Spoils of Malik Kafur

Anantapadmanabha carved out in pure Gold.

Malik Kafur was a trusted General of Alauddin Khilji. He was among the most ruthless men who murdered all and sundry and plundered temples after temples. In 1311 he invaded the Pandya and other Southern Kingdoms. None of the Kings accepted to be subordinates of Alauddin Khilji. Bloody wars ensued and large scale plundering took place. It is said that Malik Khafur, after plundering the temples of Madurai and other surrounding cities and also the treasury of the Pandya King, took along with him 17,28,000 kgs of Gold, several hundreds of chests of jewellery and pearls (Estimates say about 9000 Kgs), 612 elephants, and 20,000 horses.

Representative picture of Malik Kafur

He further plundered Dwarasamudra and Warangal. In Dwarasamudra, famously known as Halebidu, he looted around 10,88,621.688 kgs of Gold (24,00,000 lbs). It is said that Kolar Gold fields was the major mine for all the surrounding states.

This I write not blindly. Marco Polo from Italy (13th Century before Malik Kafur) and Abdul Razak from Persia (15th Century after Malik Kafur's invasion), write on countless gold, jewellery, and gems that were accumulated by Bharatiyas in those times in the Vijayanagara, the Pandya and other Kingdoms. In fact, Marco Polo says, "The sons of the kings (in Bharat) do not spend the gold, jewellery, stones, and other treasures. They not only preserve it as their ancestral pride (as respect also), they build their own treasure to pass it onto the upcoming generation".

Treasures in temples of Ancient Bharat.

(No wonder we see immense treasure in temples like Padmanabhaswamy temple in Kerala).

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