Although Prithviraj Chauhan had lost his heart to the princess of Kannauj yet he had not lost his regal mind. It worked for the expansion of Delhi empire by thinking of new campaigns. It was essential to make Delhi a secure state.
Prithviraj now wanted to move into the north-western direction where lay the rich land of five rivers called Punjab. At that time that area was under the domination of Mohammad Shahabuddin Gauri, an Afghan chieftain who had managed to entrench himself after facing defeat at the hands of Chalukyas if Gujarat. He was ruling from Bhatinda. By the year 1190 A.D. he had been able to establish his rule there.
Prithviraj wanted Punjab to be the part of his Delhi empire. And for that it was impreative to deal with Gauri. Battle against him was unavoidable. The Delhi ruler made up his mind to take on Mohammad Gauri. For this campaign Prithviraj prepared a massive force and set out for Punjab.
Like a storm the Delhi forces moved and captured the forts of Hansi, Saraswati and Sirhind. Then a bad news arrived. Some rebel elements had created an uprising against the Delhi rule at Anhilwara. Crushing that rebellion was very essential for the campaign.
Prithviraj Chauhan had to turn back to deal with the rebellion with his force. As soon as he turned his back Mohammad Gauri struck and he recaptured Sirhind fort. The news of the fall of that fort angered Prithviraj. Infact, he was furious. Prithviraj was making up his mind to do a decisive battle against Mohammad Gauri. He sent a sizable task force under commander Samar Singh to challenge the Afghan while he himself dealt with the rebels.
In a quick move Prithviraj crushed the rebellion at Anhilwara. On the other hand Samar Singh fought a battle against the force of Mohammed Gauri on the bank of Ravi river. The battle dragged on for several days without yielding any result. Prithviraj did not like it.
The Delhi ruler regrouped his forces for a decisive battle. He and his massive army set out to meet the challenge of Gauri. On a day in 1191 Delhi forces clashed with the army of Mohammad Gauri at a place called Tarain near Sirhind fort, 14 kms away from Thanesar. Tarain is situated between Thanesar and Karnal. A fierce battle raged on. It beacame historically known as the 1st Battle of Tarain. The forces of Prithviraj fought bravely and ferociously. The army of Gauri fell back and its soldiers began to flee from the battle. Those who failed to flee got killed or maimed. The Sultan, Mohammad Gauri was badly injured and as he was about to fall from his tall Turkish horse when a young soldier called Khijli rushed to his rescue. He supported the tilting Mohammad Gauri, got on the horse back behind and led the horse out the battle field to safety.
The army of Mohammad Gauri was made up of mercenary Turkish soldiers. In this battle they proved no match for native Chauhans. In the absence of their Sultan the ranks of Gauri’s force collapsed and it
disintegrated in no time to flee from the battle. For 80 miles (128 kms.) the Delhi soldiers chased the fleeing enemy.
The Turkish soldiers never dared to regroup and rally. They were demoralised and defeated mentally.
This battle yielded a huge treasure worth Rs. 7 crores besides arms and livestock. Prithviraj Chauhan then and there distributed all the money amongst his commanders and soldiers as spoils of the battle.
For days Chauhans celebrated that famous victory. The victory over alien marauder Mohammad Gauri earned Prithviraj Chauhan a reputation of being an invincible native warrior. In no time he had become a legend. The folk sang songs of his valour and incredible deeds. The tales of his brave acts, courage, battle craft and daredevilry became popular folklore making him famous all over the lands. After victory in Tarain battle Prithviraj Chauhan returned to his capital Delhi. He wished to take a long rest and pamper himself with some indulgences.
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