71
Between that period and the date of the next invasion of the
Warangal kingdom the Khalji dynasty was overthrown and one of the
principal Turki nobles of the empire, Malik J auna, better known as Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq, was raised to the throne. In 1321 he sent his
eldest son, Muhammad, against Warangal. Prataparudradeva feared
to meet the Musalmans in the open field and shut himself up, with his nobles, in the fort of Warangal. Muhammad bin Tughlaq ravaged all the neighbouring country and collected large quantities of supplies, but the besieged were reinforced by troops from districts and some fierce fighting ensued, in which the Muhammadans were victorious. Prataparudradeva then offered to surrender all his treasure and to pay tribute, in the hope of ridding himself of the invaders, but Muhammad's instructions from his father differed from those which Malik Naib had received from his master and precluded him from acceding to any offer save that of an unconditional surrender. The besiegers were unable to effect an immediate entry into the fort and the siege continued, but communications with Delhi were now interrupted, and the prince, who had hitherto received periodical messages from his father, became alarmed at the absence of news from headquarters, where, for all that he knew, a revolution might have placed an usurper on the throne. Some self-seekers in his army who were tired of their sojourn in the south, and, jealous of the confidence placed in the old amirs of Ala-ud-din Khalji, deliberately gave currency to a rumour that Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq had died and that a usurper had ascended the throne, and then falsely assured the older officers of the army that Muhammad suspected them of disloyalty and was seeking occasion to slay them. Ala-ud-din's amirs, alarmed for their safety, assembled their troops and withdrew from the prince's camp, leaving him no alternative but to retire with the force under his immediate command. As he retraced his steps to Deogir he was pursued by the men of Telingana, who, without venturing to bring him to battle, harassed him during his retreat and plundered his baggage train. When Muhammad reached Deogir with his following he found the Raja of that place still loyal, and succeeded in collecting some of the scattered remnants of the army, but the leader of the amirs of the old regime, Malik Tamar, who either still believed the false report that Muhammad was seeking his life or deemed that he had sinned
