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Ghiyath al-Din Muhammad (r. 1140 to 1203 CE) was the son of Baha al-Din Sam I, ruler of THE GHURID DYNASTY (879 to 1215 CE). Alongwith his brother Mu'izz al-Din seized the city of LAHORE (in present-day Pakistan*) from the Turkic-GHAZNAVID empire by capturing and executing it's king KHUSRAU-MALIK.
*Pakistan was part of India at the time
☀️ Ghiyath's brother Mu'izz al-Din (1144 to 15 March 1206 CE) was his greatest asset and next successor to the throne. also called as Muhammad of GHORI, the new king of the now powerful GHURID/ GHORI DYNASTY also established himself as the Sultan of GHAZNI after defeating the Orthuz Turks who had snatched it from them sometime earlier.
And while his brother Ghiyath held the throne of the GHURID EMPIRE at their place of origin IE. Firozhoh in GHOR (Central Afghanistan), In the year 1175 CE MUHAMMAD GHORI galloped further east and crossed the RIVER INDUS. The GHAZNAVID DYNASTY and other Isma'ilis rulers were already present in the INDUS BASIN at the time. But MUHAMMAD GHORI defeated them. By traversing the GOMAL PASS*, he then entered MULTAN*.
*GOMAL PASS is a mountainous region bordering present-day Pakistan & Afghanistan.
*MULTAN & UCH are located in present-day SINDH PROVINCE OF PAKISTAN
Islamic proselytization was at its peak and Multan at the time was already under the influence and control of the QARMATIANS IE. A religious dynasty belonging to the Is'maili Shia sect of Islam. MUHAMMAD GHORI seized both Multan and Uch within a year (around 1176 CE). The Isma'ilis disintegrated and never regained after this defeat.
MUHAMMAD GHORI V/Z THE SOLANKI RAJPUTS
During the same period, RAJPUTANA (IE. Gujarat, southern Rajasthan and some areas of Madhya Pradesh) was part of the CHALUKYA EMPIRE; and being ruled by the SOLANKI CLAN OF RAJPUTS. After capturing Multan and Uch, MUHAMMAD GHORI planned on heading towards their capital city- Anahilavada ie. present-day PATAN, Gujarat. But before doing so he annexed much of the SINDH province so as to forge his way through.
The GHURID dynasty's sworn enemy from the GHOR mountains in Afghanistan, namely; MAHMUD OF GHAZNI had been here before him and caused much destruction and loot of the Somnath temple in 1026 CE. But the SOLANKI RAJPUTS under their new regent Kumarapala (r. 1143 to 1182 CE). bounced back. Now almost half a century since the death of MAHMUD OF GHAZNI (ie. since 1030 CE), if there was anyone who could stop GHORI, it was MULRAJ II the present king of the SOLANKI CHALUKYA dynasty.
The GHURID army rode through the long arid deserts of Rajputana. En route they came by Nadulla*
*NADULLA- is a place located near Pali, Rajasthan, also known as the MARWAR region.
Nadulla belonged to Chahamanas or the CHAUHANS of Nadulla (Nadol) who were feudatory to the SOLANKI CHALUKYA dynasty. Their king at the time was Kelhanadeva (r. 1163 to 1193 CE). The year was 1178 CE when MUHAMMAD GHORI reached MARWAR. He further disengaged Kelhanadeva and captured the fort of Nadol (Nadulla) from him.
THE BATTLE OF GADARARAGHATTA* (1178 CE)
also known as the battle of Kasahrada
MULRAJ II (r 1175 to 1178) also known as 'Bala Maharaj' was just a boy when he ascended the throne. His mother Rani Naiki Devi ruled as Raj Mata (Queen mother) on his behalf. News about GHORI's misadventures in Nadulla spread across the SOLANKI Empire. It was just moments before he would gallop into PATAN, their capital city.
In an excellent show of strength, the combined Rajput forces comprising~
- The CHALUKYA Solanki Rajputs
- The Chahamanas of Nadulla
- The Chahamanas of Jalor, and
- The Paramaras of Chandravati
formed a Command under young MULRAJ II (actually RANI NAIKI DEVI)
• GADARARAGHATTA or modern-day Kayandra is situated in the Sirohi district of Rajasthan bordering Gujarat. It is nearby Mount Abu.
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| The Arbuda mountains of Mt. Abu, Sirohi (present day Rajasthan) |
No sooner had the GHURID army entered the Arbuda mountain pass, Dharavarsha the Paramaras king who knew this terrain well, closed the exit route from behind them. The GHURIDS now had only one way to go; and that was forward. Awaiting them were armies of the CHALUKYAS alongwith the Chahamanas of Jalore & Nadulla, who slaughtered the GHURIDS by and large thus bringing about a crushing defeat to the Musalmans.
MUHAMMAD GHORI who was badly wounded, somehow escaped from the battlefield and fled to GHAZNI. Greatly traumatized, for almost a decade he never dared to make any further inroads into India.
However, he kept himself engaged with the weakened GHAZNAVID dynasty's holds in Peshawar, LAHORE- which he plundered to his heart's content, Sialkot, the upper Indus plains and seized most of the fertile plains of PUNJAB.
Note- all above areas lie in present-day Pakistan
MUHAMMAD GHORI V/Z PRITVIRAJ CHAUHAN
The Chahamanas of Shakhambari belonged to the CHAUHAN clan of Rajputs who ruled parts of Rajasthan. Their capital city SHAKHAMBARI is situated within JAIPUR city. Prithviraja III (r. 1177 to 1192 CE) better known as PRITVIRAJ CHAUHAN was only 11 years old when he ascended the throne after his father's (Someshvara) death in 1177 CE.
He was nevertheless an ambitious and courageous king who spent considerable time and resources fighting other Hindu kings for supremacy. His mother, Karpuradevi acted on his behalf, while Kadambavasa, his chief minister looked after military affairs during the initial days. Besides, he also had the support of Bhuvanaikamalla, his paternal uncle who was a valiant general.
THE 1st BATTLE OF TARAIN: 1191 CE
By the year 1191 CE, GHORI had uprooted the GHAZNAVIDS and gained a stronghold in the northern regions of India (currently Pakistan). With renewed confidence, he set onwards to the Chahamanas territory of Bhatinda, eastern Punjab and besieged the fortress there. Zia-ud-din, the Qazi of Tulaq along with a cavalry of 1200 horsemen was placed here to guard the fortress.
When PRITVIRAJ learnt of this, he formed a RAJPUT Confederacy of~
- KACHHWAHA RAJPUTS under Maharaja PAJAWAN RAI KACHHWAHA
- GOVIND RAI TOMAR the ruler of Delhi
- SKANDA, who his general and feudatory
- And his own forces
GHORI on the other hand was assisted by his general Qutb ud-Din Aibak and Zia-ud-din, the Qazi of Tulaq.
GOVIND RAI TOMAR; PRITVIRAJ CHAUHAN'S commander-in-chief, seated on an elephant, was leading from the front. No sooner GHORI's army began their arrow attack, the RAJPUTS formed a semi-circle from all 3 sides taking the GHURID forces by surprise and pushing them back into withdrawal. This time again GHURID forces suffered heavy casualty. GHORI who was riding his horse was enraged on seeing this, and charged towards TOMAR hitting him with a lance; but TOMAR struck him with a javelin instead severely wounding his upper arm, before a young Ghurid soldier brought him and his horse to safety. GOVIND RAI TOMAR also suffered injury to his mouth and lost two teeth.
The Tabaqat-i Nasiri, which is a muslim historical account states this battle was a major setback to ISLAM, clearly indicating that Muslim invasions in INDIA was purely for the purpose of subjugating and converting HIND into Islam.
PRITVIRAJ CHAUHAN, despite being in an advantageous position, did not pursue the GHURID forces~ which was a grave miscalculation on his part.
đź’ˇMUHAMMAD GHORI is also referred to as SHAHABUDDIN GHORI.
đź’ˇPRITVIRAJ CHAUHAN is also referred to as PRITVIRAJ III
THE SECOND BATTLE OF TARAIN: 1192 CE
Know your enemy, and KNOW him well
Following their victory at the First Battle of Tarain, the Rajput camp later seized control of the Tabarhind (BHATINDA) fortress from Zia-ud-din, the Qazi of Tulaq. MUHAMMAD GHORI on the other hand nursed his physical wounds and ego far away in GHAZNI. But he was not to be dismissed so easily. His heart was filled with revenge!
With renewed perseverance he charted a detailed plan and made elaborate preparations to take on PRITVIRAJ CHAUHAN and the Rajput camp. There is a dramatic account about a promise he made to his wife stating~ 'he will never meet her or change his clothes until he avenges his defeat'... And so, he raised a vast cavalry of around 1,30,000 mounted archers comprised of Tajiks, Turks and Afghans. Among his allies, commanders and generals were~
- Qutb ud-Din Aibak
- Husain ibn Kharmil~ the Iranian ruler of Herat
- Taj al-Din Yildiz of GHAZNI who ruled as feudatory to the GHURID DYNASTY.
- Nasir ad-Din Qabacha who was appointed as governor of Multan by GHORI himself.
- Muhammad Bakhtiyar Khalji, who belonged to the nomadic ethnic KHALAJ tribal from Central Asia. and
- Mukalba Kharbak
The Rajput confederacy outnumbered the size of GHURID army and constituted~
- PRITVIRAJ CHAUHAN
- GOVIND RAI TOMAR the ruler of Delhi
- SAMANT SINGH, who was ruler of Mewar in Rajasthan
- Badamasa Rawal, and Bhola
NEVER UNDERESTIMATE YOUR OPPONENT
The battleground was the same as before, but this time GHORI had improvised his strategy. Knowing that the CHAHAMANA RAJPUTS were a well-disciplined force; he divided 10,000 of his light cavalry mounted archers into 4 units and directed them to surround the CHAHAMANA RAJPUTS from 4 sides. Furthermore, they were instructed to refrain from attack and instead *feign retreat.
Feigned retreat- is a military tactic whereby the military pretend to retreat. This deception would help in tiring the opponent or lure them to a more disadvantageous position. It is definitely a tough manoeuvre to undertake.
As expected, the CHAHAMANAS charged towards the retreating GHURID forces tiring themselves, their horses and their elephants. GHORI, who had kept a 5th unit of 12,000 cavalry in reserve, now sent them straight into the advancing CHAHAMANA RAJPUTS, alongwith all the remaining GHURID forces. The shocked CHAHAMANAS were forced to flee.
MUHAMMAD GHORI's GHURID army won the war which went down in history as a decisive victory to ISLAM in the Indian subcontinent. Something that we could well do without and that has plagued us till date. PRITVIRAJ CHAUHAN who had escaped the battlefield was later captured and executed~ he was 30 years old at the time. In his place MALESI, a KACHHWAHA RAJPUT stood his ground and led THE LAST STAND OF THE RAJPUTS against the GHURIDS.
Great men from other Rajput dynasties, such as ~ Govindraja of Delhi, Samant Singh of GUHILA DYNASTY of Mewar also lost their lives in battle.
THE AFTERMATH
The fate of Govinda Raja IV (r. 1192 CE)
He was only a minor when his father, PRITVIRAJ III died following THE 2nd BATTLE OF TARAIN: 1192 CE. After seizing the CHAHAMANA kingdom including DELHI and some regions in present-day Haryana, GHORI then appointed Govinda Raja IV as his vassal (de facto ruler). However, his uncle HARIRAJA rebelled against the GHURIDS thereby putting Govinda Raja IV's life at risk so that he was forced to escape to the fort at Ranthambore.
Ajmer, capital city of the CHAHAMANA RAJPUT DYNASTY was also seized. And although HARIRAJA made attempts to take back Ajmer, he never really could... Instead for a heavy price in gold, Govinda Raja IV managed to save his life for which he was granted the fiefdom of RANTHAMBORE. His son BALHANA also ruled after him as a vassal of DELHI SULTANATE under GHURID general QUTB AL-DIN AIBAK.
The loss of human life, wealth and civilization
The Rajputs' losses was devastating indeed. Ajmer was ransacked. many civilians were killed or taken as slaves and many Hindu temples destroyed.
The GHURIDS further subdued other powerful Rajput kings such as Jaya Chandra (r. 1170- 1194 CE) who belonged to the GAHADAVALAS of KANNAUJ (another Rajput dynasty) and ruled the northern states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The holy city of Benaras KASHI, was trampled upon and 1000s of hindu idols and relics of Hindu civilization destroyed by the Musselmans. They then built mosques over these Hindu temples which are a bone of contention till this day.
1202 to 1203 CE~ The ravaging conquests of Hindu kingdoms and Buddhist places goes unhindered
Destruction of Sarnath and Nalanda
Even the Buddhist town of Sarnath was not spared by the marauding Musalman. GHORI placed QUTB I-DIN AIBAK as governor of this new territory. Further into Bihar the University of Nalanda, a Buddhist seat of learning, was destroyed.
Other Hindu dynasties such as the CHANDELAS of BUNDELKHAND (ie. Regions in present-day Madhya Pradesh). Everywhere they went they trampled on Hindu places of worship and built temples over them. And so they stretched all the way to Bengal.
Thanks for reading 🙏
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