Download Testbook App

First Battle Of Tarain -

Medieval History Notes For
UPSC Exam!
The First Battle of Tarain was fought in 1191. It was fought between the Ghurid's Turkish tribe which
was led by Muhammad Ghori and the Rajput, led by Prithviraj Chauhan and his allies. The result
ended in victory for the Rajput forces. This topic is important from the perspective of UPSC IAS
examination which falls under the General Studies Paper 1 and particularly in the medieval Indian
History section. In this article we will discuss the first battle of Tarain, its background, events and
aftermath.

Check Out this article on the 16 Mahajanapadas for UPSC Exam here!

First Battle Of Tarain

The Battles of Taraori, often known as the Battle of Tarain, which took place in 1191 resulted in the
Islamic rule in North India. Muizz al-Dn Muhammad ibn sm of Ghr and Prithviraj 3, the Chauhan Rajput
ruler of Ajmer and Delhi fought the Battles. This battle was fought in Karnal and Thanesar in the Karnal
region of Haryana, India some 70 miles from North of Delhi. In the First Battle of Tarain, a Turkish Clan
led by Muhammad Ghori attacked the Rajputs, led by Prithviraj Chauhan and his Allies.

Also Read About The Pala Empire- Its Rulers, Administration here!

First Battle of Tarain - Background

The background of the First Battle Of Tarain is described as below:
 The decline of the Ghaznavid Empire in the 12th century led to a power vacuum which resulted
in various Tribes fighting for the control of the Empire.
 Among all this, the Ghurids emerged victorious and managed to sack the erstwhile city of
Ghajini by 1149.
 The Ghurid empire decided would be led by two brothers named Muhammad Ghori and Ghiyas
al-Din who embarked in an expansion policy which would encompasses most of the country
Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan.
 They both looked towards expanding their Empire East into India.
 At their time, Northern India was a collection of loose States.
 The most powerful ones were the Chalukya Dynasty in Gujarat, the Solanki dynasty of
Jaichandra in Kannauj and the Rajput chahamanas of Prithviraj Chauhan based out of Ajmer
and Delhi.
 Muhammad Ghori send an envoy to the court of the Prithviraj Chauhan to come to them for
settlement.
 Some of the terms included conversion to Islam and accepting the Suzerainty of the Ghurid's
but the Prithviraj Chauhan refused to accept the terms.
 The First Battle of Tarain was one of the many battles which was fought during the Arab and
Turkish inventions of India.
 Download Testbook App

 Muhammad Ghori Marched his army to the kingdom of the chalukyas in 1178. He did this
because the direct route to Delhi was blocked by the last remnants of the Ghaznavids which
were located in Lahore and Multan.
 The Ghurid army was defeated by the Chanakya army and was forced to Retreat after suffering
heavy casualties.
 Muhammad Ghori was not yet dettered by setbacks built up his forces and defeated the last
remains of the Ghaznavids when he took Lahore in 1186.
 This opened the route for Muhammad Ghori to attack Prithviraj Chauhan Kingdom.

Check Out This Article On Bhakti Movement for UPSC Exam here!

First Battle Of Tarain - Events

The events during The First Battle of Tarain are given as follows:
 Muhammad Ghori while marching his forces into India, proceded to capture the important Fort
of Bathinda. The Fall of the Fort of Bathinda galvanised the Delhi forces into action.
 Prithviraj Chauhan gathered all his allies and led his Army to face Muhammad Ghori in battle.
 Both of their armies faced each other on the fields of the Tarain which was 150 km North of
Delhi in 1191.
 Contemporary sources place the Prithviraj Chauhan army at 2 lakh in numbers but the modern
historians believe that it was 50000. The size of the Ghurid forces was thought to number at 1
lakh but historians believed it was smaller than the Prithviraj Chauhan forces.
 The First Battle of the Tarain started with an Attack by the Ghurid archers Who peppered the
Rajput formation with the arrows.
 Soon after the attack, Prithviraj Chauhan responded with an all out attack which surprised the
Ghurids.
 As they were unused to the Rajput way of fighting which favoured close combat fighting.
 The Rajputs Pursued the retreating horse archers and covered much of the ground until they
were in front of the main Ghurid Army.
 The Ghurid army held their ground resisting waves of infantry but the Rajput cavalry began to
overwhelm the Ghurid Army.
 Soon after this, it became clear to Muhammad Ghori that the close quarter fighting favoured the
Rajput's immensely.
 As they were unable to withstand the pressure on their flank, Muhammad Ghori troops broke
ranks and fled.
 Meanwhile in the centre, Rajput elephants started putting pressure on the remaining Troops and
they began to waver.
 Muhhamad Ghori, attempting to Salvage a desperate situation, charged into the free hoping to
rally his Troops.
 Soon he came to the commander of the Rajput forces named Govind Rai.
 Hurling his spear at Govind Rai who was the commander of the Rajput forces, the projectile was
blocked and in spite of that, Govind Rai hurled his own spear at Muhammad Ghori which
impacted in knocking him almost unconscious.
 Govind Rai's life was saved by his Bodyguard who spirited him away from the battlefield.
 After seeing their commander retreating from the field the morale and the spirit of the Ghurids
was broken and they fled from the field.
 The Rajput Army pursued the Ghurids for about 40 km before Prithviraj Chauhan turned his
attention towards laying siege to the fight at Bhatinda which had fallen in 1192.

Read The Type Of Vedas and Its Features for UPSC here!

Page - 2
 Download Testbook App

First Battle Of Tarain - Aftermath

The Aftermath of the First Battle of the Tarain was given as follows:
 This result of The First Battle of Tarain would not be the end of Ghurid incursions into India as
Muhammad Ghori having learnt his anymore strength and weaknesses and mindful or not to
underestimate his opponents in this First Battle Of Tarain.
 Prithviraj Chauhan's inability to pursue and annihilate his foe and consolidate his borders would
have disastrous effects in Indian history as the Second Battle Of The Tarain would prove.

Check out this article on NCERT Notes on Chalukya Dynasty for UPSC Exam here!

Second Battle of Tarain, 1192

The Second Battle of the Tarain was fought in 1192 by the Ghurid forces against the
Rajput Confederacy. This battle was fought near the Tarain which is now known as Taroari
in Haryana, India. The battle ended in victory for invading Ghurid armies.This battle is
widely regarded as a major turning point in the history of medieval India because it
resulted in the large scale destruction of Rajput forward in the North India for a time and
firmly established a Muslim presence which with led to the establishment of the Delhi
sultanate.
Second Battle of Tarain, 1192 - Background
The background of the Second Battle of Tarain is described as follows:
 Muhammad Ghori returned to the Ghazni after he was defeated by Prithviraj
Chauhan in the First Battle of the Tarain in 1191. He publicly shamed and
dismissed the Captains and commander of his forces who showed cowardice at
the battle of Tarain and vowed to abstain from all the luxurious things until he got
the avenge of his defeat. Keeping this in mind he began a rebuilding of his forces,
emphasising fire power, mobility and discipline.
 Prithviraj Chauhan was elated at his victory of the Tarain. As he was convinced
that he had demonstrated the superiority of his forces, he neglected to strengthen
his borders and he also sent proposals to neighbouring kingdoms to field a larger
Army should the Ghurid made a renewed attempt.
 In the summer of 1192, Mohammed Ghori marched with an army of 52,000 cavalry
which is half of the Army of the Ghurid Army. When he reached Peshawar he
decided that it would be prudent to forgive his dismissed commanders and urged
them to rejoin his army.
 Mohammad Ghori recaptured the Bhatinda fort, when barely a month had passed
since it fell to Rajput forces.
 Muhammad Ghori sent a demand to Prithvi Raj Chauhan once again to accept him
as suzeraity, but he refused.
 Once again Prithvi Raj Chauhan marched out to meet Muhammad Ghori but he
had raised a number of men for his army was below his expectations as he had
sent his commanders elsewhere in previous months.
 On the fields of Tarain, Prithvi Raj Chauhan sent a message to Muhammad Ghori
that he was willing to let the Ghurid king return to his homeland without a fight, but
that if he did not, he would destroy him. He claimed to agree to his demands, he
demanded that he keep Bathinda.
 In the meantime, Ghurid soldiers were preparing for battle and inspecting Rajput
forces.
 The ruse lured Prithvi Raj Chauhan into a false sense of security in which he
refused to carry out a scouting mission of his own. The Ghurid army marched
carrying out a surprise raid on the Rajput camp where they were camped.

Page - 3
 Download Testbook App

 Rajput took time recovering from their initial surprise, as their military philosophy
prohibited night fights. They defeated the Ghurid cavalry that was approaching
them. The Rajputs discovered that Ghurids had already formed a battle formation
while pursuing the raiding army; hence, the Second Battle of Tarain was about to
begin.
Second Battle of Tarain - Events
 As the Rajput forces were well - disciplined, the Ghurids did not want to engage in
melee combat with them. The ghurids army was formed into five units and four of
the units percent to attack the enemy flank and rear.
 According to historical sources, Muhammad Ghori directed a light cavalry force of
10000 mounted arekans which was divided into four divisions and surrounding the
Rajput forces on the four sides. He instructed all the soldiers not to engage in
combat when the enemy advanced to attack and instead feigned a retreat in order
to exhaust the Rajput elephants, horses and infantry.
 Muhammad Ghori changed his tactics, he employed a tactic that had been the
mainstay of horse archers for centuries which is the fiegned retreat. The remaining
Ghurid forces attacked and some of the Rajput troops fled, while others stood their
ground and fought to their last breath. The Ghurid forces had emerged victorious
and Muhammad Ghori got his avenge from the battle which earlier took place.
Second Battle of Tarain - Consequences
 The Second Battle of Tarain was a destructive battle.it was a proven disastrous for
the Rajputs and their political prestige suffered a serious setback.
 In 1193, Muhammad Ghori’s General Qutub - Din - Aibak, took over Ajmer and
established Ghurid rule in Northern and Central India.
 Prithvi Raj Chauhan’s son moved to Ranthambore and laid the foundation of the
chauhan kingdom there.
 In 1194, Battle of chandawar took place in which Qutub -Din-Aibak work defeated
Jayachandra.
 In conclusion, the battle of Tarain and the battle of Chandawar laid the foundation
of the establishment of the Turkish role in India.

Check out the test series for UPSC IAS Exam here.

Page - 4