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One of the best Rajput lords was Prithviraja III, otherwise called Prithviraj Chauhan. He was responsible for a ton of the present-day provinces of Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan. Prithviraj Chauhan is regularly hailed as a courageous Indian lord who opposed Muslim intruders due to his standing for dauntlessness. He is widely regarded as a warrior king and is credited with resisting the Muslim invaders with all of his might. His loss at the "Second clash of Tarain" in 1192 is viewed as an essential crossroads in India's set of experiences since it permitted Muslim trespassers to assume command over the northern locales.
Regnal Name Prithviraj III
Birth c. 1166 CE
Place of Birth Gujarat
Death 1192 CE
Place of Death Ajmer
Son Govindaraja IV
Dynasty Chahamanas of Shakambhari
Father Someshvara
Mother Karpuradevi
Early life
The Chahamana lord Someshvara and the sovereign Karpuradevi, a Kalachuri princess, brought forth Prithviraj. Prithviraj and his more youthful sibling Hariraja were both brought into the world in Gujarat, where their dad Someshvara was raised by his maternal family members at the Chaulukya court. According to Prithviraja Vijaya, Prithviraj was brought into the world on the twelfth day of the Jyeshtha month. Albeit the extended period of his introduction to the world isn't referenced in the text, a portion of the mysterious planetary places that were set up at the hour of his introduction to the world are portrayed as being ideal. Dasharatha Sharma confirmed that Prithviraj was brought into the world in 1166 CE (1223 Versus) utilizing these positions and accepting specific other planetary positions.
The medieval biographies of Prithviraj state that he received a good education. As per the Prithviraja Vijaya, he was capable in six dialects; It seems exaggerated that Prithviraj Raso learned fourteen languages. The Raso proceeds to say that he gained some useful knowledge about history, math, medication, the military, painting, reasoning (mimamsa), and philosophy. He was particularly skilled at toxophilism, according to both texts.
Early reign
Someshvara, Prithviraj's father, moved from Gujarat to Ajmer when he became Prithviraja II's successor as king of the Chahamanas. When Someshvara died in 1177 CE (1234 VS), Prithviraj was about 11 years old. This year is dated by the first and last inscriptions, which date to the time of Prithviraj and Someshvara. Prithviraj, who was a minor by then, rose the grand situation with his mother as the authority. The Hammira Mahakavya says that Someshvara put Prithviraj on the throne before leaving for the forest. But it doesn't seem likely.
During his early years as king, Prithviraj's mother ran the administration with the help of a regency council.
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During this time, Kadambavasa was the realm's central clergyman. In the old stories, he is additionally alluded to as Kaimasa, Kaimash, or Kaimbasa. These names depict him as a proficient head and officer who is dedicated to the youthful lord. During the early long stretches of Prithviraj's rule, he asserts that he was responsible for the tactical triumphs in general. According to two unmistakable legends, Kadambavasa was hence killed by Prithviraj. As per the Prithviraja-Raso, the pastor was tracked down in the condo of Karnati, the ruler's number one courtesan, and Prithviraj killed him. As per Prithviraja-Prabandha, a man by the name of Pratapa-Simha incubated a plot against the pastor and persuaded Prithviraj that the clergyman was at fault for the various Muslim intrusions. Both these cases have every one of the reserves of being for the most part misguided, as the significantly more by and large strong Prithviraja Vijaya makes reference to no such event.
Another important minister at the time was Bhuvanaikamalla, Prithviraj's mother's paternal uncle. He was a brave general who served Prithviraj in the same way that Garuda serves Vishnu, according to Prithviraja Vijaya. He was also "proficient in the art of subduing ngas," according to the text. The 15th-century historian Jonaraja says that the word "naga" here means elephants. Har Bilas Sarda, on the other hand, thought that Naga was the name of a tribe and that Bhuvanaikamalla had to defeat this tribe.
The historian Dasharatha Sharma claims that in 1180 CE (1237 VS), Prithviraj actually took control of the administration.
Conflict with Nagarjuna and Bhadanakas
Prithviraj's first military success was his defeat of his cousin Nagarjuna in a revolt and his capture of Gudapura (IAST: Guḍapura; perhaps contemporary Gurgaon). Nagarjuna was Prithviraj's uncle Vigraharaja IV's son, and the two branches of the family had become rivals as a result of their struggle for the Chahamana throne.
Nagarjuna, according to Prithviraja Vijaya, occupied the fort of Gudapura and rebelled against Prithviraj's authority. With a large army of horses, camels, elephants, and infantry, Prithviraj attacked Gudapura. Devabhata, who may have been Nagarjuna's general, continued to resist as he fled the fort. In the end, Prithviraj's army won and took Nagarjuna's wife, mother, and followers' captive. Prithviraja Vijaya claims that a wreath made of the heads of the defeated soldiers was strung across the Ajmer fort gate.
The victory of Prithviraj over the Bhadanakas is mentioned in two verses of Kharatara-Gachchha-Pattavali, which also describes a debate between two Jain monks. When the aforementioned debate took place, this victory can be dated to before 1182 CE. Cynthia Talbot asserts that the Bhadanakas were an obscure dynasty that ruled the Bayana region. Dasharatha Sharma claims that the area around the cities of Bhiwani, Rewari, and Alwar was part of the Bhadanaka territory.
War against Chandelas
According to the 1182–83 CE (1239 VS) Madanpur inscriptions, Prithviraj "laid to waste" Jejakabhukti, which is now known as Bundelkhand and was ruled by the Chandela king Paramardi. Later folk tales, such as Prithviraj Raso, Paramal Raso, and Alha-Raso, also describe Prithviraj's incursion into Chandela territory. The attack by Prithviraj on Paramardi is also mentioned in Sarangadhara Paddhati and Prabandha Chintamani, two additional texts. According to the Kharatara-Gachchha-Pattavali, Prithviraj had begun a digvijaya, or "conquest of all regions." It would appear that this is a nod to the beginning of Prithviraj's march to Jejakabhukti.
The amazing record of Prithviraj's mission against the Chandelas goes this way: After marrying Padamsen's daughter, Prithviraj was returning to Delhi when his contingent was attacked by the "Turkic" forces (Ghurids). Despite repelling the attacks, his army sustained significant casualties. The Chahamana soldiers got lost in the commotion and ended up in the capital of the Chandela, Mahoba, without realizing it. They killed the royal gardener of Chandela because he opposed their presence, which sparked a battle between the two sides. Udal advised against the Chandela king Paramardi's request to launch an attack on Prithviraj's camp. Mahil Parihar, the spouse of Paramardi, ruled Orai today; He had bad feelings for Paramardi and encouraged the king to launch the attack. After defeating Udal's force, Prithviraj set out for Delhi. Udal and his brother Alha then left the Chandela court, dissatisfied with Mahil's plotting. They began serving Jaichand, the Gahadavala leader of Kannauj. After that, Mahil told Prithviraj in secret that the Chandela kingdom had lost its most powerful generals and had become weak. Prithviraj besieged Sirsagarh, which was held by Malkhan, the cousin of Udal, and invaded the Chandela kingdom. Prithviraj took the fort after he failed to win over Malkhan through peaceful means and lost eight generals. Alha and Udal were recalled from Kannauj during the Chandelas' subsequent appeal for a truce. On the side of the Chandelas, Jaichand dispatched a military drove by his best commanders, including two of his own children. Prithviraj's camp was attacked by the combined Chandela-Gahadavala army, but it was defeated. Mahoba was fired by Prithviraj following his victory. After that, he sent Chavand Rai, his general, to the Kalinjar Fort to capture Paramardi. Legend has it that Paramardi either passed away or retired shortly after the attack. Prithviraj got back to Delhi in the wake of designating Pajjun Rai as the legislative leader of Mahoba. Later, Mahoba was rescued by the son of Paramardi.
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This mythical tale's precise historicality is up for debate. Mahoba was sacked by Prithviraj, according to the Madanpur inscriptions, but historical evidence suggests that the bards' fabrication or short-lived occupation of Chandela territory was the case. It is established that Paramardi did not pass away or retire immediately following the victory of Chauhan; In fact, nearly a decade after Prithviraj's death, he continued to rule as a sovereign. Cynthia Talbot asserts that Paramardi regained control of his kingdom shortly after his departure from Mahoba, and that Prithviraj only conducted raids on Jejakabhukti. Prithviraj was unable to annex the Chandela territory to his kingdom, according to Talbot. On the other hand, according to R.B. Singh, it is likely that Chahmanas annexed a small portion of Chandela territory.
Wars in Gujarat
A peace agreement between Prithviraj and Bhima II, the Chaulukya (Solanki) king of Gujarat, is mentioned in the Kharatara-Gachchha-Pattavali. This suggests that the two rulers were already at war. This conflict occurred prior to 1187 CE (1244 VS). According to the Veraval inscription, Jagaddeva Pratihara, the prime minister of Bhima, was "the moon to the lotus-like queens of Prithviraja," a reference to the belief that the moon rises and closes the petals of a day-blooming lotus. Jagaddeva appears to have led the Chaulukya campaign because Bhima was a minor at the time.
The Chahamana-Chaulukya conflict is described in some detail by the historically unreliable Prithviraj Raso. It says that Bhima and Prithviraj both wanted to marry Ichchhini, the Abu Paramara princess. The two kings developed a rivalry after Prithviraj married her. Because it states that Ichchhini was a daughter of Salakha and that Dharavarsha was the Paramara ruler of Abu at the time, historian G. H. Ojha dismisses this legend as a fabrication. On the other hand, historian R. B. Singh is of the opinion that Salakha was the head of another branch of the Paramara at Abu. The Raso also mentions that seven of Bhima's uncle Sarangadeva's sons had been killed by Prithviraj's uncle Kanhadeva. To retaliate for these homicides, Bhima attacked the Chahamana realm and killed Prithviraj's dad Someshvara, catching Nagor all the while. Prithviraj re-caught Nagor, and crushed and killed Bhima. Since Bhima II ruled for nearly half a century after Prithviraj's death, it is known that this is historically incorrect. Similarly, historical evidence suggests that Bhima II could not have killed Someshvara because he was still a child at the time of his death.
There is some evidence of a battle between the Chahamanas and the Chaulukyas at Nagor, despite these discrepancies. Two inscriptions that were discovered near Bikaner in the village of Charlu commemorate the Mohil soldiers' deaths at the Battle of Nagor in 1184 CE (1241 VS). The Mohils are a branch of the Chauhans, also known as the Chahamanas. It's possible that the battle described in Prithviraj Raso is mentioned in the inscriptions.
Before 1187 CE, Jagaddeva Pratihara and Prithviraj made a peace treaty. Kharatara-Gachchha-Pattavali says that a chief named Abhayada once asked Jagaddeva for permission to attack and rob wealthy visitors from Sapadalaksha country, which is the territory of the Chahamana. In response, Jagaddeva informed Abhayada that he had had a difficult time concluding a treaty with Prithviraj. If Abhayada continued to harass the people of Sapadalaksha, Jaggadeva then threatened to sew him in the belly of a donkey. Dasharatha Sharma, a historian, hypothesizes that because Jagaddeva seems to have been very concerned about keeping the treaty, the Chahamana-Chaulukya conflict ended in Prithviraj's favor. As indicated by history specialist R.C. Majumdar and Satish Chandra his tedious battle against Gujarat was ineffective and he experienced a converse against Bhima. As a result, Prithviraj signed a treaty in 1187 AD.
Paramaras
Dharavarsha, a Chaulukya feudator, was the Chandravati Paramara ruler who ruled the region around Mount Abu. A text written by his younger brother Prahaladana, Partha-Parakrama-Vyayoga, describes Prithviraj's nighttime attack on Abu. The Chahamanas failed in this attack, according to the text. It probably took place during Prithviraj's campaign in Gujarat.
Gahadavala conflict
To the east of the Chahamana kingdom was the Gahadavala kingdom, centered on Kannauj and ruled by another powerful king, Jayachandra. Prithviraj eloped with Samyogita, Jayachandra's daughter, according to a legend in Prithviraj Raso, sparking a rivalry between the two kings.
This is how the legend goes: King Jaichand (Jayachandra) of Kannauj decided to hold a Rajasuya ceremony to show that he was the ruler of the kingdom. By refusing to take part in this ceremony, Prithviraj denied that Jaichand was the supreme king. After hearing about Prithviraj's heroic deeds, Jaichand's daughter Samyogita fell in love with him and declared that she would only marry him. Prithviraj was not invited to the swayamvara (husband-selection) ceremony that Jaichand planned for his daughter. By and by, Prithviraj walked to Kannauj with 100 fighters and absconded with Samyogita. In the fight against the Gahadavala army, two thirds of his warriors gave their lives, allowing him and Samyogita to escape to Delhi. Prithviraj started spending most of his time with his new wife in Delhi after falling in love with her. He began to ignore the affairs of the state, which eventually resulted in his defeat against Muhammad of Ghor.
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This myth is also mentioned in Ain-i-Akbari by Abu'l-Fazl and Surjana-Charita by Chandrashekhara, which refers to the Gahadavala princess as "Kantimati." Despite the fact that Prithviraj had never seen this woman and was already married to other women, Prithviraja Vijaya mentions that he fell in love with the incarnation of an apsara named Tilottama. As per history specialist Dasharatha Sharma, this is most likely a reference to Samyogita. However, other historical sources such as Prithviraja-Prabandha, Prabandha-Chintamani, Prabandha-Kosha, and Hammira-Mahakavya do not contain any mention of this legend. The alleged Rajasuya performance by Jayachandra is not mentioned in the Gahadavala records either.
Due to the fact that this legend is mentioned in three distinct sources, Dasharatha Sharma and R. B. Singh contend that there may be some historical truth to it. The event occurs sometime prior to Prithviraj's final confrontation with Muhammad of Ghor in 1192 CE, according to all three sources.
War with the Ghurids
Prithviraj's ancestors had confronted different strikes from the Muslim lines that had caught the north-western region of the Indian subcontinent by the twelfth 100 years. The Ghurid dynasty, based in Ghazna, was in charge of the land to the west of the Chahamana kingdom by the late 12th century. While Prithviraj was as yet a kid, in 1175 CE, the Ghurid ruler Muhammad of Ghor crossed the Indus Stream and caught Multan. He invaded Gujarat in 1178 CE, where the Chaulukyas (Solankis) ruled. The Ghurid army appears to have passed through the western frontier of the Chahamana kingdom on its way to Gujarat, as evidenced by the looting of the Bhati-ruled city of Lodhruva and the destruction of several temples. According to the Prithviraja Vijaya, the Ghurid army's actions in the Chahamana kingdom were analogous to those of Rahu (in Hindu mythology, Rahu swallows the Sun, causing a solar eclipse). On the other hand, there is no mention of any military conflict between the two kingdoms. The Chahamanas of Naddula were in charge of the Naddula (Nadol) fort when the Ghurid army besieged it on its way to Gujarat. Kadambavasa, Prithviraj's chief minister, advised him to steer clear of the conflict and not assist the Ghurid rivals. The Chahamanas didn't promptly confront a Ghurid attack, on the grounds that the Chaulukyas of Gujarat crushed Muhammad at the Clash of Kasahrada in 1178 CE, constraining the Ghurids to withdraw.
Muhammad of Ghor conquered Peshawar, Sindh, and Punjab over the next few years to consolidate his power in the area west of the Chahamanas. He made efforts to expand his empire eastward, bringing him into conflict with Prithviraj, and he moved his base from Ghazna to Punjab.
In order to consolidate his power in the region west of the Chahamanas, Muhammad of Ghor conquered Peshawar, Sindh, and Punjab over the following few years. He moved his base from Ghazna to Punjab as he attempted to expand his empire eastward, resulting in conflict with Prithviraj.
Only one or two battles between the two rulers are mentioned by medieval Muslim writers. The two Battles of Tarain are mentioned in the Tabaqat-i Nasiri and Tarikh-i Firishta. Taj-ul-Maasir and Jami-ul-Hikaya only talk about the second battle of Tarain, where Prithviraj lost. The Hindu and Jain writers, on the other hand, assert that Prithviraj defeated Muhammad multiple times before his death:
- According to the Hammira Mahakavya, before letting Muhammad go, Prithviraj made him apologize to the princes whose territories he had ransacked after defeating him for the first time. Seven more times, Muhammad tried to invade the Chahamana kingdom, but each time he lost. His ninth invasion, however, was successful.
- The Prithviraja Prabandha states that the two lords took on 8 conflicts; In the first seven of these, Prithviraj defeated and captured the Ghurid king, but he released him without injury each time.
- According to the Prabandha Kosha, Prithviraj was able to capture Muhammad twenty times, but he was also captured during the 21st battle. Additionally, the Surjana Charita and Prithviraj Raso list 21 battles.
- According to the Prabandha Chintamani, Muhammad and Prithviraj engaged in 22 combats. It also says that in a previous battle, Prithviraj's army defeated the previous enemy king, which was won by a subordinate of Prithviraj who bravely gave himself up.
Even though these accounts seem to overstate the number, it's possible that the Ghurids and Chahamanas engaged in more than two battles during Prithviraj's reign. The early triumphs referenced by the Hindu and Jain essayists presumably allude to Prithviraj's effective shock of attacks by Ghurid commanders.
First battle of Tarain
Muhammad of Ghor invaded the Chahamana territory between 1190 and 1191 CE and took Tabarhindah, also known as Tabar-e-Hind, which is similar to Bathinda. He assigned it to Zia-ud-din, the Qazi of Tulak, who was aided by 1200 horses. Prithviraj marched toward Tabarhindah with his feudators, including Delhi's Govindaraja, when he learned of this. Firishta, a Muslim historian who lived in the 16th century, claims that his army consisted of 200,000 horses and 3,000 elephants.
Muhammad's unique arrangement was to get back to his base in the wake of overcoming Tabarhindah, however when he caught wind of Prithviraj's walk, he chose to set up a battle. He set out with an army and came across the forces of Prithviraj at Tarain. The Ghurids were decisively defeated by Prithviraj's army in the subsequent battle. Muhammad of Ghor was hurt, so he had to run away.
Because Prithviraj did not want to underestimate Ghori's ambition or invade hostile territory, he did not pursue the retreating Ghurid army. Only the Ghurid garrison at Tabarhindah was besieged by him, and after 13 months, it gave in.
Second battle of Tarain
It would appear that Prithviraj regarded the first battle of Tarain as nothing more than a frontier battle. The fact that he made few preparations for any subsequent conflict with Muhammad of Ghor supports this view. Prithviraj Raso claims that prior to his final confrontation with the Ghurids, he neglected the state's affairs and spent time having fun.
Muhammad of Ghor, on the other hand, made preparations to exact revenge when he returned to Ghazna. Tabaqat-i Nasiri claims that over the next few months, he assembled a well-equipped army of 120,000 selected Afghan, Tajik, and Turkic horsemen. After that, aided by Vijayaraja of Jammu, he marched toward the Chahamana kingdom through Multan and Lahore.
Prithviraj had been left with next to no partners because of his battles the adjoining Hindu lords. Despite this, he was able to gather a substantial army to oppose the Ghurids. Over 100 Rajput rulers, mostly War elephants, cavalrymen, and foot soldiers, were part of Prithviraj's impressive army, which he was able to successfully mobilize. The sixteenth century Muslim student of history Firishta assessed the strength of Prithviraj's military as 300,000 ponies and 3,000 elephants, notwithstanding an enormous infantry. Most likely, the purpose of this is to emphasize the magnitude of the Ghurid victory, and it is a huge exaggeration. In a letter to Muhammad of Ghor, Prithviraj promised him no harm if he returned to his own country. Muhammad insisted that he needed time to confer with his brother Ghiyath al-Din, who was based in Ghazna. Firishta claims that he agreed to a truce until his brother provided an answer. He did, however, plan to strike the Chahamanas.
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Jawami ul-Hikayat claims that Muhammad sent a few men to keep the campfires burning at night while the rest of his army moved in a different direction. The Chahamanas got the impression from this that the Ghurid army was still camped out and keeping the truce. Muhammad organized four divisions with 10,000 archers each after reaching a distance of several miles. The remainder of his army remained in reserve. He instructed the four divisions to pretend to retreat after launching an assault on the Chahamana camp.
While Prithviraj was still asleep, the four divisions of the Ghurid army launched an assault on the Chahamana camp at dawn. After a concise battle, the Ghurid divisions professed to withdraw as per Muhammad's procedure. As a result, Prithviraj was persuaded to pursue them, and the Chahamana army was worn out by afternoon. Muhammad attacked the Chahamanas with his reserve force at this point and decisively defeated them. Taj-ul-Maasir claims that this mess cost Prithviraj's camp 100,000 men, including Delhi's Govindaraja. Prithviraj attempted to flee on horseback, but he was pursued and captured near the Sarasvati fort (possibly Sirsa in modern times). Muhammad of Ghor then took Ajmer, enslaved many more, and destroyed the city's temples after killing several thousand defenders.
Jain records of Prithviraj's defeat
According to the majority of medieval sources, Prithviraj was transported to Ajmer, the capital of the Chahamana, where Muhammad planned to reassign him as a Ghurid vassal. Prithviraj rebelled against Muhammad sometime in the future, and he was executed for treason. The following numismatic evidence backs this up: Although it is possible that the Ghurids initially used Chahamana-style coinage to ensure greater acceptance of their own coinage in the former Chahamana territory, the Delhi mint did issue some "horse-and-bullman"-style coins bearing the names of both Prithviraj and "Muhammad bin Sam." This theory is further supported by Muhammad's appointment of the Chahamana prince Govindaraja to the throne of Ajmer following the death of Prithviraj.
The specific circumstances differ between the various sources:
- Hasan Nizami, a contemporary Muslim historian, claims that the Ghurid king ordered Prithviraj's beheading after he was caught conspiring against Muhammad. The nature of this plot is not explained in Nizami.
- Prabandha Chintamani (circa 1304) claims that Muhammad took him to Ajmer with the intention of letting him rule as a vassal. But in the Chahamana gallery in Ajmer, he saw paintings of Muslims being killed by pigs. He killed Prithviraj with an axe out of rage.
- According to Hammira Mahakavya, Prithviraj refused to eat after being captured. Similar to what the Chahamana king had done to Prithviraj in the past, the Ghurid king's nobles suggested that he release Prithviraj. Prithviraj, however, perished in captivity after Muhammad disregarded their counsel.
- According to Prithviraja-Prabandha, which is either from the 15th century or earlier, the Ghurids brought Prithviraj to Delhi and bound him with gold chains. The Ghurid king was criticized by Prithviraj for not following his lead and releasing the captured enemy. In the court that was held in front of the house where Prithviraj was imprisoned a few days later, while he was still in Ajmer, Prithviraj asked his former minister Kaimbasa for his bow and arrows in order to kill Muhammad. The shady minister gave him the bow and arrows, but he kept Muhammad from knowing about his plan.
Minhaj-i-Siraj, a Persian historian who lived in the 13th century, claims that Prithviraj was captured and "sent to hell." This account is also supported by Firishta, a historian from the 16th century. According to historian Satish Chandra, Minhaj's account suggests that Prithviraj was killed on the battlefield, but R. B. Singh believes that this cannot be inferred from Minhaj's writings. Viruddha-Vidhi Vidhvansa by Hindu author Lakshmidhara is the only source that supports this claim.
The Prithviraj Raso asserts that Prithviraj was blinded and taken prisoner to Ghazna. After hearing this, the poet Chand Bardai went to Ghazna and deceived Muhammad of Ghor into watching the blind Prithviraj perform archery. Prithviraj killed Muhammad by shooting the arrow in the direction of his voice during this performance. Prithviraj and Chand Bardai committed suicide shortly thereafter. This is a fictional story that lacks historical support: After Prithviraj's death, Muhammad of Ghor ruled for more than a decade.
The Ghurids made Prithviraj's son Govindaraja, now king of Ajmer, their vassal after his death. Hariraja, the younger brother of Prithviraj, dethroned Govindaraja in 1192 CE and regained control of a portion of his ancestral kingdom. Govindaraja established a new Chahamana branch of vassal rulers when he moved to Ranastambhapura, which is now Ranthambore. Later, the Ghurid general Qutb al-Din Aibak defeated Hariraja.
Legacy
Inscriptions
As per antiquarian R. B. Singh, at its level, Prithviraj's domain stretched out from Sutlej waterway in the west to the Betwa stream in the east, and from the Himalayan lower regions in the north to the foot of Mount Abu in the south. Subsequently, it included pieces of present-day Rajasthan, Uttrakhand, southern Punjab, northern Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and western Uttar Pradesh. [better source needed]
Notwithstanding, as indicated by paleologist Rima Hooja and history specialist R.C. Majumdar, Prithviraj acquired a realm that main extended till current Hissar and Sirhind (Bathinda) on north west, and till Delhi in North. Guhilas of Mewar and Chauhans of Nadol formed the southern border of his territory. Kingdoms of Bayana, Kachchhapaghatas of Gwalior, and Gahadavalas of Varnasi formed the eastern border, and the Ghaznavid empire formed the north-west border. In addition, Majumdar asserts that Prithviraj's military campaigns against his neighbors did not result in the annexation of territory.
There are only seven inscriptions that date back to Prithviraj's time; The king himself did not issue any of these:
Inscription of Barla or Badla, 1177 CE (1234 VS)
Inscription from Phalodi in 1179 CE (1236 VS): records the grants given by Ranaka Katiya, Prithviraj's vassal.
- Inscriptions from Madanpur from 1182 CE (1239 VS)
- 1st Inscription: mentions that Prithviraj invaded the Chandela ruler Paramardi's territory.
- 2nd Inscription: declares that Prithviraj plunders Jejakabhukti, the Chandela territory,
- naming Someshvara, Prithviraj's father, and Arnoraja, his grandfather.
- 3rd Inscription: Contains names of Shiva (Tryambaka, Chandrashekhara, and Tripuranta).
- Inscription from the Victoria Hall Museum in Udaipur, 1187 CE (1244 VS)
- Visalpur (Bisalpur close to Tonk) engraving, 1187 CE (1244 Versus)
Characterization
Stories written in Sanskrit in the late medieval (14th and 15th centuries) period depict Prithviraj as an unsuccessful king who is only remembered for his defeat against a foreign king. Jain authors Prabandha-Chintamani and Prithviraja-Prabandha portray him as an incompetent and unworthy king who was responsible for his own demise and whose mistreatment of his devout subordinates made them traitors. On the other hand, in the Hammira Mahakavya, which was also written by a Jain author, he is depicted as a brave man whose subordinates turned against him because they were just greedy. The Hammira Mahakavya, probably written to please a Chauhan lord, tries to glorify Prithviraj, who was an ancestor of the hero Hammira in the two Prabandha texts. However, it also contains elements of the Jain tradition.
Prithviraj is portrayed as a great hero in the legendary Prithviraj Raso, which was largely favored by Rajput courts. Prithviraj came to be depicted as a patriotic Hindu warrior who fought Muslim foes over time. He is remembered as a king whose rule divided Indian history into two major periods. In Hasan Nizami's Tajul-Ma'asir (early 13th century), it appears that the custom of depicting Prithviraj as a Hindu king who was defeated as part of the Islamic conquest of India began. Nizami tells his story as a description of "the Islamic way of life was established in the land of the Hindus" and "war with enemies of the faith." Both Tajul-Ma'asir and the later Tabaqat-i Nasiri (circa 1260) cite the Ghurid victory over Prithviraj as significant steps toward the Delhi Sultanate's establishment.
Legends from the 16th century portray him as the ruler of Delhi, India's political center, rather than Ajmer, his actual capital. For instance, Abul Fazl's Ain-I-Akbari doesn't connect the Chahamana administration with Ajmer by any means. In these legends, Prithviraj's association with Delhi enhanced his status as a symbol of pre-Islamic Indian power.
In eulogies, Prithviraj was referred to as "the last Hindu emperor." This designation is incorrect because he was followed by a number of more powerful Hindu rulers who flourished in South India. Even some current Hindu rulers in northern India were at least as powerful as him. Nevertheless, in his Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan, the British officer James Tod from the 19th century used this term several times to describe Prithviraj. Tod was influenced by Muslim accounts written in the medieval Persian language, which portray Prithviraj as a major ruler and his defeat as a significant turning point in the Islamic conquest of India. After Tod, a few stories kept on portraying Prithviraj as "the last Hindu ruler". For instance, the engravings at the Ajmer dedication (Smarak) to Prithviraj additionally honor him as "the last Hindu ruler".
Celebrity culture
Commemorations committed to Prithviraj have been developed in Ajmer and Delhi. His life has been the subject of numerous Indian motion pictures and television series. These are some: Prithviraj Chouhan was published in 1924; Prithviraj Sanyogita was published in 1929 by Narayanrao D. Sarpotdar; Prithviraj was published in 1930 by R. N. Vaidya; Prithviraj Sanyogita was published in 1933; Prithivirajan was published in 1942 by B. Sampathkumar; Prithviraj Samyogita was published in 1946 by Najam Naqvi; Samrat as well as the Hindi television series Main Dilli Hoon (from 1998 to 1999) and Dharti Ka Veer Yodha Prithviraj Chauhan (from 2006 to 2009). Rakesh Prasad distributed the Indian animated film Veer Yodha Prithviraj Chauhan (2008). Amar Chitra Katha (No. 1) featured Prithviraj as one of the first historical figures. 25). Many of these contemporary retellings emphasize a message of Hindu national unity and portray Prithviraj as an impeccable hero.
The computer game Period of Domains II HD: The campaign "Prithviraj" spans five chapters in The Forgotten.
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