Mahmood having refreshed his troops, and un­derstanding that at some distance stood the rich city of Mutra, consecrated to Krishn-Vas-dew, whom the Hindoos venerate as an emanation of God; directed his march thither, and entering it with little opposition from the troops of the Raja of Dehly, to whom it belonged, gave it up to plunder. He broke down or burned all the idols, and amassed a vast quantity of gold and silver, of which the idols were mostly composed. He would have destroyed the temples also, but he found the labour would have been excessive; while some say that he was averted from his purpose by their admir­able beauty. He certainly extravagantly extolled the magnificence of the buildings and city in a letter to the governor of Ghizny, in which the following passage occurs:—“There are here a thousand edi-“fices as firm as the faith of the faithful; most of “them of marble, besides innumerable temples; “nor is it likely this city has attained its present “condition but at the expence of many millions “of deenars, nor could such another be con-“structed under a period of two centuries.”

Among the temples at Mutra were found five golden idols, whose eyes were of rubies, valued at 50,000 deenars. * On another idol was found a sapphire, weighing 400 miskals, and the image itself, being melted down, produced 98,300 mis­kals of pure gold; besides these images there were above 100 idols of silver, which loaded as many camels.† * The King tarried in Mutra 20 days; in which time the city suffered greatly from fire, beside the damage it sustained by being pillaged. At length he continued his march along the course of a stream on whose banks were seven strong forti­fications, all of which fell in succession: there were also discovered some very ancienttemples, which, ac­cording to the Hindoos, had existed for 4000 years. Having sacked these temples and forts, the troops were led against the fort of Munj.‡ * This fort was full of Rajpoots, who held out 25 days; but finding the place no longer tenable, some rushed through the breaches on the enemy, and met that death which they no longer endeavoured to avoid; others threw themselves headlong from the walls, and were dashed to pieces; and others, again, burned themselves in their houses, with their wives and children, so that not one of the garrison survived.

Mahmood, having secured what was valuable, next invested the fort of Raja Chundpal. But he had sent off all his treasure to the mountains, and at the approach of the King evacuated the place; there, however, still remained much spoil and provi­sions, which Mahmood divided amongst his troops.

Mahmood from hence marched against another raja, whose name was Chundur Ray. This prince, after some skirmishes, finding himself unable to cope with the Mahomedans, sent off his treasure and other valuable effects, and fled to the moun­tains. Chundur Ray had an elephant of uncommon size, such as had never before been seen in Hin-doostan, which was not more remarkable for its enormous bulk than for its docility and courage. Mahmood, having heard much of this elephant, sent to the Raja, offering him advantageous terms of peace, and a great sum of money for this animal. The pride of Chundur Ray did not permit him to listen to terms with Mahomedans, so that Mah-mood was disappointed. The elephant, however, happened one night to break loose from his keepers, and went into the Ghiznevide camp, where it permitted itself to be mounted and brought before the King, who called it Khooda-dad, “The gift of God,” because it came by accident into his hands. Mahmood, loaded with spoil and encumbered with captives, returned to Ghizny, where he caused the objects of his plunder to be displayed. They consisted of 20,000,000 of dirms * of gold and silver bullion, 5300 captives, 350 elephants, besides jewels, pearls, and precious effects, which could not be properly estimated. Nor was the private spoil of the army less than that which came into the public treasury.

The King, on his return, ordered a magnificent mosque to be built of marble and granite, of such beauty as struck every beholder with astonishment, and furnished it with rich carpets, and with can­delabras and other ornaments of silver and gold. This mosque was universally known by the name of the Celestial Bride. In its neighbourhood the King founded an university, supplied with a vast collection of curious books in various languages. It contained also a museum of natural curiosities. For the maintenance of this establishment he ap­propriated a large sum of money, besides a suffi­cient fund for the maintenance of the students, and proper persons to instruct youth in the arts and sciences.

When the nobility of Ghizny perceived the taste of their king evince itself in architecture, they also endeavoured to vie with each other in the magnificence of their private palaces, as well as in public buildings which they raised for the embellishment of the city. Thus, in a short time, the capital was ornamented with mosques, porches, fountains, reservoirs, aqueducts, and cisterns, beyond any city in the East. Some authors affirm, that among the curiosities which the King brought from India, was a bird resembling a dove, which possessed the peculiar faculty of discovering poison however secretly conveyed into any apartment in which the bird lived. It is said, on such occasions, the bird was affected with the smell of the poison in such a way, as to fly distractedly about its cage, while tears streamed involuntarily from the eyes. This bird, with other curiosities, was sent as a present to the Caliph of Bagdad, Alkâdir Billa. Other authors mention a stone that he brought from Hindoostan, which being dipped in water and applied to wounds, proved efficacious in heal­ing them.

A. H. 410.
A. D. 1019. The King, in the year 410, caused an account of his exploits to be written and sent to the Caliph, who ordered it to be read to the people of Bagdad, making a great festival upon the occasion, expressive of his joy at the propagation of the faith.

A. H. 412.
A. D. 1021. In the year 412, a petition was pre­sented from his subjects, setting forth, that some tribes of Arabs had for many years interrupted the communication with Mecca, so that for fear of them, and on account of the weakness of the Caliph, who neglected to expel them, and whose power had long since declined, pilgrims were unable to pay their devotions at the shrine of the Prophet. The King immediately appointed Aboo-Mahomed, the Kazy-ool-Koozat, * with a considerable force, to accompany a kafila, proceeding to Mecca, with a strong escort. But, lest the enemy should be too strong for him, he sent 30,000 dirms to procure a safe journey to the pilgrims. Accordingly many thousand individuals of all classes prepared to depart.

Having reached the desert of Keid, they beheld a large encampment of Arabs pitched on their route. This banditti drew up to oppose the pilgrims. Aboo-Mahomed, being desirous of treating with them, sent a message to their chief, offering him 5000 dirms. The chief, Humad Bin Ally, instead of accepting the proposal, resented it so much, that, without delay, he advanced to attack the kafila. Aboo-Mahomed, in the mean time, drewout his troops, when, fortunately, in the very beginning of the action, a Turkish slave in the kafila, well skilled in archery, lodged an arrow in the brain of Humad Bin Ally. The Arabs, on the fall of their chief, fled; and the kafila, without further molestation, proceeded to Mecca, where having paid their devotions, they returned by the same route, and arrived at Ghizny.

Mahmood received this year advices from India that the neighbouring princes had, in his absence, attacked Koowur Ray, the Raja of Kunowj, for entering into alliance with the King, and placing himself in subjection to him. Mahmood imme­diately marched to his aid, but before he arrived, Nunda Ray, Raja of Kalunjur, having besieged Kunowj, slew Koowur Ray, with a number of his principal chiefs. Mahmood arrived at the Jumna, and was surprised to find that the Raja of Lahore, who had so often fled before his troops, was now encamped on the opposite bank; but the deep and formidable river prevented an immediate attack. In this state of anxiety, eight of the royal guard of Mahmood's army, without orders, swam across, and entering the enemy's camp one morn­ing by surprize, struck such a panic into his troops, that the Hindoos betook themselves to flight. The King, notwithstanding their success, reprobated the rashness of his guards, but support­ing them with the remainder of his army, went in pursuit. It is not to be supposed, however, that eight individuals could succeed in routing a whole host, nor can it be doubted that these eight persons were officers, each followed by his own corps.

Nunda Ray, of Kalunjur, took post on the fron­tiers of his dominions, where he halted with his army to oppose Mahmood, having with him 36,000 horse, 45,000 foot, and 640 elephants. The King of Ghizny having reconnoitred the enemy from a rising ground, prostrated himself before God, and prayed that the standard of Islam might be successful. The day being far advanced, he de­termined to wait till next morning, which delay, in the event, disappointed his hopes, for Nunda Ray decamped during the night in the utmost disorder, leaving behind him his tents, equipage, and bag­gage.