Prithviraj Chauhan was a king of the Rajput Chauhan (Chahanama) dynasty, who ruled a kingdom in North India during the second half of the 12th century. Prithviraj Chauhan was the second last Hindu king to sit on the throne of Delhi. He captured the throne in 1179 AD at the age of eleven and ruled from the twin capitals of Ajmer and Delhi. He became the sovereign power of most regions of Rajasthan and Haryana and united the Rajputs against Muslim invasions.
In the Second Battle of Tarain in 1192 CE, the horses defeated Prithviraj and
killed him shortly afterward. His defeat at Tarain is seen as a historical
event to represent as a "Rajput", although there was no Rajput
identity in his time. The Islamic conquest of India, and is described in many
semi-mythological accounts.
Early life:
Prithviraj
was born to the Chahamana king Someshvara and queen Karpuradevi (a Kalachuri
princess). Both Prithviraj and his younger brother Hariraja were born in Gujarat,
where their father Someshvara was raised by his maternal uncle's relatives.
According to Prithviraj Vijaya, Prithviraj was born on the 12th day of Jyeshtha
month.
The text does not mention his year of birth, but states the position of some
astrological planetary at the time of his birth, calling them auspicious. Based
on the positions of these positions and some other planets, Dasharatha Sharma
calculated the year of birth of Prithviraj in 1166 CE.
The
medieval biographies of Prithviraj show that his education was good. Prithviraj
Vijaya said that he has mastered 6 languages; Prithviraj Raso claims that he
learned 14 languages, which seems an exaggeration. Raso claims that he excelled
in many subjects including history, mathematics, medicine, military, painting,
philosophy, and theology. Both texts state that he was particularly skilled in archery.
Prithviraj Chauhan's
Political life:
Prithviraj
Chauhan took the throne of Delhi at the age of eleven. At an early age,
Prithviraj proved himself as a competent administrator and a military expert.
From the beginning of his political life, Prithviraj III was engaged in a
hereditary rivalry with the Chalukya king of Gujarat. But at the same time, he
was facing a Turkish invasion from Punjab.
During
the reign of Vigraharaja IV, the Chauhan empire was extended to the borders of
the Ghori's kingdom in the northwest. This resulted in a hereditary struggle of
the Turks with the Chauhans. This made the conflict between them inevitable.
Prithviraj
faced a big dilemma when Muhammad Ghori marched against the Chalukyas of
Gujarat. At that time Muhammad of Ghori demanded an alliance with Prithviraj
Chauhan against the anti-Chalukyas. Prithviraj adopted a policy of clever
diplomacy to crush both enemies. Thus Prithviraj adopted a policy of hostile
neutrality and left the alliance with Ghori. Originally the Chalukya king of
Gujarat, Muiraj drove the Turks out in the battle of Mount Abu.
The defeat of Bhim II
between the Chalukyas and Prithviraj:
The defeat of Mohammad Ghori opened to Prithviraj to carry out his policy of conquest;
Prithviraj conquered the Rewari district and is a part of the Alwar state in
1182 AD. In the same year, he defeated Chandellas king Paramardi and took back
a part of his dominion. But the Chandellas soon regained their territory from
him. Prithviraj also campaigned against his old adversary but he failed to
achieve any success. However, the enmity between the Chauhans and the Chalukyas
came to an end with the Bhim II alliance treaty with Prithviraj Chauhan.
The first battle of
Tarain:
 |
| The first battle of Tarain |
The defeat of the Turkish in the first battle of Tarain in 1191 AD. Could reduce
Turkish power. The biggest event in Prithviraj's career, his conflict with
Muhammad Ghori. Prithviraj Chauhan's struggle with Ghori's Turkish power
Muhammad constituted an important event in the history of ancient India. Since
the destruction of West Punjab by Ghori Muhammad, the Chauhan region of East
Punjab was threatened. Muhammad attempted to conquer Hindustan in 1190.
Initially, as a strategic move, he destroyed the fort of Tabarhind, which was
within the territory of Prithviraj Chauhan. At the same time, the feudatories
of Prithviraj also faced the same vicissitudes. This made the conflict between
the Turks and Prithviraj Chauhan inevitable. Thus Prithviraj campaigned against
Muhammad Ghori. In the first war of Tarain, Prithviraj expelled Ghori's
Muhammad. Ghori fled the battlefield and was heavily injured. Prithviraj
followed his success by taking the fort of Tabarhind from the Turkish invaders.
The Second War of Tarain:
Ghori
1192 AD Punjab again came with a large army, resulting in the Second Battle of
Tarain. This time Muhammad of Ghori formulated his strategy from the very
beginning. Muhammad turned to Tabarhind and reached the field of Tarain without
completing any serious opposition on the way. Meanwhile, Prithviraj entered
into a union with several Hindu kings. Prithviraj, being an expert politician,
could feel that Ghori had come up with enormous preparations to conquer India.
 |
| The Second War of Tarain |
Therefore
he wanted to strengthen his struggle with Hindu kings. But King Jayachandra of
Garhwal of Kannauj stayed away from the anti-Turkish struggle organized by
Prithviraj Chauhan. In this way, Jayachandra continued his hereditary rivalry
with the Chauhans. However, Prithviraj Chauhan blocked Muhammad Ghori's passage
in the region of Tarain.
During
this war, Prithviraj did not even get the support of his able general, Skanda.
With his superior army and tactics, Muhammad Ghori completely neutralized the
Hindu army. In the Second Battle of Tarain, Hindu supremacy was thus broken by
the Turkish army. Prithviraj was imprisoned. His brother was also killed.
The
crushing defeat of Hindu supremacy in the second battle of Tarain determined
Muslim supremacy in India. Subsequent attacks by the Hindu kings against the
Turks proved to be a complete failure. The second battle of Tarain has been
considered by historians as a turning point in Indian history. After this
battle, Muslim power was firmly established in northern India.
Critics of the marriage of
Prithviraj Chauhan:
Many
theories have been approached by critics and historians about Jayachandra's
hereditary rivalry with the Chauhan house over Prithviraj Chauhan's marriage.
Perhaps Prithviraj's forced marriage with Jayachandra's daughter Samyukta
injured the pride of Jayachandra, the king of Gahadavala. Hence Jayachandra
decided to stay away from the anti-Turkish struggle organized by Prithviraj
Chauhan.
But
recent researches have proved that the story of Prithviraj's forced marriage
with Samyukta is very strange. There was no authentic evidence about this
forced marriage. Further, there is no authentic testimony to the fact that
Jayachandra was tyrannical and invited Mohammad Ghori to Delhi.
Prithviraj
Chauhan was a great soldier but he lacked the political insight of a diplomatic
administrator. Although he could not conquer many territories like other Indian
rulers, he proved himself a capable soldier in the first battle of Tarain. He
could not understand the true nature of the Muslim invasion until he was
attacked. Furthermore, he chose to be defensive towards his enemy. He did not
pursue the Turks after his victory in the First War of Tarain.
He
neglected to consolidate his empire after his initial victory against the Turks
and he failed to execute his strategy properly. However, in 1192 AD. In. Hindu
domination in India as well as a sudden invasion by Muhammad Ghori in India
determined its decline.
 |
Coin minted in Ajmer of Prithivi Raj Chauhan circa 1179–1192
CE.
Death of Prithviraj Chauhan:
Most
of the medieval sources of Prithviraj Chauhan was taken to the Chahamana
capital of Ajmer, where Muhammad planned to restore him as Ghurid vassal. After
some time, Prithviraj revolted against Muhammad and was killed for treason.
This is confirmed by
numerical evidence: Some
'horse-and-Bullman' style coins bearing the names of both Prithviraj and
"Muhammad bin Sam" was issued from the Delhi mint, though there is
another possibility that Ghurids created the Chahamana - style was. Coins were
used to ensure maximum acceptance of their coins in the East Chahamana region. After
Prithviraj's death, Muhammad installed the Chaman prince Govindaraja on the
throne of Ajmer, which further supports this theory.
Different
sources vary on the exact circumstances:
Ø Contemporary Muslim historian Hasan
Nizami states that Prithviraj was spoken against Muhammad and ordered to inform
the Ghurid king. Nizami does not describe the nature of this plot.
Ø According to Prabandha Chintamani (c.
1304), Muhammad took him to Ajmer, intending to rule as a vassal. However, in
Ajmer, he saw paintings depicting Muslims being killed by pigs in the Chahamana
gallery. Enraged, he attacked Prithviraj with an axe.
Ø In the Hammira Mahakavya, it is said
that Prithviraj refused to take food after capture. The nobles of the Ghurid
king suggested that he leave Prithviraj, as the Chahamana king had done to him
in the past. But his advice was ignored by Muhammad and Prithviraj died in
captivity.
Ø Prithviraja-Prabandha (15th century or
earlier) said that horses held Prithviraj in gold chains and brought him to
Delhi. Prithviraj reproached the Ghurid king for not following his example of
releasing the captured enemy. A few days later, while imprisoned in Ajmer,
Prithviraj asked his former minister Kaimbasa to kill Muhammad in court for his
bow and arrow, which was held in front of the house where he was imprisoned.
The treacherous minister gave him a bow and arrow, but Muhammad secretly
informed him of his plan. As a result, Muhammad did not sit in his usual place
and instead placed a metal statue. Prithviraj shot an arrow at the idol, which
broke into two pieces. As a punishment, Muhammad threw him into a pit and
stoned to death.
The
13th-century Persian historian Minhaj-i-Siraj states that Prithviraj was
"sent to hell" after being captured. The 16th-century historian Firishta also supports this account.
According to historian Satish Chandra, Minhaj's account suggests that
Prithviraj was killed soon after his defeat, but RB Singh believes that no such
conclusion can be drawn from Minhaj's writings. Viruddha-Vidhi Vidhvansa by the
Hindu author Lakshmidhara claims that Prithviraj was killed on the battlefield.
Prithviraj
Raso claims that Prithviraj was taken as a prisoner to Ghazna, and blinded.
Hearing this, the poet Chand Bardai traveled to Ghazna and tricked Muhammad of
Ghor to see an archery performance by the blind Prithviraj. During this
performance, Prithviraj shot an arrow in the direction of Muhammad's voice and
killed him. Shortly afterward, Prithviraj and Chand Bardai killed each other.
It is a fictional narrative, not supported by historical evidence: Muhammad of
Ghor continued to rule for more than a decade after Prithviraj's death.
After Prithviraj's death,
the Ghurids appointed their son Govindaraja as their vassal to the throne of
Ajmer. 1192 AD In, Prithviraj's younger brother Hariraja discovers Govindaraja
and takes back a part of his ancestral kingdom. Govindaraja moved to Ranastambhapura
(modern Ranthambore), where he established a new Chahamana branch of Jagirdar
rulers. Hariraj was later defeated by Qutb al-Din Aibak, the general of Ghurid.
Also, Read
