The Battles of Tarain, also known as the Battles of Taraori, were fought in 1191 and 1192 near the town of Tarain (Taraori), near Thanesar in present-day Haryana, approximately 150 kilometres north of Delhi, India, between the Muslim Ghurid army led by Sultan Shahāb-ud-Din Muhammad Ghori and the Hindu Ajmer Rajput army led by King Prithviraj Chauhan.[1]
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The Sanskrit manuscript Prithviraja Vijaya gives a contemporary account of the 12th century Kingdom of Ajmer ruled by the Chauhan clan. The poem Prithviraj Raso provides a more romantic version of the events. Later works like Viruddhavidhi-vidhvamsa and Hammir-mahakavya add some details. Also, there are various Muslim sources narrating the events.
Sultan Shahāb-ud-Din Muhammad Ghori decided to extend the boundary of his Ghurid empire. To realize his ambition, he made his first incursion into India in 1175 CE. After subduing the Isma'īlī Muslims of Multan, he made an unsuccessful advance into Gujarat in 1178 CE. Nevertheless, he was successful in seizing Peshawar and building a fort at Sialkot in 1181 CE. With the help of the ruler of Jammu, Jāydēv, he put an end to the rule of the Ghaznavid empire in Panjab and captured Lahore in 1186 CE. With this the way was opened for him to push his conquests further into India.
Ghaurī’s conquests had brought his kingdom right to Prithvīrāj's border, and in 1191 Ghaurī captured a fortress, either Sirhind or Bathinda in in the present-day Indian State of Panjab, on Prithvīrāj's northwestern frontier. Prithvirāj's army, led by his vassal Govinda-Rāj of Delhi, rushed to the defense of the frontier, and the two armies met at Tarain.
The total Rajput army is estimated at 50,000 with cavalry at 20,000. The Muslim army can be estimated at 35,000 cavalry (+ camels, infantry, elephants numbers unknown) with 10,000 in either wing and a few thousand rearguard. The Turk army, coming from horse breeding regions, was probably dominated by cavalry. A previous Turk invader, Mahmud Ghaznavi, captured elephants in India and they formed part of Muslim armies since then.
According to Firishta, the Rajput army consisted of 3,000 elephants, 300,000 horsemen and infantry.[2] Most historians, however, believe these figures are exaggerated.
In 1191, Muhammad Ghauri threw the gauntlet by laying siege to the fortress of Bhatinda in East Punjab which was on the frontier of Prithiviraj's domains. Prithviraj's appeal for help from his father-in-law was scornfully rejected by the haughty Jaichandra. But undaunted Prithviraj marched on to Bhatinda and met his enemy at a place called Tarain (also called Taraori) near the ancient town of Thanesar. In face of the persistent Rajput attacks, the battle was won as the Muslim army broke ranks and fled leaving their general Muhammad Ghauri as a prisoner in Pritiviraj's hands. Muhammad Ghauri was brought in chains to Pithoragarh - Prithviraj's capital and he begged his victor for mercy and release. Prithviraj's ministers advised against pardoning the aggressor. But the chivalrous and valiant Prithviraj thought otherwise and respectfully released the vanquished Ghori.
Ghauri's defeated army retreated to Lahore and, thereafter, returned to Ghazni. Prithvi Raj ignored the advice of his advisers and did not pursue the retreating army, which was a decision he later regretted.
On his return to Ghazni, Ghori made hectic preparations to avenge the defeat. When he reached Lahore, he sent his envoy to Prithviraj to demand his submission, but the Chauhan ruler refused to comply. Prithviraj saw through Ghori's stratagem. So he issued a fervent appeal to his fellow Rajput chiefs to come to his aid against the Muslim invader. About 150 Rajput chiefs responded favourably.
Whatever army could be mustered, Prithviraj proceeded with it to meet Muhammad Ghori in Tarain where a year before he had inflicted a crushing defeats on his adversary.
It is alleged that the Rajput ruler Jaichand of Kannauj met Ghori and divulged the secrets of Chauhan's planning of war. This was because Raja Jaichand had a grudge against Prithviraj Chauhan.[3]
It has been said Ghori that proceeded towards India with a large force numbering 120000 mounted men. But, that number is exaggerated because Muslim sources only state cavalry forces and barely mention the others, and in the Second Battle of Tarain they state that Ghori divided his army into four units of 10,000 horse keeping the fifth of 12,000 under his own command, giving a total of 52,000 cavalry with the camels, infantry, and elephant numbers unknown for Muhammad Ghori's army. Also, the Turk army was dominated by its cavalry.
It is estimated that the Chauhan army numbered 30,000 at the most, with the all-important cavalry at only 10,000. The only general named in prithviraja vijaya is Govindraj of Delhi and Prithviraj himself, and both Hindu and Muslim accounts state that Prithviraj tried to buy time by negotiating so that at least Udayaraj would come up in time to bolster his army.
Prithiviraj's gesture was repaid by Ghori who re-attacked Prithiviraj with a stronger army and guilefully defeated him by attacking the Rajput army before daybreak. (The Hindus incidentally followed a hoary practice of battling only from sunrise up to sunset. Before Sunrise and after Sunset there was to be no fighting- as per a time honoured battle code).The defeated Prithiviraj was pursued up to his capital and in chains he was taken as a captive to Ghor in Afghanistan.
As a prisoner in Ghor Prithiviraj
The seriousness of this defeat for India cannot be exaggerated. The victory of Mohammad of Ghur was decisive, and laid the foundation of the Sultanate of Delhi.
In spite of the establishment of Muslim rule in Delhi and UP (Uttar Pradesh) in the former kingdoms of Prithiviraj Chauhan and Jaichand Rathod, the Muslim invaders could never overrun the entire country. The Rajput dynasties like the Tomaras of Gwaliar and the Ranas of Mewad still continued to rule central India. One such Rajput ruler was Man Singh Tomar the king of Gwaliar. Man Singh put up a stout resistance to the Lodis and he succeeded in halting the Muslim ruler Sikandar Lodi's southward march at Gwaliar. While the Tomaras of Gwaliar held back the Muslims from advancing into Malwa, the Ranas of Mewad held up the banner of Indian independence from Mewad in those trying times of Muslim aggression in India. In South Rajasthan especially, the Rajputs had defiantly preserved their writ by resisting the Delhi Sultans. The center of this Rajput resistance was the kingdom at Chittor.
There was also a Third battle of Tarrain which was fought between Iltutmish and Yalduz in which Yalduz was defeated.Though this battle is less popular and less relevant but Tarrain had witnessed not 2 but three battles.This battle took place in 1215-16 A.D. Details submitted by Mr.Ankit Abhishek.