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2nd Battle of Tarain
A 20th century artist's imagination of the battle from Hutchinson's Story of the Nations
Date 1192 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
40,000-120,000 (according to Minhaj)	200,000-300,000 cavalry and infantry, plus 2,000 - 3,000 War elephants

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 The Rajput King Of Delhi and Ajmer, thus avenging his earlier defeat at the First Battle of Tarain.

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,Arrived at home he publicly discraged All his captains who show Cowardice at Taraori.In a Year and Half he raised a vast force of Turki and Afgan military Adventures,estimated by eye witnesss at "120,000 cavalary clad in armour.When he reached Peshawar he had wisdom of pardoning his lately Dismmed capatain and Summoning Them. The Rajput a Army This Time was much smaller than Last battle. Mu'izz al-Din Following Prophet's word that war is kind of deception played a Cunning Trick.He Played a cunning Trick He agreed to Their peace Message And said I am sending A Messanger to my Brother who is reigning Sultan,urguing him to agree to make peace With u on condition of Bhatinda,The Punjab and Multan remaining With House of Ghor and Rest of hindustan under rajas.I beg u to suspend hostities. The ruse proved a Complete success.The simple Trustful Rajputs swallowed the bait,And believing the invader pacific tond 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 waste 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 secure a lodgement in front of Hindu camp before they could take alarm.

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". Kaushik Roy gives the number as 200,000 cavalry and 2000 elephants.

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

Battle

It was the early winter dawn's Of Winter day.The deluded hindus were totally off Their Guard.Most of The soldiers came out of their quaters intk the waete land around for answering The call of Nature.But si vast and Sprawling was the hindu camp that The surprise caused no disaster To It.,Especially as Shihabudin held his men in hands instead of dispersing Them by Dashing attacks.However he has 2 advantages.

• He siezed that Tactical initiative and Forced the Rajput to fight on Ground and in this manner of turk's own choosing,Instead of the defenders deleivering any attack planned and Prepare for before.In fact all day Long The Rajputs had to dance exactly as Mu'izz al-Din Played The tune.
• The Hindus had to Fight on Empty stomachs.

It was hindu practice time to prepare for a Pitched Battle by walking in early moring at 3:00' Clock,Performing Morning wash and Worship,Eating the cooked Food kept ready beforehand,Putting on Arms,And marching out to their Appointed places in line of Battle at sunrise.But,In second Battle Of Tarrain,Rajputs could take No breakfast,They had to snatch up their Arms and Form their Lines as Best they could.Shihabudin's Plan of Battle was to Give Rajput Cavalry no Chance for their shock tactics which had proved Irresistible in His first encounter with Them,But to make them move as willed.He had left his heavy baggage,stores,Elephants and Non-combatants in his camp,ten miles behind and Advanced in Light kit with his Fighters Only.His cavalry,All Archers,were placed in Four Divisons of About 10,000 men each,Who formed his vanguard,Right and Left wings,And Rear.They were Ordered to Advance turn by Turn and Keep the Rajputs in play by shooting at them for a Distance,But when the indians advance to engage him they were to feign Fight and Retreat beyond a Horse's course,So as not to be entangle In Combat.The reall striking Force of Shihabudin was a Corps of 12,000 Stell-clad warriors,Select mem mounted on superb Horses,kept under his personal command as "Strengh in Reserve" in the centre a short distance behind the front line of Attack.They were to be launch at right moment to to decide The issue. These Tactics baffled hindus.They spend all energy and Time in Futile game of chasing and trying to capture elusive Central asian horseman before Them.So,In this way The Battle or Series Of Skirmishes,raged from 9 o' clock to 3 o' clock in afternoon,At3 end of which Hindus were utterly Dissprited By Futtility of Their exertions and Exhausted from Hunger and Thirst. Their Rigid Caste Rules prevented Them from being readily refreshed with Food and Drink in Battle Front. After Such an Unconquerable Lassitude had seized the Hindu ranks,Shihabudin Gave The signal.His 12,000 Choice Heavy cavalry advance like a Solid wedge smashing their Way through The loose-knit Wavering Rajput ranks.Nothing could stanf Before such shock tactics. In a Twink of eye The Battle was Over.The Hindus broke into a Hopless fight in which Many of them cut down Unresisting.Govind rai,The leaer Of The van had been killed earlier And Now Prithviraj himself,who had changed his elephant for a Horse,Was swept away by the tides of Fugitives,Captured on Bank of Saraswati,And Put to Death In Cold blood,To Apppease Shihabudin's wrath. With him fell many others of 150 hindu rajas who joined The National confederacy.Legends and Songs have Preserve the name of only some of Martyrs

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". 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'.

The Ghurid forces subjugated the entire Chahamana territory of "Siwalikh" (or Sawalakh, that is, Sapadalaksha). 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. 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.

See also

• Battles fought in Rajasthan

Notes

1. (according to Firishta; considered an exaggeration by modern historians).

References

1. ^ Roy 2004, p. 40.
2. ^ Satish Chandra 2006, p. 25.
3. ^ Satish Chandra 2006, pp. 25–26.
4. "India - The Rajputs". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
5. "Agnikula | Indian Rajput royal lineage". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
6. "Battles of Taraori | Indian history". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
7. "MILITARY HISTORY OF INDIA : SARKAR, JADUNATH : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming". Internet Archive. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
8. "MILITARY HISTORY OF INDIA : SARKAR, JADUNATH : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming". Internet Archive. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
9. "MILITARY HISTORY OF INDIA : SARKAR, JADUNATH : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming". Internet Archive. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
10. "MILITARY HISTORY OF INDIA : SARKAR, JADUNATH : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming". Internet Archive. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
11. "MILITARY HISTORY OF INDIA : SARKAR, JADUNATH". Internet Archive. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
12. "MILITARY HISTORY OF INDIA : SARKAR, JADUNATH :". Internet Archive. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
13. ^ Cynthia Talbot 2015, p. 48.
14. Dasharatha Sharma 1959, p. 87.
15. Cynthia Talbot 2015, p. 33.
16. Dasharatha Sharma 1959, pp. 100–01.
17. Spencer C. Tucker 2009, p. 263.

Bibliography

• Cynthia Talbot (2015). The Last Hindu Emperor: Prithviraj Cauhan and the Indian Past, 1200–2000. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781107118560. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Dasharatha Sharma (1959). Early Chauhān Dynasties. S. Chand / Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 9780842606189. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Satish Chandra (2006). Medieval India: From Sultanat to the Mughals-Delhi Sultanat (1206-1526). Har-Anand. ISBN 978-81-241-1064-5. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Spencer C. Tucker (2009). A Global Chronology of Conflict: From the Ancient World to the Modern Middle East. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-85109-672-5. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Roy, Kaushik (2004). India's Historic Battles: From Alexander the Great to Kargil. Orient Longman. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)

• Islamic rule in the Indian subcontinent
• Battles involving the Indian kingdoms
• 12th century in India
• Battles involving the Ghurids
• Conflicts in 1191
• Conflicts in 1192
• 1191 in Asia
• 1192 in Asia
• Karnal district