Malik Kafur (formally Tajuddin Izal Daula) was a military commander and viceroy of the Delhi Sultanate under the Khilji Dynasty in the 1300s.
Besides his military acumen and remarkable battle victories over ferocious Mongols and several Hindu upper-caste kings, he is also known for his closeness to Sultan Alauddin Khilji.
Read this article till the end to learn more about the untold story of Malik Kafur who became the commander-in-chief and viceroy of the Delhi Sultanate.
This article is also meant to be a subaltern interpretation of Indian history.
Maratha roots of Malik Kafur
Most historical records suggest that Malik Kafur was born into a low-caste Hindu family.
According to the 14th-century historian Abdul Malik Isami, Kafur had his roots in a Maratha family of the Gujarat-Maharashtra region.
Marathas are predominantly peasant castes in the Gujarat-Maharashtra region and are placed low in the social hierarchy by the Brahmanical religion.
The fact that Malik Kafur was a lower caste or Maratha is important and assumes great significance in subaltern comparison of the upper-caste or Brahmanized vis-a-vis Muslim polities of the subcontinent.
It is evident that the establishment of Muslim polities in the subcontinent led to the gradual rise of many hardworking lower, middle and agrarian castes acrosss India. It is to be noted that Muslim dynasties like Khiljis, Tughlaqs, Lodhis, and Mughals too had tribal, agrarian and nomadic roots.
In case of south India, almost all Muslim states including the Delhi Sultanate, Bahmanis, Mughals, Qutub Shahi, and Asaf Jahi, etc tended to replace erstwhile Brahmanical elites with Maratha administrators. For instance, Ranadulla Khan of Bijapur replaced the Nadaprabhus of Bangalore with Shivaji’s father Shahaji Bhosale.
It is also worth noting that Brahmins refused to recognize the legitimacy of Maratha ruler Shivaji Bhonsale as late as the 17th century, claiming that he was a Shudra and that only Kshatriyas had the right to rule.
“Unfortunately, rather than ignoring or punishing such arrogant Brahmins and rejecting their religion and rituals, Shivaji chose to bribe them with immense wealth to get himself coronated as a Kshatriya ruler and protector of Hindu-Brahmanism”, lament Ambedkarite and some Marathi Scholars.
Similarly, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, one of the tallest leaders of Indian freedom struggle also demeaned Marathas by arguing that the they should be “content” with the Shudra status assigned to them by the Brahmins.
Coming back to Kafur, not much is known about Malik Kafur’s childhood, but it is certain that he underwent extreme pain and suffering in his early life.
He was captured, enslaved, and castrated at a tender age. Yet, he rose to great heights and power later in life due to his sheer determination and grit.
Historians point out that in a military raid over Gujarat, he was taken captive as a child and sold into slavery.
On the issue of his castration, there is a divergence of opinion. While some historians suggest that he was born that way, others claim he was castrated by his captors.
It must be borne in mind here that Islam strictly forbids the castration of Human beings, Muslims and non-Muslims alike.
It was narrated from Samurah that the Messenger of Allah said: “Whoever kills his slave, we will kill him; whoever mutilates (his slave), We will mutilate him, and whoever castrates (his slave), we will castrate him.”
Sunan an-Nasa’i 4736 Grade: Hasan (Darussalam)
Narrated Abu Musa Al-Ash’ari: The Prophet said, “Give food to the hungry, pay a visit to the sick and release (set free) the one in captivity (by paying his ransom).“
Sahih al-Bukhari, Vol. 9, Book 89, Hadith 285
That being said, this brave Maratha boy overcame all challenges that came his way. And later he went on to become the naib commander-in-chief and viceroy of India under the mighty Khilji Sultanate.
Alauddin Khilji and Malik Kafur
In 1299, Sultan Alauddin Khilji attacked Gujarat after Rai Karan, the king of Gujarat, refused to accept his suzerainty.
Interestingly, in the ensuing battle, King Rai Karan fled without a fight. As a result, the Sultan easily captured the capital city of Anhilwara.
Later the Sultan also sacked and plundered the Somnath temple of Gujarat which had been rebuilt by the Brahmanized rulers of the area.
According to Satish Chandra, it was here during the Gujarat campaign that Malik Kafur was captured and presented to the Sultan, and he soon rose in the latter’s estimation.
Some historians, especially those coming from the upper echelons of society, cast insulting epithets over the close relationship between the Sultan and Malik Kafur.
Perhaps, they have done so because of their caste and class biases as Kafur was a castrated eunuch from a low-caste Maratha family, claim subaltern scholars.
It is evident from the epithets at his gravestone, that the Sultan favoured Malik Kafur because of his exceptional bravery, outstanding military acumen, and wise counsel.
It was only after proving his leadership and fighting skills during so many important military campaigns of the empire, Kafur could win Emperor’s favor.
For instance, in 1306 AD, he led the Indian forces and defeated the Mongol invaders who had ransacked Punjab and North-West India multiple times.
And this was just the beginning of the rise of Malik Kafur to great prominence and glory.
Soon, he became the commander-in-chief of the Delhi Sultanate, second only to the Emperor in the military and political hierarchy.
Malik Kafur’s Military Expeditions in Southern India
Malik Kafur led a series of military expeditions in southern India and inflicted a crushing defeat on several Brahmanised rulers of South India, including the Yadavs in 1308 CE, the Kakatiyas in 1310 CE, the Hoysalas in 1311 CE, and the Pandyas in 1311 CE.
Remarkably, Kafur subdued some of these kingdoms through talks and negotiations without much bloodshed and treated the defeated rulers kindly.
For instance, when Raja Rai Ramachandra of Devgiri surrendered, Kafur, treated him honourably and after some time even reinstated him as the ruler of Devgiri with the title of Rai Rayan.
According to noted historian Satish Chandra, when the King presented himself before the Emperor in Delhi, the latter bestowed him with a gift of one lakh tankas along with a golden canopy as a symbol of sovereignty. Further, some areas of Gujarat were also placed under his command.
The Hindu king reciprocated this honor by marrying one of his daughters to Emperor Alauddin.
“The alliance with Rai Ramachandra was to prove to be of great value to Alauddin in his further aggrandizement in the Deccan,” writes Satish Chandra in the History of Medieval India.
Malik Kafur: The Naib Malik and Vice-Regent of India
It was because of the efforts and bravery of this able and great Maratha general, that the frontiers of the Delhi Sultanate could reach the distant South for the first time in history.
According to Satish Chandra, under Malik Kafur’s command, Muslim armies for the first time penetrated the deep south and reached as far south as Madurai.
Hence, it was natural for the Indian Emperor to honor Malik Kafur for his courage and extraordinary services not only in defending India from the Mongol onslaught but also in extending its frontiers far and wide.
The success of “these expeditions greatly raised Kafur in public estimation, and Alauddin appointed him Naib-Malik-ul-Hind i.e. vice-Regent of the Empire,” writes Satish Chandra.
Campaigns in India
As commander-in-chief of the Delhi Sultanate, Malik Kafur not only successfully defeated several Brahmanised rulers of India.
He demolished hundreds of giant Hindu-Brahminical temples which many historians say were built through Vishti System i.e. forced labor and exploitation of peasants, commoners and lower castes.
For some, this was a case of religious extremism and Islamic fanaticism but for many others, it was an act of him breaking the idols of falsehood and taking revenge for the historical wrongs and Brahmanical injustices.
Furthermore, his military excursions also facilitated the conversion of a large number of Indians to Islam.
For some it was forced conversion but for other, in doing so, he liberated a large number of poor and oppressed Indians from the yoke of the oppressive caste system.
Malik Kafur: The Crown of Islam and India
When Malik Kafur returned back to Delhi after his successful Deccan campaigns, he was duly honored and given a grand and ceremonial welcome by the citizens of Delhi and nobility.
The Sultan was so impressed with the successes of the Malik Kafur that he bestowed him with the title of Taj-ud-Deen Izz-al-Dawla i.e. the Crown of Religion and Honour of State. In other words, he was honored as the crown of Islam and India.
This says a lot about the just and egalitarian tendencies of a nascent Muslim state (that was not even truly Islamic) which did not hesitate in giving unprecedented opportunities and honors to commoners like Malik Kafur.
It was also because of the benign and egalitarian policies of the Sultanate that Malik Kafur could rise to incredible heights and prominence despite being born in a downtrodden Shudra community in a caste-driven, tyrannical, and Brahmanised society of India.
O people, verily your Lord is One and your father is one. Verily, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no superiority over black nor a black has any superiority over white except by piety and good action.
Prophet Muhammad PBUH (Sahih at-Tirmidhi, Ahmad (22978)
Death and Legacy
After Alauddin died in 1316, Malik Kafur assumed de facto power and was supported by non-Khalaj nobles like Kamal al-Din Gurg. However, he lacked the support of the majority of Khalaj’s nobles who had him assassinated, hoping to take power for themselves. However, the new ruler had the killers of Kafur executed.
The last Khalji ruler was Alauddin Khalji’s 18-year-old son Qutb ud-Din Mubarak Shah Khalji, who ruled for four years before he was killed by Khusro Khan, another slave-general with Hindu origins, who reverted from Islam and favoured his Hindu Baradu military clan in the nobility. Khusro Khan’s reign lasted only a few months, when Ghazi Malik, later to be called Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq, defeated him and assumed power in 1320, thus ending the Khalji dynasty and starting the Tughlaq dynasty.
Restoration of his Tomb
Even years after his death, Malik Kafur was held in high esteem by Muslim rulers, nobilities, and citizens of Delhi for his distinguished services to Islam and India.
For instance Sultan Firuz Shah Tughlaq (born to a Hindu Mother) got his tomb repaired and inscribed the following eulogy in his honor.
Tomb of Malik Taj-ul-Mulk Kafur, the great wazir of Sultan Alauddin. He was a most wise and intelligent minister, and acquired many countries, on which the horses of former sovereigns had never placed their hoofs, and he caused the Khutba of Sultan Ala-ud-din to be repeated there. He had 52,000 horsemen. His grave had been levelled with the ground, and his tomb laid low. I caused his tomb to be entirely renewed, for he was a devoted and faithful subject.
Sultan Firoz Shah Tuglaq ibne Malik Rajjab (Emperor of India)
Conclusion
In conclusion, Malik Kafur was a brave Maratha General who was trusted and honored by the Delhi Sultanate.
Despite undergoing extreme trials and tribulations in childhood, he still rose to great prominence due to his strong resolve and determination.
As commander-in-chief of the Delhi Sultanate, he successfully defended India from the Mongol onslaught and subdued many Brahmanised rulers of South India.
The Delhi Sultanate also deserves at least some credit for providing Malik Kafur an enabling platform to rise and prosper despite his not-so-noble roots. Such egalitarian tendencies were rarely witnessed in non-Muslim polities in those times.