Let’s read the story about the achievements of Qutb Ud-Din Aibak.

In the centre of old Delhi stands a magnificent piece of architecture. A monument is iconic to both Delhi and India. This monument named Qutb Minar is the legacy of Qutb Al din Aibak. The founder of the first Indo-Muslim dynasty in the Indian subcontinent. He was the founder of the Mamluk dynasty also known as the Slave Dynasty.

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In the beginning, Aibak was just a pawn for Mohammad Ghori. Ghori in his conquest of conquering India raided tribes of modern-day Turkmenistan and Afghanistan. Aibak was just a child when his tribe was raided. He was separated from his parent and sold into slavery. Young kids in slavery were easier to brainwash and hence were used as a guard to other slaves. To guard slaves, Aibak was taught basic skills of horse riding and archery. He was also taught multiple local languages.

As Aibak grew up he became an important part of Ghori’s army. In the war between Ghori and Sultan Shah, Aibak was taken captive by Shah’s army. Instead of giving details, Aibak returned with knowledge of enemies’ location and strength. Ghori was mighty impressed by this. He declared Aibak to be in charge of expansion in India.

Aibak and his men were asked to marry the daughters of the local chief and force locals to convert to Islam. This was their way of ensuring fewer chances of rebellions. When Ghori died, Aibuk had the support of many local chiefs. He also had the support of newly converted localities. Through this he found himself to be the most prominent contender for being the new ruler.

His father-in-law had already claimed the capital city of Ghazni. Aibak marched against him, leaving behind Indian territories under Muslim governors. Upon winning the capital he declared himself the new king of Ghazni. But upon returning to India he found the Khalji tribe rebelling against him. He fought against the Khalji in the present-day states of Bihar and Bengal. For this, he also made expeditions for slaves in western India. It has been recorded that he bought twenty thousand slaves from the Gujrat region alone.

The remainder of his life was spent defending what he had conquered. Such a glorious life came to end in a very abrupt way. Aibak fell off his horse playing a sport similar to Polo and died instantly. He left no heir for the throne.

What is left of Aibak’s legacy is a true representation of his deeds. The iconic Qutb Minar and ‘Adhai din Ka Jhonpada’ are both constructed over demolished Hindu temples. These monuments are now an inseparable part of Indian culture. But the ideology of its maker is a ghost of the past. We as a generation should cherish the architecture and abandon the hate it was made from.

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