Battle of Ravi, 1306

The battle of Ravi (1306) was the fourth and last of a series of defeats suffered by Mongol armies in the Delhi Sultanate that greatly reduced the Mongol threat to northern India.

The third of those defeats had seen a large Mongol raiding force under Ali Beg and a second commander defeated at Amroha. Both of the Mongol commanders had been taken back to Delhi, where they were trampled to death by elephants.

The Mongols responded by sending yet another army into India, this time led by a leader called Kabak. The Sultan of Delhi, 'Ala ud-Din, appointed the victorious generals of 1305, Malik Kafur Hazardinarai and Ghazi Malik Ghiyas-ud-Din Tughlug, to deal with this new threat (after the previous battle Tughlug had been granted the title Ghazi, or killer of infidels).

The Mongol horde crossed the Indus near Multan, and advanced towards the Himalayas, raiding as it went. On their return journey the Mongols found their route blocked at the River Ravi, close to the Indus. The Mongols were desperately short of water, and were forced to attack almost immediately, suffering a heavy defeat in the process. Kabak was amongst the many prisoners taken, while only 3,000-4,000 of his original army of 50,000-60,000 escaped. Kabak shared the fate of his predecessors, and was taken to Delhi to be crushed to death by elephants.

Although this defeat didn’t entirely end the Mongol threat to northern India it did reduce it to the level of small-scale raids. The Mongols didn't return in great force until Tamerlane's invasion at the end of the century.

How to cite this article: Rickard, J (7 April 2010), Battle of Ravi, 1306 , http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/battles_ravi.html

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