Invaders And Infidels: The Khalji Devastation of Infidel Devagiri by Sandeep Balakrishna is a strong and fearless book. It focuses on the Khalji invasion of Devagiri and opens up exactly what happened, without coating anything.
The truth the author puts in front
The moment I started reading, I felt the blunt honesty. The book does not hide the cruelty of the Khaljis, nor does it try to make their campaigns sound glorious. It shows how Devagiri was struck, how it was forced down, how the rulers were pushed into submission. Everything is described straight, with no soft touches.
How Sandeep exposes Marxist versions of history
One of the things that impressed me the most is how Sandeep Balakrishna directly challenges the Marxist way of writing Indian history. He points out the parts they hide, the words they twist, and the angles they avoid. He does not fight them with emotion, he fights them with hard facts. He takes the same events that they paint lightly and shows the real weight behind them. He doesn’t shy away from showing how certain historians downplayed the violence, called invasions as simple political moves, and even turned invaders into reformers. The book breaks all that. By highlighting the exact actions of the Khaljis, the destruction, the demands for tribute, the humiliation forced on Devagiri, the author exposes how the Marxist narrative covered these things under polished language.
This part of the book made me feel like someone finally switched on the lights in a room kept dark on purpose.
The figures who shaped this destruction
Alauddin Khalji, Malik Kafur, the Yadava rulers of Devagiri, the Delhi court circles — the author writes their names openly and describes their actions without hiding behind neutral words. There is no attempt to justify what they did. The book shows exactly who marched, who attacked, who surrendered, and how the political collapse happened.
How the author dismantles the glorification
What I liked was how Sandeep takes the stories that have been told in textbooks and academic circles, and step by step strips them of their make-up. He points out the phrases that were used to hide violence. He shows the source material clearly. He gives the real picture behind moments that were made to look harmless. He exposes how the pain of Devagiri was converted into a footnote by earlier writers. Reading these parts felt like someone finally cleaning a dirty mirror.
Writing style that hit me
The writing is strong and straightforward. It doesn’t feel academic. It feels like someone speaking truth with clarity. The pace is smooth. Every chapter adds more to the picture. By the time the book reaches the actual raid on Devagiri, I could feel the tension and the shock of what followed.
Why this book stands out
This book is important because it tells the story as it is. Not softened. Not disguised. Not filtered by ideology. It shows the invasion as invasion. It shows destruction as destruction. It shows the failure of unity as a real weakness. It shows the cost paid by Devagiri in simple, sharp words.
My final feeling
When I finished the book, I felt like I finally read history told without fear. Sandeep Balakrishna takes on the Marxist distortion directly and shows the truth with confidence. He exposes the way history was twisted, and he brings back the real face of the Khalji devastation. For me this book feels honest, bold and absolutely needed. It says everything that should have been said long ago.
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