DDK HistoryF.p65 - CSIR

10.4 j FIRUZ SURRENDERS TO FEUDALISM 377
capital to Daulatabad in the south, and a disastrous military expedition
on a supposed northern route to the fabulous wealth of China. The
bones of this hapless expeditionary force now whiten the shores of the
Himalayan lake Rup-kund. Ibn Battuta has left a clear description of
the Delhi government in his day, and of Muhammad’s experiments with
necromancy (Bat. 225-6). Ultimately Firiiz Tughlaq yielded to feudalism
from below, and ruled without rebellion till nearly the end of his
reign. However, he was favoured by good harvests ; even his admirers
said that only luck kept prices low during his reign, as draconic regulations
had during that of Ala’uddin. What they liked most was his
distribution of villages and land among his followers.
“ In the reigns of former rulers of Delhi, it had never been the rule to bestow
villages as stipends upon office bearers ... (under Firuz). If an officer of the army died,
he was to be succeeded (in possession of the grant) by his son ; if he had no son, by his
son-in-law ; if he had no son-in-law, by his slave; if he had no slave, by his nearest
relation ; if he had no relation, by his wives... The revenue of the territories of the Doab
in his region amounted to 8,000,000 tankas... of the territories of Delhi to 60,850,000
tankas... All this revenue was duly apportioned out; each Khan received a sum suitable
to his exalted position. The Amirs and Maliks also obtained allowances according to
their dignity and the officials were paid enough to provide a comfortable living. The
soldiers of the army received grants of land, enough to support them in comfort, and the
irregulars received payment from the government treasury. Those soldiers who did not
receive their pay in this manner were regularly supplied with assignments upon the
revenues. When these assignments of the soldiers arrived in the fiefs, the holders of the
assignments used to get about half the total amount from the holders, of the fiefs. It was
the practice of certain persons in those days to buy up these assignments, which was an
accommodation to both parties. They used to give one-third of the value for them in the
city, and received a half in the district. The purchasers of these assignments carried on a
traffic in them, and gained a good profit, many of them got rich and made their
fortunes.” (Ed. 3.344-6).
The sultan Firuz abolished 23 former taxes, many of which
nevertheless continued to be surreptitiously collected by dishonest
officials whenever they could get away with the profits. The legal taxes
were 1/10 from cultivated lands as kharaj, the zakat (‘ alms’), the
jizya from Hindus and other separatists’, 1/5 of all spoils and produce
of mines. But the role of Firuz should not be exaggerated. Even the