Malik Maqbul

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Malik Maqbul or Khan-i-Jahan Maqbul Tilangani, was the Wazir or Prime Minister of the Delhi Sultanate, in the government of Feroz Shah Tughlaq (1351–1388 CE), in the Indian sub-continent[1]. Initially, he was the commander of Warangal fort (Kataka paludu) located in the state of Andhra Pradesh, south India[2].

Contents

[edit] Introduction

After the fall of Warangal in 1323, the Kakatiya king Prataparudra and his trusted minister and commander Gannama Nayaka, also known as Yugandhar, were captured and taken to Delhi[3]. King Prataparudra allegedly committed suicide by drowning himself in the river Narmada. Yugandhar converted to Islam and took the name Malik Maqbul[4].

[edit] Positions held

Upon being taken to Delhi Maqbul was made the governor of Eastern Telangana, reporting to the Tughlaq's governor of the Deccan, Quwwatuddin. Maqbul was also made governor of Multan and sent to administer Punjab. He ruled Multan as his fief. Maqbul accompanied the sultan on an expedition to Gujarat to subdue the rebels in Broach. He put all the rebels to death and captured enormous amount of wealth[5].


When Warangal was recaptured by Musunuri Kaapanedu, Maqbul was recalled and sent to Warangal to subdue Kaapaneedu. Maqbul failed in his mission. Subsequently, by making himself indispensable in the Delhi durbar (court), he became the finance minister and finally, the Wazir, of the Delhi Sultanate under Feroz Shah Tughlaq[6]. When Feroz Shah was away on a Campaign to Sind and Gujarat for six months and no news was available about his whereabouts Maqbul ably protected Delhi[7]. He was the most highly favoured among the significant number of the nobles in Feroz Shah's court and retained the trust of the sultan[8]. The sultan even remarked that Khan Jahan was the real ruler of Delhi. The fiscal administration was entirely left to Maqbul. Maqbul threatened to leave for Mecca when he came into conflict with Al Mihru, the Accountant General. Sultan had to retrench Al Mihru. Maqbul was paid annually 13 lakh tankas over and above the expenses of his army and servants and separate allowances for his sons and sons-in-law[9]. Maqbul also maintained a retinue of 2000 concubines[10].

[edit] Monuments

Malik Maqbool's tomb in Delhi
Malik Maqbool's tomb in Delhi

Built in 1388, his tomb [11] [12] [13]was the first octagonal mausoleum to be built in Delhi. The only other octagonal mausoleum that predates this tomb in the Indian subcontinent is the Tomb of Shah Rukn-i Alam in Multan. The mausoleum occupies the northwestern corner of the Nizamuddin Complex. The plan is composed of an octagonal burial chamber wrapped by a larger octagonal veranda. The verandah has three arched openings on each side, with a finial bearing cupola crowning the central arches. A large raised dome sits on top of the central chamber. While the parapet wall of the veranda is articulated with crenellations, a slanting stone overhang (chajja) runs beneath it, encasing all sides of the structure. The main entry to the structure is through the central arch of its south façade. The walls of the chamber are substantially thick. The mihrab is set in a stepped niche on the west wall of the chamber. A stairwell leading to the crypt below is also built into the western wall and accessed from inside a doorway. A large rectangular sarcophagus sits centered in the chamber beneath the dome in a two tiered arrangement.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Malik Maqbul or Nagaya Ganna Vibhudu, Commander of Warangal under the Kakatiyas.
  2. ^ Sri Marana Markandeya Puranamu, ed. G. V. Subrahmanyam, 1984, Andhra Pradesh Sahitya Academy, Hyderabad
  3. ^ Kammavari Charitra (in Telugu language) by Kotha Bhavaiah Chowdary, 1939. Revised Edition (2006), Pavuluri Publishers, Guntur
  4. ^ A Forgotten Chapter of Andhra History by M. Somasekhara Sarma, 1945, Andhra University, Waltair
  5. ^ The History of India, as told by its own Historians, Vol. III, H. M. Elliot, Adamant Media Corporation, p. 256, ISBN 1402182120
  6. ^ Sultan Firoz Shah Tughlaq by M. Ahmed, 1978, Chugh Publications, New Delhi p. 46 and 95
  7. ^ A History of India, H. Kulke and D. Rothermund, 1998, Routledge, p.167, ISBN 0415154820
  8. ^ The Delhi Sultanate: A Political and Military History, P. Jackson, 1999, Cambridge University Press, p. 186, ISBN 0521543290
  9. ^ Medieval India; From Sultanat to the Mughals, S. Chandra, 2007, Har Anand Publications, p.161, ISBN 8124110646
  10. ^ The Cambridge Economic History of India, T. Raychaudhuri and I. Habib, Orient Longman, 2005, p. 90, ISBN 8125027300
  11. ^ Khan-i Jahan Maqbul Tilangani Mausoleum
  12. ^ Bunce, Fredrick W. 2004. Islamic Tombs in India: The Iconography and Genesis of Their Design. New Delhi: D.K. Printworld, 52-55
  13. ^ Sharma, Y.D. 2001. Delhi and its Neighbourhood. New Delhi: Directory General Archaeological Survey of India, 27, 118.