Battle of Bahraich - The crushing of Ghaznavids

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Every Indian today is aware of Mahmud of Ghazni and his unstoppable 17 raids. His plunders are believed to form the basis of the later Islamic invasions. However, many people today are unaware of the aftermath of Ghaznavid empire.

Mahmud was followed by his nephew Masood Ghazni. Continuing Mahmud’s legacy, he invaded India with an army of more than 100,000 men in May 1031 AD. Unlike Mahmud's army which was basically a raiding party, Masood's army was backed by the imperial army and had attacked India with the intention of permanent conquest and Islamization of India.

King Anandpal Shahi tried to check this invasion along with the king of Sialkot. But, this alliance was overwhelmed by the superiority in numbers of the invading army. Masood continued his advance towards Indian mainland. King Mahipal Tomara also tried to check their advance but he was also defeated. After victories across Northern Indian plains, Masood camped at Bahraich which is near Lucknow.

Meanwhile, a historic alliance was being created under Raja Suhaldev Pasi and the famous Raja Bhoja of Malwa. 17 Indian Kings together forged an alliance. This was the biggest confederation that has ever existed in India.

On 13th June, an army of about 1,20,000 descended on the Ghazni camp of Bahraich. Masood's army was completely besieged and encircled. Each and every man in Masood's camp was killed. The battle ended on 14th June with the victory of the Indian federation.

The invasion was completely crushed and such resounding was this victory that none of foreign kingdoms dared to invade India for the next 160 years.

Nowadays I have seen many people mocking Rajput Kings by saying that they were unable to win even a single battle. This answer seeks to create awareness among such people. There have been many instances where Rajputs were successful in defeating their enemies. Battle of Rajasthan is another such example where Arabs were defeated by a federation of Rajput States. Indians are indebted to the Rajput Kings. They were extremely instrumental in keeping Arab invaders at bay for 3 centuries. This was the time when Khalifat empire was at its peak and extended from Sindh to Spain. However, they were unable to defeat Rajputs and enter Indian heartlands.

But it is a pity that these battles where native Indians crushed the invaders, which should have been the pride of Indians, are hardly mentioned in our history books.

This is an exemplary example of how united Indian kings had the ability to create the most formidable force of the world !!

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Medini Rai, the epitome of loyalty

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Medini Rai was a small warlord who grew in stature to become the most distinguished lieutenant of Rana Sanga.

Early 16th century India:

Delhi Sultanate was in its last stages and was continuously shrinking in size. The major powers in the Northern India other than Delhi Sultanate arranged according to their strength were:

1. Rajput Confederation under Rana Sanga
2. Gujarat Sultanate
3. Malwa Sultanate

Malwa Sultanate was reeling under internal conflicts. Medini Rai and his relative Silhadi who were generals in the service of Malwa Sultanate had revolted against the Sultan. The ruler of Malwa, Mehmod Khilji sought assistance from both Sultan Ibrahim Lodi of Delhi and Bahadur Shah of Gujarat. Therefore, Medini Rai, requested Sanga to come to his aid.

Accompanied by Rajput rebels Medini Rai and Silhadi, Sanga defeated the Malwa Sultanate and obtained the control of Malwa.

He then turned his attention towards north-eastern Rajasthan, which was then under the control of Ibrahim Lodi. Sanga was badly injured in the wars between the Rajputs and Lodi’s troops but he repeatedly defeated Lodi and was successful in capturing several major areas, including the fort of Ranthambore.

Lodi retaliated and invaded Mewar. Sanga’s forces proved to be too strong for Lodi’s ethnic Afghans. Lodi was defeated in the fierce battles of Khatoli and Dholpur in which the Rana lost his left arm and was crippled in one leg. In these battles which made Rana Sanga a principal player in North Indian politics, Medini Rai played an important role. Medini Rai was just a small warlord before the battle in Dholpur but he still contributed everything in his power for which he was rewarded by the Rana. Chanderi which was one of the most important places which fell into the hands of the Maharana was bestowed to Medini Rai who protected it till his death in Battle of Chanderi which was fought against Babur.

Medini Rai remained a loyal general of Rana Sanga who chose to die when he was given a chance to surrender to Babur!!

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India's under rated legend

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I felt the need to answer this question because no one here mentioned the great Samadragupta, one of the most underrated emperor of our Indian history. A ruler who was more versatile than the much more famous King Ashoka. Ashoka was proficient in scriptures only, but the versatility of Samudragupta lies in the fact that Samudragupta was proficient in all facets of art and culture.

Even most of the Indians don't know about this great conquerer because as far as I remember only a single page is devoted to him in our 'school history books' and in that he is referred to as India's Napoleon.

But is Napoleon worthy enough to be called as Europe's Samudragupta?

4th century AD, India was once again divided into numerous kingdoms. The great Mauryan empire (Ashoka's empire) which was once created by the immense hardships of the great Mauryan kings had shattered. For nearly 500 years after the death of Ashoka, the numerous small kingdoms warred with each other. Finally a new empire started to take shape in the Northern India. The 'empire of Guptas' started to take shape which was going to provide political stability to India once again.

Samudragupta was the younger son of the founder of the Gupta empire. The small empire founded by his father started to take a gigantic shape under him. His indefatigable energy and strong determination along with his brilliant strategies and diplomatic skill and shrewdness made him the 'king of kings'. His policy of conquest and liberal attitude towards the defeated kings earned him a place in the list of the greatest Indian kings. His diplomatic triumph opened new way for cementing friendliness with the foreign rulers of southeast Asia and middle East. He commanded the biggest army of the world at that time.
He was also a great administrator. The reforms brought by him formed the basis of administration of the later Indian rulers.

But Samudragupta was more than a fighter; he was also a lover of the arts. He set the stage for the emergence of classical art, which occurred under the rule of his son and successor Chandragupta II. Samudragupta is also known to have been "a man of culture". He was a patron of learning, a celebrated poet and a musician. Several coins depict him playing on the Indian lyre (veena). He gathered a galaxy of poets and scholars and took effective actions to foster and propagate religious, artistic and literary aspects of Indian culture. Though he favoured the Hindu religion like the other Gupta kings, he was reputed to possess a tolerant spirit for other religions. His reign is rightly called as the 'Golden Age' of India.

Comparison with Napoleon:

Samudragupta never lost a single battle during his entire reign. Napoleon on the other hand faced numerous defeats throughout his career which ended with his ultimate defeat at Waterloo. Napoleon’s forces regularly plundered and pillaged the territories which he conquered. His rule which consisted of wars spread over 17 years supposedly left 6 million people dead across Europe, led to the loss of overseas French territories and the great nation of France became bankrupt. He also emancipated the Jews across Europe, the Catholics in Protestant majority countries and the Protestants in Catholic countries.

On the contrary, Samudragupta was a man of honour. He treated his opponents with respect. He established relations with almost all kingdoms in India and cemented them through matrimony. He was a man of culture and his court was filled with some of the greatest intellectuals. He was a Hindu by faith but encouraged all faiths. At the request of the Sri Lankan king and the Buddhist monks from over there, he allowed the construction of a large monastery at Bodh Gaya one of the holiest sites for Buddhists. Nalanda University was founded during this Golden Age. This center of Buddhist learning was built in a place that the Buddha himself had visited a number of times, and was patronized by the Gupta kings. He left behind a great legacy which is rightly called as The Classical Age in Indian history.

There is absolutely no similarity between Samudragupta and Napoleon yet European exceptionalism creates that similarity and the much superior Samudragupta is called as Indian Napoleon, a man who was nowhere near his standards.

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The forgotten hero of Marwar

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Many warriors fought for their independence however, only a few were remembered. Shivaji and Maharana Pratap went down in Indian history to be known as the symbols of independence. So lets take a look at a much lesser-known but an equally valorous leader who was forgotten in our history books. A ruler who was not just a staunch patriot like Pratap but was also his close ally and contemporary. An exact replica of Maharana Pratap in values and qualities, I am talking about the forgotten hero of Marwar, Rao Chandrasen Rathore

Rajputana in second half of 15th century:

The entire Rajputana was divided into two camps. All the small Rajput states were either in the influence of the more ancient and respected Mewar (Shisodiyas) or the larger and stronger Marwar (Rathores). Mewar had severely weakened after the death of their valorous king Rana Sanga and was then ruled by his youngest son Udai Singh (father of Rana Pratap). Marwar on the other hand utilised this power vaccum and expanded its influence manifoldly under Maldev Rathore. He became so powerful that he was even able to stop Sher Shah Suri’s invasion in Rajputana (The same ruler who had ousted Akbar’s father from India). The powerful but hostile Marwar earned the wrath of the neighboring Rajput states which soon mustered around Akbar with their grievances against the Rathore Chief of Marwar. Akbar used this as a pretext to attack Marwar and sent several expeditions against Marwar. Marwar was not as defensible as Mewar which enjoyed protection of the Aravalli hills and hence it was severely weakened. As fate had wished, Maldeo died soon after. He was succeeded by his younger son Rao Chandrasen in 1562 who inherited a crumbling state (like Pratap).

(A rough division of Mewar in red and Marwar in white)

Rao Chandrasen was the ablest of all the other princes and hence he was declared the successor by Maldev even though Rajputs followed Primogeniture policy and he was not the eldest son. After ascension, Chandrasen had to face his brothers who had rebelled and joined Akbar’s camp (Same as Pratap’s case). He fought two battles with the allied army of Mughals and Rajputs of Bikaner and Amer (Battle of Merta (1562) and Battle of Sojat (1574)). His brother was declared as the king of Jodhpur by Akbar (similar to what Akbar had done in Mewar by appointing Pratap’s brother as the king of Mewar).

Akbar tried to capture the powerful fort of Siwana, capital of Chandrasen. However, two of his expeditions were defeated by Rathore generals Rawal Sukhraj and Patai Rathod. Akbar tried to win over Chandrasen by offering him Jodhpur and make him his mansabdar (fedual). He refused and continued fighting for 2 years until Siwana finally fell. Chandrasen was hunted relentlessly, until he finally retreated to Mewar and joined Pratap. He assembled his army once again and was successful in repulsing Mughals using guerrilla tactics until he met an untimely death soon after in 1581.

This was the story of the ‘Forgotten Hero of Marwar’, an embodiment of valor and sacrifice. He was one of those few kings of the contemporary India who died as an independent king. This was my small tribute in his valiant memory.

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Durgadas Rathore, the lion of Marwar

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Indian history is full of famous exploits of Rajputs. From Prithviraj's escape from Jaichand's court to Durgadas Rathore’s open defiance in Aurangzeb’s court, this martial race has always been an example of bravery.

So, let’s hear the story of a lesser known Rajput who single-handedly preserved the rule of the Rathore dynasty over Marwar from Mughal subjugation.

17th century Rajputana:

Rajputana after years of relentless resistance had finally tired. All the Rajputs states had finally agreed to accept Mughals as their sovereigns, while retaining their control over their respective states. Several brave Rajput generals adorned the Mughal armies. One of the bravest generals was the ruler of Marwar, Jaswant Singh Rathore who had died while campaigning for Mughals in Afghanistan.

What did Aurangzeb do in return?

The ungrateful Mughal emperor used this as an opportunity to subjugate Rajputana. He was a fanatic Muslim who couldn’t bear the sight of ‘infidels’ in his empire (An attitude which severely undermined the power of once prestigious Mughals later). He refused to accept Jaswant Singh’s infant son as the ruler of Marwar unless he was raised as a Muslim in Delhi. This enraged the Rajput delegation of 300 men under Durgadas Rathore, the custodian of Marwar Royal family. With a rare display of valour, he stormed out of the Mughal court with his men who fought their way out valiantly and thus protected the prince.

Aurangzeb then dispatched armies in Marwar. Anarchy and slaughter were let loose on the doomed state, all the great towns in the plain were pillaged, the temples were thrown down. Jaziya was imposed. Durgadas showed great strategic acumen and engaged the Mughuls in relentless guerilla warfare thereby inflicting heavy damages finally forcing the Mughals to withdraw.

A pioneer of the resurgence of Rajputs, Durgadas Rathore was a rare combination of the dash and reckless valour of a Rajput warrior with the tact, diplomatic cunning and organizing power of the best Mughal ministers.

Uniter of Rajputs:

Mughals had exploited the disunity of Rajputs since long time back. However Durgadas was able to unite Rajputs of various communities, including the long time enemies Rathores and the Sisodiyas to ward off the Mughal invasion. Trade routes throughout the region were plundered by the guerrilla attacks of Rajputs, who also looted various treasuries in the present-day Rajasthan and Gujarat. These attacks heavily impacted the finances of the Mughal (whose finances had already been stressed due to the campaign in Deccan). Finally, Durgadas was able to install Ajit Singh on the throne of Marwar.

A man of character:

Not just a valorous general and a master tactician, Durgadas Rathore was also a man of character. Aurangzeb’s grandchildren and daughter in law were under the supervision of Durgadas. It was inconceivable for a barbarian like Aurangzeb that his daughter-in-law would have escaped untouched, but Veer Durgadas was a man of such honour that he returned them to the Mughal! Unlike Aurangzeb who was forcing Islam on Ajit Singh, Durgadas allowed the grandchildren of the Mughal to learn Islamic faith by a Qazi. This exemplifies the greatness and the true character of Durgadas.

There have been many warriors who fought for their own, but there have been a very few men who fought for others. He could have easily eliminated the infant to become the king himself, but he chose to remain loyal to his word and gave the kingdom unhesitatingly to Ajit Singh. There are few parallels of such absolute detachment from power and such unflinching loyalty to one’s lord!!

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