Mahmud of Ghazni

(998–1030) Turkish ruler whose capital
was at Ghazni (now in modern
Afghanistan). Between 1001 and 1027,
Mahmud made seventeen raids into
India, lured by the tales of India’s fabulous wealth. His plundering was aided
by the fragmented political life in northern India, which prevented Hindus from
forming any effective opposition.
Mahmud struck at many of the centers
in northern India, particularly pilgrimage centers, which were renowned for
their wealth: Multan, Mathura,
Thanesar, Kanauj (which never recovered after being sacked in 1018), and
finally Somnath, from which he reportedly took tremendous booty. Although
these raids often entailed iconoclasm
(the destruction of religious imagery),
as at the Shiva temple in Somnath,
Mahmud’s fundamental motives were
economic—replenishing his coffers
with as much plunder as possible,
and returning to Ghazni before the
advent of the hot season. As such he is
different from some of the later Muslim
kings, such the Moghuls, who actually
exercised political sway over much of
India. Aside from his pillaging raids,
Mahmud is associated with the scholar
Alberuni. Alberuni accompanied
Mahmud on one of these expeditions,
later using his observations to write an
account of Hindu life and culture. See
also Moghul dynasty.