The history of South India is marked by a period of profound upheaval in the early 14th century, characterized by the southward expansion of the Delhi Sultanate. While northern India periodically had long dealt with Islamic invasions. The Muslim invaders from NW of India Ghazni Mohamed (998 and 1030) of Ghaznavid dynasty Mohd. Ghouri (1149 – 1206), Timur in 1398, and Nadir Shah in 1739 not only plundered the Hindu kingdoms and temples but also those of rich Muslim rulers. The purpose of such invasions was to fill up their coffers and to meet expenses for the next invasions and wars.
Unlike the north Indian provinces, the deep south remained largely insulated until the reign of Sultan Alauddin Khilji. Among the rulers of Slave dynasty of Delhi, Alauddin khilji (1295 to 1316; alias Juna Khan) was the most treacherous and despicable one. His military commander one Malik Kafur, a Hindu convert and slave, with whom Khilji had personal relationship, was more atrocious than khilji's other military commander Ulugh Khan. The most devastating blow to the religious and cultural heart of the Tamil region was the plundering of the Srirangam Ranganathaswamy Temple in 1311 CE, an event that reshaped the destiny of the Pandya and Chola territories.
The Catalyst: A Divided House
The invasion was not a random act of aggression but was triggered by a bitter fratricidal war within the Pandya Dynasty. Following the death of Maravarman Kulasekara Pandyan I in 1308 CE, his sons—the legitimate Sundara Pandyan III and the illegitimate but favored Veera Pandyan II—battled for the throne of Madurai. After being defeated by his brother, Sundara Pandyan made a fateful decision: he sought the intervention of Alauddin Khilji.
At the time, the Sultan’s military commander, Malik Kafur, was already engaged in successful raids against the Yadavas of Devagiri and the Hoysalas of Dwarasamudra. Seeing an opportunity to amass unprecedented wealth, Delhi Sultanate army chief Kafur accepted the invitation and marched toward the Tamil country.
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Sultan Alauddin Khilji of Delhi slideshare.net
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| Khilji's military commander Malik Kafur bytwodesign.com |
The Desecration of Srirangam (1311 CE)
As Malik Kafur’ s army descended upon the Kaveri delta, the temple town of Srirangam—the foremost of the 108 Divya Desams—became a primary target. According to an article in 'The Hindu' dated 18th November, 2015 by L.Renganathan, Sadaya Varman, Sundara Pandyan I showered the Srirangam temple with lots of gold, donated golden Garuda Vahanam, golden chariot, golden bed on the Adisesha for lord's comforts, gem beaded kondai (still in use at the temple), some other solid golden images, gold plated flag mast (Dwajasthambam). Further, he had several vimanas, including Pravakara vimanam gold plated. He made palm leaf manuscripts, recording the history of the temple, his exploits and preserved them for the posterity. The temple had become a repository of staggering wealth.
In 1311 CE, Malik Kafur’ s forces breached the temple precincts. The invasion resulted in the systematic looting of the temple’s treasury. Massive quantities of gold, precious gemstones, and sacred idols were seized to be transported back to Delhi. While many temple priests attempted to hide the processional deity (Utsava Murti), the sheer scale of the plundering left the temple paralyzed and its administrative systems in ruins.
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| Srirangam temple, blessingsideas.com |
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| Srirangam Ranganatha temple,TN incredibleindia.org. |
The Path to Madurai and the Second Wave
From Srirangam, Malik Kafur continued his march further south to Madurai, the capital of the Pandyas. He found the city largely abandoned by Veera Pandyan, who had fled into the forests. Kafur sacked the city, plundered the Meenakshi Temple, and reportedly set fire to parts of the capital before retreating to Delhi with a caravan of 512 elephants, 5,000 horses, and 500 maunds of gold.
However, the "plight" of Srirangam did not end with Kafur. In 1323 CE, a second and more brutal wave arrived under Ulugh Khan (later known as Muhammad bin Tughlaq). Treasures that escaped Malik's attention at Srirangam temple were taken away by military Commander Ulugh Kahn of the Tughlaq dynasty founded by Ghiyasuddin Tughluq in 1320.
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| Malik Kafur expedition to S.India 1311centreright.in |
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| Srirangam temple,facebook.com |
This invasion was characterized by extreme violence. Historical records and temple chronicles like the Koil Olugu recount the horrific "Pannerayiravar Mudi Tiruthiya Kalagam," where 12,000 Vaishnavite residents and scholars (in Tamil - 'Pannerayiravar mudi tiruthiya pandriazhwan mettu kalagam').
were beheaded by the Tughlaq army while trying to protect the temple. "The “Kovil Olugu” is an exhaustive record of the temple’s social, political and cultural history. Written entirely in the Manipravalam dialect of Tamil, this is the most authentic source of the Ranganathaswamy temple’s history. Despite the availability of such a massive body of work, almost no modern historian has attempted to chronicle Srirangam tryst with the Delhi sultanate" (opindia.com). The annual ritual of ''Tithi'' (Pithroo Karyam) or' Srardham' for the Pithroos (Ancestors) is being performed on Adi Amavasya day every year on the banks of the Vaikkal near Gopurapatti temple
The processional deity of Lord Ranganatha was spirited away by the scholar Pillai Lokacharya, beginning a 48-year period of exile for the idol.
The result of these invasions was the collapse of the traditional Hindu kingdoms in the south and the establishment of the Madurai Sultanate. The local population was left in a state of religious and economic trauma. It was only decades later, with the rise of the Vijayanagara Empire and the campaign of Kumara Kampana, that the Sultanate was overthrown and the deity was finally restored to Srirangam, marking a rebirth of the temple's glory that continues to this day.
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(Author: navrangindia.blogspot.com)
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