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Establishment of The Delhi Sultanate Module - II

Military History of
The mistake Prithviraj made was that he did not pursue his enemy further but was
Medieval India
satisfied with recapturing the Bathinda fort. Had Prithviraj killed Ghori in the battle
then the military history would have been different. Probably, India would have seen a
different medieval period without the Delhi Sultanates or even the Mughal rulers. The
establishment of Muslim rule brought changes in military structure, military reforms,
new weapon systems, strategies and battle field tactics.
Note
In any case, what you should understand is that the success of Prithviraj during the first
battle was not capitalised upon. Hence the very next year, Ghori returned with vengeance
and attacked Prithviraj's forces in the second battle of Tarain.

Do you Know?

Prithvi Raj Chauhan was an exemplary ruler and military strategist. It is said he had
the art of hitting target only on the basis of the sound. He extended his empire by
defeating many kingdoms like Chandellas, Gahadavalas etc.. The Gahadavala ruler
Jaychandra tried to curb the ambition of Prithvi Raj Chauhan. It is said that Prithvi Raj
Chauhan abducted the daughter of Jaychandra, Sanyogita, when he was not invited
for the ‘Swayamvar’ by the latter. This incident has been immortalized by Chand
Barrdai in his epic Prithvi Raj Raso.

His major military achievement was the success in the first battle of Terrain in 1191.
He forced the army of Muhammad Ghori to retreat. It is said that he did not attack the
retreating army to protect the Rajput honour and tradition. Next year, in 1192,
Muhammad Ghori again attacked and this time Prithvi Raj Chauhan was defeated.
Many of the rulers had turned against him and did not help him in the second battle of
Terrain. The defeat of Prithvi Raj Chauhan paved the way for the establishment of the
Turkish rule in India which continued for about 300 years.

When Where Between Whom

First Battle 1191 A.D Tarain, Mohammed Ghori and Prithviraj
of Tarrain Haryana Chauhan
Prithviraj Chauhan won.

Second Battle 1192 A.D Tarain, Mohammed Ghori and Prithviraj
of Tarrain Haryana Chauhan

Mohammed Ghori won.

What positive aspects could be noted from the rule of Delhi Sultanates?

 There were changes in military structure
 Military reforms were undertaken
 New weapon system scame into being

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