Question

Who were the main scholars in the court of Prithviraj Chauhan?

Answer 1

Prithviraja III (IAST: Pṛthvī-rāja; reign. c. 1178–1192 CE ), popularly known as Prithviraj Chauhan or Rai Pithora in the folk legends, was a king from the Chahamana (Chauhan) dynasty. He ruled Sapadalaksha, the traditional Chahamana territory, in present-day north-western India. He controlled much of the present-day Rajasthan, Haryana, and Delhi; and some parts of Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. His capital was located at Ajayameru (modern Ajmer), although the medieval folk legends describe him as the king of India's political centre Delhi to portray him as a representative of the pre-Islamic Indian power.

Prithviraj Chauhan

Prithviraj Chauhan

Statue of Prithviraj Chauhan at Ajmer

King of Ajmer and Delhi

Reign

c. 1178–1192 CE

Predecessor

Someshvara

Successor

Govindaraja IV (as a vassal of Muhammad of Ghor)

Born

c. 1166

Gujarat

Died

1192 (aged 25–26)

Ajmer

Issue

Govindaraja IV

Regnal name

Prithviraja III

Dynasty

Chahamanas of Shakambhari

Father

Someshvara

Mother

Karpuradevi

Religion

Hinduism

Early in his career, Prithviraj achieved military successes against several neighbouring Hindu kingdoms, most notably against the Chandela king Paramardi. He also repulsed the early invasions by Muhammad of Ghor, a ruler of the Muslim Ghurid dynasty. However, in 1192 CE, the Ghurids defeated Prithviraj at the Second battle of Tarain, and executed him shortly after. His defeat at Tarain is seen as a landmark event in the Islamic conquest of India, and has been described in several semi-legendary accounts. The most popular of these accounts is Prithviraj Raso, which presents him as a "Rajput", although the Rajput identity did not exist during his time.