12-05-2006, 01:02 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-acharya+Dec 4 2006, 08:53 AM-->QUOTE(acharya @ Dec 4 2006, 08:53 AM)<!--QuoteEBegin--><!--QuoteBegin--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Acharya,
The key is that it is historically false to assume that Delhi was some sought of a capital of India. It was just another location with a king.
So it is really a myth that uptil the demise of sultanate kings i.e till 16th century that Delhi was anything major.
With the advent of Akbar yes Delhi did assume a significant place but that was largely because of a mistake that rajputs comitted by marrying there daughter to Akbar.
So this "centery of gravity" argument hinges on somekind of an all power Islamic capital rooted at Delhi.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Center of gravity of political center has NOTHING to do with CITY or a place or a region.
Center of gravity of the political center has to do with the social group which forms the political center or within an army. The center of gravity could be in many cities - Delhi, Agra, Lucknow, Lahore or Peshawar.
For the Mughal army the Mughal sultan and nobles in various cities formed the political center and the core mughal army of Muslim army was the military power. That formed the center of gravity of the power. In Muslim societies power resides in the core military force and it is also the political center.
<b>
For the Mughal dynasty the Mughal sultan and his family and all the nobles in the Mughal court forms the political center and they need to be killed to wipe out the Mughal rule. The core elite Mughal army consisted of Turks and Afghan Muslims. That core Mughal army force had to be killed to remove the center of gravity of the Mughal power</b> and make sure that the ability to raise finance for raising the army is removed from the Hindu financial communities.
This would have effectively put an end to Mughal empire.
The Hindu kingdoms had to identify this Muslim groups to remove them from the seat of power.
[right][snapback]61683[/snapback][/right]
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
What you write is a noble goal. The complete extinguishing of Muslims could not take place because most of the Indian states were of lesser economic means compared to the muslims. The wars were fought with lop sided armies i.e Hindus were mostly outnumbered (though muslim historians always record that hindus had Lakhs and muslims had thousands on the battlefield which is of course rubbish. This is the battle of Badr phenomena i.e to rouse the jihaadis you have to tell them that Allah helps you even if you have 300 against thousands.).
Why all Hindus did not unite to put up a common front? Multiple reasons. Lack of good leaders at oppurtune times. Bappa Rawal was an excellent leader and rajputs formed a confederacy to defeat Bin Qasim. Similarly Prithviraj Chauhan's banner was a uniting force for rajputs and they overran Ghori. More examples too.
It is far too easy to argue now that why this or that did not happen but one has to place oneself in the medieveal times to understand the magnitude of the situation.
Secondly we somehow also excelled in producing traitors! In a war treachery, if carried out by your men, is almost impossible to defeat.
Now is the situation in India any different today? Is the opinion in North and South consistent on a issue say Kashmir? No.
The Sultanate would have been extinguished in 16th century had Babur not arrived. Do note that Ibrahim Lodi had been defeated by Rana Sanga and Sanga was inching towards Delhi. Even at khanua it took a Silhadi to defeat Sanga.
Even in SherShah's time he escaped by a whisker at Sammel. So attempts were made and due to traitors or our own trust in our men let us down.
Then Akbar the shrewd came to the throne and ushered in a reign where most rajputs decided to not fight him. This was truly the darkest period of our history and thanks are due to Marathas and Sikhs for keeping the banner flying.
Now if British had not ambled in mughals would have been made extinct by Marathas.
And yet again if Sikhs did not have lousy generals, who knew nothing about warfare Sikhs would have routed the Brits in the Anglo Sikh wars. One really has to study these things in great detail to understand what efforts were made and why they did not succeed.
-Digvijay
The key is that it is historically false to assume that Delhi was some sought of a capital of India. It was just another location with a king.
So it is really a myth that uptil the demise of sultanate kings i.e till 16th century that Delhi was anything major.
With the advent of Akbar yes Delhi did assume a significant place but that was largely because of a mistake that rajputs comitted by marrying there daughter to Akbar.
So this "centery of gravity" argument hinges on somekind of an all power Islamic capital rooted at Delhi.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Center of gravity of political center has NOTHING to do with CITY or a place or a region.
Center of gravity of the political center has to do with the social group which forms the political center or within an army. The center of gravity could be in many cities - Delhi, Agra, Lucknow, Lahore or Peshawar.
For the Mughal army the Mughal sultan and nobles in various cities formed the political center and the core mughal army of Muslim army was the military power. That formed the center of gravity of the power. In Muslim societies power resides in the core military force and it is also the political center.
<b>
For the Mughal dynasty the Mughal sultan and his family and all the nobles in the Mughal court forms the political center and they need to be killed to wipe out the Mughal rule. The core elite Mughal army consisted of Turks and Afghan Muslims. That core Mughal army force had to be killed to remove the center of gravity of the Mughal power</b> and make sure that the ability to raise finance for raising the army is removed from the Hindu financial communities.
This would have effectively put an end to Mughal empire.
The Hindu kingdoms had to identify this Muslim groups to remove them from the seat of power.
[right][snapback]61683[/snapback][/right]
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
What you write is a noble goal. The complete extinguishing of Muslims could not take place because most of the Indian states were of lesser economic means compared to the muslims. The wars were fought with lop sided armies i.e Hindus were mostly outnumbered (though muslim historians always record that hindus had Lakhs and muslims had thousands on the battlefield which is of course rubbish. This is the battle of Badr phenomena i.e to rouse the jihaadis you have to tell them that Allah helps you even if you have 300 against thousands.).
Why all Hindus did not unite to put up a common front? Multiple reasons. Lack of good leaders at oppurtune times. Bappa Rawal was an excellent leader and rajputs formed a confederacy to defeat Bin Qasim. Similarly Prithviraj Chauhan's banner was a uniting force for rajputs and they overran Ghori. More examples too.
It is far too easy to argue now that why this or that did not happen but one has to place oneself in the medieveal times to understand the magnitude of the situation.
Secondly we somehow also excelled in producing traitors! In a war treachery, if carried out by your men, is almost impossible to defeat.
Now is the situation in India any different today? Is the opinion in North and South consistent on a issue say Kashmir? No.
The Sultanate would have been extinguished in 16th century had Babur not arrived. Do note that Ibrahim Lodi had been defeated by Rana Sanga and Sanga was inching towards Delhi. Even at khanua it took a Silhadi to defeat Sanga.
Even in SherShah's time he escaped by a whisker at Sammel. So attempts were made and due to traitors or our own trust in our men let us down.
Then Akbar the shrewd came to the throne and ushered in a reign where most rajputs decided to not fight him. This was truly the darkest period of our history and thanks are due to Marathas and Sikhs for keeping the banner flying.
Now if British had not ambled in mughals would have been made extinct by Marathas.
And yet again if Sikhs did not have lousy generals, who knew nothing about warfare Sikhs would have routed the Brits in the Anglo Sikh wars. One really has to study these things in great detail to understand what efforts were made and why they did not succeed.
-Digvijay