The rulers of this dynasty are as follows
BAHLUL LODHI (1451-89 AD)
He was the founder of the Lodhi dynasty. During the reign of Mohammed Shah, he served as the Subedar of Lahore and Sirhind. He tried to restore the greatness of Delhi Sultanate and hence conquered territories around Delhi. The most successful war was against Mahmud Shah Sharqi of Jaunpur (1394). He was succeeded by his able son Nizam Shah under the title of Sultan Sikandar Lodhi in 1489.
SIKANDAR LODHI (1489-1517 AD)
He was the intelligent of the three Lodhi rulers. He conquered Bihar and concluded a friendship treaty with Ala-ud-din Hussain Shah of Bengal. Dariya Khan was appointed as the Governor of Bengal.
Sikandar extended his empire by conquering Dholpur, Chanderi etc. He kept strict vigilance on his nobles and Jagirdars, whom he strictly suppressed. He set up an efficient espionage system and introduced the system of auditing the accounts.
He relaxed restrictions on trade, which greatly promoted the economic prosperity of the people. He introduced Gaz-i-Sikandari (Sikandra yard) of 39 digits or 32 inches. for the measurement of agricultural land.
He transferred his capital from Delhi to Agra, a city which was found by him. The village of Sikandra, near Agra, where the tomb of Akbar stands, was named after Sikandra.
He was staunch Sunni and a Muslim fanatic. Women were thus debarred from visiting the graves of saints or taking part in the processions taken out in their memory. He lacked religious tolerance and levied Jizya and pilgrim’s tax on Hindus. He was a liberal patron of arts and letters. He wrote verses in Persian under the nom de plume of Gulrukhi name of Gulrukhi.
IBRAHIM LODHI (1517-26 AD)
Sikandar Lodhi was succeeded simultaneously by his two sons-Ibrahim on the throne of Agra and Jalal on the throne of Jaunpur. Later, Ibrahim killed Jalal and became the ruler. There were many revolts during his reign, in one of which Bihar declared its independence under Dariya Khan Lohani.
His repressive policy towards the Lohani family and Lodhi tribes and his unsympathetic treatment of Dilawar Khan, Governor of Lahore, turned the nobles against him.
He cultivated the conflict of the Government of Punjab. Daulat Khan Lodhi, who invited Babar, the ruler of Kabul to invade India.
In the First Battle of Panipat on (20th April, 1526), Ibrahim Lodhi was defeated. Ibrahim Lodhi was the first Sultan of Delhi, who was killed in battle. ground. The Sultanate came to an end and a new dynasty, the Mughal dynasty began their rule in India.
THE DOWNFALL OF THE DELHI SULTANATE
Below are the causes for downfall of the Delhi Sultanate
- The weakness and impolitic measures of Firoz Shah Tughlaq such as the revival of the Jagir system, the extension of the institution of slavery and imposition of the Jizya on the non-Muslims.
- The indiscretions and irrational policies of Muhammed-bin-Tughlaq.
- Invasion of Timur and the ineffective administrative structure of the Lodhis and their attempt to suppress the military and official nobility by a policy of repression.
- Further, the Tughlaqs did not introduce any reform which could lead to the growth of a unified state.