By Japan K Pathak

Sentiments prevailing in the section of people in Gujarat against the name of the city of Ahmedabad are not completely unfounded. The city of Ahmedabad was named after Sultan Ahmedshah by Sultan Ahmedshah himself, and if you go by history, the picture of Sultan Ahmedshah is not something that the majority of people in Gujarat would admire. If using Ahmedabad and thereby recalling Ahmed Shah in daily life is a problem for some people, the roots of that dislike are found in some specific aspects of Ahmed Shah’s life and deeds.

Mirat-E-Sikandari, an undisputed and well-accepted book of history gives a detailed picture of the Sultanate era of Gujarat. There are some details in this book that clearly substantiate that Ahmed Shah was not a secular ruler and he was an intolerant, fanatic bigot. Those who believe in the values of secularism and tolerance may certainly not like this aspect of Ahmed Shah.

Page 29 of Mirate Sikandari notes that ‘in Hijri Samvat 818, Jimadiuavval month, Ahmed Shah arrived to vandalize a temple in Siddhpur. Idols in this temple were made of gold and silver. Ahmedshah captured the temple and built a mosque there. The place where idol, idol-makers and idol worshipers would sit was now a place with seats of Imam, Khatib and Muvzan. Sultan Ahmed was helped by luck so well that Khuda’s mosque came up replacing a temple with idol.’

Late KB Dave in his book ‘Sahastraling and Rudramahal’ quotes mention by Belim, while describing the demolition of Rudramahal temple by Ahmedshah in the year 1415 (Hijri samvat 818 Jamadal Aval month or Samvat 1471). Dave says it’s very clear from the make of the present Jami mosque in Sidhpur that it was built by Ahmedshah after the demolition of the temple at the same place.

It should be mentioned here that Siddhpur town of North Gujarat was well known for its Rudramahal Shiv temple. It was a multistory temple. Even today, ruined portions of the original Rudramahal are there with the structure partially converted into a mosque. There’s so much to talk about the glory of Solanki-era Gujarat and the temple of Rudramahal, but giving more details on Rudramahal in this article would be a deviation from the topic, so let’s move to another mention in Mirate Sikandari.

Ahmed Shah’s advent against Girnar fort in Sorath region has been mentioned clearly in Mirat, as an invasion against Hindus of Girnar. ‘A frontal portion of the Muslim army defeated the Hindu army,’ states Mirat adding that many Hindus were killed in this battle and the Hindu ruler fled away and took shelter, up on the mountain… However light of Islam didn’t spread across the entire region….’

There’s a mention of loot by Ahmedshah and his army in Champaner, which was then ruled by Trambakdas in 1418 AD. Then there’s a special mention of loot by Ahmedshah’s army in the Sankheda-Bahadurpur area along with the capture of Gulams (slaves) and ‘women beautiful like feathers of the peacock by each one (of Ahmed Shah’s army)’. What those in the modern world believing in women’s rights, feminism and liberty would say about this aspect of Ahmed Shah?

In Mirat, Ahmedshah has been described as ‘dharma rakshak’ (protector of Islamic faith) and one ‘who spread Islam in some regions through his hard work’.

One mention states that after destroying the area of Sankheda, Ahmedshah established the foundations of the fort and built big buildings and mosques. He appointed Kazi and Khatibs and ‘initiated Islamic faith’ there. Ahmed Shah had also ordered the destruction of the area of Champaner, ruled then by Hindus.

Pages 33-34 clearly mention that wherever the people would oppose him, Ahmed Shah would pay back with damages. He would ‘destroy the temples and replace them with mosques and minarets’.

There’s a mention that when Southern ruler Sultan Feroze attacked the Hindus of Vijaynagar, he suffered defeat. Sultan Ahmed had a strong and hearty relation of friendship with Feroze, so Sultan sent a large number of army men to help Feroze.

The ruler of Idar state, Raja Punja had tried to gather the opponents of Ahmed Shah under a single umbrella. However, he was killed. His head was brought to Ahmed Shah’s durbar. In this para it is mentioned that the dead Raja Punja was called ‘Kafir’ by durbaris in Sultan’s durbar.

Sultan Ahmed was born on 18 November 1391. He became ruler of Gujarat at the age of 20. He remained as ruler for a period as long as 32 years, 6 months and 22 days. He was 52 years and 6 months old when he died in AD 1443.

During his rule, he never suffered any defeat in battles as per historians. He had waged wars against both Hindu and Muslim rulers. He was a man who would do justice without bias, it is claimed. There is a mention in Mirat that he had given the death penalty to his own son-in-law in the Manekchawk area of Ahmedabad for the crime of murder he committed.

Historians in ‘Gujarat no Rajkiya anne Sanskrutik Itihas’ book which was published in the last century, term Ahmedshah as one of the most intolerant Sultans of Gujarat.

Historians on the basis of early mentions note, ‘Ahmedshah executed Islamic law firmly. He had a special affection for his faith. He would consider fighting against Hindus as a religious duty. In 1414 AD he had given ‘Taj-ul-mulk’ title to an officer namely Malek Tuhfa and handed over to him a task to destroy the temples and replace them with mosques. Those who opposed were slapped with mandatory Jajiya tax (Commissariat, Briggs, Vol IV, page 18).

According to Mirate Ahmadi Khatima page 190, Jamindars of Antarsuba, Mandva Haldharvas, Ghodasar and some other areas accepted Islam to save themselves. Sultan Ahmedshah allowed them to keep their villages with them but fixed the amount of peshkashi. Rajputs who converted to the Islamic faith were called Maule Salam.

Bigotry, intolerance, and fanatism were the virtues of Ahmed Shah, that create an opinion against the continuation of the name of the city ‘Ahmedabad’ linked to Ahmedshah. If Aurangzeb Road name was replaced with APJ Abdul Kalam Road in Delhi, as Aurangzeb was not secular and tolerant, why Ahmedabad as the city’s name when Ahmedshah was also not tolerant and secular? Many people have started asking.

Annexure:

History of Gujarat – Vol I, page 585, Firishta, Bombay Gazetteer – vol-8

‘The young Sultan of Gujarat had inherited not only the abilities but also the iconoclastic zeal of his grandfather Muzaffar I, and the keynote of his policy of unbending opposition to the Rajput chiefs and intolerance of their faith was struck very early during the reign. In the year 1414, says Firishta, the Sultan gave to Malik Tuhfah, one of the royal officers, the title of Taj-ul-Mulk with a special commission to destroy all temples and to establish Muslim authority throughout Gujarat. This duty he performed with diligence. ‘He overcame the infidels’, adds the Persian historian, ‘and placed the burden of the Jizyah and Kharaj on the necks of recusants and rebels. Some he brought into the fold of Islam. Jizyah is the capitation tax which is levied by Muslim rulers upon subjects who are of a different faith but claim protection (aman). It is founded upon a direct injunction of the Quran (Hughes, Dict. of Islam, 248). Kharaj originally meant a land tribute from non-Muslim tribes but it is now used for a tax or land rent due to the State.’

Annexure 2

Edward Bayley, a British historian in the 18th century wrote history on Gujarat and noted on Ahmadshah:

‘Sultan Ahmad was an active and successful soldier ready for the most part to assist a Muhamadan friend; ready, also, with or without pretence, to attack an idolatrous neighbour, and to extirpate idol-worship wherever he could. No doubt his Hindu neighbours and subjects looked at the matter in a somewhat different light. Mr. Hope, in his “Architecture of Ahmadabad”, represents what was probably their feeling. “The vocation of Amad seems rather have been to destroy than to build, for his whole reign is a series of efforts to break down the liberties, the temples, and the faith of the Hindu landholders of Gujarat, in which of course, he met with determined resistance …. Aong the special causes of irritation were the appointment of an officer to destroy all temples, and the efforts of the spirit in which the latter were received. The chief Matur was invited to Court, and then thrown into prison for refusing to marry his daughter to the Sultan. His queen obtained his liberation by surrendering the beauty. On his release, she told him what she had done. The Rajpoot rose quick as thought and seized his sword. His wife cast her arms around him, but he dashed her to the ground, plunged his sword into his breast and expired. The gallant chief of Beola was more fortunate; feigning to consent to a similar demand, he fixed a day for the marriage, but when the Sultan arrived at Beola he was attacked by five thousand Rajppots, and had to carry on a campaign for five months, at the end of which time the chief escaped with his daughter and married her to the Row of Edaur(Rai of Idar), the inveterate enemy of the Sultan.” – See also “Ras Mala”, page 336-346.

DeshGujarat