Prithviraj Chauhan: A Saga

Note: This piece is a work of fiction based on folklore and the Prithviraj Raso, an epic saga by Chand Bardai, who happened to be the court poet of Prithviraj Chauhan. The dates corresponding to wars, names of people and places are, however, historically fact-checked from various sources, including the works of Todd (semi-historical), The  Amir Khusrau and contemporary sources like R.C.Majumder. The incidents are fictionally woven.

Rai Pithora

Around the year 1140 A.D., Ajmer was ruled by Anangpal of the Tomara Dynasty. Delhi was the seat of power of the Sultanate, which was a constant power struggle for them. He managed to capture briefly most parts of west Rajputana, and present-day Haryana and Punjab were also part of his kingdom. The old king had a son and two daughters. His concern grew as his son Surya was not talented enough to rule Ajmer. His youngest daughter, Princess Karpuri Devi, was married to Someshwar Chauhan of the famous Chauhan clan. Their son, Rai Pithora, helped his maternal grandfather in administration as well as in the well-being of the subjects from the young age of 10. Brave and courageous, this young lad trained himself in warfare with an acute interest in the matters of the state, and the subjects loved him for his kindness. Anangpal made his decision. On his death, Rai Pithora rose to the throne of Delhi in 1149 A.D. He took the name of Prithviraj, the ruler of the Earth. Their kingdom was already large, with fortifications at Ajmer and Delhi. He further built the Qila Rai Pithora at Mehrauli and the Badal Mahal at Agra (later the place for Agra Fort)

Within months of his succession to the throne, his competent administrative skills and bravery became the talk of the subcontinent. He was the King every princess desired to marry and every king wanted as a Son-in-law.

Far East was the land of Kanauj, ruled by Jaichand, the Gaharwar dynasty king, whose mother was Roop Kumari, the eldest daughter of Anangpal. Jaichand was jealous of his cousin-brother's growing competency and his acquiring the throne from their grandfather. Jaichand always thought he was more able as a ruler than Prithvi could be.

Jaichand's teenage daughter was Samyukta. She was unaware of her father's relation to the Chauhan prince and was jealous towards him. Samyukta's beauty was very famous in Kanauj and its adjoining states. Suitors came from all over the land with marriage proposals, but she thought them unworthy of herself. One day, Samyukta dressed as a commoner and was accompanied by her maids as her friends went to the fair. Suddenly, her eyes stopped at the glance of a painting. A life-like painting of a handsome prince, standing with his sword held high, his eyes sparkling with intelligence, his look strong and determined. She stood in awe.

"Who is this handsome young man?" Samyukta spoke aloud to herself.

.

" He is Rai Pithora... the Raja of Ajmer." The painter smiled. Mesmerised by the painting, she ordered her maids to buy the piece of art for some Swarnamudras.
Inside the palace, she kept the painting in her chambers. Little did she know that the man she was attracted to was, in fact, her Uncle, her father's maternal cousin-brother. She was in love.

Back in Ajmer, Prithviraj used to invite and patronise a lot of musicians and artists. One such group arrived in his court from Kanauj one day. Their poem and songs were about their young Princess, who was a gem to their country. Her beauty, her talents and her character were all perfect. On hearing such praise, Prithviraj grew curious about this Princess, who was none other than Samyukta.

Jaichand, aware of his young daughter's popularity, decided to arrange her Swayambhar. Preparations began in full swing. However, near Kanauj in the temple of Koteshwar, Gujarat's Rana Bhimdev Solanki had planned sabotage against Prithviraj. Hearing this news from his spies, Prithviraj disguised himself as a commoner called Surya to save the temple. Meanwhile, Samyukta heard from her secret informers that Prithviraj had reached Koteshwar in disguise. She who had seen his picture could recognise him. The urge to meet the man she admired made Samyukta take a drastic decision. With the help of her Sakhis, she dressed as a commoner called Nandini and visited Koteshwar in search of Surya. She met him as a commoner, and he was swept away by her beauty, simplicity and character. He saw her help the poor, feed the orphans and pray to the lord, and within her simplicity, he searched for inner peace. He could not decide how to tell her who he was.

Samyukta, who recognised him well, took care of him during his stay as a householder, taking care of her guest, cooking for him and looking after his needs. They gradually fell in love during his short stay there. Meanwhile, a palace informer saw the princess with her uncle and rushed to Jaichand with the news of the brewing love. Samyukta was immediately called home by her father. Fearing losing Prithvi, she told him her truth. He was shocked to learn that the simple commoner he fell in love with was none other than the princess he had heard of. He was at first in a dilemma as he did not want to irk Jaichand further. But her love and her tears made his heartache.
" Go home, Samyukta. I promise I will come for you."
" But, my father hates you, Rajaji, I don't know why..." Samyukta was in tears before the separation.
" He is jealous of me; he fears my abilities. "
" Why?" Samyukta asked, teary-eyed.
" Because his mother and mine are sisters, and I got Ajmer, not he."
" Sisters? We are... Related?" Sanyukta's heart sank.
" You need not worry, my love, because no reason can separate two lovers destined to be together."
He rode off as she looked on.

The escape of Samyukta

 The The preparations were made for her swayambhar, and Jaichand made sure that neither Prithvi nor his relatives were called for this occasion. Jaichand kept strict guards, and further, to insult Prithvi, he built a statue of him at the doorways. Samyukta made her way into the swayambhar hall, looking her best, having faith in Prithvi's last words. As she walked down the aisle with a thousand eyes staring at her, she noticed the statue and smiled. Eyes fixed on the statue, she walked across the room and placed a garland on the statue's neck. Before the awestruck audience could react, there were noises of hooves, and Prithviraj came riding down the hallway, grabbing Samyukta by the hand, and whisking her away.

The insulted Princes and Kings who had been invited to this Swayambhar followed Prithviraj's horse in vain, with Jaichand in the lead. They got married in Ajmer, and she became his Rathore Rani Samyukta. They were living in peace (though some claim this was after the first battle of Tarain which seems less likely as it was only a year between the two battles) until the Afghan army of Mahmud Ghori (often referred to in Raso as Mohammad) invaded Ajmer to capture Delhi in 1191 AD, after 16 years of his marriage to Samyukta and the birth of his four sons.

He wrote to Jaichand, asking for help, hoping that he had forgiven Samyukta in these many years, but he was proved wrong as the vain Jaichand provided his support to Ghori. Prithviraj's brave Rajput army managed to beat the Afghan army, but he let Ghori go, much against his wishes, under the advice of his ministers. Ghori learnt his lesson and came back stronger the next year. Prithviraj was captured in the Second Battle of Tarain.

Learning of the defeat, the brave Rani Samyukta committed Jauhar with the other women of the palace. Prithviraj was ordered to be put to death by Ghori. Thus ended a love that grew beyond the barriers of relations and hatred and is believed to be the most famous love story of Rajputana till today.

Other related stories & historical Facts:

• One popular story involving Prithviraj is that of his killing of Ghori despite being blind. The story is a legend woven around an incident at Ghazni (Mahmud's territory lasted from parts of present-day Afghanistan to present-day Gujarat). It is said that Chand Bardai, the poet and friend of Prithviraj, visited him in jail in disguise. Together, they hatched a plan for revenge. But when Prithviraj and Bardai were planning, one of Ghori's spies heard them. At the Durbar, when Prithviraj was given the bow and arrow to be aimed, according to his plan, he aimed it at the Sultan. However, knowing of his plan beforehand, the Sultan had placed another person in his place. Prithviraj assumed he had killed the Sultan when he was put to death alongside his friend, but the Sultan lived 20 more years to be killed by his own general, the founder of the slave dynasty, Qutb Ud Din Aibak, for the throne.

• Another story, in connection with Mewar, is that Prithviraj had a twin sister called Preetha. Upon reaching marriageable age, she was wedded to his best friend, the crown prince Samarsi of Mewar. Before the first battle of Tarain, 1191, the Ruler of Putan (Pattan), also brother-in-law to Samarsi, courtesy of his first wife, Korum Devi, joined hands with the ruler of Ghazni in an alliance. To weaken Prithviraj's army and tire him out before the Battle of Tarain, the Pattan king attacked Ajmer. At the same time, a small army of the Ghori also attacked Gujarat. Because Samarsi was a relative of the Pattan, Prithviraj ordered him to lead his army to Gujarat while he went to Pattan for the battle. Samarsi, with his deft warrior skills and leadership, not only won the Battle but also imprisoned many. Most of the Ghori tents were looted of their treasures and handed over to the Chauhan King. On request, Samarsi refused to take anything from the plundered treasure that belonged to the Chauhan King. He was an immensely respected friend of Prithviraj who fought all battles alongside him. After the second Battle of Tarain, in 1192, Samarsi died fighting bravely, while Prithviraj was imprisoned and blinded. Delhi was taken over, and Pritha joined Samyogita and many other Chauhan princesses in the Jauhar to save their honour. 

• Samarsi, among many sons, had his heir from the Pattan Princess, Korum Devi. Karna was his only surviving son. He was a minor, so his mother ruled Chittoor on his behalf. She headed the Rajputs and led them into many battles bravely; the most famous one being near Amber, against Qutubuddin Aibak, where she led nine Rajput Rawats in the battle against the Sultanate and sustained fatal injuries, refusing to give in like a true-blue Rajput. 

• Besides the Ghori accounts of the Battles of Tarain, he has been mentioned in several medieval kavya or epic poems by Hindu and Jain authors. These include Prithviraja Vijaya, Hammira Mahakavya, and Prithviraj Raso. Other chronicles and texts that mention Prithviraj include Prabandha-Chintamani, Prabandha Kosha, and Prithviraj Prabandha. These were composed centuries after his death and contain exaggerations.

Inscriptions & Coins

Coins attributed to the reign of Prithviraj Chauhan have been found in Ajmer with images of horsemen and bulls depicted on them. The Devagiri script mentions "Sri Prithvi Raja Deva" and "Sri Samanta Deva" on them.

There are seven inscriptions dated to Prithviraj’s reign available, and none of these were issued by the king himself. 

1. Barla or Badla inscription, 1177 CE
2. Phalodi inscription, 1179 CE, records the grants made by Prithviraj’s vassal Ranaka Katiya.
3. Madanpur inscriptions of 1182 CE:
4. Inscription 1: Mentions that Prithviraj invaded the territory of the Chandela ruler Paramardi
5. Inscription 2: Names Prithviraj’s father, Someshvara, and grandfather, Arnoraja, and states that he plundered Jejakabhukti (the Chandela territory).
6. Udaipur Victoria Hall Museum inscription, 1187 CE.
7. Visalpur (Bisalpur near Tonk) inscription, 1187 CE.

The construction of the now-ruined Qila Rai Pithora fort in Delhi has been attributed to Prithviraj, as well as the ruins of Taragarh fort in Ajmer, where only the walls stand today (with a newly erected statue of the king). No historical evidence refers to the existence of Samyogita as his queen consort, and neither does any shed light on his personal life.