Muhammad bin Tughlaq was the Sultan of Delhi from 1325 to 1351. He was the eldest son of Ghiyas-ud-Din-Tughlaq, the founder of the Tughlaq dynasty. In 1321 and 1323, Ghiyas-ud-din sent the young Muhammad to the Deccan to campaign against King Prataparudra of the Kakatiya dynasty, whose capital was at Warangal. During his reign, Muhammad is said to have ordered the massacre of all the inhabitants of Kannauj, a Hindu city. He is also known for his wild policy swings. After his father died in 1325, Muhammad ascended to the Delhi throne. In this article, we will discuss Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq which will be helpful for UPSC exam preparation.

Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq - Background

• In AD 1325, Jauna Khan succeeded his father as Muhammad bin Tughlaq.
• He was one of the most knowledgeable scholars of his time. He spoke Arabic and Persian and was well-versed in philosophy, astronomy, logic, mathematics, and physical science.
• The Sultan maintained good relations with foreigners, and the Chinese ruler sent an envoy to him.
• Toghan Timur (AD 1341) came to seek permission to rebuild Buddhist monasteries destroyed during the critical expedition in the Himalayan region.
• In 1347, the sultan granted permission and dispatched Ibn Batuta to the court of the Chinese emperor.
• Ibn Batutah was a Moroccan traveller. In 1333, he arrived in India and was appointed as the chief Qazi of Delhi by Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq.
• He has left an invaluable account of Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq’s reign.

Domestic Policies of Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq

• To replenish the treasury, he increased taxes in the Doab region.
• Many people fled to the forests to avoid high taxes, causing cultivation to be neglected and a severe food shortage to occur.
• To protect his capital, he relocated it from Delhi to Devagiri and ordered the common people and government officials to relocate to Devagiri; however, after much difficulty, he ordered them to return to Delhi.
• He established the copper currency system.
• Because the value of coins fell, he was forced to withdraw the copper token currency.
• He amassed an army of 3,70,000 men to conquer Khurasan, Iraq, and Transoxiana.
• Mohammed-bin-national Tughluq's treasure bore a heavy burden as a result of the Mongol leader Tamashirin's policy of lavish gifts given to avoid Mongol invasion.
• Domestic policies implemented by Mohammed-bin-Tughluq were good, but they failed due to faulty implementation measures.
• The decline of the Delhi Sultanate is attributed to his rash decisions and poor policy implementation.

Administration of Revenue

• Muhammad Tughlaq implemented numerous measures to improve revenue administration. One of these measures was the creation of a register in which all of the princes' income and expenditures were recorded.
• The Sultan's main goal was to implement a uniform standard of land revenue across his empire and ensure that no village went untaxed.
• However, nothing is known about the system's benefits. The Sultan raised taxes in the Doab at the start of his reign.
• According to Barani, taxation was increased ten to twenty times. Taxes were raised at a time when the Doab was suffering from famine due to a lack of rain.
• As a result, instead of paying taxes, the peasants abandoned their lands and turned to highway robbery. Tax collectors continued to collect taxes through tyranny, resulting in widespread revolts.
• The Sultan's policy proved to be a complete failure. Even the usual revenue from the Doab could not be collected. Furthermore, the Sultan lost favour among his subjects.

Department of Agriculture

• Muhammad Bin Tughlaq established a separate agriculture department and appointed a minister, Amir-i-kohi, to oversee it.
• The primary goal of this department was to increase the amount of land under cultivation.
• The government spent nearly seventy lakh rupees in three years, but the experiment failed and the scheme was abandoned after three years.
• The failure of the scheme was caused by the officer's corruption, the poor quality of land chosen for farming, and the indifference of cultivators who were assigned land under government supervision.

Transfer of Capital

• Muhammad Tughlaq's attempt to relocate the capital from Delhi to Daultabad was another futile measure. There are several reasons for him to take this step.
• The Sultan's empire had spread throughout India's territories, and Daultabad was more centrally located and strategically placed than Delhi.
• The administration and consolidation of south India required more attention than the north, the desire to keep the capital a safe distance from Mongol invasions or, on the contrary, the absence of danger from Mongol invasions.
• The temptation of wealth in the south, and, most likely, the Sultan's desire to spread Muslim culture in the south were all reasons for the Sultan to transfer the capital to Daultabad.
• The common people were not prepared to relocate to a distant location, nor was it necessary. The Sultan's plan was a complete failure.

Issuance of Coins

• During his reign, Muhammad Bin Tughlaq introduced a variety of coins. The introduction of token currency and the issuance of copper and brass coins were notable features of the coinage system.
• The Sultan declared these token coins legal tender and set their value at the same level as gold and silver coins. Previously, the copper coin was known as Jital (Paisa).
• Now, the Sultan issued Tanka (rupee), a silver coin as well as a copper coin. The Sultan's plan also failed miserably. Many historians blamed the Sultan for the scheme's failure.
• According to them, the Sultan made a mistake by failing to take adequate precautions to prevent counterfeiting of royal mint coins. As a result, those coins could be imitated by artisans of average skill.
• As a result, citizens began minting token coins in their homes. In fact, both the Sultan and his subjects were to blame for the scheme's failure.

Death and Collapse of the Empire

• Muhammad Bin Tughlaq died in 1351 while campaigning in Sindh against the Turkic slave tribe Taghi.
• During his reign, the Sultanate of Delhi fell due to twofold opposition. One came from Rajputs led by Hammir Singh of Mewar, and the other from South Indian Harihara and Bukka.
• While Rana Hammir Singh liberated strategic Rajputana following the victory at the Battle of Singoli in 1336.
• Harihara and Bukka established the Vijayanagara Empire by initially defeating and later ending the Madurai Sultanate, which was ruling a large part of South India on behalf of the Delhi Sultanate.
• Several other south Indian rulers, such as Musunuri Kaapaaneedu, also played a role in the demise of the Islamic Sultanate of Delhi.
• Tughluq's woes were exacerbated when his own generals revolted against him.
• One of his generals went on to establish the Bahmani kingdom in the Deccan.
• Despite the fact that Sultan dynasties that arose after Tughluq campaigned outside of Delhi, they were defeated by Rajputs.

Conclusion

Muhammad Tughlaq's nobility was divided into many distinct sections. There could be no sense of cohesion or loyalty to the sultan among them. On the other hand, the empire's vast size provided fertile ground for rebellion and the pursuit of independent spheres of authority. Muhammad Tughlaq's hot and hasty temperament, as well as his penchant for punishing those he suspected of opposition or disloyalty, fueled this trend. Thus, while the reign of Muhammad bin Tughlaq marked the pinnacle of the Delhi Sultanate, it also marked the beginning of its demise.