A brave King, a fiery love story,a tragic albeit heroic end, story of Prithviraj has all elements of melodrama in it. Born at a very crucial moment in Indian History his position is such that even though King of a small realm, he has continued to live the hearts of Indians even after several centuries. The glorious Kings of yore Maurya's, Gupta's, flag bearer of revolt Rana Pratap or the comeback man Shivaji Raje and Sikh Gurus/Ranjit Singh all have their stories and in many ways are more successful than him, yet it is story of his courage and magnanimity , his fall and tragic end that still enchants the India. Personally I read the stories and lives of all the kings mentioned above in books except Prithviraj .I had heard something like this:
चार बाँस, चौबीस गज, अंगुल अष्ट प्रमाण,
ता उपर सुल्तान है, मत चूको चौहान ।।
Yup many might have heard this couplet.So deeply etched is his story in national narrative of India that we borrow idioms from his story. Addressing a traitor as Jaichand is prime example.Recently Kumar Vishwas of AAP termed Kiran Bedi a Jaichand for joining BJP and thus betraying their cause.
Beginnings:
Prithviraj Chauhan was born at Ajaymeru (Ajmer) in 1149 A.D. His father was Someshwar Chauhan and mother Karpuri Devi, a Kalachuri (Chedi) princess, daughter of Achalaraja of Tripuri.
He sat on the throne at the age of 13 in 1165 AD. According to "PrithviRaj Raso" his original kingdom was located at Sambhar in Rajasthan. Soon he extended his kingdom through ceaseless campaigns and it included most of present day Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, East Punjab and parts of Gujrat.
His fast rise made him enemies with the Chalukyas of Gujrat and the powerful King of Kannuj Jaichand Gahadwal. Jaichand had inherited most of whatever was left of Harsha's Emipre(Ganga Basin-modern day UP/Bihar).
Moreover both Prithviraj and JaiChand were related via the Tomar Clan of Delhi, as their mothers were from this clan.
Svayamvara of Sanyogita
Svayamvara of the daughter of Jaichand was organised and all other Kings/Princes were invited but not Prithviraj. It is said that Prithviraj had heard of the beauty of Sanyogita and she too had seen his portrait and heard of his bravery.Both had met at a temple while Prithiviraj was on his way to fight the Chaluyka ruler of Gujrat BhimDev Solanki. Jaichand came to know about this affair and organised a svayamvara for her daughter without inviting Prithviraj. Moreover to mock Prithviraj he placed his statue at the door as if he were a doorman.
To the surprise of all those present in court Sanyogita crossed all the Kings/Princes without acknowledging any one of them and garlanded the statue of Prithviraj.
Prithviraj too was hiding behind the doors in disguise and quickly eloped with Sanyogita on his horse. This event occurred in 1175 AD.It caused further enmity between Prithviraj and Jaichand.
First battle of Taraori (1191 AD)
Second battle of Taraori(1192 AD)
An year later Mohamad of Ghor returned with an army of 120,000 Afghans, Turks, and Persians.The rematch took place on the same battlefield; again, no exact date is recorded. This time, Mohamad was careful not to allow his troops to close with the Rajputs. Strength of Turks was their mobile archers on horseback and getting closer to Rajputs meant a hand to hand sword fight which was the strength of Rajputs .He choose to attack at pre-dawn hours which was against the code of conduct followed in India where all wartime activities were stopped from dusk till dawn.He divided his force into five divisions. Four of them he sent to attack the Rajput flanks and, if possible, attack their rear. Anytime the Rajputs pressed them, they were to feign panic and retreat. After fighting for most of the day and failing to break the Rajput ranks, Mohamad began withdrawing his entire force. Again, he feigned panic, and this time the Rajputs took the bait. The fifth division of 12,000 cavalry that he had held in reserve under his own command was still fresh, and they attacked headlong into the fatigued Rajputs who were less than coordinated because of their desire to crush what they presumed was a defeated enemy. This attack broke the Rajput pursuit and sent them fleeing; the remainder of the Moslem force turned and rode the Rajputs down. Seeing his army disintegrating, Prithviraj abandoned his elephant and mounted a horse for a quicker escape, but the momentum of the Moslem charge carried his pursuers quickly to him. He was captured a few miles away and then executed; most of his subordinates died in the battle as well.
Impact:
The result of this victory was the annexation of Ajmir, Hansi, Sirsuti and Delhi, ruthless slaughter and a general destruction of temples and idols followed.
Province of Bihar fell in 1193 AD and Buddhism was wiped out from India.By 1202 parts of Bengal were captured.
Role of Jaichand
Before the second battle of Taraori Prithviraj tried to put up a confederacy of Rajput states to counter Ghauri, but Jaichand never joined it.He was one of the strongest Kings of North India at that time.Instead it is alleged he instigated Ghauri to attack Prithviraj . After the fall of Prithviraj he himself was defeated and killed by Ghauri in 1193 AD in the battle of Chandanwar.
How Chandbardai ends it and How India remembers it
Chand mentions that after 1st Battle of Taraori Ghauri was captured and presented before Chauhan.
The valiant Chauhan treated him with respect and set him free for a nominal fine. But the next time round when the fortunes were turned Prithviraj was shown no such courtesy.
An excerpt from Prithviraj Raso:
सत्रह बार पराजित रण में करके क्षमा किया था |
जीवनदान दुष्ट गौरी को पृथ्वीराज दिया था |
पर कृतघ्न के रक्त में ही था छल और कपट समाया |
पृथ्वीराज को हरा के उसने बंदी आज बनाया |
नेत्रहीन किया पृथ्वी को और उस नृशंस गौरी ने |
मृत्युदंड घोषित कर फिर डाला कालकोठरी में |
हार न माने पृथ्वीराज पर, युक्ति नई रचाई |
शब्दबेधी की प्रतिभा दिखलाने की बात बताई |
मान गया लालायित गौरी चकित कि यह कैसे हो |
बिना नेत्र के भी लक्ष्य का भेदन आखिर कैसे हो |
पृथ्वीराज सामने प्रस्तुत सम्मुख शत्रु गौरी |
चंदबरदाई बोले दोहा, मृत्यु बुलाया गौरी |
ईश्वर का बस ध्यान लगा के बाण चलाया क्षण में |
हर ले गया प्राण गौरी के बाण वही उसी क्षण में |
अत्याचारी कपटी का तो अंत यही होता है |
सत्य का योद्धा पीड़ित हो, परास्त नहीं होता है |
जब जब भारत को पीड़ित करने गौरी आयेंगे |
पृथ्वीराज हमारे उनके शीश काट लायेंगे |
नहीं झुकेगा माँ का मस्तक पुनः, यही अब प्रण है |
भगवे के गौरव की रक्षा को लड़ना हर रण है |
This brings us the famed archery scene , a couplet related to which I mentioned in the beginning of the post.
Chand provides the location of sultan and Prithviraj shoots an arrow killing Ghauri on spot.
After killing Ghauri, Chand and Prithviraj stab each other and thus embrace martyrdom.
Version of Chand is what India believes. It shows the power of poetry/tale in nation building.
Often times in our lives we too hear to what our heart says and not what our head.A certain idea of romantic past is required for any nation. That after 1192 AD India remained in Muslim clutches till 1707 AD(death of Aurangzeb) made this tale more meaningful and necessary for the Hindu morale.
It helped them to stick to the memories of their wronged King, his bravery and magnanimity.
In short it did what poetry generally does,gave hope when there was none.
An open question- End of Prithviraj & Ghauri?
Even today near the grave of Ghauri in Kabul is the tomb of Prithviraj and afghans throw shoes at it.
Their version is also the same as Chand that Prithviraj killed their Sultan during the game of archery.
But according to historical records it was Gakhar Rajputs loyal to Prithviraj who killed Ghauri in an ambush in 1206 in Jhelum district of Punjab(now Pakistan).
As the Voltaire says "History is the lie we all agree upon" and in such cases of distant past its up to ourselves what we want to believe and I choose to believe Chand. What about you?
चार बाँस, चौबीस गज, अंगुल अष्ट प्रमाण,
ता उपर सुल्तान है, मत चूको चौहान ।।
Yup many might have heard this couplet.So deeply etched is his story in national narrative of India that we borrow idioms from his story. Addressing a traitor as Jaichand is prime example.Recently Kumar Vishwas of AAP termed Kiran Bedi a Jaichand for joining BJP and thus betraying their cause.
Beginnings:
Prithviraj Chauhan was born at Ajaymeru (Ajmer) in 1149 A.D. His father was Someshwar Chauhan and mother Karpuri Devi, a Kalachuri (Chedi) princess, daughter of Achalaraja of Tripuri.
He sat on the throne at the age of 13 in 1165 AD. According to "PrithviRaj Raso" his original kingdom was located at Sambhar in Rajasthan. Soon he extended his kingdom through ceaseless campaigns and it included most of present day Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, East Punjab and parts of Gujrat.
His fast rise made him enemies with the Chalukyas of Gujrat and the powerful King of Kannuj Jaichand Gahadwal. Jaichand had inherited most of whatever was left of Harsha's Emipre(Ganga Basin-modern day UP/Bihar).
Moreover both Prithviraj and JaiChand were related via the Tomar Clan of Delhi, as their mothers were from this clan.
Svayamvara of Sanyogita
Svayamvara of the daughter of Jaichand was organised and all other Kings/Princes were invited but not Prithviraj. It is said that Prithviraj had heard of the beauty of Sanyogita and she too had seen his portrait and heard of his bravery.Both had met at a temple while Prithiviraj was on his way to fight the Chaluyka ruler of Gujrat BhimDev Solanki. Jaichand came to know about this affair and organised a svayamvara for her daughter without inviting Prithviraj. Moreover to mock Prithviraj he placed his statue at the door as if he were a doorman.
To the surprise of all those present in court Sanyogita crossed all the Kings/Princes without acknowledging any one of them and garlanded the statue of Prithviraj.
Prithviraj too was hiding behind the doors in disguise and quickly eloped with Sanyogita on his horse. This event occurred in 1175 AD.It caused further enmity between Prithviraj and Jaichand.
First battle of Taraori (1191 AD)
In the winter of 1190–1191, Mohamad of Ghor came to India with the
intent of conquering as much of the northern part of the subcontinent as
possible. He quickly captured the fortress town of Bhatinda and established a
garrison of 1,200 cavalry under the command of one of his best generals, Qazi
Ziya-ud-din. As Bhatinda was in Prithviraj's Kingdom, it was not surprising that Prithviraj immediately responded. The site where the two rivals fought was near Panipat,
site of so many battles in Indian history. This particular battlefield has been
called variously Tarain, Narain, and Taraori, with the third being slightly more
widely used (although Tarain seems the most accepted in the latest accounts).
Never had Mohamad’s troops faced such a well-trained foe, and in 1191 (no
particular date has been recorded) the Rajputs had the upper hand. No numbers
have been recorded either, but all accounts say that the Rajputs outnumbered the
Moslem army. Using the standard steppe tactics, Mohamad launched his cavalry at
the enemy center to harass it with archery fire, but the Rajputs not only stood
firm but responded with flanking movements of their own that repeatedly forced
the Moslems to retreat. Believing he needed to perform some personal act of
bravery to save the day, Mohamad himself led a charge that was met by
Prithvaraja’s brother, Govind Rai, the viceroy of Delhi. Mohamad attacked “and
shattered his [Govind Rai’s] teeth with his lance,” but, as he was dying, Govind
Rai had pierced Mohamad’s arm with his javelin. This wound was serious, and
Mohamad was unhorsed and bleeding profusely. He was rescued by one of his
soldiers who, riding double in the saddle, escaped with his commander.
Mohamad rejoined his retreating forces and was placed on a litter, and the
army retreated to Ghor. The Rajputs, rather than pursuing, laid siege to
Bhatinda. It took 13 months before they were finally able to recapture the town.Second battle of Taraori(1192 AD)
An year later Mohamad of Ghor returned with an army of 120,000 Afghans, Turks, and Persians.The rematch took place on the same battlefield; again, no exact date is recorded. This time, Mohamad was careful not to allow his troops to close with the Rajputs. Strength of Turks was their mobile archers on horseback and getting closer to Rajputs meant a hand to hand sword fight which was the strength of Rajputs .He choose to attack at pre-dawn hours which was against the code of conduct followed in India where all wartime activities were stopped from dusk till dawn.He divided his force into five divisions. Four of them he sent to attack the Rajput flanks and, if possible, attack their rear. Anytime the Rajputs pressed them, they were to feign panic and retreat. After fighting for most of the day and failing to break the Rajput ranks, Mohamad began withdrawing his entire force. Again, he feigned panic, and this time the Rajputs took the bait. The fifth division of 12,000 cavalry that he had held in reserve under his own command was still fresh, and they attacked headlong into the fatigued Rajputs who were less than coordinated because of their desire to crush what they presumed was a defeated enemy. This attack broke the Rajput pursuit and sent them fleeing; the remainder of the Moslem force turned and rode the Rajputs down. Seeing his army disintegrating, Prithviraj abandoned his elephant and mounted a horse for a quicker escape, but the momentum of the Moslem charge carried his pursuers quickly to him. He was captured a few miles away and then executed; most of his subordinates died in the battle as well.
Impact:
The result of this victory was the annexation of Ajmir, Hansi, Sirsuti and Delhi, ruthless slaughter and a general destruction of temples and idols followed.
Province of Bihar fell in 1193 AD and Buddhism was wiped out from India.By 1202 parts of Bengal were captured.
Role of Jaichand
Before the second battle of Taraori Prithviraj tried to put up a confederacy of Rajput states to counter Ghauri, but Jaichand never joined it.He was one of the strongest Kings of North India at that time.Instead it is alleged he instigated Ghauri to attack Prithviraj . After the fall of Prithviraj he himself was defeated and killed by Ghauri in 1193 AD in the battle of Chandanwar.
How Chandbardai ends it and How India remembers it
Chand mentions that after 1st Battle of Taraori Ghauri was captured and presented before Chauhan.
The valiant Chauhan treated him with respect and set him free for a nominal fine. But the next time round when the fortunes were turned Prithviraj was shown no such courtesy.
An excerpt from Prithviraj Raso:
सत्रह बार पराजित रण में करके क्षमा किया था |
जीवनदान दुष्ट गौरी को पृथ्वीराज दिया था |
पर कृतघ्न के रक्त में ही था छल और कपट समाया |
पृथ्वीराज को हरा के उसने बंदी आज बनाया |
नेत्रहीन किया पृथ्वी को और उस नृशंस गौरी ने |
मृत्युदंड घोषित कर फिर डाला कालकोठरी में |
हार न माने पृथ्वीराज पर, युक्ति नई रचाई |
शब्दबेधी की प्रतिभा दिखलाने की बात बताई |
मान गया लालायित गौरी चकित कि यह कैसे हो |
बिना नेत्र के भी लक्ष्य का भेदन आखिर कैसे हो |
पृथ्वीराज सामने प्रस्तुत सम्मुख शत्रु गौरी |
चंदबरदाई बोले दोहा, मृत्यु बुलाया गौरी |
ईश्वर का बस ध्यान लगा के बाण चलाया क्षण में |
हर ले गया प्राण गौरी के बाण वही उसी क्षण में |
अत्याचारी कपटी का तो अंत यही होता है |
सत्य का योद्धा पीड़ित हो, परास्त नहीं होता है |
जब जब भारत को पीड़ित करने गौरी आयेंगे |
पृथ्वीराज हमारे उनके शीश काट लायेंगे |
नहीं झुकेगा माँ का मस्तक पुनः, यही अब प्रण है |
भगवे के गौरव की रक्षा को लड़ना हर रण है |
This brings us the famed archery scene , a couplet related to which I mentioned in the beginning of the post.
Chand provides the location of sultan and Prithviraj shoots an arrow killing Ghauri on spot.
After killing Ghauri, Chand and Prithviraj stab each other and thus embrace martyrdom.
Version of Chand is what India believes. It shows the power of poetry/tale in nation building.
Often times in our lives we too hear to what our heart says and not what our head.A certain idea of romantic past is required for any nation. That after 1192 AD India remained in Muslim clutches till 1707 AD(death of Aurangzeb) made this tale more meaningful and necessary for the Hindu morale.
It helped them to stick to the memories of their wronged King, his bravery and magnanimity.
In short it did what poetry generally does,gave hope when there was none.
An open question- End of Prithviraj & Ghauri?
Even today near the grave of Ghauri in Kabul is the tomb of Prithviraj and afghans throw shoes at it.
Their version is also the same as Chand that Prithviraj killed their Sultan during the game of archery.
But according to historical records it was Gakhar Rajputs loyal to Prithviraj who killed Ghauri in an ambush in 1206 in Jhelum district of Punjab(now Pakistan).
As the Voltaire says "History is the lie we all agree upon" and in such cases of distant past its up to ourselves what we want to believe and I choose to believe Chand. What about you?
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