Important Battles
Muhammad, hailing from Ghor in present-day Afghanistan, grew increasingly powerful. He conquered Ghazni and subsequently defeated the Ghaznavid governor of Punjab. Muhammad Ghori''s domain now touched upon that of Prithviraj Chauhan. A clash was inevitable.
First
Battle of Tarain (1191 CE)
Muhammad Ghori invaded Prithviraj''s domains and laid siege to the fortress of Bhatinda in Punjab, which was at the frontier between the two kingdoms. Prithviraj''s appeal for help from his father-in-law was scornfully rejected by the haughty Jaichandra. Undaunted, Prithviraj marched on Bhatinda and gave battle to the invaders at a place called Tarain near the town of Thanesar.
In
face of the Rajput onslaught, the invading Muslim
army broke ranks and fled, leaving their leader, Muhammad Ghori, a prisoner in Prithviraj''s hands. Muhammad Ghori was brought in chains to Pithoragarh, Prithviraj''s capital. He begged his captor for mercy and release. Prithviraj''s ministers advised against pardoning the aggressor. However, the chivalrous and valiant Prithviraj thought otherwise and respectfully and magnanimously released the vanquished Ghori. Some say that Prithviraj actually pardoned him 16 times over 16 encounter,s
Second Battle of Tarain (1192 CE) The very next year, Ghori repaid Prithviraj''s gesture. In 1192 AD he again invaded India with a huge army of 1,20,000 armed men. Both the
armies faced each other again at Tarain. Prithviraj had the
support of his feudal chiefs but these were only small princes. No powerful ruler extended his support to him even at this critical juncture. Thus, for all practical purposes he had to face the enemy single handed.
Again, the two armies met at Tarain. The Hindu warriors followed a traditional practice of battling only between sunrise and sunset. Ghori attacked the surprised Rajput army before daybreak and thus emerged victorious. At the point when annihilation became certain, Sanyogita committed Jauhar {suicide} for self-immolation rather than face the prospect of personal dishonour at the hands of a barbaric invader. Prithviraj was taken in chains to Ghor in present-day Afganisthan and was
devastated by the news of sanyogita''s death.
More summaries about the Important Battles of Prirhvi Raj Chauhan