Prithviraj Chauhan

Pivotal moments in history. Days that turn kingdoms to dust and redraw the map of the world. Enter Prithviraj Chauhan, king of the Chauhan dynasty and the last great Hindu emperor before centuries of Muslim rule swept across northern India. When this war-hardened monarch was no longer there to hold the line, the floodgates opened.

Prithviraj took the throne of Sapadalaksha at just sixteen, already fluent in multiple languages and trained in everything from martial arts to medicine, philosophy, and poetry. But his true gift was archery. His soldiers swore he could shoot blindfolded, guided only by sound—deadly precision from a man who turned warfare into art.

He kicked off his reign by crushing a rebellious cousin and decorating his capital with a garland of severed heads. Then he absorbed Bhadanaka territory and unleashed his army—camels, horses, elephants, and infantry—on the Chandelas and Gujarat, subjugating them with brutal efficiency.

To the northwest, Muhammad Ghori of the Ghurid Empire had been poking the bear for years, raiding Prithviraj’s lands and testing his patience. When Ghori moved to seize Tarain, Prithviraj snapped. He assembled a massive army and met Ghori head-on in the First Battle of Tarain. Ghori’s troops had never seen war elephants before—they panicked and fled. The Ghurid army was annihilated.

But instead of chasing Ghori down, Prithviraj laid siege to Batinda for thirteen months. When it fell, he showed restraint, forcing Ghori to apologize and retreat. That mercy would cost him dearly a year later.

On the eastern front, Prithviraj had problems with Jaichan of the Gahadavala dynasty—his own father-in-law, furious that Prithviraj had eloped with his daughter. Jaichan allied with Ghori, and the Second Battle of Tarain erupted. Ghori returned with 150,000 men. Prithviraj countered with 200,000 and 3,000 elephants. But this time, Ghori had adapted—his mounted archers tore through the Rajput lines. Prithviraj was defeated, captured, and blinded.

Then comes the legend. Chan Bardai, Prithviraj’s loyal poet, infiltrated Ghori’s court and tricked the sultan into letting Prithviraj perform in an archery exhibition. Ghori mocked him, giving away his position. Prithviraj turned, aimed by sound alone, and loosed an arrow straight through Ghori’s throat. One final kill. One final act of defiance.