MAHMUD' OF GHAZNI (971-1030), son of Sabuktagin, Afghan conqueror, was born on Oct. 2, 971. His fame rests on 'The name is strictly Mal:mild.
his repeated invasions of India. His military capacity, inherited from his father, Nasir-ud-din Sabuktagin, was strengthened by youthful experience in the field. Sabuktagin, a Turki slave of Alptagin, governor of Khurasan under Abdalmalik I. b. Nub of the Samanid dynasty of Bukhara, early brought himself to notice. (See SAMANIDS.) He vas raised to high office in the state by Alptagin's successor, Abil Ishak, and in A.H. 366 (A.D. 977), by the choice of the nobles of Ghazni, he became their ruler. He soon began to make conquests in the neighbouring countries, and in these wars he was accompanied by his young son Mahmud.
In 994 Mahmud was made governor of Khurasan, with the title of Saif addaula (ud-daula) ("Sword of the State") by the Samanid Nub II. Two years later, his father Sabuktagin died in the neighbourhood of Balkh, having declared his second son, Ismail, who was then with him, to be his successor. As soon as Ismail had assumed the sovereignty at Balkh, Mahmud, who was at Nishapur, addressed him in friendly terms, proposing a divi sion of the territories held by their father at his death. Ismail rejected the proposal, and was immediately attacked by Mahmud and defeated. Retreating to Ghazni, he there yielded, and was imprisoned, and Mahmud obtained undisputed power as sovereign of Khurasan and Ghazni (997).
The Ghaznevid dynasty is sometimes reckoned by native historians to commence with Sabuktagin's conquest of Bost and Kosdar (978). But Sabuktagin, throughout his reign at Ghazni, continued to acknowledge the Samanid suzerainty, as did Mahmud also, until the time, soon after succeeding to his father's domin ions, when he received from Qadir, caliph of Baghdad (see CALIPH ATE, C. § 25), a khilat (robe of honour), with a letter recognizing his sovereignty, and conferring on him the titles Yamin-addaula ("Right hand of the State"), and Amin-ul-Millat ("Guardian of the Faith"). From this time it is the name of the caliph that is inscribed on Mahmud's coins, together with his own new titles. The new honours received from the caliph gave fresh impulse to Mahmud's zeal on behalf of Islam, and he resolved on an annual expedition against the idolaters of India. He could not
quite carry out this intention, but a great part of his reign was occupied with his Indian campaigns. In i000 he started on the first of these expeditions, but he went no farther than the hill country near Peshawar. Mahmud's army first crossed the Indus in I00I, opposed by Jaipal, raja of Lahore. Jaipal was defeated, and Mahmud, of ter his return from this expedition, is said to have taken the distinctive appellation of Ghazi ("Valiant for the Faith"), but he is rarely so-called. On the next occasion (i005) Mahmud advanced, as far as Bhera on the Jhelum, when his adversary Anang-pal, son and successor of Jaipal, fled to Kashmir. The following year saw Mahmud at Multan. When he was in the Punjab at this time, he heard of the invasion of Khurasan by the Ilek Khan Nasr I. ruler of Transoxiana whose daughter Mahmud had married. After a rapid march back from India, Mahmud repelled the invaders. The Ilek Khan, having retreated across the Oxus, returned with reinforcements, and took up a position a few miles from Balkh, but was defeated by Mahmud.
Mahmud again entered the Punjab in 1008, this time for the express purpose of chastising Sewah Pal, who, having become a Mussulman, and been left by Mahmud in charge of Multan, had relapsed to Hinduism. The Indian campaign of 1009 was notable. Near the Indus Mahmud was opposed again by Anang pal, supported by powerful rajas from other parts of India. After a severe fight, Anang-pal's elephants were so terror-struck by the fire-missiles flung amongst them by the invaders that they turned and fled, the whole army retreating in confusion and leaving Mahmud master of the field. Mahmud, after this victory, pushed on through the Punjab to Nagar-kot (Kangra), and car ried off much spoil from the Hindu temples to enrich his treasury at Ghazni. In ioii Mahmud, after a short campaign against the Afghans under Mohammed ibn Sur in the hill country of Ghur, marched again into the Punjab. The next time (1014) he advanced to Thanesar between the Sutlej and the Jumna.