Muhammad Ghori was the ruler of the Ghori dynasty, invaded India in the year 1206 C.E and rule extended until 1526 C.E. Muhammad Ghori initiates the formation of the Muslim empire however, before him, many rulers had invaded India and failed to establish a Muslim rule in India. He was credited as the true founder of the Muslim empire in India because he had invaded the majority of parts of the Indian subcontinent. The section is going to deal with a study on the life of Muhammad Ghori that provides information about the Ghori Empire.
Early Life of Muhammad Ghori
Muhammad Ghori is of Persian descent and known for his powerful establishment as a Muslim emperor in India. Many rulers invaded the Indian subcontinent however failed in establishing a powerful Muslim empire in India. Furthermore, he used all his power to invade India and succeeded in capturing upper Sindh and Multan. The aim of the ruler was to conquer all parts of India and expand his empire which shows the power of the ruler. Muhammad Ghori was a leader of different ambitions and he has a great vision regarding the empire. He was the brother of Ghiyath-al-Din Mohammad, the ruler of the Ghur dynasty and he gave Muhammad Ghori to conquer the empire of Mahmud Ghazni in the year 1173 AD.
Muhammad Ghori Timeline Reign of Muhammad Ghori in India (1173-1206) Muhammad Ghori is defeated in the First Battle of Tarain (1191) Muhammad Ghori defeats Prithviraj III in the Second Battle of Tarain (1192) Death of Ghiyath al-Din Muhammad, Muhammad Ghori’s elder brother, leaving Muhammad as the sole ruler of the region (1202) |
Muhammad Ghori thought that it is not easy to defeat Ghazni because he was also a powerful ruler and have a strong army full of motivation. He decided to invade India first because the Indian subcontinent was a large subcontinent that can increase the power of Muhammad Ghori. He decided to invade India so that he can expand his Empire and want to control the greater part of the Country. He was clear about the information about the wealth of India and its large area that can make the empire of Ghori more powerful. There were seven invasions of Ghori against India and invaded the parts such as Multan and Sindh. He carried out his first invasion of Multan in 1175 AD, started to rule India, and established a Muslim Empire in India.
Muhammad Ghori and His Invasions
Multan Invasion – Muhammad Ghori’s first invasion was on Multan and Uch fortress.
Aim – Its aim was to bring back the Muslim states of India. He conquered it very easily in early 1175.
Anhilwara Invasion – He attacked Anhilwara in 1178 but he was defeated by Mularaja II.
1st Battle of Tarain, 1191 – The first battle occurred due to the thought of invading Delhi to capture all over India and fighting against the army of Prithivi Raj Chauhan. The army of the Rajput leader badly injured Ghori and defeated him in the first battle.
2nd Battle of Tarain, 1192 – After getting defeated in the 1st battle of Tarain, he waited and fought again in what is known as the second battle of Tarain and got the victory in the second battle that was against the army of Prithivi Raj Chauhan. He fought a second battle with approximately one-lakh soldiers in his army troop, which was a huge number for the Rajput ruler to hold. The life of Muhammad Ghori was an inspiration for the rulers of small areas.
Effect – The 2nd battle of Tarain was the turning point for Indians. This battle opened the way for future conquests of India. He already occupied Delhi and Ajmer. After Tarain battle, he appointed Qutubuddin Aibak, as the Viceroy of the Indian provinces, who was one of his slaves.
He successfully conquered Bulandshahar, Meerut, Aligarh, etc and made Delhi as the capital of India in 1193.
Chandawar Battle (1194) – Muhammad Ghori led another battle against Jayachandra, Kanuaj. It took place near Chandawar which was situated on the banks of the Yamuna between Kanuaj and Eatwah. Jayachandra got killed in this battle
How Muhammad Ghori died
The assassins killed Muhammad Ghori on 15 March 1205 in Dhamaik near Sohawa which is a part of Pakistan currently. He was killed at the time of offering prayers and the army of Ghori stayed there to rest and conclude their victory all over India. The identification of the killers is not confirmed until today. Furthermore, some people said that Khokar Jatts were behind it and some say that Ismaili Nizari was behind it. As per some books of Indian history, Prithvi Raj Chauhan, however it is not the truth because Prithivi Raj Chauhan died one year before the death of Muhammad Ghori. The enemies attacked the army of Ghori at the time of rest when he was traveling with his army, and thought to rest, and offered the evening prayer. The enemies attacked at the same time and killed Muhammad Ghori however; it is considered fraud in Indian history.
Conclusion
The study of the above section concludes that Muhammad Ghori was a Persian ruler who invaded India to make his Empire more powerful. The life of the ruler is described in the above section which can help in the understanding of the battle from other rulers at that time. As per the discussions above, the ruler of the Ghur dynasty tried seventeen times to invade India however failed sixteen times. Together with this, he got his first victory in the second battle of Tarain.