How did the ideas of Mohmmad …

Muhammad bin Tughlaq is known for some of his schemes and policies which failed disastrously over the period of time. 

Muhammad bin Tughlaq transfered his capital from Delhi to Daulatabad. He did this primarily because of two reasons:

• Daulatabad was centrally located and was equidistance from Delhi and other important places.
• Since Delhi was within the reach of the Mongols, Daulatabad appeared to be at a safe distance from the possible Mongol attacks in the future.

It is said that he ordered most of the people of Delhi to shift to Daulatabad. There was resentment among the people as they did not want to shift from Delhi. As 1,500 km journey was arduous, many people died on the way and the survivors were not able to adjust to the new conditions. Without the king, Delhi now became prone to the Mongol attacks. Later, Muhammad bin Tughlaq again shifted his capital back to Delhi.

Token Currency

• Muhammad bin Tughlaq is crticised for his failed experiment with the token currency. The scarcity of silver and abundance of copper and bronze metal prompted the sultan to issue copper coins bearing same value as that of silver coins.
• However, the new copper coins bearing the same value as the silver coin did not had any complicated design on it and could be easily forged.
• People started minting coins in their houses. The forged copper coins flooded the markets. Situation became worse when the traders and merchants refused to accept these coins. Economy came to a stand still.
• Realising his folly, Muhammad bin Tughlaq issued genuine silver coins on the place of copper coins. This further drained the royal treasury.

Taxation in Doab

• Doab is a fertile alluvial tract lying between the rivers Ganga and the Yamuna. Muhammad Tughlaq increased the taxes in the Doab region as he was in need of money for raising a large army.
• Unfortunately, the increase in taxes coincided with a severe famine in the region. The tax collectors however showed no signs of mercy and ruthlessly collected taxes.
• Peasants unable to pay the taxes abandoned their lands and fled to forests.
• When the plight of peasants reached Muhammad Tughlaq, he ordered several relief measures. He opened free kitchens, distributed free grains etc. but these measures came too late and agriculture greatly suffered in the region. Thus, his scheme of taxation in the Doab failed.

Plan of Conquests

Muhammad bin had an ambition of conquering the world. He thus organised a strong army and paid them one full year’s salary in advance. He decided to annex Khurasan, Persia and Iraq. However, due to financial pressures following the failure of taxation in Doab and the token currency, he abandoned the project and disbanded the army.