Muhammad of Ghor Ep17 | Sultan Shahabuddin Ghori's First Defeat in India Battle of Gujarat (1178)

The battle of Gujarat or Kayadara (1178) was a defeat suffered by Muhammad of Ghur during his first campaign against a Hindu ruler in India. Muhammad’s first campaign had been against the Muslim rulers of Multan in 1175 and had ended in victory. In 1178 he turned south, and led his army from Multan to Uch and then across the desert towards the Gujarat capital of Anhilwara (modern Patan). [5] battles Gujarat was ruled by the young Raja Bhimdev II (ruled 1178-1241), a member of the Solanki dynasty (one of several Chalukya dynasties), although the age of the Raja meant that the army was commanded by his mother Naikidevi. Muhammad’s army had suffered greatly during the march across the desert, and Naikidevi inflicted a major defeat on him at the village of Kayadra (near to Mount Abu, about forty miles to the north-east of Anhilwara). The invading army suffered heavy casualties during the battle, and also in the retreat back across the desert to Multan. Muhammad of Ghur never returned to Gujarat. An army led by Qutb al-din Aibek, his deputy in India, invaded in c.1195-97 and plundered the capital, but then returned to Delhi. Gujarat wasn’t annexed by the Sultanate of Delhi until 1297. Uch (Punjabi: اچ; Urdu: اوچ), frequently referred to as Uch Sharīf (Punjabi: اچ شریف; Urdu: اوچ شریف; "Noble Uch"), is a historic city in the southern part of Pakistan's Punjab province. Uch may have been founded as Alexandria on the Indus, a town founded by Alexander the Great during his invasion of the Indus Valley. Uch was an early stronghold of the Delhi Sultanate during the Muslim conquest of the subcontinent. Also known as home for the Naqvi/Bukhari’s after the migration from Bukhara. Uch was a regional metropolitan centre between the 12th and 17th centuries, and became refuge for Muslim religious scholars fleeing persecution from other lands. Though Uch is now a relatively small city, it is renowned for its intact historic urban fabric, and for its collection of shrines dedicated to Muslim mystics(Sufis) from the 12-15th centuries that are embellished with extensive tile work, and were built in the distinct architectural style of southern Punjab. Bhima II (r. c. 1178–1240 CE), also known as Bhola Bhima, was an Indian king who ruled parts of present-day Gujarat. He was a member of the Chaulukya (also called Chalukya or Solanki) dynasty. During his reign, the dynasty's power declined greatly as a result of rebellions by the feudatories as well as external invasions by the Ghurids, the Paramaras, and the Yadavas of Devagiri. The kingdom, however, was saved by his generals Arnoraja, Lavanaprasada and Viradhavala, whose family established the Vaghela dynasty. In 1178 CE, the Ghurid king Muhammad of Ghor invaded the Chaulukya kingdom, but was defeated. This battle took place during the reign of Bhima's predecessor Mularaja II, although some Muslim chronicles wrongly assign it to Bhima's reign. In the mid-1190s CE, the Ghurids defeated the Chahamanas and other Hindu kings of northern India. According to the medieval Muslim historians, in 1197 CE, the Ghurid general Qutb al-Din Aibak marched to Nahrwala (that is, the Chalukya capital Anahilapataka). He defeated the Chaulukya army on 4 February 1197 CE. The 13th century Muslim historian Hasan Nizami boasts that the Chaulukyas lost 50,000 men in this battle. The 16th century chronicler Firishta gives the numbers as 15,000 killed and 20,000 captured. According to the Muslim chronicles, the Chaulukya army was led by Rai Karan, Wallan and Darabaras in this battle.Darabaras can be identified with Dharavarsha, the Paramara chief of Abu, who was a feudatory of Bhima. Wallan is probably a corruption of Pahlan, which itself is a corruption of Prahaladana (the brother of Dharavarsha). The identification of Rai Karan is not certain. Some scholars have identified him with Kirtipala, a ruler of the Javalipura Chahamana branch. However, this identification is not tenable on chronological grounds.[8] D. R. Bhandarkar identified Rai Karan as the Naddula Chahamana ruler Kelhana, but this is also chronologically incorrect, as Kelhana died around 1193 CE.[9] R. B. Singh identified him as Kelhana's successor Jayatasimha. According to the Muslim historians, Rai Karan managed to escape after the battle. The Ghurids then entered Anahilapataka, and plundered the town. This sacking of Anahliapataka was witnessed by the Jain scholar Jinapati Suri in 1197 CE. According to Firishta, Qutb al-Din appointed a governor in the Chaulukya capital before leaving for Ajmer.[7] Subsequently, the Chaulukyas restored their power in Gujarat, but there is very little information about how this happened. There are some references to Bhima's generals Lavanaprasada and Shridhara having achieved military successes against the Ghurids (called "Turushka" and "Hammira"). It is known that Bhima was in control of Anahilapataka by 1201 CE. #SultanShahabUddinGauri #MuhammadofGhor #سلطان شہاب الدین غوری