In preparation for the new pass, he planted trees on both sides of the road and set up rest stops at a distance of two miles. Food and drinks will be available for travelers at the station. The land from which the staff who worked there could earn their salary was assigned from the income. At each station a Sufi saint was stationed and a khanqah (hospice for the saint) was built. It is clear that no mass exodus of Delhi's population was ordered. However, it appears that strong pressure was put on the people to migrate, royal attendants even inspecting their homes for this purpose. Those traveling to Daultabad were divided into caravans for convenience. The journey was long and undertaken in the hot months, so much so that many people died along the way. All preparations had been made to welcome those reaching Daultabad. Meanwhile, Delhi was not deserted. Coins minted in Delhi and two Sanskrit inscriptions in the baoli (sunken step wells) built by some wealthy Hindus around Delhi in this period prove this. But many houses had been closed and the bad characters of the city began to plunder them. Then, Muhammad bin Tughlaq invited Sufis, learned men and others living in nearby cities to move to Delhi. By 1334, when Ibn Battutah visited Delhi, the situation was completely settled. Nor was there any talk of moving the capital from Delhi. Rather, Daultabad became a second capital, as evidenced by the coins minted in Daultabad. However, the Sultan's ambitious project soon failed. In 1334-35 there was a major rebellion in Mabar (modern Coromandal in Tamilnadu). The sultan marched south to quell the rebellion. While he was in Bidar, there was an epidemic of bubonic plague in which many of his soldiers died. Muhammad Tughlaq himself fell ill and retreated to Daultabad. Rumors spread about the sultan's death and soon the entire south, including Mabar, Dwar-Samudra (Karnataka) and Warangal (Telingana) were lost to the Delhi sultanat. Thus the raison d'être of maintaining Daultabad as the second capital disappeared. It was during this period i.e. between 1335 and 1337 that the Sultan allowed the people of Daultabad to return to Delhi. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get Custom EssaySo, the Exodus to Daultabad proved to be a costly failure and brought misery to many people. However, his.