No Mohammedan rival remained to oppose the conquests of the Ghorian in India; and his thoughts were now bent on extending his possessions in that country. The Hindú rulers of Kanauj and Ajmír were the only authorities who had the means of defeating his pretensions; and such, when weighed against the arrogance of the champion of Islám, would be as nothing in the balance. Mohammed Ghorí conducted his troops towards Ajmír, by the route of Sirhind,* which he captured. He then took Kohram and Samana.* The Rájá of Ajmír, at this time, was Prithvi Ráyá, whom the Táríkhi Alfí names Gola, though more correctly written Gohila, as such was the appellation of his tribe.* Having heard that the Mohammedans had taken those places, he advanced with an army of Rájpúts, to stop the march of the Ghorians. The parties soon after came to blows; but the right and left wings of the Mohammedans being broken, took to flight, and left their leader, with the centre, to main­tain an unequal contest. Mohammed Ghorí, though forsaken by cowards, was himself undismayed; and, notwithstanding many of his friends continued urging him to leave the field of action, he turned a deaf ear to their intreaties, till unhorsed, and about to become a cap­tive. A fierce struggle here commenced between the Rájpúts and the Mohammedans, the former endeavouring to carry off the Sultán, while the others made desperate efforts to pre­vent them. Fortune at length favoured their exertions; and the troops of Ghor, having by one determined effort driven back the Hindús, released their leader. Mohammed Ghorí, who thus narrowly escaped from an untimely death, was mounted by his followers on horseback, and carried from the field of battle. He had not gone far when, becoming faint and weak from the loss of blood, they placed him in a covered litter, and immediately continued their flight, till far beyond the danger of pursuit; notwith­standing the Rájpúts made no effort to follow up their first success.* On arriving in the neighbour­hood of Lahore,* Mohammed Ghorí disgraced the officers who had deserted him; and, having compelled them to hang about their necks their horses' mouth-bags, filled with grass, sent them into the city with this badge of infamy. During this year the Sultán remained at Lahore, to repair the disasters of defeat, and then marched to Ghazní.

The disgrace of defeat weighed so heavily on the mind of Mohammed Ghorí, that for several years he remained inactive; and, sorrowful for the event, was so vexed with those who had caused it, that he would not permit any of the disgraced nobles to approach him, or pay their respects. Having at length, however, assembled an army, without permitting any one to be privy in his counsel, he marched for Pesháwar. At this place an old man of Ghor came out to meet him; and, after having performed the usual salutations and respect proper to be observed before sovereigns, the sage requested to know what were his intentions; for, though there were many speculations regarding them, no one knew with certainty whither he was going. Mohammed Ghorí informed him, that, ever since his defeat by the Hindús, he had neither slept soundly nor indulged in pleasure; and, though little might be trusted to the troops of Ghor, he nevertheless felt confident that God would aid him in consulting the interests of the true faith, by conducting an army into India.* To this the sage replied—“Please God, your wishes will be so accomplished by our kinsmen, that your heart will be delighted: but let me advise you to forget their past offences, and so honour them with your confidence, that they may serve you with zeal, and omit nothing which may contribute to success.” This good advice was fol­lowed; the disgraced nobles were called to the presence of their leader; to him they excused themselves, saying—“Though we know what our master suffered for the past, we had yet no remedy to offer; and prayed to God that he would again invade Hindústán, to give us an opportunity of wiping away the stain on our character. Thank Heaven, the time has now arrived when, by a victory over the idolaters, we may hope to have our wishes accomplished, and the load of sorrow, which has weighed down our hearts, removed!”* They were all again received into favour, and honoured with proofs of their master's regard.

Defeat of
Prithvi Ráyá,
the Prince of
Ajmír.

After having passed the Indus, the Ghorians advanced by the route of the Panjáb to the neighbourhood of Dehlí; while the Hindús, under Prithvi Ráyá, prepared to oppose them. The former were yet distant two stages from the camp of the enemy, when their leader made a feint retreat in the direction of Sirhind. Prithvi Ráyá, elated by his former success, and imagining the invaders were panic-struck, pursued the flying foe; who thus retreated, four or five stages, without indicating a wish to engage their pursuers. The Rájpúts sent the Mohammedans a message of defiance, telling them—“Like thieves, who enter the dwellings of men, and fear punishment, you fly before us; but it is now fit you stand a battle: fly not, therefore, if you respect the honour of your government.” To this an answer was returned by the latter, that they, mistrusting their own prowess against that of their pursuers, were obliged to fly. The retreat had been thus con­tinued, till the former reached the town of Naraini, since called Tiraurí,* situated between Kurnal and Thánesur, on the banks of the Chit­tung river.* Here both armies encamped; the Mohammedans occupying the western and the Rájpúts the eastern bank. The latter, with their leader, had been lulled into fatal security by the well-dissembled fears of the other; and Shahábu-d-dín Mohammed Ghorí, perceiving he had thus accomplished the object of his retreat, made seven thousand cavalry pass the river, during the night, with orders to attack the enemy's camp at daybreak. His instruc­tions were attended to; the Mohammedans assaulted the Hindús, and took them by surprise; Prithvi Ráyá, in the first moment of panic, endeavouring to escape on horseback, was prevented by his followers, but, having sub­sequently mounted his elephant, bravely led on the Rájpúts; and the contest was maintained till nightfall, when victory declared for the Ghorians. Many of the Hindús were slain; and Prithvi Ráyá was made captive. This proud Rájpút chief, when brought into the presence of the Sultán, refused to do him homage, by bowing his head before him; but one of the Mohammedan attendants, indignant at the insult offered to his master, seized the fallen monarch, and bent his forehead to the earth.* On being asked by the Ghorian, how he would have treated him, had it been his own fate to become a captive, Prithvi Ráyá replied, that he had prepared golden fetters with which he intended to load his prisoner, had he himself been con­queror; but now that the day was his enemy's he was ready to bear whatever might be inflicted on him. He also advised the Ghorian, that, if his desire was to seize on Hindústán, he ought to proceed without delay to do so, as there was no one remaining who possessed power to oppose him; but, that if gold was the thing he fought for, he would present him with as much as his soul might covet. The former replied, that the conquest of the country, not the possession of gold, was his object in con­ducting his soldiers into India; and, having carried Prithvi Ráyá along with him, he advanced against Ajmír, which contained the treasure of the Hindú Prince. Ajmír, with several other strongholds in that quarter, was subsequently captured; and the Sultán, soon after having returned to Ghazní, appointed Kutbu-d-dín Aibuk, one of the royal slaves, his deputy in India.

Rájpút accounts
of
Prithvi Ráyá,
and the causes
of his defeat.