Mahmud of Ghazni

A Muslim Turkic adventurer who seized control of Afghanistan and neighbouring areas and established the short-lived Ghaznavid Empire (997-1030 ce). He led several extremely destructive forays into India as far as the heartland of Buddhism on the plains of the Ganges. Although his advance was repulsed, he was soon followed by other Muslim armies who systematically looted and destroyed most of the great Buddhist establishments in that region, such as Nālandā.

A Dictionary of Buddhism, Oxford University Press, 2003, 2004 (which is available in electronic version from answer.com)