Chapter 8
Sources & References
Every claim on this website is backed by documented historical sources. This page provides the complete bibliography, categorized and linked.
Every claim on this website is backed by documented historical sources. This page provides the complete bibliography, categorized and linked.
This website relies primarily on the following categories of evidence:
These are the original historical texts that document Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq's reign and the early Tughlaq dynasty.
Author: Amir Khusrau
Date: 1321 CE
Coverage: Historical masnavi chronicling Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq's rise to
power and establishment of the Tughlaq dynasty
Significance: Written by the celebrated Indo-Persian Sufi poet who served
in Ghiyasuddin's court. Documents the title "Ghazi Malik," the overthrow of Khusrau Khan,
and provides accounts of the differential treatment of Hindu and Muslim soldiers after
military victories. Khusrau was closely associated with the Sufi saint Nizamuddin
Auliya.
Availability: Academic editions and translated extracts available in
scholarly literature
Author: Ziauddin Barani
Date: c. 1357 CE
Coverage: Comprehensive history covering from Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq's
ascension through the first six years of Firoz Shah Tughlaq's reign
Significance: The most critical primary source on Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq.
Barani was a companion (nadim) to Muhammad bin Tughlaq for seventeen years and had intimate
knowledge of the dynasty. His work explicitly documents Ghiyasuddin's discriminatory tax
policy — lowering rates for Muslims while raising taxes on Hindus. Also provides an account
of Ghiyasuddin's death, attributing it to a lightning strike.
Availability: Translated extracts in Elliot & Dowson, Vol. III; academic
editions available
Author: Ibn Batuta
Date: c. 1354 CE
Coverage: Travelogue containing extensive observations on the Tughlaq
dynasty and the Delhi Sultanate
Significance: The renowned 14th-century Moroccan traveler provides an
independent perspective on the Tughlaq dynasty. Crucially, Ibn Batuta explicitly claims that
Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq's death was the result of a conspiracy orchestrated by his son Muhammad
bin Tughlaq, who had the pavilion deliberately weakened and elephants paraded nearby to
cause its collapse. This contradicts Barani's official account.
Availability: Multiple translations available; widely referenced in
academic literature
Author: Ziauddin Barani
Date: c. 1358 CE
Coverage: Political treatise on the duties of Islamic rulers
Significance: Reveals the ideological framework within which Ghiyasuddin
Tughlaq operated. Barani articulates a political philosophy advocating for Muslim rulers to
wage holy wars and "eradicate false creeds." This was the official political philosophy of
the Delhi Sultanate's court — providing context for the discriminatory policies documented
in Barani's historical chronicle.
Availability: Academic editions and scholarly analysis available
Editors: Sir Henry Miers Elliot & John Dowson
Date: 1867–1877
Significance: The seminal English translation and compilation of Persian
historical texts relating to India. Contains translated extracts from Barani's
Tarikh-i-Firoz Shahi and other primary sources documenting the Tughlaq dynasty.
Availability: Widely available in academic libraries; digitized versions
online
Author: Sita Ram Goel
Publisher: Voice of India
Date: 1990 (Vol. 1), 1991 (Vol. 2)
Significance: Comprehensive documentation of Hindu temple destruction
during Islamic rule in India. Draws extensively on Islamic primary sources. Volume 2,
subtitled "The Islamic Evidence," uses the testimony of Muslim historians themselves to
document temple destruction across centuries, including during the Tughlaq dynasty.
Availability: Available in print and digital formats
Author: Arun Shourie
Publisher: ASA Publications / HarperCollins India
Date: 1998
Significance: Documents systematic historiographical bias in Indian
historical education, particularly the minimization of Islamic persecution. Analyzes how
textbooks and academic institutions have selectively presented history, which directly
relates to the whitewashing of the Tughlaq dynasty's documented atrocities.
Availability: Widely available in print
Author: K.S. Lal
Date: 1973
Significance: Academic study documenting the demographic impact of Islamic
rule in India, including the effects of persecution, conversion, and population displacement
during the Tughlaq dynasty period.
Availability: Academic libraries and references
URL: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghiyath_al-Din_Tughluq
Usage: Reference for basic biographical facts, timeline. Wikipedia's
article itself documents discriminatory taxation policies, citing Barani's Tarikh-i-Firoz
Shahi.
URL: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tughlaq_dynasty
Usage: Comprehensive overview of the dynasty Ghiyasuddin founded,
documenting the reigns of all Tughlaq rulers and their collective impact.
URL: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warangal_Fort
Usage: Documentation of the archaeological site that bears physical
evidence of the destruction inflicted during the Tughlaq conquest of the Kakatiya kingdom.
URL: voiceofdharma.org
Usage: Repository of Sita Ram Goel's and other scholars' works on temple
destruction. Contains source texts and analysis referenced throughout this website.
This website is part of a broader educational initiative documenting the historically verified impact of medieval rulers on Indian civilization. Explore our sister projects for more.
The founder of the Lodi dynasty who established Afghan Sultanate rule in Delhi.
bahlullodi.com →The zealous iconoclast who destroyed Mathura's temples and banned Hindu worship.
sikandarlodi.com →The last Sultan of Delhi, whose defeat at Panipat ended the Lodi dynasty.
ibrahimlodi.com →The Mughal emperor known for widespread temple destruction and reimposition of Jizya.
aurangezebalamgir.com →The plunderer who raided India 17 times, destroying Somnath and looting vast wealth.
mahmudofghazni.com →The first Arab invader of the Indian subcontinent, who conquered Sindh in 712 CE.
muhammadbinqasim.com →The Ghurid Sultan who defeated Prithviraj Chauhan and established Islamic rule in India.
muhammadghori.com →The Mamluk general who built the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque atop destroyed Hindu temples.
qutbuddinaibak.com →The brutal Khilji Sultan who sacked Chittor, looted Devagiri, and crushed Hindu kingdoms.
alauddinkhilji.com →The eccentric Sultanate ruler known for disastrous experiments and forced relocations.
muhammadbintughlaq.com →The Sultanate ruler who reimposed Jizya and destroyed temples as state policy.
firozshtughlaq.com →Father of Mahmud of Ghazni, who initiated the Ghaznavid raids into India.
sabuktigin.com →The Sayyid dynasty ruler who preceded the Lodis in the Delhi Sultanate.
khwajajahansayyid.com →The last Mughal emperor — a poet and symbol of the dynasty's final chapter.
bahadurshahzafar.com →It is important to note that the most damning evidence about the Tughlaq dynasty comes from Muslim historians themselves. The Tarikh-i-Firoz Shahi, the Tughlaq Nama, and the Rihla were all written by Muslim authors who were, in many cases, sympathetic to Islamic rulers.
Barani did not record Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq's discriminatory taxation as an accusation — he recorded it as pragmatic governance. Khusrau did not frame the differential treatment of Hindu soldiers as criticism — he presented it as the natural order. This makes their testimony particularly powerful: they are, in effect, confessions rather than accusations.
No serious historian disputes the basic facts documented in these sources. The debate is not about whether these events happened, but about how they should be interpreted and taught. This website takes the position that they should be taught honestly — as documented acts of religious discrimination — rather than minimized, contextualized away, or omitted entirely.