Raiders to rulers

Young valiant and dashing. That was the last Hindu king of Delhi, Prithviraj Chauhan. He ascended the throne at the age of 11. Chauhan, who ruled his kingdom from his twin capitals of Ajmer and Delhi, spent almost his entire life fighting battles; winning most, losing some. Those were times when kings were constantly trying to eat up their neighbour’s territories, and there was enough rivalry among them. In between all these warring episodes, Chauhan squeezed in time for some swashbuckling romance, too, whisking away his sweetheart, princess Sanyogita, from her swayamvar. Her father, Jaichand, always a rival, only got more alienated with this elopement right under his nose.

Into this scenario, Muhammad Ghori made an entry. Ghori’s base was modern- day Afghanistan, and he made constant forays into Indian territory, sometimes near Gujarat, sometimes elsewhere. Like Mahmud of Ghazni from a previous century, Ghori, too, ransacked and destroyed temples in his path.

Slowly, however, Ghori managed to conquer Punjab and Sindh; his territories were now touching Chauhan’s. The clash was inevitable. Unlike the Alexander-Porus clash, of which there is no Indian version, this one was recorded by both sides. But, with so much romanticisation in these versions, it is another challenge to get the real story.

Prior to the battles of Tarain, Chauhan and Ghori had several encounters, it is believed, and Chauhan emerged victor in all of them. Then, in 1191, Ghori attacked the fort of Bathinda at the edge of Chauhan’s kingdom. Chauhan rushed to its defence, and the two armies met at Tarain, in what came to be known as the First Battle of Tarain. The battle was fierce, but Chauhan was in full control. His brother even managed to wound Ghori. Some say Ghori beat an undignified retreat, some say he was captured and made to apologise to the Indian rulers whose lands he had attacked. These versions do not matter to the narrative. What mattered was that Chauhan did not press his advantage; he let Ghori go. Was that because of the higher ideals of not pursuing a fleeing foe or was it because Chauhan underestimated his rival? This tactical error changed the course of history for India.

The next year, Ghori came charging again, fuelled by a thirst for avenging humiliation and an ambition to grab land. Chauhan tried rallying allies, but the local rajas were divided. Some joined him, but many others, including the powerful Jaichand, were against him. Chauhan, high on the victory of the previous year, might have thought he could push away Ghori again. He had the larger army. The two forces faced each other at Tarain, again.

Ghori, however, used a subterfuge that India had not learnt to anticipate since the time of Porus. As Chauhan sent him a note to sue for peace, he bought time, saying he needed to think it over. Lulling the Indians into believing he was still camping, he took his army away, and broke them into five divisions.

They attacked Chauhan’s camp when the Indians were still asleep (traditional Indian battles ended at sunset). Though caught by surprise, the Indians fought back. Ghori’s troops then pretended to withdraw, drawing Chauhan’s army into a pursuit. Then, when the Indian soldiers were beginning to fatigue from the chase, Ghori brought out his remaining forces for the kill. The day belonged to him. Chauhan had no chance.

Some accounts say Chauhan died a hero’s death, fighting in battle. The Braj Bhasha epic poem Prithviraj Raso says he was taken to Ghor, where he was blinded. He later shot Ghori with his bow, with just his ears to guide him to the target, and then, he killed himself, too. Another theory is that Chauhan was taken back to Ajmer, where Ghori planned to make him a vassal. Chauhan, though, remained belligerent and Ghori finally had him killed, planting his son, Govindraja, on the throne. Almost a sequel to the Alexander-Porus face off, though not quite.

The aftermath of AD 1192 could not be compared with 326 BC. The second battle of Tarain changed the destiny of the land forever. The Muslims, so far only raiders, settled in Delhi, to rule. Ghori appointed his slave, Qutb ud-Din Aibak, as his regent, and the Delhi Sultanate was launched. It would be the first of several Islamic dynasties to rule from Delhi for the next seven centuries, till 1857. Not just Delhi, Muslim rule spread across the various kingdoms, percolating even into the south.

What if Chauhan had killed Ghori in 1191? Would the history of India have been different? What if Chauhan had won the second battle at Tarain? Would he have let Ghori go again, to return another day? Or, would he have had the sense to neutralise the enemy? Three centuries later, when Babur came invading, which kingdom would he have clashed with—an Islamic ruler, or some descendant of Chauhan?