The Journey through History – 4.
The era of 700 CE to 1200 CE was considered the pre-Medieval period. It was also known as the Rajput dominant era. The Chauhan, Pratiharas, Gohil, Pal, Rashtrakut, Chandel, Gahadavala, Chalukyas were the prominent dynasties that ruled over Bharatvarsh, but there was an absence of a central leadership that would streamline the reins of the entire Bharatvarsh. Mihir Bhoj of the Pratihara dynasty, Devpal of the Pal dynasty, Vidyadhar of the Chandel dynasty, Govindchandra and Jaichand of the Gahadavala dynasty, Siddhraj Jaisingh and Kumarpal of the Chalukya (Solanki) dynasty, and Vigrahraj IV and Prithviraj III of the Chauhan dynasty were the emperors who left a lasting legacy.
The Chauhan dynasty, also known as Chahamans, was privileged to have expanded its hegemony over a very large region. Its rule was not just restricted to Northern Bharat but extended up to Southern Maharashtra. Several places in Kashmir, Punjab, Rajputana, Central India, Gujarat, Bengal, and southern Maharashtra were ruled by the Chahaman dynasty.
Prithviraj I began manifesting his imperialistic strength in 1105 CE, and following his footsteps, his descendants Arnoraaj, Vigrahraj IV, Ajayraj, and Prithvibhatt II extended the borders of the Chauhan dynasty, covering almost the entire Northern Bharat. From the Satlaj River in the north to the Vetva or Vetravati River in Malwa and the Kaimur mountain range in the East to the Western region comprising the desert land of Vikrampur were under the reign of the Chauhan kingdom.
The Chauhan kingdom had 125,000 rural regions, and hence, the state was known as Sapaldaksh, and thus, the king of Sapaldaksh was addressed as ‘the Sapadalksheshwar’, ‘the Sapadalkshaadheesh’, or ‘the Sapadalkshatipati’. Its capital was originally Sambhar, also known as Shakambhari, and thus, the forefathers of the Chahaman dynasty were referred to as Shakambhari Naresh or Shakambhari Nrup. Around 1110 to 1132 CE, the capital was moved to Ajaymeru.
The geography of the land and surrounding areas played a huge role in the history of the region. A state surrounded by an inaccessible mountain range or the impassable terrain of a desert is extremely difficult to conquer. The kingdom of Ajaymeru comprised such geographical characteristics and hence had turned into a secure and culturally noteworthy state.
Manu, the first man or the progenitor of humanity, the spiritual son of Brahma, illustrated the most appropriate land for the king to reside. Manu states: जांगल संस्यसंपन्नमार्यप्राय मनाविलम रम्य मानत सामंत स्वाजीव्य देशमावसेत ||
It implies the king should build his residence where rain pours in plenty, the calamity of flood is minimal, ample fresh air and sunlight prevail, the growth of crops is plentiful, the majority of the population is of eminent stature, physically fit, and polite by nature, and where economic activity is prosperous.
Prithviraj I’s descendant Ajayraja II had a son named Arnoraaj. Arnoraja’s wife, Kanchan Devi, was a daughter of Siddhraj Jaisingh, the Chalukya emperor of Gujarat. It is believed that Siddhraj Jaisingh was told by an astrologer that Kanchan Devi’s grandson would be an incarnation of Prabhu Ram, and hence, he took Someshwar, Kanchan Devi’s son, to Gujarat with him and nurtured him. As Siddhraj Jaisingh did not have a son, Kumarpal, the son of Tribhuvanpal, an extended cousin of Siddhraj, was coronated king of Gujarat. He, too, was extremely affectionate towards Someshwar. Someshwara had two half-brothers: Vigraharaja IV and Jagaddeva. After Arnoraja’s demise, Jaggadeva and then Vigraharaja IV attained power, and during his tenure, the borders of the Chahaman kingdom were extended till Delhi. After his demise, Vigraharaja IV’s son Aparagangeya and Jaggadeva’s son Prithviraj II were coronated. After the death of Prithviraj II, Someshwar was recalled from the Chalukya court. Someshwar, along with his family and the Nagar Brahmin father-son duo, Skand and Sodha, from Gujarat accompanied him to the Chahaman capital Ajmer, and he was appointed the new king. Now, there were two power centers, Ajmer and Delhi, in the Chahaman kingdom.
Prithviraj III was born in 1166 CE. He was nurtured by the maternal relatives of his father in Gujarat. He was proficient in six languages and well-versed in a number of subjects like History, Mathematics, Medicine, Painting, Philosophy (Mimasa), Military Science, and Theology, and he particularly excelled in Archery. He was only eleven in 1177 CE when his father died, and he had to be crowned. Being a minor, he ascended to the throne with his mother, KarpuraDevi, as his regent.
Immediately after his appointment as king, his cousin Nagarjuna, the son of Vigraharaja IV, revolted, and Prithviraj, in his early military achievement, suppressed the revolt and recaptured Gudapura (possibly present-day Gurugram).
In 1182-83 CE, Prithviraj III, still a child, invaded the Chandela territory (present-day Bundelkhand), ruled by King Paramardi. The legend Kharatara-Gachchha-Patravali mentions that Prithviraj had embarked upon a digvijay and was returning to Delhi after establishing matrimonial bonds with the daughter of Padamsen. His convoy was attacked by the ‘Turkic’ forces (Ghurids). His army suffered several casualties, and amidst the mayhem, the Chahaman soldiers lost their way. Unaware, they ended up in the Chandela capital, Mahoba.
This was followed by a skirmish between both sides, and Chandela’s king Paramardi instructed his general Udal to ravage Prithviraj’s camp. Udal advised him against attacking Prithviraj, but Paramardi’s brother-in-law, Mahil Parihar, who ruled over Orai and harbored ill will against him, incited him to proceed with the attack.
Udal had no choice but to follow orders; Prithviraj defeated his group and returned to Delhi. Humiliated and dejected, Udal and his brother Alha left the service of the Chandela kingdom and turned to King Jaichand, ruler of the Gahadavala dynasty of Kanauj. In their absence, the Chandelas were debilitated, and Mahil conveyed this to Prithviraj. Prithviraj invaded the Chandela kingdom and conquered it. King Jaichand, the ruler of Kanauj, came to the Chandelas’ rescue, sending his troops to support Paramardi.
The combined forces of the Chandela and Gahadavala armies attacked Prithviraj but were decimated. Various legends narrate the end of Paramardi differently, but it is believed that he died shortly after the battle. Prithviraj appointed Pajjun Rai as the governor of Mahoba and returned to Delhi. Later, Paramardi’s son recaptured Mahoba. King Jaychandra of the Gahadavala kingdom was another powerful ruler, like the Chahamans. This war with Paramardi sowed deeper seeds of animosity between Jaychandra and Prithviraj.
The Islamic king of Afghanistan, Mahmud of Ghazni, captivated by the prosperity of Bharat, attacked it several times. In 1026 CE, he invaded Somnath and mutilated the idol of Shiva. He expanded his borders to Iran, Afghanistan, and some areas of present-day Pakistan. Later, he was defeated by the Ghurid kings of Afghanistan. Muhammad of Ghori entered Multan, which shared borders with Prithviraj’s kingdom. Unlike Mahmud of Ghazni, who had no intention of establishing his capital in Bharat, Muhammad of Ghori’s goal was to become the ruler of the Delhi throne.
Muslim dynasties from Afghanistan had spread their influence and expanded their territories as far as Multan since the time of Mahmud of Ghazni. By the 12th century, the Ghurid dynasty had crossed the Indus River and captured Multan. In 1178 CE, Gujarat was ruled by the Chalukyas (Solankis), and during his attempt to invade Gujarat, the army of Muhammad of Ghori passed through the western frontier of the Chahaman kingdom. The Ghurid army destroyed temples and Maths in the Chahaman region. They besieged Nadol fort, controlled by the Chahamans of Naddula. However, the Chahamans did not face the Ghurid invasion immediately, as the Chalukyas of Gujarat defeated Muhammad of Ghori in the Battle of Kasahrada in 1178 CE, forcing the Ghurids to retreat.
Meanwhile, King Jaychandra (Jaichand) initiated a Rajasuya Yagna to proclaim his superiority. Prithviraj declined to participate in the ceremony that acknowledged him as the supremo. King Jaychandra had an exceptionally beautiful daughter named Sanyogita. Jaychandra decided to hold a swayamvar for her and sent out invitations to all the major kingdoms, but he deliberately skipped inviting Prithviraj. Instead, he constructed a statue of Prithviraj as a security guard and placed it near the entrance. Several books have recounted Prithviraj’s journey at length. Among them, Prithviraj Raso by Chand Bardai holds notable significance. As per Prithviraj Raso, a painter painted a sketch of Prithviraj and showed it to Princess Sanyogita. Glancing at the painting, Prithviraj fell head over heels in love with her. Similarly, the painter also presented a sketch of Prithviraj to Sanyogita. She, too, fell deeply in love. As the Swayamvar drew nearer, Sanyogita corresponded with Prithviraj, requesting him to save her. On the day of the swayamvar, Prithviraj abducted Sanyogita. King Jaychandra was furious with this humiliation.
Around two-thirds of Prithviraj’s warriors accompanying him to Kanauj sacrificed their lives in the battle with Jaychandra, but this gave the eloped couple sufficient time to escape to Delhi. Various tales exist about the love story of Prithviraj and Sanyogita. The legend ‘Prithviraj Vijay’ mentions that Sanyogita was an incarnation of the Apsara Tilottama. However, other legends such as Prabandh Chintamani, Prabandh Kosh, and Prithviraj Prabandh do not mention this; thus, there is no confirmation that Sanyogita was anyone other than the daughter of King Jaychandra of Kanauj. However, King Jaychandra did not take Prithviraj’s gesture lightly, and the seeds of revenge were sown deep in his heart.
Muhammad of Ghori’s goal to rule over Bharat was not deterred. He consolidated his power in the northwestern region of Bharat and conquered Punjab, Sindh, and Peshawar. Now, his eyes were set on invading Delhipati Prithviraj.
Various legends narrating the beginning of the conflict between Muhammad of Ghori and Prithviraj offer different accounts. Hasan Nizami’s Taj-Ul-Massir narrates that Muhammad sent his chief judge Qiwam-Ul-Mulk Ruknud Din Hamza to Prithviraj’s court to convince him to ‘abandon hostility and aggressiveness and pursue righteousness!’ ‘Prithviraj Vijay’ also mentions that a messenger was sent by Ghori but is not corroborated by details.
Eventually, in 1190-1191 CE, Muhammad of Ghori set foot to invade Chahaman territory and seized Tabarhindah. He appointed Zia-Ud-Din, the Qazi of Tulak, as its in-charge. As soon as the news reached Prithviraj, he marched towards Tabarhindah along with a huge convoy of horses and elephants. Govindraja, his feudal vassal of Delhi, accompanied him. They encountered each other at Tarain. Prithviraj’s army successfully defeated Ghori. He was injured and had no choice but to retreat.
Unfortunately, Prithviraj treated this first battle with Ghori as a mere frontier skirmish. Neither did he pursue the retreating army of Ghori nor did he strategize for possible future combats. He only besieged the Ghurid invasion at Tabarhindah.
But, Muhammad of Ghori worked fanatically to avenge his defeat. He congregated a well-equipped army of 120,000 selected Afghanistan, Tajik, and Turkic horsemen and set out to march towards the Chahaman kingdom through the Multan and Lahore route. And, as has been the unfortunate fate of Hindu kingdoms, several Hindu kings offered to aid him as Prithviraj had battled with them, and they held personal grudges against him.
King Jaichand or Jaychandra had personal rivalry against Prithviraj. Thus, some historical evidence claims that Jaychandra joined hands with Muhammad of Ghori to conquer the Chahaman kingdom. But, few Rajput history texts propagate otherwise, addressing him as a courageous and visionary leader. The ceaseless territorial conflicts between the two reflected Jaychandra’s lack of support for Prithviraj. But, all in all, such personal rivalry caused colossal collateral damage to the history of Bharatvarsh, opening the gateway to Islamic invaders and wiping out robust Hindu rule. It also resulted in devastating impairment to the cultural and economic strength of Bharat.
Sources of information:
दिल्लीपति पृथ्वीराज चौहान एवम उनका युग डॉ. बिनध्यराज चौहान कृत
महान राजा पृथ्वीराज चौहान राजवीर सिंह दार्शनिक कृत
चौहान पृथ्वीराज तृतीया और उनका युग दशरथ शर्मा कृत
History of Mediaeval Hindu India By C V Vaidya
प्राचीन भारत का इतिहास वीं डी महाजन कृत
