

His kingdom included today’s eastern Uttar Pradesh and western Bihar, including the holy city of Varanasi. Certainly, if his presence or rather absence decided the battle, he cannot have been an unimportant person. If not anything else, at least some kind of alliance? A peaceful old age and long-running dynasty for sure? Jaichand, we must remember, ruled over a vast area, stretching from today’s Kannauj to Varanasi. One would believe that for staying away from Tarain he must have been justly rewarded by Mohammed Ghori, the new ruler of Delhi. But perhaps the bigger lesson lies in knowing what happened to Jaichand a mere two years after staying aloof from the battle that killed Prithviraj Chauhan. There are some very obvious lessons to be learnt here. Popular knowledge ends with the Second Battle of Tarain. In the Second Battle of Tarain, the depleted forces of Prithviraj Chauhan were defeated and the ruler of Delhi killed. Some chronicles state he actively helped Mohammed Ghori. Jaichand, the powerful ruler of Kannauj with a rich city like Varanasi under him, refused to help. Prithviraj Chauhan cobbled up an alliance to face him, like he had the first time. Meanwhile, Mohammed Ghori, still smarting from his defeat, planned extensively for a second invasion. After this, even a few battles were fought between the armies of Prithviraj Chauhan and Jaichand, and in the process Prithviraj lost some of his best generals. The most popular account is about how Jaichand, the ruler of Kannauj, was unwilling to give his daughter’s hand in marriage to Prithviraj Chauhan, and this then snowballed into a political rivalry.

Historians are divided as to what exactly transpired in the one year after the first battle of Tarain. And that is the point from where things started going from bad to worse. After the battle, instead of nipping the threat in the bud, Chauhan allowed Ghori to retreat and escape. This grand alliance, along with some other prominent Rajputs, had enabled Prithviraj Chauhan to crush Mohammed Ghori in the First Battle of Tarain (1191). As history tells us, he was initially allied with Prithviraj Chauhan, the ruler of Delhi and north India. There were twelve gates to Rai Pithora, and the remains of the fort can be seen on the Press Enclave Road even today.The name ‘Jaichand’ is today synonymous with treason and treachery. Chauhan, who built this fort, was the last Hindu Emperor to have a strong central authority in Delhi. Qila Rai Pithora is the first of seven cities of Delhi. It is believed that Qutubuddin and Iltutmish made Qila Rai Pithora their residence. The stones were reused for the Kuwaitul Islam Mosque. Tomar and Chauhan built several temples within Lal Kot, which were later demolished by Muslim emperors. He said that in reality, Lal Kot Qila Rai Pithora is the actual Delhi. In his book, Jagmohan wrote how Chauhan constructed a huge fort. There is a plan to build a museum and green park around the conservation centre.ĭDA handed over the development work of the park in 2002.
Prithviraj chauhan delhi full#
Now the work of expansion will start at full pace. However, later the construction was halted due to pollution. A conservation centre was also built on the premises, and a grand statue of Emperor Prithviraj Chauhan was installed. The Archaeological Survey of India took charge of the preservation. The expansion work was halted due to pollution After Jagmohan became Minister of Tourism and Culture, he preserved the entire mound on which the fort was located and ordered excavation. At that time, only a small part of the region was preserved. Jagmohan’s ministry worked with Delhi Development Authority and developed plans to conserve and develop the fort. Before its revamp, there were slums around the fort, and the administration neglected it. As per the reports, the museum will be ready in the next year.ĭuring his tenure in the Vajpayee government as Urban Development Minister, Jagmohan rejuvenated Qila Rai Pithora. ASI has already started collecting documents and antiquities related to Chauhan for the museum. The building already built in this fort will be expanded for the museum dedicated to Prithviraj Chauhan. Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) will build a museum dedicated to Hindu emperor Prithviraj Chauhan in Delhi at Qila Rai Pithora, Jagran has reported.
