Chauhan dynasty

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The Chauhan ( Chahamana ) were a Rajput dynasty in northwest India. She is known for the defeat of her prince Prithviraj III. at Tarain (1192), which brought Islam the permanent conquest of northern India. One of the most important sources for the history of the dynasty is a rock inscription in the fort area of Bijolia .

history

origin

The Chauhan counted such. B. the Paramara , Pratihara , Kachwahas , Solankis to those Rajputs ("sons of princes") who were ritually purified in the fire ceremony on Mount Abu (approx. 747) and thus recognized as full nobles. They sat in the area of Ajmer and the Sambhar Salt Lake, their neighbors were u. a. the Tomaras in Delhi and the Kachwahas in Gwalior .

Rise in the High Middle Ages

Since the Chauhan (similar to the Hindu Shahi ) were occupied with defending themselves against the Muslims, they broke away from the Pratihara empire only late and then took a back seat to their neighbors.

Under a new branch of the Chauhan dynasty (which this time claimed to be descended from Rama ) the picture changed. The Chauhan occupied the east of the Punjab , wrested the south of Rajasthan from the Solankis after the death of Kumarapala (r. 1143–1174) and inherited the Tomaras in Delhi, which was raised to the second capital. In 1182 Prithviraj III conquered . (r. 1179–1192) Kannauj , the capital of the Chandella state, and captured the local king Paramardi (r. 1165–1203). It is also worth mentioning Prithviraja's love story with the princess Sanyogita, daughter of Jaichand Gaharwar of Kannauj, whom he stole from there, which led to war with the Gahadavalas around 1189 (i.e. on the eve of the Muslim invasion) . At that time the supremacy in the north passed from the Gahadavalas (Gaharwar, in Benares ), who had inherited the Pratihara in Kannauj, to the Chauhan.

The fall of the Chauhan dynasty happened just as quickly as its rise: Prithviraj III. was struck in 1192 near Tarain at the "gate of Delhi" (near Bathinda ) by Muhammad von Ghur . Depending on the version, he was either killed while trying to escape or captured and executed. "For miles the battlefield was littered with flags, spears, shields and bows, with precious swords and feathered helmets ... and above all with countless deaths. " The victory brought the Muslims the permanent conquest of northern India, especially after Jaichand Gaharwar at Chandwar in 1194 destroyed near Agra. The disaster is difficult to explain, because in the previous year (1191) Prithviraj III. with the confederation of Rajput princes put the Muhammad of Ghur to flight.

A notable reason for the success of the Muslims is that the Rajput nobility adhered to various unfavorable codes of honor (e.g. no weapons or armor that question heroism, sparing an enemy who was captured or harassed by a third party) and on often acted proud and undisciplined on the battlefield. Prithviraj III. is said to have renounced persecution in 1191 and allowed his wounded, even captured opponent to escape. Warfare was the jealously defended profession of the Kshatriya caste and was subject to their rules of the game, but not a matter of the people affected by the devastation of the Muslim armies. Accordingly, the army of the Rajput Confederation, which opposed Muhammad von Ghur, was poorly organized and tactically untrained.

Decline in the late Middle Ages

The Chauhans split into several lines (at the latest) after the loss of Delhi and created small principalities in Rajasthan and Gujarat . The main line under Prithviraj's grandson Govinda established itself in the fortress of Ranthambhor , where it was defeated in 1301 by the Delhi Sultan Ala ud-Din Khalji . Princely states ( Bundi , Kotah , Jhalawar ) were based on the Chauhan until 1947 .

Kings

  • Vigraha Raja IV. (Visala), r. 1153-1163 / 4
  • Apara Gangeya
  • Prithvi Raja II., Reg. approx. 1168/9
  • Somesvara, Gov. 1169-1179
  • Prithvi Raja III., Reg. 1179-1192 / 3
  • Hari raja 1193

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