6_Glorious_Epochs_of_Indian_History

6TH GLORIOUS EPOCH 135
fiercely. Although the Muslims then had no cannon, they
had fire-arms of a new type, which the Hindus did not
possess^i. Naturally the latter began to find themselves
weaker in strength. Moreover the Arab platoons that were
in the pay of Dahir rebelled^^. When the Hindu-Muslim
armies came to close quarters, the Arabs informed him that
they would not fight against Mohammed-Bin-Kasim,
since the latter was a Muslim, as they themselves were, and
that it was a religious crusade against the Kafirs^*. What
more, they even marched on their Hindu master himself.
This artlessness of the Hindus in placing complete faith in
the enemy met the same fate, whenever in future a Hindu
King employed Muslim soldiers in his army. This very often
caused the Hindu strategy to topple down and made their
battle-arrays ineffective**.
329. Nevertheless, without letting this betrayal of the
Arab platoons cause any confusion in his ranks. King Dahir
mounted his elephant and kept on fighting in the thick of
the fray**. But when he himself was killed in the battle, the
Hindu army was routed, and the Muslims, in hot pursuit,
entered the city*®.
330. However, the moment she received the horrible
news of King Dahir's death on the battle-field, the Queen
and hundreds of other brave Hindu ladies leapt into a great
fire and burnt themselves to death*'. It was the limit of
warlike spirit, the Kshatriyadharma ! The enemy's attempts
to capture and molest the Queen and other ladies of high-rank
were mostly foiled.
331. Even then, in the confusion that was wrought
everywhere, Daheer's two daughters named Suryadevi and
Pramiladevi fell** into the hands of the Muslims who had
dashed into the city, killing every captive soldier and
every citizen*'. Mohammed Kasim took them and also
hundreds of others away as courtesans. The looting and
massacre of the Hindus and large-scale arson in the city went
on unhindered. But that was the fate of not only one city;
every other city or town that the Muslims visited on their