Prithviraj Chauhan
Prithviraj Chauhan was born at
Ajaymeru (Ajmer) in 1166 A.D. His father was Someshwar Chauhan and
mother Karpuri Devi, a Kalachuri (Chedi) princess, daughter of
Achalaraja of Tripuri.
Muhammad Ghori attacked India multiple times.
First time he was routed in present day Gujarat by Rajputs. Mularaja-II
was not even a teen yet and his mother organized the defences of Pattan.
Battle was fought at Kayadara near Mount Abu, in 1178 A.D. and Ghori
was resoundingly defeated. After this defeat he never entered India
through Gujarat. In first battle of Taraori in 1191 Prithviraj Chauhan's
cavalry charged and routed the Ghurid cavalry and captured Ghori. Ghori
begged for his life. Prithviraj allowed him to go despite his generals
asking him not to do so.
Prithviraj Chauhan lived at Taragarh fort which was also known as Ajaymeru after which the town of Ajmer got its name.
Following year Ghori came again. Prithviraj advanced with his army and
sent a letter to Ghori. In this letter Ghori was asked to return as he
had been defeated the previous year and was spared his life. Ghori
replied that he was in India on the orders of his brother, Ghiasuddin,
and that he could only retreat after he got a word from his brother.
This letter was sent in the evening and after sending the letter Ghori
moved his camp back a few kilometers to feign retreat. On receiving this
letter and seeing Muhammad move his camp back Prithviraj assumed that
Ghori was not interested in fighting. Ghori also knew that rajputs did
not fight in the night and only started fighting after sun had come up.
(This is an ancient Kshatriya practice e.g Mahabharata was also fought
mostly in day time). Ghori treacherously attacked in the early morning
hours when Prithviraj and his army were sleeping and was able to win
this war
The founder of the Gahadwala line was Govindchandra Gahadwala. He was an
astute ruler and ruled from Kannauj. Most of North India, including the
university town of Nalanda was a part of his kingdom. He stoutly
defended his kingdom from further Muslims incursions. He instituted a
tax for this purpose which was called Turushka Danda (i.e. tax to fight
the Turushkas or Turks). His grandson was Jaichandra Gahadwala (Rathod)
who played a tragic role in Indian History.
The Story of Prithviraj Chouhan and Mahmud Ghori
In Jaichand's days, a rival Rajput clan had established itself in Delhi
(Pithoragarh). The ruler there was Prithviraj Chouhan. Pritiviraj was a
romantic, chivalrous and an extremely fearless person. After ceaseless
military campaigns, Pritiviraj extended his original kingdom of Sambhar
(Shakambara) to Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Eastern Punjab. He ruled from
his twin capitals at Delhi and Ajmer. His fast rise caught the envy of
the then powerful ruler Jaichandra Gahadwala and there was a lot of
ill-feeling between the two.
Prithiviraj's Love for Sanyogita - Jaichandra's Daughter
The story of Prithviraj's bold exploits spread far and wide in the
country and he was the center of much discussion in the circle of the
nobility. Sanyogita, the daughter of Jaichandra Gahadwala fell secretly
in love with Prithiviraj and she started a secret poetic correspondence
with him. Her father the haughty Jaichandra got wind of this and he
decided to teach his daughter and her upstart lover a lesson. So he
arranged a Swayamwara (a ceremony where a bride can select her husband
from the assembled princes. She had the right to garland any prince and
she became his queen. This is an ancient Hindu custom among Royalty).
Jaichandra invited all the big and small princes of the country to
Kannauj for the royal Swayamwara. But he deliberately ignored
Prithiviraj.
To add insult to injury, he even made a statue of Prithiviraj and kept him as a dwarpala (doorman).
The Elopement of Sanyogita with Prithviraj
Prithviraj got to know of this and he confided his plans to his lover.
On
the said day, Sanyogita walked down the aisle where the royals had
assembled and bypassed all of them only to reach the door and garland
the statue of Pritiviraj as a doorman. The assemblage was stunned at
this brash act of hers. But what stunned them and her father Jaichandra
was the next thing that happened.
Prithiviraj who was hiding
behind the statue, also in the garb of a doorman, whisked Sanyogita away
and put her up on his steed to make a fast getaway to his capital at
Delhi
Chouhan-Rathod Warfare Leads to Weakening of both Rajput Kingdoms
Jaichandra
and his army gave earnest chase and in the resultant string of battles
between the two kingdoms fought between 1189 and 1190, both of them
sufferred heavily. While this drama was being enacted, another ruler
also named Mahmud who was from Ghori in Afghanistan had grown powerful
and had captured Ghazni and subsequently attacked the Ghaznavid Governor
of Punjab and defeated him. The kingdom of Mahmud Ghori now stretched
up to the domains of Prithiviraj Chouhan. A clash was inevitable
The 1st Battle of Tarain 1191 C.E. - Victory of Prithiviraj Chouhan
Mahmud
Ghori threw the gauntlet by laying siege to the fortress of Bhatinda in
East Punjab which was on the frontier of Prithiviraj's domains.
Prithviraj's appeal for help from his father-in-law was scornfully
rejected by the haughty Jaichandra. But undaunted Prithviraj marched on
to Bhatinda and met his enemy at a place called Tarain (also called
Taraori) near the ancient town of Thanesar. In face of the persistent
Rajput attacks, the battle was won as the Muslim army broke ranks and
fled leaving their general Mahmud Ghori as a prisoner in Pritiviraj's
hands.
Mahmud Ghori was brought in chains to Pithoragarh -
Prithviraj's capital and he begged his victor for mercy and release.
Prithviraj's ministers advised against pardoning the aggressor. But the
chivalrous and valiant Prithviraj thought otherwise and respectfully
released the vanquished Ghori.
The 2nd Battle of Tarain 1192 C.E. - Defeat of Prithiviraj Chouhan
The
very next year Prithiviraj's gesture was repaid by Ghori who
re-attacked Prithiviraj with a stronger army and guilfully defeated him
by attacking the Rajput army before daybreak. (The Hindus incidentally
followed a hoary practice of battling only from sunrise up to sunset.
Before Sunrise and after Sunset there was to be no fighting- as per a
time honoured battle code).The defeated Prithiviraj was pursued up to
his capital and in chains he was taken as a captive to Ghor in
Afghanistan.
The Blinding of Prithviraj
The
story of Prithiviraj does not end here. As a prisoner in Ghor he was
presented before Mahmud, where he looked Ghori straight into the eye
Ghori
ordered him to lower his eyes, whereupon a defiant Prithiviraj
scornfully told him how he had treated Ghori as a prisoner and said that
the eyelids of a Rajputs eyes are lowered only in death.On hearing
this, Ghori flew into a rage and ordered that Prithviraj's eyes be burnt
with red hot iron rods
This heinous deed being done, Prithiviraj
was regularly brought to the court to be taunted by Ghori and his
courtiers. In those days Prithiviraj was joined by his former biographer
Chand Bardai, who had composed a ballad-biography on Pritiviraj in the
name of Prithviraj Raso (Songs of Prithviraj). Chand Bardai told
Prithiviraj, that he should avenge Ghori's betrayal and daily insults.
The Blind Prithviraj Avenges the Injustice done to him
The
two got an opportunity when Ghori announced a game of Archery. On the
advice of Chand Bardai, Prithviraj, who was then at court said he would
also like to participate. On hearing his suggestion, the courtiers
guffawed at him and he was taunted by Ghori as to how he could
participate when he could not see. Whereupon, Prithiviraj told Mahmud
Ghori to order him to shoot, and he would reach his target.
Ghori
became suspicious and asked Prithviraj why he wanted Ghori himself to
order and not anyone else. On behlaf of Prithiviraj, Chand Bardai told
Ghori that he as a king would not accept orders from anyone other than a
king. His ego satisfied, Mahmud Ghori agreed.
On
the said day, Ghori sitting in his royal enclosure had Prithiviraj
brought to the ground and had him unchained for the event. On Ghori's
ordering Prithviraj to shoot, we are told Prithiviraj turned in the
direction from where he heard Ghori speak and struck Ghori dead with his
arrow. This event is described by Chand Bardai in the couplet,
"Dus kadam aggey, bees kadam daey, baitha hai Sultan. Ab mat chuko Chouhan, chala do apna baan." (Ten
feet ahead of you and twenty feet to your right, is seated the Sultan,
do not now miss him Chouhan, release your baan - arrow).
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