The country between the Karmanasa and the Bihar fortress where a Khalji captain, Bakhtiyar, rides out from his assigned villages at Bhagwat and Bhiuli to raid Munir, Bihar and the monasteries.
English Wikipedia dates his invasions of Bihar between 1197 and 1206 and says he "subjugated much of Bihar in 1200"; careful modern work puts the Bihar storming in 1199 to 1200, others in 1203. On 1 January 1200 this may be a belt already in use, or one that will be in a year or three; the campaign must choose. The monasteries are walled and gated and a raider takes them for forts; the Pala-line and Pithipati lords have retinues, not armies.
How things stand that morning
Raided or about to be raided: no field in the belt is safe in the dry months; nothing can be held from the Ghurid side without a fort, and the Hindu side has none. The Ghurid anchor is the iqta at Bhagwat and Bhiuli; the Hindu anchors are Gaya, Bodh Gaya and the Rohtas plateau.
Who raids
Bakhtiyar Khalji and his Khalji horsemen raid south Bihar from the Mirzapur country. No Hindu raid in return is recorded.
What the year holds
What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.
- Working reading for play: after 1 January 1200, between 1200 and 1203, so not yet done when the game opens (the campaign sets the year). Readings: 1197 to 1206 (central readings 1199-1200 and 1203)The storming of the fortress of Bihar (Odantapuri) and the wrecking of the monasteries of the district; Aibak rewards Bakhtiyar.Depends on: Aibak and Husam al-Din allow it; the gate guards are light. Stopped by: A Pala-line, Pithipati or Sena force relieves the fortress; Aibak recalls Bakhtiyar.
Where the sources disagree
- The brief dates the Bihar raid about 1199 to 1200 by careful modern work and 1203 by others. English Wikipedia's page gives 1197 to 1206 and says Bihar was "subjugated" in 1200. We draw the belt as raided and leave the date to the campaign.
Evidence: Minhaj, written about 1260, through English Wikipedia; the dates are disputed (1197 to 1206).
On the map: A guess at where the raids bite; nothing in the sources fixes a boundary.
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.