Khusrau Shah, Sultan Nasir al-Din

(?-1320)

   Originally known as Hasan, he was a neo-Muslim belonging to the warrior clan of Parwaris present in large numbers in the royal contingent under Qutb al-Din Mubarak Khalji (1316-1320). He became a favorite of Mubarak Khalji, who gave him the title Khusrau Khan. In 1320, Khusrau Khan killed Mubarak Khalji and ascended the throne with the title Nasir al-Din Khusrau Shah. In staging this coup d'etat, Khus-rau Khan was helped by his fellow clansmen. During his rule of two months or so, an impression was created that the Hindu officers re-lated to Khusrau Khan were being favored. Some of them were also accused of offending the religious susceptibilities of the Muslims. However, many of the senior nobles of the previous regime, all of them Muslims, continued to side with Khusrau Shah until he was eventually overthrown. Even Shaikh Nizam al-Din Auliya did not feel any harm in accepting a present of five lac tankas from him, which the shaikh distributed among the needy. Ghazi Malik (Ghiyas al-Din Tughlaq), however, projected his revolt against Khusrau Shah as a religious war. Within two months of his rise to the throne, Khus-rau Shah was defeated by Ghazi Malik near Sirsa. He was captured and executed summarily.