Page:The Architecture of Ancient Delhi Especially the Buildings Around the Kutb Minar 1872 by Henry Hardy Cole.djvu/138

 94 Shams -ud-dins Gateways and Tomb. General-in-Chief to Kutb-ud-din, and on his master's death, marched to Delhi and expelled Aram, his son. On his coming to the throne Altamsh was supported by man}- chiefs and princes, but Farukh one of his generals rebelled and collected a large force of malcontents to oppose him before Delhi; the Enmeror was victorious in the fight, and established himself thus more securely on the throne. The Kalif of Bagdad recognized the independence of Shams-ud-din Altamsh's government, and this recognition was the first to be accorded by any of the supreme Muhammadan potentates to an Indian monarch. In a.d. 1215, he was engaged in subduing Taj-ud-din Yilduz — King of Ghazni, who, after having professed to acknowledge Ms sovereignty, marched on Tahnesar ; but Yilduz was defeated, and Shams-ud-din imprisoned him at Budaon, where he was buried. During the year a.d. 1217 Altamsh defeated his brother-in-law, Nasir-ud-din Kubachah, placed his heir apparent on the throne of Lahore. In a. d. 1225, he went to Bengal to exact tribute from Ghias-ud-din, the reigning Prince, whom he deposed. Altamsh left Xasir-ud-din, his son, in possession of Behar. The embassy from Arabia, bringing the royal robes from the Khalif of Bagdad, arrived in a.d. 1229, at Delhi, and was received with great joy and rejoicing. Altamsh soon after turned his attention to Gwalior, which had fallen into the hands of the Hindus, and, after a long siege, captured the fortress. He next marched to Malwa and reduced the Fort of Bhilsa, in Bhopal (luckily he did not penetrate so far as Sanchi, where, there can be little doubt, in accordance with his inherent antipathy to Hindu structures, he would have demolished the magnificent ruins of the Buddhist gateways surrounding the Great Tope). He next attacked Ugain, and there destroyed a very large temple, the erection of which is stated to have taken 300 years. He returned to Delhi with the images of Vikramaditya and Mahadeva in stone, also with several brass idols taken from the temple, and had them all broken on the door of the great Masjid at the Kutb. 1 Altamsh fell sick in A. D. 1236, and died the same year at Delhi, where he was buried. (See pages 101-3, and Photographs XVII. and XVIII. for the account and description of his tomb.) His reign lasted twenty-six years, and history shows him to have been an enter- 1 Briggs, " Muhammadan Power in India," vol. i. p. 211.