भारतीय इतिहास के ६ स्वर्णिम पृष्ठ (वीर सावरकर - विदेशी आक्रान्ताओं पर विजय गाथा)

conquered not less than twenty-seven crowns from Russia in the West to Afghanistan in the South-East! Because he had lost a leg in one of the battles, he received the nickname ‘lang’ (lame). Thereafter, he happened to cast his eyes on India, not simply because of any allurement of political power or the lust for victory, but because he had formed a bitter hatred towards India. For, he had in the meantime become a Muslim. His original destructive tendencies now received this new ghastly impetus! Says he in his autobiography: “My intention in marching upon India is to massacre the Kafir Hindus there, destroy the idols of their Gods, convert them all to Islam and thus win the title of a ‘Gazi’ in the court of the Allah.” 838. So, immediately in A.D. 1397, he invaded India. He had under him a gigantic force of ninety thousand strong. He marched straight up to Punjab. Still nobody came forward to oppose him. He, therefore, swooped down straight on Delhi, where a small force came to oppose him in the name of the Sultan of Delhi, but it was soon put to rout. An interesting point to note is that this veteran army of Taimurlang, which had trampled over half the world, was scared to death for a time by the mere sight of elephants in this ludicrous army of the Sultan of Delhi, for they had seen such huge beasts for the first time in their lives. Yet it got over the fear very soon and as soon as the Sultan’s forces were completely routed, it dashed violently into the city of Delhi, letting loose the orgy of wholesale massacre, plunder and arson. Millions of lives were lost this day. After having thus quenched his thirst for Hindu blood to some extent, Taimur turned further to Meerut and Haridwar, smashing to pieces Hindu idols at many places on his way. At Haridwar, he reached the pinnacle of his cruelty in the Hindu bloodbath. How many instances is one to quote of the harrowing atrocities which the Hindu community had to suffer simply because of their dire determination and holy resolve not to forsake their religion! From Haridwar, this fiendlike Taimur went further to the north, raining Hindu blood on the Shivalik hills, Nagarcote, Jammu and demolishing Hindu temples on the way. On his way, he got the news of his native capital of Samarkand being threatened by the rebels. So, mad with fury and mental anguish, he hurried straight off to Samarkand with the whole of his army. 839. In this Taimurlangian deluge was washed off the little that was left of the Tughlak Sultanate. In the chaotic conditions that then prevailed in north India, the Sayyads usurped the nominal Sultanate of the Tughlaks.