The beginning of dominance of Muslim invaders in India is filled with so many folk-lores are misinterpretations. One is often used to take the name ‘Jaichand’ to denote traitor. But the reality is quite different. And Battle of Chandawar fought between the invader Muhammad Ghori and the Maharaj of Kannauj Jaichandra Gahadvala is a historical evidence.
We are well aware of Ghori’s attacks on Bharat and Battle of Tarain fought by Prithviraj Chouhan.
Background of the Battle
As Muhammad Ghori was able to defeat the great king Prithviraj Chouhan in the second Battle of Tarain in 1192 he marched towards Kannauj. Kannauj was the capital of Maharaja Jaichandra. Jaichandra was the father-in-law of Prithviraj Chauhan and was a strong king. He being a great warrior and a patron of arts and literature, Kannauj was a very prosperous kingdom.
A myth peddled repeatedly through many factions that Maharaja Jaichandra called Ghori to attack Prithviraj Chauhan. There are no proofs to that, neither a logical sense that Jaichandra gave Ghori way to pass through his kingdom. Because Kannauj is in Uttar Pradesh. And definitely, Ghori cannot pass through Kannauj to reach Ajayemru( Ajmer) Prithviraj Chauhan’s capital.
Maharaj Jaichandra faces the Invaders
At that very point situation of India was not very optimistic. Prithviraj Chauhan had already lost, and people could see the havoc the jihadi armies’ wreck on the common people and the cities.
It is said that to challenge and win more and more territory Ghori came with a large army. While Maharaja Jaichandra also had a big army with around 300 elephants.
The battle was exactly fought on the banks of the river Yamuna in the present region of Etawah and Kannauj.
Qutb-uddin- Aibak who was thw slave of Ghori began his first attack on the Hindu army. Rajputs were ferociously fighting and tried their best to not let the enemy take any adavantage. However, the treacherous Jihadis shot an arrow on Maharaja Jaichandra. Jaichandra was sitting over an elephant at that time. And the enemy army was using profusely using the bows and arrow. At this point Maharaja Jaichandra fell down from the elephant and the Hindu army fell in utter chaos and confusion.
Due to lack of definite proof and evidences, the conclusion of this battle is still vague. Some say that Maharaja Jaichandra died in that battle.
Conclusion
Genocide of the Hindu population and destruction of the whole city was a natural consequence to any kind of defeat from the invaders. The Jihadi aim of Ghori and his tribe was to plunder and attack the holy cities of Kashi, Mathura and Ayodhya. The whole treasure and of Gahadwala dynasty was plundered and treasures looted.
However, many sources also claim that son of Jaichandra, Harishchandra was able to take back Kannauj, Jaunpur and Mirzapur and was ruling a significant part in the upcoming years.
However, unfortunately such a significant part of our history remains hidden under so many misleading facts and blatant lies. This showcases how a dedicated king could be turned into a complete monster.
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