Two Suns That Saved Hindustan

• The Scourge of God

     Temujin was a petty tribal leader indulged in skirmishes with other tribes in the vast steppe landscapes of Mongolia. The quarrels amongst tribes were common owing to the remarkably low annual rainfall and scanty resources. It was in 1206 that Temujin, having grown sufficiently powerful, gathered an assembly of all the Mongolian tribes and announced himself the supreme leader of them all, adopting the name Genghis Khan.

         Under the leadership of this Great Khan and his successors, Mongols became a force to be reckoned with, expanding out of their homelands and conquering vast territories. 

    The Mongol Empire was a thundercloud that  covered an area of 24 million sq.km stretching from Korea to Europe in length and Russia to Persia in width. In 13th century around 25-30 percent of the global population lived under the rule of the Great Khan of Mongolia. 

The Art and The Artist

• The Fugitive prince

    Khwarizm was a powerful empire in Central Asia(responsible for pushing Muhammad Ghori towards India!). Still it couldn't stand the Mongol onslaught under Genghis Khan. 

       Prince Jalaluddin of Khwarizm, although defeated by Mongols earlier, gathered his army for the final showdown against the Great Khan. Both the armies clashed at the battle of Indus 1221. The army of the prince was so thoroughly routed that he had to swim across the river to save his life.

  The fugitive prince requested Sultan Iltutmish Shams-ud-din(means Sun of the faith in Arabic) of Delhi to grant him refuge. The Sultan denied as he was still in the process of consolidating his kingdom and didn't feel it wise to infuriate the Mongol warlord by giving shelter to his enemy.

The battle of Indus. Painted by
Dharm Das at Akbar's court(1596) 

• The Jarring Star

   Genghis Khan had crossed Hindukush mountains in the Autumn of 1221. By the time he defeated Prince Jalaluddin and pushed forward towards Punjab plains, the spring season of 1222 was about to end. 

    It was in Multan that the Mongol army finally came to a halt. They were not adapted to the scorching heat of the Indian Sun. Both the soldiers and the ponies started showing sings of fatigue. Even the Mongol bows made to perform in the harsh winters of Central Asian steppes lost their precision in the humid air.

  The Khan ordered his army to retreat beyond Hindukush and the India campaign was abandoned. 

Mongols were famous for their skills
of archery while horseriding 

   Thus, the two Suns, one through his pragmatic denial and the other through its unforgiving heat prevented the annihilation of Hindustan from the raging fire that was Genghis Khan!