Mongol invasion of India, 1303

Siege of Delhi
Part of Mongol invasions of India
Date 1303 Location Delhi 28°39′16″N 77°13′51″E / 28.6545622°N 77.2308955°E / 28.6545622; 77.2308955Coordinates: 28°39′16″N 77°13′51″E / 28.6545622°N 77.2308955°E / 28.6545622; 77.2308955 Result Mongol retreat
Belligerents
Chagatai Khanate	Delhi Sultanate
Commanders and leaders
Taraghai	Alauddin Khilji
Strength
20,000-30,000
Location of Delhi in present-day India

In 1303, a Mongol army from the Chagatai Khanate invaded the Delhi Sultanate, when two major units of the Delhi army were away from the city. The Delhi Sultan Alauddin Khilji, who was away at Chittor when the Mongols started their march, returned to Delhi in a hurry. However, he was unable to make adequate war preparations, and decided to take shelter in a well-guarded camp at the under-construction Siri Fort. The Mongols, led by Taraghai, besieged Delhi for over two months, and ransacked its suburbs. Ultimately, they decided to retreat, having been unable to breach Alauddin's camp.

The invasion was one of the most serious Mongol invasions of India, and prompted Alauddin to take several measures to prevent its recurrence. He strengthened military presence along the Mongol routes to India, and implemented economic reforms to ensure adequate revenue streams for maintaining a strong army.

Alauddin Khilji, the ruler of the Delhi Sultanate, had successfully warded off Mongol (Mughal) invasions from the Chagatai Khanate and its neighbours in 1297-98, 1298-99 and 1299. In the winter of 1302-1303, Alauddin dispatched an army to conquer Warangal, while he himself led another army to conquer Chittor. When the Mongols came to know that two large units of the imperial army were absent from Delhi, they decided to capture the city. The Mongol army was led by Taraghai (also Turghai; sometimes incorrectly transliterated as "Targhi"). Taraghai had earlier served as a general in the 1299 invasion led by Qutlugh Khwaja.

According to the 14th century chronicler Ziauddin Barani, the Mongol army comprised "30,000 or 40,000" horsemen. Some manuscripts of Barani's writings give the number as "20,000 or 30,000". The Mongols marched through Punjab without meeting much resistance. The Delhi Sultanate forces stationed at Multan, Dipalpur, and Samana were not strong enough to check the Mongol advance, or to proceed to Delhi and help Alauddin.