"After his men had scaled the walls of the fort of Debal, the besieged Indians opened the gates and asked for mercy. Muhammad replied that he had no orders to Spare anyone in the town, and so, no quarter was given, and for three days the inhabitants were ruthlessly slaughtered. The local temple was defiled and “700 beautiful females, who had sought for shelter there, were all captured.” The same tragedy was enacted after the capture of Raor. Muhammad massacred 6000 fighting men who were found in the fort, and their followers and dependents, as well as their women and children, were taken prisoners.2 Sixty thousand slaves, including 30 young ladies of royal blood, were sent to Hajjaj together with the head of Dahar. We can now well under- stand why the capture of a fort by the Muslim forces was followed by the terrible jauhar ceremony (in which the females threw them- selves in fire kindled by themselves), the earliest recorded instance of which is found in the Chach-nima."