in the reign of Muhammad Taghlaq vast hordes of Moghuls invaded
the Panjab and advanced almost unopposed to Delhi, where the king
bought them off by payment of immense sums of money. Next as to
Bengal. Prior to his reign that province had been subdued, had given
trouble, and had again been reduced. In his reign it was crushed
under the iron hand of a viceroy from Delhi, Ghiyas-ud-din Bahadur
"Bura," who before long attempted to render himself independent. He
styled himself Bahadur Shah, and issued his own coinage. In 1327
(A.H. 728) the legends on his coins acknowledge the overlordship of
Delhi, but two years later they describe him as independent king of
Bengal.[17] In 1333 Muhammad issued his own coinage for Bengal and
proceeded against the rebel. He defeated him, captured him, flayed
him alive, and causing his skin to be stuffed with straw ordered it
to be paraded through the provinces of the empire as a warning to
ambitious governors. With reference to Gujarat, Nuniz has been led
into a slight error. Muhammad Taghlaq certainly did go there, but
only in 1347. What he did do was to conquer the Dakhan. Firishtah
mentions among his conquests Dvarasamudra, Malabar, Anegundi (under
the name "Kampila," for a reason that will presently be explained),
Warangal, &c, and these places "were as effectually incorporated
with his empire as the villages in the vicinity of Delhi."[18]
He also held Gujarat firmly. If, therefore, we venture to correct
Nuniz in this respect, and say that "Togao Mamede" made war on the
"Dakhan" instead of on "Gujarat," and then advanced against Anegundi
(wrongly called "Vijayanagar," which place was not as yet founded)
we shall probably be not far from the truth. The history of "Togao
Mamede" so far is the history of Muhammad Taghlaq.

Then as to the extraordinary stories told of him. True or not, they
apply to that sovereign. Muhammad is described by contemporary writers