http://www.zeenews.com/znnew/articles.asp?aid=232105&sid=ENT&ssid=43

Prithviraj Chauhan's grave exists in Afghanistan: Book

New Delhi, July 31: While the legendary Rajput king Prithviraj Chauhan is a hero in India, his 'grave' in Afghanistan is visited by the locals even today to vent their anger for killing Mohammed Ghori, 900 years ago says a new book.

The book "Arms and Armour: Traditional Weapons of India" by E Jaiwant Paul says on the outskirts of Ghazni are two domed tombs... The larger was of Ghori and few meters away was a second smaller tomb of Prithviraj Chauhan.

"In the centre of the second tomb was a bare patch of earth where the actual grave should have been. Hanging over this spot from the top of the dome is a long, thick rope ending in a knot at shoulder height. Local visitors would grab hold of this knot in one hand and stamp vigorously and repeatedly with one foot on the bare patch in the centre of the tomb," says Paul, a weapons collector.

Paul, who saw this on his visit to Afghanistan says on seeking an explanation, he found that the Afghans still stamped on his grave because Prithviraj killed Ghori, 900 years ago.

Most history books say that Prithviraj was slain in a battle. But in Afghanistan, Prithviraj's tomb stands near Ghazni and history books need to be rewritten, he says adding "his remains must be brought back home, where they belong."

Prithviraj III
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Statue of Prithvi Raj Chauhan at Ajmer

Prithviraj Chauhan (c. 1168-1192) Prithviraj Chauhan was a king of the Rajput Chauhan (Chauhamana) Rajput dynasty, who ruled a kingdom in northern India during the latter half of the 12th century.

Prithviraj Chauhan was the second last Hindu king to sit upon the throne of Delhi (the last Hindu king being Hemu, who managed to sit on the throne of Delhi for a few days after Humayun's death).

He succeeded to the throne c. 1179, while still a minor, and ruled from the twin capitals of Ajmer and Delhi. His elopement with Samyukta, the daughter of Jai Chandra, the Gahadvala king of Kannauj, is a popular romantic tale in India, and is one of the subjects of the Prithviraj Raso, an epic poem composed by Prithviraj's court poet, Chand Bardai. Qila Rai Pithora in Delhi, also known as Pithoragarh, is named after him.

After his defeat in 1192 AD at the second Battle of Tarain ,India was open to invasion by Muslim invaders, and Delhi came under the control of the Muslim rulers, and continued to be so, until the advent of the Maratha Empire.

Biography
Prithviraj Chauhan's succession had been rather confused since the death of Vigraha-raja in 1165; Prithviraj reconsolidated control of the Chauhan kingdom and conquered several neighboring kingdoms, which made his state the leading Hindu kingdom in northern India. Delhi was captured from the Tomara Rajputs during the early years of his reign, and was renamed Qila Rai Pithora. He campaigned against the Chandela Rajputs of Bundelkhand. His kingdom included much of the present-day Indian states of Rajasthan and Haryana, and parts of Uttar Pradesh and Punjab. Princely Nabha jewel in the crown of India and families from Nabha has close relations with the Great Prithviraj Chauhan.

Lineage
Anangpal Tomara II , the King of Delhi, had two daughters, Roopsundari and Kamaladevi. Roopsundari married Vijaypal, King of Kannauj. They had a son Jai Chandra. His daughter was named Sanyogita. Kamaladevi married Someshwar Chauhan, the King of Ajmer. Prithviraj was their son, born after 10 years of marriage. Pratha, his sister marries his friend Samar Singh (King of Chittor). His uncle Kanh's daughter was married to Raja Pajawan or Pajjun of Amber.

Early Life
Prithviraj was born c. 1168 to king Someshwara Chauhan and his wife Kamladevi. He was renowned to be the sharpest among all the princes in the household.

At gurukul , Prithviraj learnt shastra vidya (weaponry, armed combat), sahitya (literature), kala (arts) and rajniti shastra (politics).It was here that he learned the art of "shaabd bhedi baan vidhya" that is hittitng a target without seeing the target, that is only on the basis of sound.

With the stories of Prithviraj's courage, valour and intelligence spreading far and wide, Anangpal the King of Delhi decided to make him the king of delhi instead of jai chandra.Thus he was crowned prince of Delhi at the young age of 13 years.

Prithviraj at the age of 12 killed Bheemdev Solanki, the king of Gujarat, who betrayed his father Someshwar Chauhan


Coin of Prithiviraja of Chauhans or Chahamanas of Ajmer/Delhi , circa 1179 AD -1192 AD.
Obv: Rider bearing lance on caparisoned horse facing right.Devnagari Legends : Sri Pr/thvi raja deva'. Rev: Recumbent bull facing left ,trishula on bulls rump,Devnagari Legends : Asavari / Sri Samanta deva.

Important Battles
Muhammad Ghori, hailing from Ghor in present-day Afghanistan, grew increasingly powerful. He conquered Ghazni and subsequently defeated the Ghaznavid governor of Punjab. Muhammad Ghori's domain now touched upon that of Prithviraj Chauhan. A clash was inevitable.

First Battle of Tarain (1191 CE)
Muhammad Ghori invaded Prithviraj's domains and laid siege to the fortress of Bhatinda in Punjab, which was at the frontier between the two kingdoms. Prithviraj's appeal for help from his father-in-law was scornfully rejected by the haughty Jaichandra. Undaunted, Prithviraj marched on Bhatinda and gave battle to the invaders at a place called Tarain near the town of Thanesar.

In face of the Rajput onslaught, the invading Muslim army broke ranks and fled, leaving their leader, Muhammad Ghori, a prisoner in Prithviraj's hands. He was later pardoned by Prithviraj against the advice of his ministers.

Second Battle of Tarain (1192 CE)
In 1192 AD, Ghori again invaded India with a huge army of 1,20, 000 armed men. Both the armies faced each other again at Tarain. Prithviraj was defeated and taken in chains to Ghor in present-day Afghanistan. Sayongita committed sucide in order to save herself from Ghori and Ghori killed Prithvi's 4 year old son

This article talks about how he killed Ghori in Afghanistan

http://www.mapsofindia.com/who-is-who/history/prithviraj-chauhan.html
Prithviraj Chauhan, the last ruler of Chauhan dynasty to sit on the throne of Delhi, was born in 1168 as the son of Someshwar Chauhan, the king of Ajmer. He was a brilliant child and very sharp at learning the military skills. He had the skill of hitting the target only on the basis of its sound. He succeeded to the throne of Ajmer at the age of thirteen, in 1179,when his father died in a battle. His grandfather Angam, ruler of Delhi, declared him heir to the throne of Delhi after hearing about his courage and bravery. He once killed a lion on his own without any weapon. He was known as the warrior king.

When he ascended to the throne of Delhi, he built Qila Rai Pithora here. His whole life was a continuous chain of bravery, courage, chivalrous deeds and glorious exploits. He defeated the mighty Bheemdev, ruler of Gujarat, at the mere age of thirteen.

His love story with his enemy, Jaichand's daughter, Samyukta is very famous. He rode off with her on the day of her 'Swayamwara'.

He expanded his empire, during this time Mahmud Ghori attacked India in 1191 and he was defeated at the first battle of Tarain. After defeating the army of Mahmud Ghori he was asked to attack the retreating army but in true Rajput tradition he refused to do so as it did not conform to the fair war rules. As a result Mahmud ghori again attacked India and in the second battle of Tarain Prithviraj Chauhan was defeated and captured. He was treated very badly, his eyes were burnt with red-hot irons and he was made blind. But Prithviraj did not lose courage. Helped by his court poet and friend Chand Bardai, he is believed to kill Mahmud ghori with his "shabdabhedi baan". His skill of hitting the target just on the basis of sound made by it come handy. and during the archery competition organized by Mahmud ghori, he displayed his skill. When Mahmud ghori praised him he heard his voice and attacked him. Mahmud ghori was killed. In order to escape death at the hands of enemies he and his friend Chand Bardai stabbed each other.

Chand Bardai compiled the story of the life of Prithviraj Chauhan in his epic poem Prithviraj Raso. Prithviraj Chauhan died in 1192, with his death a period of bravery, courage, patriotism and principles came to an end. Prithviraj Raso of Chand Bardai and Prithviraj Vijay of Jayanak have immortalized deeds of Prithviraj Chauhan.

LOL, a comic strip version, the commercialization of history, heheh


The 1st Battle of Tarain 1191 C.E. - Victory of Prithiviraj Chouhan

Mahmud Ghori 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 Mahmud Ghori as a prisoner in Pritiviraj's hands.

Mahmud Ghori 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.

The 2nd Battle of Tarain 1192 C.E. - Defeat of Prithiviraj Chouhan

The very next year Prithiviraj's gesture was repaid by Ghori who re-attacked Prithiviraj with a stronger army and guilfully 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.

The Blinding of Prithviraj
The story of Prithiviraj does not end here. As a prisoner in Ghor he was presented before Mahmud, where he looked Ghori straight into the eye.


Ghori ordered him to lower his eyes, whereupon a defiant Prithiviraj scornfully told him how he had treated Ghori as a prisoner and said that the eyelids of a Rajputs eyes are lowered only in death.


On hearing this, Ghori flew into a rage and ordered that Prithviraj's eyes be burnt with red hot iron rods.


This heinous deed being done, Prithiviraj was regularly brought to the court to be taunted by Ghori and his courtiers. In those days Prithiviraj was joined by his former biographer Chand Bardai, who had composed a ballad-biography on Pritiviraj in the name of Prithviraj Raso (Songs of Prithviraj). Chand Bardai told Prithiviraj, that he should avenge Ghori's betrayal and daily insults.


The Blind Prithviraj Avenges the Injustice done to him

The two got an opportunity when Ghori announced a game of Archery. On the advice of Chand Bardai, Prithviraj, who was then at court said he would also like to participate. On hearing his suggestion, the courtiers guffawed at him and he was taunted by Ghori as to how he could participate when he could not see. Whereupon, Prithiviraj told Mahmud Ghori to order him to shoot, and he would reach his target.

Ghori became suspicious and asked Prithviraj why he wanted Ghori himself to order and not anyone else. On behlaf of Prithiviraj, Chand Bardai told Ghori that he as a king would not accept orders from anyone other than a king. His ego satisfied, Mahmud Ghori agreed.


On the said day, Ghori sitting in his royal enclosure had Prithiviraj brought to the ground and had him unchained for the event. On Ghori's ordering Prithviraj to shoot, we are told Prithiviraj turned in the direction from where he heard Ghori speak and struck Ghori dead with his arrow. This event is described by Chand Bardai in the couplet, "Char bans, chaubis gaj, angul ashta praman, Ete pai Sultan hai (Taa Upar hai Sultan). Ab mat chuko Chauhan."(Ten measures ahead of you and twenty four feet away, is seated the Sultan, do not miss him now, Chouhan).

All the old Rajput kings were such honourable men and the Turkic invaders often were'nt.

Shame is that it wasnt their chivalry that did them in the end but their outdated military tactics. They fought in ancient vedic styles little changed from the classical era. They were no match for the barbaric Altaic cavalries and Islamic Jihad inspired infantrymen who crushed them.

"Who are the rulers of the lands beyond Guraiz and Burzil? The Darada Rajas."
The Rajatarangini

i wouldnt read too much into hindu chronichlors , they portray the picture of valiant boy kings and their glorious valour in defending against melechhas against overwhelming odds, alot of it is nonsense, at the same muslim chroniclors tended to over exaggerate everything as well

Yes Daradbhai, the Rajputs were more interested in their appearance before battle instead of actual tactics. They would load themselves and their horses with pure gold ornamentation, which would slow them down on the battlefield against the Turkish fast cavalries. Their tactics worked against the Arabs 400 years before, but not against the Turks and recently Islamized people in Afghanistan. I remember reading btw that Ghauri himself was a second generation Muslim, his folks were cow-herding Hindus of the same caste as Krishna (Yadavas) before conversion. So you can look at the war between Chauhan and Ghauri as the first Indo-Pak war.

Mirza, that is how chroniclers documented things back then. They wanted to blow the trumpets of their kings. The Muslim chroniclers also write about how Qutbuddin Aibak destroyed 628 temples and used the stone to build the Qutb Minar in Delhi, about how Tamerlane slaughtered 100,000 Hindus in Delhi and made a hill of Hindu skulls, etc. If history was really that bloody and the Muslim rulers/invaders were really that interested in usurping the demographic realities of their tax base, then why did the economy of the subcontinent not plunge? I think a lot of that history documenting was based more on patronizing the king and what a good Muslim he is, so a lot of the atrocities are overplayed.

the economy of various cities did plunge dramatically after certain invasions. The original population of Lahore was virtually wiped out by the Mughal era same fro Delhi.

Even more horrible stuff happened when the fighting was amongst Indians themselves. In the 1800's more people were killed, looted and raped by Jatts, Rohillas(Indian Pathans) and Sikhs than by Turks, Persians and Afghans. The Marathas and Rajputs were an honourable bunch even in that period.


As for linking Ghori with Yaddava Ghauris, its just Hindutva revisionist stuff. The man was a Tukro-Pashtun hybrid and although not much is known of the Pashtuns before conversion, it is generally accepted that they had a more Iranic Zoroastrian world view than an Indic one.

And the name Ghori isnt a family name, it means someone from the city of Ghor.
"Who are the rulers of the lands beyond Guraiz and Burzil? The Darada Rajas."
The Rajatarangini

very interesting insight and perspective from both angles... thanks for insight bharat, darada and other guys... so ghauri was indeed killed by pritvi raaj in prison... very brave and clever !!

ghori is from the Ghali zai brach and they indeed are the turk pathan hybird
Ghali means hidden and zai means sons
these guys are the products of love marrages between turks and pathans and they were asked to set up a seperate village and from there this tribe started and the village was in ghor
ghori belongs to this branch