Bahlol Lodi

Bahlol Lodi

Bahlol Lodi

Sultan of Delhi in Lodi Dynasty

Founder of Lodi Dynasty

Reign – A.D. 1451 to 1489

Father – Malik Kala

The founder of the Lodi Dynasty was Bahlol Lodi. He was born in Afghanistan in the Sahu Khel section of the Lodi clan. His grandfather, Malik Bahram came to India and settled in the reign of Firoz Tughluq and joined the service of Malik Mardan, the Governor of Multan. He had five sons, out of whom only Malik Sultan Shah and Malik Kala earned some fame. Bahlol Lodi was the son of Malik Kala who established his independent state after defeating the Khokhars. The uncle of Bahlol, Malik Sultan Shah was the Governor of Sirhind.

After the death of Malik Sultan Shah, Bahlol became the Governor of Sirhind. He was very ambitious and was dissatisfied with his position. Realizing the weakness of the Sultan of Delhi and mismanagement of the Sultanate, he declared his independence. The Sultan of Delhi could not tolerate Bahlol’s behaviour and sent an army against him which failed to defeat him. Once he had helped Muhammad Shah, the ruler of Delhi, against Mahmood Khalji of Malwa for which he was given the little of Khan-i-Jahan. It also added to the power and prestige of Bahlol. He tried to establish his control over Delhi during the reign of Sayyid Sultan Mahammad Shah but he could not succeed in doing so. Again during the reign of Alauddin Alam Shah he was persuaded to invade Delhi by Hamid Khan, the Wazir of the contemporary Sultan. He sent an invitation to Bahlol for making an invasion of Alauddin Alam shah who was living in Badaun during this period. Hence Bahlol captured Delhi without much difficulty.

After his accession to the throne Bahlol found himself confronted with various problems. The Sultanate of Delhi had weakened and the prestige and glory of kingship were gone. Disorder and chaos were prevailing in the north-west frontier and Punjab region. The Hindu chiefs of Doab were ready to resort to rebellion and the Sharqi rulers of Jaunpur had extended their influence. They were dreaming of establishing their control over Delhi.

Bahlol Lodi was a worthy and clever ruler. He understood it well that the Afghan nobles were the backbone of his empire, so first of all he tried to please them. He bestowed equal status on them. He never sat on the throne before them; rather he preferred to sit with them on a carpet and discussed the problems of the kingdom with them. It satisfied and pleased the Afghan rulers. In order to strengthen his position he distributed posts, title and rewards with open hands to the nobles and invitees from Afghanistan. He also endeavored to satisfy his soldiers.

After having consolidated his internal position, Bahlol Lodi directed his attention to his foreign policy so that confusion and anarchy could be removed.

Bahlol Lodi was not only the founder of the Lodi Dynasty but was also a brave and fearless warrior and a successful commander. He enhanced the glory and strength of the sultanate by his incessant efforts. Dr. A.L. Srivastavaa has written about him, “Bahlol was a brave and intrepid soldier and successful general.”

In his personal life Bahlol Lodi was kind and generous. He used to give alms to the poor and never let them go disappointed from his door. He respected women. He behaved very gently with the queen of Sultan Hsain Shah and sent her to her Husband. He was a religious-minded sultan and followed his religion firmly. Although he was not much educated, yet he provided shelter to the scholars.

As he remained busy in constant wars, he could not pay attention to reforms in administration. However, he loved his subjects. He paid due respect to the Afghan nobles. Once he said to them, “If you think me unworthy of the status, occupy it, choose someone else, and bestow on me some other office.” He was a great lover of justice and had no pride of his position. Dr. Ishwari Prasad remarks, “As the founder of the new dynasty and the restorer of the waning prestige of the Delhi monarchy, Bahlol deserves a high place in history.”

Bahlol Lodi believed in equality and did not sit on the throne in social gatherings. The author of Tarikh-i-Daudi remarks, “in social meetings he never sat on the throne, and would not allow his nobles to stand and even during the public audiences he did not occupy the throne, but seated himself upon a carpet…. He maintained a brotherly intercourse with all his chiefs and soldiers.”

Dr. R.P. Tripathi pointing out to his shortcomings has remarked, “He lowered the dignity of the crown and reduced kingship to a sort of exalted peerage. Instead of the role of one autocrat, he permitted numerous autocrats.”

Milan Tomic

Hi. I’m Designer of Blog Magic. I’m CEO/Founder of ThemeXpose. I’m Creative Art Director, Web Designer, UI/UX Designer, Interaction Designer, Industrial Designer, Web Developer, Business Enthusiast, StartUp Enthusiast, Speaker, Writer and Photographer. Inspired to make things looks better.