Sultan Ghiyas Ud-din Baliban History UPSC CSE

Recently the Lieutenant Governor of NCT of Delhi (Sh. VK Saxena) announced the restoration of the Tomb of Balbal located inside Mehrauli’s Archaeological park.
Ghayas-ud-Din-Balbal or “Bahauddin” (1266 - 1287 AD) was a ruler of the Mamluk “Slave” Dynasty in Delhi. During the reign of Sultan Nasiruddin Mahmud he was considered the De-Facto Ruler. He introduced reforms in the spy system, army and its organisation, he fended off the Mongol invasion countless times and successfully restored administrative efficiency of Delhi Sultanate. He became one of the cruellest sultans in the Delhi Sultanate by adopting the policy “Iron and Blood” in his dealing with his enemies. His concept of Kingship was formed around the theory of divine right of the king as a result he introduced practices like ‘Sajda and Paibos’ to assert his dominance and superiority over the court nobles.

Delhi Sultanate ruled over Northern India for a period of 3 centuries. It was established by Qutb-ud-din Aibak in 1206 who founded the Slave dynasty. The major 5 dynasties under the Delhi Sultanate are as follows:

1. Mamluk (“Slave”) Dynasty: from 1206 - 1290
2. Khilji Dynasty: from 1290 - 1320
3. Tughlaq Dynasty: from 1320 - 1414
4. Sayyid Dynasty: from 1414 - 1451
5. Lodi Dynasty: from 1451 - 1526

Ghayas-ud-Din Balbal was a Turkish slave sold to Iltutmish (Sultan of Delhi) and appointed to the insignificant role of a water carrier. However, recognising his talents, Sultan Iltutmish made Balban a part of the court nobles (Chahalgani Nobles) wherein he rose to a very prominent position. He became a Kingmaker and helped Nasir-ud-din Mahmud come to power who in his last years appointed Balban as his successor to the throne in 1266.

• Kingmaker: Helped overthrow Razia Sultana with the help of Chahalgani Nobles. Later helped become King who appointed Iltutmish as Deputy Sultan.
• Military Might: Successfully thwarted a Mongol invasion and internal rebellions.
• Political Shrewdness: Tactically ended the institution of Chahalgani Nobles (Corps of Forty) as they could overthrow him.
• Introduced a new Spy System: He appointed writers in every province as spies. They were paid high salaries and severe punishments were imposed for spies to maintain honesty and screcy.
• Reorganisation of the Army: Established the military department called “Diwan-i-Arz” to regulate the army. Imad-ul-Mulk would inspect and supervise weapons. He introduced regimental discipline to the army, making the army efficient.
• Policy of “Blood and Iron”: meaning taking all steps to be ruthless and cause bloodshed to one’s enemies.
• Theory of divine right of the King: He had assumed the title of “Zil–i-ilahi '' meaning shadow of god. Introduced practices of Sajda (prostrating to the Sultan) and Paibos (kissing on the feet of the Sultan), this was mainly done by him to reduce the morale of the Chahalgani Nobles. Held a Persian like Grand Durbar and sat on a huge throne to raise the esteem of the King which had been lost since the death of Iltutmish due to infighting.
• Centralised Administration: abolished the offices of Chahalgani nobles and ulemas (religious scholars).

Blaban died at the age of 80 after appointing ,Kai Khusrav (Grandson of Balbal) as his heir. Balbal during his reign was at the helm of affairs in the Delhi Sultanate, beginning his journey and rise to the throne first as a slave, then a noble, then a minister and then a Sultan for Forty years. During his reign he tried to consolidate his rule and reignite the lost respect for the Sultanate. This great ruler was not without his flaws. He was intolerant towards Hindus and Muslims alike and used cruel methods to attain his goals. He gave preference to birth right over merit and as a result he appointed only men of turkish origin in the army. However, he is credited as being the “greatest sultan of the Delhi Sultanate” for not only playing the game of thrones well but also defended his kingdom against the Mongol invaders on multiple occasions.