Alauddin Khilji

Who was Alauddin Khilji?

Ala-ud-din Khilji, born as Juna Khan Khilji, was the second ruler of the Khilji dynasty in Northern India, reigning from 1296 to 1316. Of Turkic ethnicity, he is considered the most powerful ruler of the dynasty,

His attack on Chittor in 1303 CE to capture the queen of Chittor, Rani Padmini, the wife of King Rawal Ratan Singh and the subsequent story have been immortalized in the epic poem Padmavat, written by Malik Muhammad Jayasi in the Awadhi language in the year 1540.

He was a strategist and military commander who commanded forces across the Indian subcontinent. Sultan Ala-ud-din Khilji is also noted in history for being one of the few rulers in the world to have repeatedly defended his empire against Mongol invasions. He defeated large Mongol armies and then launched punitive expeditions against them in Central Asia, around modern-day Afghanistan.