Question

write a brief note on Jaichand

Answer 1

Jaichand (r.1173-1193) (Jayachandra) was a ruler of the Kannauj kingdom. At his time, the kingdom stretched from Benaras to Gaya and Patna, in the fertile area between the Yamuna and Ganges rivers. He belonged to the Gaharwardynasty, subsequently known as the Rathore dynasty.[1] He was the father of Sanyogita, Prithviraj Chauhan's wife. He was defeated and killed by Muhammad Ghori at the Battle of Chandawar in 1193-94.

Jaichand is mentioned in Prithviraj Raso, a semi-historical legend on the life of Prithviraj Chauhan; a similar account occurs in Ain-i-Akbari (16th century). Other sources include inscriptions and other accounts of the Battle of Tarain. His court poet Bhatta Kedar wrote a eulogy titled Jaichand Prakash (c. 1168) on his life, but the work is now lost. Another lost eulogy on his life is the poet Madhukar's Jaya Mayank Jas Chandrika.

Answer 2

Jaichand is supposed to be synonymous with a traitor to his people. He is supposed to have helped Muhammad Ghori against Prithviraj Chauhan in the Second Battle of Tarain by divulging Prithviraj’s war plans to Ghori.

But is it so? Consider this:

Jaichand divulging Prithviraj’s war plans is mentioned only in the epic poem Prithviraj Raso.Prithviraj Raso, while a commendable epic, is a historically unreliable document for the following reasons:The earliest copy of the Prithviraj Raso is from the 16th century, four centuries after Prithviraj was defeated by Ghori. It was commissioned by the Mewar kingdom.Many things that are claimed in Prithviraj Raso are either not supported or are outright negated by inscriptions from Prithviraj’s reign and other numismatic evidences.Many of the characters mentioned in Prithviraj Raso like Samar Singh, princess Shashivrata, Mukunda Deva, Bhima II are either imaginary or have lived decades after the timeof Prithviraj.Prithviraj Raso also claims Jaichand to be a cousin of Prithviraj through his mother’s side. But this has been proven wrong by a more historically reliable verse Prithviraj Vijayawhich was composed during the reign of Prithviraj.Prithviraj Raso also claims that Prithviraj was taken to Afghanistan in captivity where he managed to kill Ghori. In reality however, Ghori lived for more than a decade after Prithviraj’s death and was killed by the Gakhar tribe in Punjab.Hence, the portrayal of Jaichand as the one betraying Prithviraj by divulging his battle plans is not to be trusted at all, since it has been mentioned in only one historically questionable document.

For a moment, we can all be sure that Jaichand is infamous for an offense he did not probably commit at all.

But if you were to consider my opinion, anyone who sat back when an outsider invaded the lands east of the Indus, shares the blame of defeat. And in this, Jaichand, like every other Indian king of that time, stands guilty.