भारतीय इतिहास के ६ स्वर्णिम पृष्ठ (वीर सावरकर - विदेशी आक्रान्ताओं पर विजय गाथा)

conquered not less than twenty-seven crowns from Russia in the West to
Afghanistan in the South-East! Because he had lost a leg in one of the
battles, he received the nickname ‘lang’ (lame). Thereafter, he happened to
cast his eyes on India, not simply because of any allurement of political
power or the lust for victory, but because he had formed a bitter hatred
towards India. For, he had in the meantime become a Muslim. His original
destructive tendencies now received this new ghastly impetus! Says he in
his autobiography: “My intention in marching upon India is to massacre the
Kafir Hindus there, destroy the idols of their Gods, convert them all to
Islam and thus win the title of a ‘Gazi’ in the court of the Allah.”
838. So, immediately in A.D. 1397, he invaded India. He had under him a
gigantic force of ninety thousand strong. He marched straight up to Punjab.
Still nobody came forward to oppose him. He, therefore, swooped down
straight on Delhi, where a small force came to oppose him in the name of
the Sultan of Delhi, but it was soon put to rout. An interesting point to note
is that this veteran army of Taimurlang, which had trampled over half the
world, was scared to death for a time by the mere sight of elephants in this
ludicrous army of the Sultan of Delhi, for they had seen such huge beasts
for the first time in their lives. Yet it got over the fear very soon and as soon
as the Sultan’s forces were completely routed, it dashed violently into the
city of Delhi, letting loose the orgy of wholesale massacre, plunder and
arson. Millions of lives were lost this day. After having thus quenched his
thirst for Hindu blood to some extent, Taimur turned further to Meerut and
Haridwar, smashing to pieces Hindu idols at many places on his way. At
Haridwar, he reached the pinnacle of his cruelty in the Hindu bloodbath.
How many instances is one to quote of the harrowing atrocities which the
Hindu community had to suffer simply because of their dire determination
and holy resolve not to forsake their religion! From Haridwar, this fiendlike
Taimur went further to the north, raining Hindu blood on the Shivalik hills,
Nagarcote, Jammu and demolishing Hindu temples on the way. On his way,
he got the news of his native capital of Samarkand being threatened by the
rebels. So, mad with fury and mental anguish, he hurried straight off to
Samarkand with the whole of his army.
839. In this Taimurlangian deluge was washed off the little that was left of
the Tughlak Sultanate. In the chaotic conditions that then prevailed in north
India, the Sayyads usurped the nominal Sultanate of the Tughlaks.