Page:The Seven Cities of Delhi.djvu/237

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Delhi before the Moghal Conquest


prevent internal rebellion nor Moghal invasion;but all attempts came to naught in face of his good generalship, and that of his sons. Amongst other rebellions, which he quelled with a ruthless hand, was one among the Mewatis, a Rajput tribe, occupying the country to the south of Delhi. Nightly they plundered the suburbs,and were a source of great annoyance, but they were almost exterminated, and the remainder were forcibly converted to Islam Mahomedan they remain to this day.

While he was still minister, he built a red palace, which is said to have been in Old Delhi.Another account places it near the tomb of Nizam-ud-din Aulia, within the fort of Marzgan, which was built by Balban, and was sometimes called Ghiaspur. He died in A.D. 1287,and his tomb, a complete ruin, is near the Jamali Masjid.

Balban had selected for the succession one of his grandsons, Kai Khusru; but an intrigue placed another grandson, MUIZ-UD-DINKAI KUBAD, on the throne. The principal noble had conceived a strong enmity to Kai Khusru, and had recourse to stratagem to supplant him. He forged a letter, purporting to be the decision of the other nobles, and stating that they had elected Kai Kubad king; with this he repaired to Kai Khusru by night, and advised him to181