Person
Alauddin Khalji
2nd ruler of the Turkic Afghan Khalji dynasty in India
Ali Gurshap Bam better known by his titular name as Sultan Ala-ud-din Khalji (died 1316) is the second ruler of the Turkic Afghan Khalji dynasty in India.
He is considered the most powerful ruler of the dynasty, reigning from 1296 to 1316.
His historic attack on Chittor in 1303, and the folklore about his hearing of the beauty of queen of Chittor, Rani Padmini, the wife of King Rawal Ratan Singh and the subsequent story, is immortalized in the epic poem Padmavat, written by Malik Muhammad Jayasi in the Awadhi language in 1540.
He is a brilliant strategist and an outstanding military commander who commands forces over the length and breadth of Indian subcontinent.
Sultan Ala-ud-din Khalji is also noted in history for being one of the few rulers in the world to have repeatedly defeated the invasions of the Mongols.