A tribute to unsung heroes-2:The Shahi rulers of Kabul

The fierce resistance given by Rais of Sindh compelled the invading Arabs to venture
northwards towards the region Kabul and Zabul in AD643.Here they met an equally
formidable enemy: The Shahi rulers of Kabul.
Origion of the Shahi rulers
The Shahi (Devanagari ), Sahi, also called Shahiya dynasties ruled one of the Middle
kingdoms of India which included portions of the Kabulistan and the old province of
Gandhara (now in northern Pakistan). It ruled began with the decline of the Kushan Empire
in the third century and continued till the early ninth century.
In AD 645, Chinese pilgrim Hiuen Tsang visited the kingdom of Kabul Shahi. He mentioned
that its captal is Kapisa and this kingdom dominates over 10 neighboring states comprising
of Lampaka, Nagara, Gandhara and Varna (Bannu) and probably also Jaguda.

Caption: Shahi dynasty on the eve of muslim invasion AD 625
The Shahis of Kabul/Gandhara are generally divided according to two eras into the so-called
Buddhist-Shahis and Hindu shahis .The Buddhist kingdom was known as "Kabul Shahi" it
reigned between 565 and 879 AD and had Kapisa and Kabul as their capitals.
With the change-over thought to have occurred sometime around AD 870 the kingdom
adopted Hinduism and thus began to be known as Hindu-Shahis, In AD 880 they moved their
capital to Udbhandapur.
Note: Shahis is the title adopted by the dude to the popular usage of the name in the region. The
term Hindu Shahi was a royal title of this dynasty and not its actual clan or ethnological name. Al-
Biruni used the title Shah for many other contemporary royal houses in his descriptions as well.
These fierce warriors were of Kshatriya origins with Turkish influences. The theory of them
being of Turkish origin, penned by Alberuni has been disapproved by western and Indian
Scholars alike.
Islamic armies had started attacking Zabul (an area of Shahi Dominace) and Kabul soon after
they annexed Khorasan in AD 643.. The Islamic army suffered heavy losses and were driven
out.
It was only in AD 653 An Arab general, Abdul Rahman, was able to conquer Zabul and levy
tribute from Kabul. The king of Kabul, however, proved desultory in paying regularly what
the Arabs thought to be their due. Finally, another Arab general, Yazid ibn Ziyad who had
been the governor of Seistan for some time, attempted retribution in AD 683. This time king
of Kabul has managed to get aid from other kshatriya kings of India. Yazid ibn Ziyad was
killed, and his army was put to flight with great slaughter. The Arabs lost Seistan also, and
had to pay 5,00,000 dirhams to get one of their generals, Abu Ubaida, released.
But the Arabs, inspired as they were by an imperialist ideology, did not give up. They
recovered Seistan some time before AD 692. Its new governor, Abdullah, invaded Kabul. The
Shahis trapped the Arab army in the mountain passes after allowing it to advance
unopposed for some distance. Abdullah agreed to cease hostilities, and the king of Kabul
agreed to renew payment of an annual tribute. But the treaty was denounced by the Caliph
who dismissed Abdullah.
The war against Kabul was renewed in AD 695 when Hajjaj became the governor of Iraq. In
AD 697 He sent an army under Ubaidullah, the new governor of Seistan. Ubaidullah was
defeated by Ratanpal the king of Kabul and was forced to retreat after leaving his three
sons as hostages and promising that he shall not fight as long as he was governor.Once
again, the treaty was denounced by the Caliph, and another general, Shuraih, tried to
advance upon Kabul. He was killed by the Shahis, and his army suffered huge losses as it
retreated through the desert of Bust. Poor Ubaidullah died of grief. That was the third round
won by the kingdom of Kabul.
After some more attempts,Hajjaj had to make peace according to which the Shahis were
entitled to keep their kingdom in exchange for an annual tribute. However this payment was
stopped in AD 717owing to which resulted in to a constant struggle . Due to these
onslaughts the Shahis shifted their capital from Kapisa to Kabul in AD 794. Shahis continued
to hold ground 70 more years i.e till AD 867.
The Caliphate had failed once again to conquer a small Hindu principality, in spite of their
being the mightiest power on earth. The struggle had lasted for more than two hundred
years now.