How Tamil people were enslaved by Delhi sultanate in 14th century and How Vijayanagar empire rescued them.

7 min readMay 11, 2023

For long armies of Chalukya's, Rashtrakutas and Gurjar-pratihara had stood like a rock against any invading Islamic armies from the north. Even naval battles against Caliphates were fended off thanks to their Navy.

But this all would change around the end of 13 th century where the rapidly expanding Delhi sultanate with their fast moving Central Asian horses and the combined religious zeal wreak havoc in all of India.

It was during the time of Alauddin Khilji that agressive Southward expansion would continue under the brutal general Malik Kafur.

Once the Turkish Muslim army entered Tamil Nādu, what happened next is nothing short of a cultural genocide.

After the main Delhi sultanate army decimated the Tamil regions and it’s kingdoms and annexed it , a new sultanate arose declaring independence from the Delhi sultanate and established the famously oppressive and short lived Madurai sultanate.

What happened next was beyond imagination. Wholesale massacres of the Tamil population, destruction of cities , large scale destruction of the most magnificent temples of that era and constructing mosque on those areas a mark of humiliation. Cutting people alive and slaughtering innocent families. (Every thing will be explained in detail below).

Probably the worst thing would be impaling people alive and letting them to rot and die. Truly barbaric and all these happened in just a span of 40 years. Just imagine the situation of Tamil Nādu if they had ruled for 300 years like the Bahmanis did.

Our most important sources come from Ibn battuta (well known traveller) and Gangadevi (wife of Kannadiga price who liberated Tamil Nadu). A big credit goes to Ibn battuta for bringing the reality out in his works.

Ibn battuta

Jalaluddin Ahsan Khan

He was the first ruler of Madurai sultanate. Ibn Battuta married Jalaluddin Ahsan Khan’s daughter.

Ibn Battuta mentions his rule as such:

His rule and those of his successors were very brutal. The land of Tamil Nadu saw widespread, indiscriminate killings of a level unheard of. Even Ibn Battutah lamented on the cruelty set by the Sultan. Ibn Battutah was a product of his times, believing in sex slavery and murdering infidel men. However, he criticized the Sultan in his books for killing Tamil Hindu women and kids instead of enslaving them, the killings considered anti Islamic practices.

Ghiyas-ud-Din Muhammad Damghani

Ghiyas-ud-Din Muhammad Damghani took over as Sultan in 1340 CE.

His travel notes mention Ghiyas-ud-Din Muhammad Damghani’s atrocious behaviour towards the local population. His army under his personal orders had the habit of frequently rounding up the local villagers, indiscriminately impaling them on sharpened wooden spikes and leaving them to die. Impaling Tamils and leaving them to rot and die.

Graphic details given by Ibn Battuta which happened under the rule of Ghiyas-ud-Din Muhammad Damghani. How Tamil Hindu prisoners were treated:

the Hindu prisoners were divided into four sections and taken to each of the four gates of the great cat car. There, on the stakes they had carried, the prisoners were impaled. Afterwards their wives were killed and tied by their hair to these pales. Little children were massacred on the bosoms of their mothers and their corpses left there. Then, the camp was raised, and they started cutting down the trees of another forest. In the same manner did they treat their later Hindu prisoners. This is shameful conduct such as I have not known any other sovereign guilty of. It is for this that God hastened the death of Ghiyath-eddin.

Impaling and Slaughter of Innocent Tamil Hindus:

One day whilst the the Hindu prisoners were divided into four sections and taken to each of the four gates of the great catcar. There, on the stakes they had carried, the prisoners were impaled. Afterwards their wives were killed and tied by their hair to these pales. Little children were massacred on the bosoms of their mothers and their corpses left there. Then, the camp was raised, and they started cutting down the trees of another forest. In the same manner did they treat their later Hindu prisoners. This is shameful conduct such as I have not known any other sovereign guilty of. It is for this that God hastened the death of Ghiyath-eddin.
One day whilst the Kadhi (Kazi) and I were having our food with (Ghiyazu-d-din), the Kazi to his right and I to his left, an infidel was brought before him accompanied by his wife and son aged seven years. The Sultan made a sign with his hand to the executioners to cut off the head of this man ; then he said to them in Arabic : ‘and the son and the wife.’ They cut off their heads and I turned my eyes away. When I looked again, I saw their heads lying on the ground.

Bloodbath of Tamil Hindus:

I was another time with the Sultan Ghiyath-eddin when a Hindu was brought into his presence. He uttered words I did not understand, and immediately several of his followers drew their daggers.I rose hurriedly, and he said to me ; ‘ Where are you going ‘ ? I replied : ‘ I am going to say my afternoon (4 o’clock) prayers. ‘ He understood my reason, smiled, and ordered the hands and feet of the idolater to be cut off. On my return I found the unfortunate swimming in his blood.

Ibn Batuta describes a plague afflicting Madurai:

When I arrived at Madura, there was a contagious disease prevalent there which killed people in a short time. Those who were attacked succumbed in two or three days. If their end was delayed, it was only until the fourth day. On leaving my dwelling, I saw people either sick or dead.

This is what the Tamil population faced. This is just one part which we know. Ibn battuta stayed there for a very short time and witnessed so much. Just imagine those realities lost in history.

Gangadevi — She was the wife of a hero, Kannada general and liberator Kumara Kampana. Gangadevi’s Madhura Vijayam declares the Muslim rule to be the pain to the three worlds:

O mighty and brave king! Go forth then, and without further delay uproot from my lands this Kingdom of turushkas, pain to the three worlds. Go forth my dear Lord, and securing your victory, establish One Hundred Victory Pillars in middle of the famed Rama-Setu!

Even a faraway woman who was from Karnataka could feel the pain of people in Madurai.

You know why?

Because just a decade earlier same situation was in Karnataka where people were massacred and countless temples were destroyed and they had seen the worst form of brutalism. But vijayanagar army fought back and were determined to drive away the despotic Turkic kingdom and also liberate their ailing Tamil brothers.

On the condition of Madurai under the Muslim rule, Gangadevi writes:

I very much lament for what has happened to the groves in Madhura. The coconut trees have all been cut and in their place are to be seen rows of iron spikes with human skulls dangling at the points.
In the highways which were once charming with the sounds of anklets of beautiful women, are now heard ear-piercing noises of Brahmins being dragged, bound in iron fetters.
…The waters of Tambraparni which were once white with sandal paste rubbed away from the breasts of charming girls are now flowing red with the blood of cows slaughtered by the miscreants.

Gangadevi agrees with the Ibn Battuta on the prevalence of unnatural death:

The God of death takes his undue toll of what are left [of] lives if undestroyed by the Yavanas.

Liberation of Tamil Nādu by Vijayanagar empire

Liberation of Madurai by Vijayanagar empire and restoration of Srirangam temple to its old Glory.

Gangadevi describes her thoughts as such:

Inspired by the exhortation of a Goddess in his dream to extirpate the Mussalmans and to restore the country to its ancient glory, he advances to the South, kills the Sultan of Madura and commemorates his victory by munificent grants to the temples of the country.

Beginning of the great fightback of Karnata samrajya:

BukkaRaya I annexed Tamil Madurai to his Karnata empire’s south in 1360 CE.
Vijayanagar’s armies were led by Bukka’s son, Kumara Kampana.
Kampana first subdued the Sambuvaraya dynasty in present-day Kanchipuram district, then a vassal of Delhi Sultanate who refused to aid the Madurai conquest and then conquered Madurai.
Kampana’s invasion has been chronicled in the Sanskrit epic poem Madura Vijayam (“The Conquest of Madurai”) or Vira Kamparaya Charithram (“History of Kampana”), written by Kampana’s wife Gangadevi.

A fierce battle in Tamilnadu against the Oppressive Madurai sultanate is fought by the liberating Vijayanagar army.

The brave and courageous warrior Kumara kampana in the midst midst the battle beheads the Sultan and gets the victory. Remaining Turkish muslim army is routed and subsequently massacred.

Kampana’s victory is symbolised by the restoration of the Srirangam temple to its old glory in 1371 CE.

The final chapters chronicle his invasion of Madurai, where he destroys the Muslim armies, slays the last sultan in single combat and restores the temple of Srirangam to its old glory.