FAMOUS PERSONALITIES

AMEER KHUSRO AND DEPALPUR

Depalpur which is known as the oldest living city in the subcontinent after Multan and Peshawar. Historians claim it has been in existence for 2,100 years, i.e. presumably as old as Harappa. The town was the provincial capital of the Tughlaq dynasty and saw its years of glory under their rule. In the 13th and 14th centuries Depalpur, with its strong citadel, acted as the frontier fortress to Delhi and played a significant role in the defence of the subcontinent against the Mongol invasions. Amir Khusro, the celebrated poet and musician, fought against the Mongol hordes and was imprisoned in this historic fort for some time

FIRUZ SHAH TUGHLAQ

Firoz Shah Tughlaq ( فروز شاہ تغلق,  फ़िरोज़ शाह तुग़लक़), 1309 - 1388 in Delhi, was a Muslim ruler of the Tughlaq Dynasty from 1351 to 1388. He was the son of a Hindu Rajput princess of Dipalpur.His father's name was Razzab (the younger brother of Gazi Malik). Gazi Malik means Gayasuddin
Tughluq. He succeeded his cousin Muhammad bin Tughluq following the later's death from a fatal illness, but due to widespread unrest Firuz's realm was much smaller than Muhammed's. Firuz was forced by rebellions to concede virtual independence to Bengal and other provinces. He was known as an iconoclast.BiographyUnder his rule, Hindu Brahmins were exempted from paying mandatory tax Jizya levied on Hindus.Firoz probably learnt many lessons from his cousin Muhammad's rule. He decided not to reconquer areas that had broken away. He decided to keep nobles and the Ulema happy so that they would allow him to rule his kingdom peacefully. In fact, there were hardly any rebellions during his rule. We come to know about him from a 32-page brochure he wrote. Firoz allowed a noble's son to succeed to his father's position and jagir after his death. The same was done in the army, where an old soldier could send his son, son-in-law or even his slave in his place. He won over the Ulemas by giving them grants of revenue, which gave him political power. He increased the salary of the nobles. He stopped all kinds of harsh punishments such as cutting off hands. Firoz also lowered the land taxes that Muhammad had raised. Firuz's reign has been described as the greatest age of corruption in medieval India. It can be imagined from the fact that Firuz once gave a golden tanka to a distraught soldier so that he could bribe the clerk to pass his sub standard horse. The case of Imadulmulk Bashir, the minister of war who began his career as an inherited slave of Firuz, in course of his service is said to have accumulated wealth to the tune of thirteen crores, when the state's yearly income was six crores and seventy-five lakh tankas.Feroze Shah's tomb with adjoining madrasa, in Hauz Khas Complex, DelhiHe was the first Muslim ruler to think of the material welfare of his people. Many rest houses, gardens and tombs were built. A number of madrasas (Islamic schools which provided Koranic education) were opened to encourage literacy. He set up hospitals for the free treatment of the poor. He provided money for the marriage of girls belonging to poor families. He commissioned many public buildings in Delhi. He built over 300 villages and dug 5 major canals for irrigation bringing more land under cultivation for growing grain and fruit.Hindu religious works were translated from Sanskrit to Persian. He had a large personal library of manuscripts in Persian, Arabic and other languages. He brought 2 Ashokan Pillars from Meerut and Topara, carefully wrapped in silk, to Delhi. He re-erected one of them in his palace at Firoz Shah Kotla.He had about 180,000 slaves, who had been brought from all over the country, trained in various arts and crafts. They however turned out to be undependable. Transfer of capital was the highlight of his reign. When the Qutb Minar struck by lightning in 1368 AD, knocking off its top storey, it was replaced by the existing two floors by Firoz Shah Tughlaq, faced with white marble.Firoz Shah's death led to many rebellions. His lenient attitude had weakened the sultan's position. His successor Ghiyas-ud-Din Tughluq II could not control the slaves or the nobles. The army had become weak. Slowly the empire shrank in size. Ten years after his death, Timur's invasion devastated Delhi.