Punjab GK · Medieval history
Medieval Punjab from Mahmud of Ghazni to Ahmad Shah Abdali (1000–1767) — Exam Notes
For about seven centuries, Punjab was the gateway through which invaders entered India and the frontline where empires were won and lost. It was also a land of Sufi poets, Mughal gardens and folk heroes. This guide follows the main rulers and events from the Ghaznavids to Ahmad Shah Abdali — the background against which the Sikh Gurus and the misls rose.
Overview
| Period | Rulers | Punjab highlights |
|---|---|---|
| 1001–1186 | Ghaznavids | Lahore becomes a Ghaznavid capital |
| 1192–1526 | Delhi Sultanate | Tarain; Mongol raids; Lodi governors at Lahore |
| 1526–1707 | Mughals | Panipat; Akbar at Lahore; Mughal monuments |
| 1739–1767 | Nadir Shah and Abdali | Invasions; Ghallugharas; rise of the misls |
The Ghaznavids (1001–1186)
Mahmud of Ghazni defeated the Hindu Shahi king Jayapala in 1001 and raided India about seventeen times. Punjab was annexed to the Ghaznavid empire, and after the Ghaznavids lost their Afghan lands, Lahore became their capital.
- Lahore grew into a centre of Persian learning.
- The Sufi scholar Ali al-Hujwiri, known as Data Ganj Bakhsh, settled in Lahore and wrote Kashf al-Mahjub, one of the earliest Persian works on Sufism. His shrine, Data Darbar, is in Lahore.
Muhammad Ghori and the battles of Tarain
Muhammad of Ghor ended Ghaznavid rule in Lahore in 1186 and then turned against the Rajput ruler Prithviraj Chauhan.
- First Battle of Tarain (1191): Prithviraj Chauhan defeated Ghori.
- Second Battle of Tarain (1192): Ghori defeated and killed Prithviraj, opening the way to the Delhi Sultanate.
Tarain is identified with Taraori in Karnal district, Haryana. Ghori's slave-general Qutb-ud-din Aibak became the first Sultan of Delhi; he died at Lahore in 1210 after a fall during a game of chaugan (polo), and his tomb is in Lahore.
Punjab under the Delhi Sultanate
- Punjab bore the brunt of Mongol raids in the 13th and 14th centuries. The Sultans kept strong governors at Lahore, Multan and Dipalpur.
- Ghazi Malik, governor of Dipalpur, founded the Tughlaq dynasty in 1320.
- Timur invaded in 1398, sacking towns on his way to Delhi.
- Khizr Khan, governor of Multan, founded the Sayyid dynasty in 1414.
Baba Farid and the Sufis
Sheikh Farid-ud-din Ganj-i-Shakar (Baba Farid, 1173–1266) of the Chishti order lived at Pakpattan. He is regarded as the first major poet of Punjabi; his verses (shaloks) are included in the Guru Granth Sahib. Baba Farid University of Health Sciences at Faridkot and the town of Faridkot are linked with his name.
The Lodis and the coming of Babur
Daulat Khan Lodi, governor of Lahore, quarrelled with Sultan Ibrahim Lodi and invited Babur from Kabul. Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodi at the First Battle of Panipat in 1526 (Panipat is in Haryana), founding the Mughal Empire. Guru Nanak Dev Ji's Babarvani hymns describe the suffering of Babur's invasion.
Sher Shah Suri
Sher Shah Suri (1540–1545) briefly drove the Mughals out. In Punjab he built Rohtas Fort near Jhelum (a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Pakistan) to control the Gakhars, and he improved the great highway from Bengal to Punjab, the Sadak-e-Azam, later called the Grand Trunk Road, with sarais and wells along it.
The Mughals in Punjab
- Akbar was crowned at Kalanaur (Gurdaspur district) in 1556, on a brick platform still known as Takht-i-Akbari. The Second Battle of Panipat (1556) followed.
- Akbar made Lahore his capital from about 1585 to 1598, enlarging the Lahore Fort.
- Mughal Punjab was divided mainly into the subas of Lahore and Multan; Sirhind was an important sarkar.
- Dulla Bhatti of the Sandal Bar led a peasant revolt against Mughal revenue demands and was executed at Lahore around 1599. He is remembered in the Lohri song "Sunder mundriye".
- Jahangir is buried at Shahdara, Lahore.
- Shah Jahan built the Shalimar Gardens in Lahore (1641–42); the Wazir Khan Mosque dates from his reign.
- Aurangzeb built the Badshahi Mosque, Lahore (1673).
The Mughal period is also the age of the Sikh Gurus, and relations ranged from Akbar's visit to Guru Amar Das Ji to the martyrdoms of Guru Arjan Dev Ji (1606) and Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji (1675).
Punjabi Sufi poetry
Shah Hussain (Lahore, 16th century), Sultan Bahu, Bulleh Shah (Kasur, 1680–1757) and Waris Shah, whose Heer (1766) is the best-known Punjabi qissa, gave Punjabi literature its classic works.
Decline of the Mughals: Nadir Shah and Abdali
- Nadir Shah of Persia defeated the Mughals at Karnal in 1739 and sacked Delhi, carrying away the Peacock Throne and the Koh-i-Noor. Sikh bands harassed his army on its way back through Punjab.
- Ahmad Shah Abdali (Durrani), Nadir Shah's general, founded the Afghan Durrani empire and invaded India about eight or nine times between 1747 and 1767.
- He defeated the Marathas at the Third Battle of Panipat in 1761.
The two Ghallugharas
| Event | Year | Place | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chhota Ghallughara (Lesser Holocaust) | 1746 | Kahnuwan marshes, Gurdaspur | Thousands of Sikhs killed by forces of Yahiya Khan and his diwan Lakhpat Rai |
| Vadda Ghallughara (Great Holocaust) | February 1762 | Kup–Rahira, near Malerkotla | Abdali's army killed a very large number of Sikhs in a single day |
Soon after the Vadda Ghallughara, Abdali blew up the Harmandir Sahib. Yet the Sikhs recovered quickly, and by 1765 the misls controlled Lahore and struck their own coins. Abdali's last invasion (1767) failed to restore Afghan control, and Punjab passed to the misls — the subject of the related guide on the misls and Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
Key points to remember
- 1001 — Mahmud of Ghazni defeats Jayapala; Lahore becomes a Ghaznavid centre; Data Ganj Bakhsh.
- Tarain 1191/1192 — Prithviraj wins, then loses to Ghori.
- Baba Farid — Pakpattan; first major Punjabi poet; verses in the Guru Granth Sahib.
- Panipat 1526; Rohtas Fort and GT Road (Sher Shah); Akbar crowned at Kalanaur 1556.
- Dulla Bhatti — Lohri; Shalimar Gardens 1641–42; Badshahi Mosque 1673.
- Chhota Ghallughara 1746; Vadda Ghallughara 1762 (Kup–Rahira).
Practice questions
Q1. Akbar was crowned in 1556 at:
- (a) Lahore
- (b) Kalanaur
- (c) Sirhind
- (d) Panipat
Show answer
Answer: (b) Kalanaur — Akbar's coronation took place at Kalanaur in Gurdaspur district.
Q2. Qutb-ud-din Aibak died in 1210 at:
- (a) Delhi
- (b) Multan
- (c) Lahore
- (d) Ajmer
Show answer
Answer: (c) Lahore — He died at Lahore after a fall while playing chaugan.
Q3. Which Sufi saint is regarded as the first major poet of Punjabi?
- (a) Bulleh Shah
- (b) Waris Shah
- (c) Baba Farid
- (d) Shah Hussain
Show answer
Answer: (c) Baba Farid — Baba Farid's shaloks are included in the Guru Granth Sahib.
Q4. The Vadda Ghallughara of 1762 took place near:
- (a) Kahnuwan
- (b) Kup–Rahira (Malerkotla)
- (c) Panipat
- (d) Amritsar
Show answer
Answer: (b) Kup–Rahira (Malerkotla) — Abdali's army attacked the Sikhs near Kup–Rahira in February 1762.
Q5. Rohtas Fort near Jhelum was built by:
- (a) Akbar
- (b) Sher Shah Suri
- (c) Mahmud of Ghazni
- (d) Ahmad Shah Abdali
Show answer
Answer: (b) Sher Shah Suri — Sher Shah Suri built Rohtas Fort to control the Gakhars.
Q6. Dulla Bhatti, remembered in Lohri songs, rebelled against:
- (a) The Ghaznavids
- (b) The Mughals under Akbar
- (c) Ahmad Shah Abdali
- (d) The British
Show answer
Answer: (b) The Mughals under Akbar — Dulla Bhatti led a revolt against Mughal revenue demands and was executed at Lahore around 1599.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Tarain?
Tarain is identified with Taraori in Karnal district, Haryana.
Who wrote the Punjabi qissa Heer?
Waris Shah, in 1766.
What was the Chhota Ghallughara?
The killing of thousands of Sikhs in 1746 in the Kahnuwan area of Gurdaspur by the forces of Yahiya Khan and Lakhpat Rai.
Official sources
Rules, dates and figures can change. Always check the latest official notification or government release before relying on a detail.