The Gujarat Massacre by Alauddin Khilji: A Forgotten Atrocity of Medieval India

In the annals of Indian history, the invasion of Gujarat in 1299 CE by Alauddin Khilji stands out as a chilling example of calculated brutality. This was not a mere military conquest—it was a sweeping campaign of mass slaughter, religious persecution, looting of temples, and forced enslavement. The prosperous kingdom of Gujarat, under the Vaghela dynasty, witnessed an annihilation of its spiritual and cultural identity under the onslaught of Khilji’s forces.

Gujarat Before the Invasion

Prior to the attack, Gujarat was ruled by the Vaghela dynasty, with Raja Karna II as its last sovereign. The region was a thriving center of trade, culture, and religion. Cities like Anahilavada Patan (the capital) and ports such as Khambhat (Cambay) had become commercial hubs. Gujarat was also home to many ancient Hindu and Jain temples, including the famed Somnath temple, which had been rebuilt after previous attacks.

The Ambitions of Alauddin Khilji

Alauddin Khilji, who became Sultan of Delhi after murdering his uncle Jalaluddin in 1296, was bent on expanding his empire and accumulating wealth. Gujarat, with its flourishing cities and temples filled with riches, became an obvious target. In 1299, he sent a large military expedition led by Ulugh Khan and Nusrat Khan, and among their ranks was Malik Kafur, a slave who would later become one of Khilji’s most powerful generals.

The Invasion and Massacre

As the army advanced, King Karna II fled, abandoning his people and the capital. This allowed the Delhi forces to enter Gujarat without major resistance. What followed was horrific.

Mass Killing and Looting

Chroniclers such as Ziauddin Barani, in his Tarikh-i-Firoz Shahi, documented that tens of thousands of civilians—men, women, and children—were massacred in cold blood. The invading army committed widespread violence across cities and towns, especially in Patan, Sidhpur, and Khambhat. According to Barani:

“The sword of Islam was unsheathed and thousands of idol-worshippers were sent to hell.”
— Tarikh-i-Firoz Shahi

Contemporary poet Amir Khusrau, a courtier of Khilji, also described the destruction in poetic terms in Khaza’in ul-Futuh, noting the destruction of temples and idols, replaced by mosques and Islamic symbols.

Historical estimates suggest that between 30,000 to 50,000 civilians may have been killed during this campaign, though exact figures are unknown.

Religious and Cultural Destruction

Temples were a primary target of the invaders. Gujarat’s Jain and Hindu shrines were systematically looted and destroyed. The Somnath temple, one of the holiest Shiva shrines, was desecrated again (after Mahmud of Ghazni’s 1025 raid), its wealth carted away and idols shattered.

In Sidhpur and Patan, temples were torn down and libraries burnt. Jain manuscripts and learning centers, which had preserved ancient philosophical and scientific knowledge, were destroyed.

Jain chronicler Merutunga, in his Prabandha-Chintamani, lamented the devastation and loss of Gujarat’s spiritual heart.

Enslavement and Human Suffering

Alauddin Khilji’s army did not just kill; it enslaved.

  • Thousands of men, women, and children were taken as prisoners and marched to Delhi.
  • Men were used as forced labor or soldiers; women and girls were sold into harems and slave markets.
  • Among those captured was Malik Kafur, a slave boy who would rise to become Khilji’s general in later campaigns into the Deccan.

Barani records that:

“Slaves from Gujarat flooded the markets of Delhi, bought and sold like animals.”
— Tarikh-i-Firoz Shahi

The Fall of the Vaghelas

Raja Karna, having fled Gujarat, sought refuge in Devagiri (modern-day Maharashtra). His daughter, Deval Devi, was later captured and forced to marry Khilji’s son, Khizr Khan. Her story, preserved in Persian romances and historical records, symbolizes the tragic end of Gujarat’s royal line.

Economic and Social Collapse

The destruction wreaked havoc on Gujarat’s economy and society. Cities like Khambhat and Bharuch lost their prominence as trade centers. Artisans, merchants, and temple workers lost their livelihoods. The wealth that had sustained Gujarat’s temples, schools, and hospitals was looted and redirected to Delhi’s treasury.

The destruction of educational institutions also meant the loss of centuries of knowledge, particularly in astronomy, mathematics, Sanskrit literature, and Jain philosophy.

Was It Just Politics or Fanaticism?

Some modern historians argue that Khilji’s actions were politically driven rather than religiously motivated. However, the destruction of religious symbols, mass enslavement of civilians, and explicit glorification of Islamic dominance in contemporary records like Barani and Khusrau suggest that religious fanaticism and imperial greed were deeply intertwined.

Legacy and Historical Memory

The 1299 massacre was a watershed moment in Gujarat’s history. The civilization that had thrived for centuries was crushed in one campaign. Though Gujarat would eventually recover and resist future invasions (notably under the Solanki and later Maratha influence), the memory of this devastation lingered.

The rebuilding of temples, especially Somnath, became a symbol of Gujarat’s resilience. But the scars of mass killing, forced conversions, and the erasure of its cultural heritage remain a painful legacy.

Conclusion

The Gujarat massacre under Alauddin Khilji stands as one of the most brutal acts of violence in Indian medieval history. It was a deliberate campaign not just to conquer land but to erase a civilization—its faith, its temples, its people. The calculated cruelty, the enslavement of civilians, and the destruction of sacred sites show the dark side of imperial conquests that often go underrepresented in mainstream narratives.

Remembering this history is essential—not out of hatred, but to honor the truth and resilience of the people of Gujarat, and to ensure that such tragedies are never repeated.

References (Adapted from Primary and Scholarly Works):

  1. Barani, Ziauddin. Tarikh-i-Firoz Shahi (14th Century CE)
  2. Khusrau, Amir. Khaza’in ul-Futuh (The Treasures of Victory) – court poetry and battle chronicles
  3. Merutunga. Prabandha-Chintamani (c. 1305 CE) – Jain narrative on political events
  4. Satish Chandra. Medieval India: From Sultanat to the Mughals, Volume I
  5. R. C. Majumdar. The Delhi Sultanate
  6. Peter Jackson. The Delhi Sultanate: A Political and Military History
  7. Jadunath Sarkar. History of Medieval India

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