Mahmud of Ghazni sacks Mathura and Kanauj

1018

The Ghaznavid sultan stormed the sacred Hindu city of Mathura on the Yamuna, where his soldiers marveled at the jeweled idols before smashing them. He then marched to Kanauj, the ancient imperial capital, which surrendered without a fight. The twin raids stripped the Gangetic heartland of its accumulated temple wealth and shattered northern India's remaining political confidence.