page_title: Qutb al-Din Aibak
section_title: Religion
hierarchical_section_title: Qutb al-Din Aibak / Religion
caption_attribution_description: Screen wall Adhai Din-ka-Jhonpra, Ajmer, Rajasthan, India
context_page_description: Qutb al-Din Aibak was a general of the Ghurid king Mu'izz ad-Din Muhammad Ghori. He was in-charge of the Ghurid territories in northern India, and after Mu'izz ad-Din's death, he became the ruler of an independent kingdom that evolved into the Delhi Sultanate ruled by the Mamluk dynasty.
  A native of Turkestan, Aibak was sold into slavery as a child. He was purchased by a Qazi at Nishapur in Persia, where he learned archery and horse-riding among other skills. He was subsequently resold to Mu'izz ad-Din in Ghazni, where he rose to the position of the officer of the royal stables. During the Khwarazmian-Ghurid wars, he was captured by the scouts of Sultan Shah; after the Ghurid victory, he was released and highly favoured by Mu'izz ad-Din.
  After the Ghurid victory in the Second Battle of Tarain in 1192, Mu'izz ad-Din made Aibak in-charge of his Indian territories. Aibak expanded the Ghurid power in northern India by conquering and raiding several places in the Chahamana, Gahadavala, Chaulukya, Chandela, and other kingdoms.
  When Mu'izz ad-Din died in 1206, Aibak fought with another former slave-general Taj al-Din Yildiz for control of Ghurid territories in north-western India.
context_section_description: Chronicler Hasan Nizami, who migrated from Nishapur to Delhi during Aibak's reign, characterizes Aibak as a devout Muslim who "uprooted idolatry" and "destroyed temples" at Kuhram. He also mentions that the Hindu temples at Meerut, Banaras, and Kalinjar were converted into mosques during Aibak's reign; these included "a thousand temples" in Banaras alone. He further claims that Aibak freed the whole Kol (Aligarh) region from idols and idolatry.
  Nizami's claim that remains of the demolished Hindu temples were used to built mosques is corroborated by architectural remains, such as those at the Qutb Minar complex in Delhi and the Adhai Din Ka Jhonpra in Ajmer. However, his other claims such as Aibak freeing Kol from idols are doubtful.
  At some point, Aibak's army started recruiting Hindu soldiers. His army at the siege of Meerut (1192) is known to have included Hindu soldiers. Similarly, the "forces of Hindustan" (Hasham-i Hindustan) that accompanied him to Ghazni in 1206, included Hindu chiefs ("ranas" and "thakurs").
caption: Adhai Din Ka Jhonpra in Ajmer
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