Cite
MLA
“Battle of the Saraswati.” Hindu History, 2026, https://www.hinduhistory.in/battles/ghazi-malik-battle-of-the-saraswati-1320/. Accessed .
APA
Hindu History. (2026). Battle of the Saraswati. Retrieved , from https://www.hinduhistory.in/battles/ghazi-malik-battle-of-the-saraswati-1320/
Ghazi Malik routed the sultan’s army and marched on Delhi.
01Khusrau Khan’s coup
Khusrau Khan, born a Hindu of the Baradu (Parwari) community of Gujarat and converted after capture, had risen to be Mubarak Shah’s favourite and commander. In April 1320 he and his kinsmen killed the sultan in the palace and he took the throne as Nasir al-Din. Barani, hostile to him, accuses him of allowing idol worship in the palace. Ghazi Malik, a veteran of the Mongol wars, declared against him and raised the frontier armies.
02The battle
Khusrau sent his brother, titled Khan-i-Khanan, with an army to stop the rebels. Ghazi Malik’s seasoned frontier troops met it on the Saraswati near Sirsa and broke it; the Delhi soldiers, many of them unwilling, fled or changed sides. Ghazi Malik’s son Juna, who had escaped from Delhi to join his father, fought in the battle. The road to Delhi was open, and the decisive battle came a few weeks later at Lahrawat.
It was the first victory of the revolt that brought the Tughluq dynasty to power.
