Second Battle of Tarain

The Second Battle of Tarain was fought in 1192 by the Ghurids against the Chahamanas and their allies, near Tarain (modern Taraori in Haryana, India). The Ghurid king Mu'izz al-Din defeated Prithiviraj Chauhan Rajput King Of Delhi and Ajmer[4], thus avenging his earlier defeat at the First Battle of Tarain.

2nd Battle of Tarain

A 20th century artist's imagination of the battle from Hutchinson's Story of the Nations
Date1192
Location
Taraori (near Karnal)
Result Ghurid victory
Territorial
changes		 Mu'izz al-Din conquers much of north-west India including Delhi
Belligerents
Ghurid Empire Chahamanas of Shakambhari
Commanders and leaders
Mu'izz al-Din Prithviraj Chauhan
Strength
40,000[1]-120,000 (according to Minhaj)[2] 200,000[1]-300,000 cavalry and infantry,[lower-alpha 1] plus 2,000[1] - 3,000 War elephants

Background

Prithviraj Chauhan's forces had defeated the Ghurids at the First Battle of Tarain in 1191. The Ghurid king Mu'izz al-Din, who was seriously injured in the battle, returned to Ghazni. Sultan Shihabudin set himself to avenge his defeat. Arriving home he publicly disgraced all his captains who showed cowardice at Taraori. In a year and half he raised a vast force of Turki and Afgan military adventurers, estimated by eye witnesses at "120,000 cavalry clad in armour. When he reached Peshawar he had the wisdom of pardoning his lately dismissed captains and summoning them. The Rajput army this time was much smaller than last battle.[5] Mu'izz al-Din Following the Prophet's word that war is a kind of deception, played a cunning trick. He agreed to their peace message and said I am sending a messenger to my brother who is reigning Sultan, urguing him to agree to make peace with you on condition of Bhatinda, The Punjab and Multan remaining With House of Ghor and rest of hindustan under rajas. I beg you to suspend hostilities. The ruse proved a complete success. The simple trustful Rajputs swallowed the bait, and believing the invader's pacific tone to be due to his fear of their valour and a sense of his own weakness in numbers, they made no preparation for action. While Ghori wasted no time on his part. He matured his plan to attack Rajputs very next morning. He therefore, set his army in motion some hours before day-break, covered the intervening miles unmolested and secured a lodgement in front of the Hindu camp before they could take alarm.[6][7]

Size of the forces

According to the 16th-17th century writer Firishta, the battle, "the Chauhan army consisted of 3,000 elephants, 300,000 cavalry and infantry", which is considered an exaggeration by modern historians. According to Satish Chandra the figures were exaggerated in order to "emphasise the challenge faced by Muizzuddin and the scale of his victory".[3] Kaushik Roy gives the number as 200,000 cavalry and 2000 elephants.[1]

According to Minhaj-i-Siraj, Mu'izz al-Din brought 120,000 fully armored men to battle,[2] while Kaushik Roy states Mu'izz was only able to mobilize 40,000 cavalry for the second battle at Tarain.[1]

Battle

The battle occurred in the same field as the first one. Knowing the Chahamana forces were well-disciplined, the Ghurids did not want to engage in melee combat with them. Instead the Ghurids army was formed into five units, and four units were sent to attack the enemy flanks and rear.[8]

According to Minhaj, Mu'izz ad-Din directed a light cavalry force of 10,000 mounted archers, divided into four divisions, to surround the Chahamana forces on the four sides.[9] He instructed these soldiers not to engage in combat when the enemy advanced to attack, and instead feign retreat in order to exhaust the Chahamana elephants, horses, and infantry.[10]

In hopes of causing a break in the enemy lines, Mu'izz al-Din ordered his fifth unit to feign retreat. The Chahamana forces charged the fleeing Ghurid unit, as the Ghurids expected. The Ghurids then sent a fresh cavalry unit of 12,000 and they managed to throw back the enemy advance. The remaining Ghurid forces then attacked and the Chahamana troops fled in panic.[8] According to Minhaj, Mu'izz ad-Din's strategy "exhausted and wearied the unbelievers", ultimately resulting in a "victory to Islam".[10]

Aftermath

Minhaj states that Prithviraj ("Rae Pithora") dismounted from his elephant, and fled from the battlefield on a horse. He was, however, captured in the neighbourhood of Sursuti, and later "dispatched to hell".[10] Most medieval sources state that Prithviraj was taken to the Chahamana capital Ajmer, where Muhammad planned to reinstate him as a Ghurid vassal. Sometime later, Prithviraj rebelled against Muhammad, and was killed for 'treason'.[11]

The Ghurid forces subjugated the entire Chahamana territory of "Siwalikh"[10] (or Sawalakh, that is, Sapadalaksha).[12] The Ghurids then appointed his son Govindaraja IV on the throne of Ajmer as their vassal. Prithviraj's younger brother Hariraja dethroned Govindaraja, and recaptured a part of his ancestral kingdom, but was later defeated by the Ghurid general Qutb al-Din Aibak.[13] The Ghurids subsequently defeated another powerful king - Jayachandra of Gahadavala dynasty - at the Battle of Chandawar, and conquered parts of northern India as far as Bengal.[8]

See also
  • Battles fought in Rajasthan

Notes
  1. (according to Firishta; considered an exaggeration by modern historians).[3]

References
  1. Roy 2004, p. 40.
  2. Satish Chandra 2006, p. 25.
  3. Satish Chandra 2006, pp. 25-26.
  4. "Battles of Taraori | Indian history". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
  5. "MILITARY HISTORY OF INDIA : SARKAR, JADUNATH : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming". Internet Archive. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
  6. "MILITARY HISTORY OF INDIA : SARKAR, JADUNATH : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming". Internet Archive. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
  7. "MILITARY HISTORY OF INDIA : SARKAR, JADUNATH : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming". Internet Archive. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
  8. Spencer C. Tucker 2009, p. 263.
  9. Cynthia Talbot 2015, p. 47.
  10. Cynthia Talbot 2015, p. 48.
  11. Dasharatha Sharma 1959, p. 87.
  12. Cynthia Talbot 2015, p. 33.
  13. Dasharatha Sharma 1959, pp. 100–01.

Bibliography
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