HIND O 
tally defeated. The rightful heir then afcended the throne 
of his father; and has been denominated Mahmood-Gaz- 
ni, or Gaznavi, as being the celebrated founder of 
The GAZNAVIAN DYNASTY. 
The firft formidable introduction of the Mohammedan 
power, and faith, into the fertile plains of Hindooftan, 
was effefted by this Gaznavide prince, Mahmood I. In 
the year one thoufar.f of the Chriftian sera, commenced 
the earlieftof thofe twelve dreadful irruptions, in which, 
as is well obferved by Mr. Orme, he treated the Indians, 
“ with all the rigour of a conqueror, and with the fury of 
a Mortem converter;” in which the ancientfymbols ereCt - 
ed in their temples and palaces, intended to reprefent the 
various attributes of the deity, were compelled to bow be¬ 
fore the crefcent of Mohammed. 
Lahore was the firft objeCt of Mahmood’s attack ; and 
this city, lying on the direCt road that leads into the 
heart of Hindooftan, has ever been harafled, both in an¬ 
cient and modern tim,es, by the armies of contending 
princes; and has experienced every vicifiitude to which 
the alternate triumph and defeat of fovereigns can fub- 
jeCt a capital. From the time of Alexander to the prefent 
day, the Panjab has been more deeply ftained with blood 
than any other province of the empire; and the frequent 
battles that have been fought within its territory, have 
probably continued to keep alive that ardour of fortitude 
for which its rajahs, and the fubjeCts under their govern¬ 
ment, are fo eminently diftinguilhed. Jeipal, though he 
had been vanquished by SubuCtagi, did not decline the 
conteft with his fon ; but collecting an army of twelve 
thoufand horfe and thirty thoufand foot, fupported by 
three hundred elephants, immediately took the field, and 
advanced to Hop the progrefs of the invader. Contempt 
for the youth of Mahmood appears to have put the ra¬ 
jah off his guard, and to have allowed the Hindoo troops 
to relax in their difcipline. The confequence was, that 
Mahmood took them by furprife, and after an engage¬ 
ment long and obftinately maintained by both parties, the 
Mohammedans were completely victorious, killing five 
thoufand of Jeipal’s troops, and taking the rajah him- 
felf, with many of his friends and relatives, prifoners. Of 
the immenfe booty obtained by Mahmood, fome faint idea 
may be formed from this circumftance, that round the 
neck alone of the captive fovereign, were found fufpend- 
ed fixteen firings of jewels, each of which was valued at 
one hundred and eighty thoufand rupees, or about three 
hundred and twenty thoufand pounds fterling! The fpoil 
produced by the capture of the others, and the plunder of 
the Indian camp, muft have been propottionably great. 
Jeipal, together with his friends and relatives, were libe¬ 
rated, on) paying a large random, and fubmitting to the ob¬ 
ligation of a highly-increafed tribute. Stung with fhame, 
the degraded monarch returned to his capital, and refign^ 
ed the throne to his fon. He then commanded a funeral 
pile to be prepared and kindled, and, leaping into the midft 
of the flames, died, according to Hindoo magnanimity, as 
heroically as he had lived. 
The plunder obtained by Mahmood in his firft irrup¬ 
tion was fo immenfe, that, in his fecond Indian expedi¬ 
tion, which quickly followed, he feems to have had in 
view rather the fecuring, than the extending, of his new¬ 
ly-acquired territory, by directing his arms againft thofe 
numerous fortified towns and caftles on the frontiers of 
Hindooftan, that might have been able to check the tor¬ 
rent of his future ambition. But thefe inferior excur- 
fions feem only to have been intended as introductory 
to thofe more important projects, for the completion of 
which he now began to make the molt formidable prepa¬ 
rations. 
In the year of the hegira 395, A. D. 1004, Mahmood com¬ 
menced his third Indian expedition, on pretence of reco- 
. vering the detained tribute, and to revenge the infolence of 
an Indian prince named Bachera, whofe capital was called 
. Tahera, and formed a part of Sind, though it cannot now 
be recognifed. It is reprefented to have been fortified 
O S T A N. 7 
with an exceeding high wall, and furrounded with a deep 
and broad ditch. A chain of ports guarded the approach 
to this capital; and the invaded prince is faid to'have de¬ 
fended himfelf for fome time with uncommon refolution, 
and frequently to have repulfed the affailants, till he had 
driven Mahmood himfelf almoft to the verge of defpair. 
In the end, however, Bachera was compelled to take re¬ 
fuge within the walls of his capital. Mahmood immedi¬ 
ately employed his army in the arduous work of filling up 
the ditch, which,, after inceffant labour, was nearly accom- 
plifhed, when the artful rajah, taking advantage of a dark 
night, by a private gate led out the greateft part of his 
army, and encamped in a wood of difficult accefs on the 
banks of the Indus. Mahmood, on receiving this intel¬ 
ligence, divided his forces ; and, detaching the one half to 
attack Bachera, with the other he himfelf began an im¬ 
petuous afla.uk upon the city, and caftle. In that affault 
he was fuccefsful, and foon became matter of all the wealth 
in bullion, in Haves, and elephants, which the city of Ta¬ 
hera abundantly afforded. And, that he might not run 
the hazard of a fecond campaign againft Tahera, he an¬ 
nexed the city and its territory to the kingdom of Gazna. 
In the mean time great defection took place among the 
troops of the rajah; and a fmall determined band alone 
remained faithful to his declining caufe. Being fur- 
rounded by the Gaznavide army, they endeavoured to 
force a paflage'through the midft of their foes ; but their 
good fortune was not equal to their bravery; they were 
moftly cut to pieces ; and Bachera, to avoid the fate of 
Mortem fiavery, plunged his fword into his own bofom. 
Moultan, the capital of Sind, had alfo caught the infection 
of revolt. Lodi, its former governor, had once paid alle¬ 
giance to Mahmood, on a prior expedition to thefe parts 
but his fon Daood (David) refolutely refufed to acknow ¬ 
ledge him as his liege lord; nor had the example of Ba- r 
chera operated to bend his ftubborn foul to obedience. 
The prince of Lahore too, deriving no fear from the part 
bufferings of his family, erected at Peilhore the firandard 
of defiance. On this occafion commenced Mahmood’s 
fourth Indian expedition. His march was attended by an 
army unufually numerous, and well appointed. He had 
firft to contend with Annindpal, who had entered into a 
confederacy with Daood to oppofe his progrefs ; and then, 
with forces diminiftied by battle and fatigue, he had to 
fight his way into the well-fortified capital of Sind. Both 
exploits he performed with vigour and celerity. The af- 
fembled forces of the fon of Jeipal, greatly fuperior in 
point of number, but far inferior in valour and difcipline, 
melted away before the fultan, and Daood was obliged to 
fly to the Cachimerian mountains for ihelter; while Mah¬ 
mood, rapidly urging on his victorious career, repofed not 
till the crefcent of Mohammed was Teen to glitter over 
the faded image of the Indian Seeva. The plunder ob¬ 
tained at Moultan was in proportion to the magnitude, 
. the wealth, and extenfive commerce, of the place; but 
no particulars are ftated either in Mirkhond, Ferlftita, or 
any of the Arabian hiftorians of that period. With re- 
fpeCt to the unfortunate Daood, he retired into the forefts 
of Sind, whence he folicited the forgivenefs of the fultan, 
promifing a veiy large increale of annual tribute. Mah¬ 
mood, rich with plunder, and glutted with the ambition 
of a conqueror, affected to be pacified, and again returned 
triumphant to Gazna. 
In the year 1008, Annindpal, impatient under the Mo¬ 
hammedan yoke, determined to wreft Moultan from the 
controul of the fultan ; which revolt calling forth the re- 
fentment of Mahmood, he prepared again to pour his ven¬ 
geance on the defolated Panjab. Annindpal, meanwhile,, 
difpatched meffengers to all the principal rajahs of Hin- 
dooftan, entreating them to raife their united lhields againft 
the grand enemy, whofe facrilegious fury nothing feemed 
likely to fatiate, but the entire downral of their religion,, 
and the utter extirpation of their race. Instigated by 
thefe confiderafions, the rajahs of Ugein, Gwalior, Callin- 
ger, Canouge, Delhi, and Agimere, uniting their forces,, 
advanced with an innumerable hoft towards the fources 
of 
