To　conclusively　establish　the　fact　that　this　account　can　only　refer　to　Muhammad　Taghlaq　of　Delhi；　who　reigned　from　1325　to　1351；　it　is　necessary　that　we　should　look　into　the　known　character　of　that　monarch　and　the　events　of　his　reign。
  Nuniz　states　that　his　〃Togao　Mamede〃　conquered　Gujarat；　was　at　war　with　Bengal；　and　had　trouble　with　the　Turkomans　on　the　borders　of　Sheik　Ismail；　I。E。　Persia。＇16＇　To　take　these　in　reverse　order。　Early　in　the　reign　of　Muhammad　Taghlaq　vast　hordes　of　Moghuls　invaded　the　Panjab　and　advanced　almost　unopposed　to　Delhi；　where　the　king　bought　them　off　by　payment　of　immense　sums　of　money。　Next　as　to　Bengal。　Prior　to　his　reign　that　province　had　been　subdued；　had　given　trouble；　and　had　again　been　reduced。　In　his　reign　it　was　crushed　under　the　iron　hand　of　a　viceroy　from　Delhi；　Ghiyas…ud…din　Bahadur　〃Bura；〃　who　before　long　attempted　to　render　himself　independent。　He　styled　himself　Bahadur　Shah；　and　issued　his　own　coinage。　In　1327　（A。H。　728）　the　legends　on　his　coins　acknowledge　the　overlordship　of　Delhi；　but　two　years　later　they　describe　him　as　independent　king　of　Bengal。＇17＇　In　1333　Muhammad　issued　his　own　coinage　for　Bengal　and　proceeded　against　the　rebel。　He　defeated　him；　captured　him；　flayed　him　alive；　and　causing　his　skin　to　be　stuffed　with　straw　ordered　it　to　be　paraded　through　the　provinces　of　the　empire　as　a　warning　to　ambitious　governors。　With　reference　to　Gujarat；　Nuniz　has　been　led　into　a　slight　error。　Muhammad　Taghlaq　certainly　did　go　there；　but　only　in　1347。　What　he　did　do　was　to　conquer　the　Dakhan。　Firishtah　mentions　among　his　conquests　Dvarasamudra；　Malabar；　Anegundi　（under　the　name　〃Kampila；〃　for　a　reason　that　will　presently　be　explained）；　Warangal；　&c；　and　these　places　〃were　as　effectually　incorporated　with　his　empire　as　the　villages　in　the　vicinity　of　Delhi。〃＇18＇　He　also　held　Gujarat　firmly。　If；　therefore；　we　venture　to　correct　Nuniz　in　this　respect；　and　say　that　〃Togao　Mamede〃　made　war　on　the　〃Dakhan〃　instead　of　on　〃Gujarat；〃　and　then　advanced　against　Anegundi　（wrongly　called　〃Vijayanagar；〃　which　place　was　not　as　yet　founded）　we　shall　probably　be　not　far　from　the　truth。　The　history　of　〃Togao　Mamede〃　so　far　is　the　history　of　Muhammad　Taghlaq。
  Then　as　to　the　extraordinary　stories　told　of　him。　True　or　not；　they　apply　to　that　sovereign。　Muhammad　is　described　by　contemporary　writers　as　having　been　one　of　the　wonders　of　the　age。　He　was　very　liberal；　especially　to　those　learned　in　the　arts。　He　established　hospitals　for　the　sick　and　alm…houses　for　widows　and　orphans。　He　was　the　most　eloquent　and　accomplished　prince　of　his　time。　He　was　skilled　in　many　sciences；　such　as　physic；　logic；　astronomy；　and　mathematics。　He　studied　the　philosophies　and　metaphysics　of　Greece；　and　was　very　strict　in　religious　observances。
  〃But；〃　continues　Firishtah；　from　whom　the　above　summary　is　taken；　〃with　all　these　admirable　qualities　he　was　wholly　devoid　of　mercy　or　consideration　for　his　people。　The　punishments　he　inflicted　were　not　only　rigid　and　cruel；　but　frequently　unjust。　So　little　did　he　hesitate　to　spill　the　blood　of　God's　creatures　that　when　anything　occurred　which　excited　him　to　proceed　to　that　horrid　extremity；　one　might　have　supposed　his　object　was　to　exterminate　the　human　species　altogether。　No　single　week　passed　without　his　having　put　to　death　one　or　more　of　the　learned　and　holy　men　who　surrounded　him；　or　some　of　the　secretaries　who　attended　him。〃
  The　slightest　opposition　to　his　will　drove　him　into　almost　insane　fury；　and　in　these　fits　he　allowed　his　natural　ferocity　full　play。　His　whole　life　was　spent　in　visionary　schemes　pursued　by　means　equally　irrational。　He　began　by　distributing　enormous　sums　of　money　amongst　his　nobles；　spending；　so　it　is　said；　in　one　day　as　much　as　＇pound　sterling＇500；000。　He　bought　off　the　invading　Moghuls　by　immense　payments　instead　of　repelling　them　by　force　of　arms。　Shortly　after　this　he　raised　a　huge　army　for　the　conquest　of　Persia；　his　cavalry；　according　to　Firishtah；　numbering　370；000　men。　But　nothing　came　of　it　except　that　the　troops；　not　receiving　their　pay；　dispersed　and　pillaged　the　country。　Then　he　decided　to　try　and　conquer　China　and　sent　100；000　men　into　the　Himalayas；　where　almost　all　of　them　miserably　perished；　and　when　the　survivors　returned　in　despair　the　king　put　them　all　to　death。　He　tried　to　introduce　a　depreciated　currency　into　his　territories　as　a　means　to　wealth；　issuing　copper　tokens　for　gold；　which　resulted　in　entire　loss　of　credit　and　a　standstill　of　trade。　This　failing　to　fill　the　treasury　he　next　destroyed　agriculture　by　intolerable　exactions；　the　husbandmen　abandoned　their　fields　and　took　to　robbery　as　a　trade；　and　whole　tracts　became　depopulated；　the　survivors　living　in　the　utmost　starvation　and　misery　and　being　despoiled　of　all　that　they　possessed。　Muhammad　exterminated　whole　tribes　as　if　they　had　been　vermin。　Incensed　at　the　refusal　of　the　inhabitants　of　a　certain　harassed　tract　to　pay　the　inordinate　demands　of　his　subordinates；　he　ordered　out　his　army　as　if　for　a　hunt；　surrounded　an　extensive　tract　of　country；　closed　the　circle　towards　the　centre；　and　slaughtered　every　living　soul　found　therein。　This　amusement　was　repeated　more　than　once；　and　on　a　subsequent　occasion　he　ordered　a　general　massacre　of　all　the　inhabitants　of　the　old　Hindu　city　of　Kanauj。＇19＇　These　horrors　led　of　course　to　famine；　and　the　miseries　of　the　Hindus　exceeded　all　power　of　description。　On　his　return　from　Devagiri　on　one　occasion　he　caused　a　tooth　which　he　had　lost　to　be　interred　in　a　magnificent　stone　mausoleum；　which　is　still　in　existence　at　Bhir。
  But　perhaps　the　best　known　of　his　inhuman　eccentricities　was　his　treatment　of　the　inhabitants　of　the　great　city　of　Delhi。　Muhammad　determined　to　transfer　his　capital　thence　to　Devagiri；　whose　name　he　changed　to　Doulatabad。　The　two　places　are　six　hundred　miles　apart。　The　king　gave　a　general　order　to　every　inhabitant　of　Delhi　to　proceed　forthwith　to　Devagiri；　and　prior　to　the　issue　of　this　order　he　had　the　entire　road　lined　with　full…grown　trees；　transplanted　for　the　purpose。　The　unfortunate　people　were　compelled　to　obey；　and　thousands　　including　women；　children；　and　aged　persons　　died　by　the　way。　Ibn　Batuta；　who　was　an　eye…witness　of　the　scenes　of　horror　to　which　this　gave　rise；　has　left　us　the　following　description：
  〃The　Sultan　ordered　all　the　inhabitants　to　quit　the　place　（Delhi）；　and　upon　some　delay　being　evinced　he　made　a　proclamation　stating　that　what　person　soever；　being　an　inhabitant　of　that　city；　should　be　found　in　any　of　its　houses　or　streets　should　receive　condign　punishment。　Upon　this　they　all　went　out；　but　his　servants　finding　a　blind　man　in　one　of　the　houses　and　a　bedridden　one　in　the　other；　the　Emperor　commanded　the　bedridden　man　to　be　projected　from　a　balista；　and　the　blind　one　to　be　dragged　by　his　feet　to　Daulatabad；　which　is　at　the　distance　of　ten　days；　and　he　was　so　dragged；　but　his　limbs　dropping　off　by　the　way；　only　one　of　his　legs　was　brought　to　the　place　intended；　and　was　then　thrown　into　it；　for　the　order　had　been　that　they　should　go　to　this　place。　When　I　entered　Delhi　it　was　almost　a　desert。〃＇20＇
  It　is　characteristic　of　Muhammad's　whimsical　despotism　that　shortly　afterwards　he　ordered　the　inhabitants　of　different　districts　to　go　and　repeople　Delhi；　which　they　attempted　to　do；　but　with　little　success。　Batuta　relates　that　during　the　interval　of　desolation　the　king　mounted　on　the　roof　of　his　palace；　and　seeing　the　city　empty　and　without　fire　or　smoke　said；　〃Now　my　heart　is　satisfied　and　my　feelings　are　appeased。〃
  Ibn　Batuta　was　a　member　of　this　king's　court；　and　had　every　opportunity　of　forming　a　just　conclusion。　He　sums　up　his　qualities　thus：
  〃Muhammad　more　than　all　men　loves　to　bestow　gifts　and　to　shed　blood。　At　his　gate　one　sees　always　some　fakir　who　has　become　rich；　or　some　living　being　who　is　put　to　death。　His　traits　of　generosity　and　valour；　and　his　examples　of　cruelty　and　violence　towards　criminals；　have　obtained　celebrity　among　the　people。　But　apart　from　this　he　is　the　most　humble　of　men　and　the　one　who　displays　the　most　equity；　the　ceremonies　of　religion　are　observed　at　his　court；　he　is　very　severe　in　all　that　concerns　prayer　and　the　punishment　that　follows　omission　of　it　。。。　his　dominating　quality　is　generosity。。。。　It　rarely　happened　that　the　corpse　of　some　one　who　had　been　killed　was　not　to　be　seen　at　the　gate　of　his　palace。　I　have　often　seen　men　killed　and　their　bodies　left　there。　One　day　I　went　to　his　palace　and　my　horse　shied。　I　looked　before　me　and　I　saw　a　white　heap　on　the　ground；　and　when　I　asked　what　it　was　one　of　my　companions　said　it　was　the　trunk　of　a　man　cut　into　three　pieces。。。。　Every　day　hundreds　of　individuals　were　brought　chained　into　his　hall　of　audience；　their　hands　tied　to　their　necks　and　their　feet　bound　together。　Some　were　killed；　and　others　were　tortured　or　well　beaten。〃＇21＇
  A　man　of　these　seemingly　opposite　qualities；　charity；　generosity；　and　religious　fervour　linked　to　unbridled　lust　for　blood　and　an　apparently　overmastering　desire　to　take　life；　possesses　a　character　so　bizarre；　so　totally　opposed　to　Hindu　ideals；　that　he　would　almost　of　necessity　be　accounted　as　something　superhuman；　monstrous；　a　saint　with　the　heart　of　a　devil；　or　a　fiend　with　the　soul　of　a