First Battle of Tarain
Topic: Turkic Invasions and the Delhi Sultanate · NCERT: Class 7, Ch 4 "Turning Tides: The 11th and 12th Centuries"
Meaning
The First Battle of Tarain was fought in 1191 at Tarain, modern Taraori in Haryana. Prithviraja III (Prithviraj Chauhan), the Chahamana (Chauhan) ruler of Ajmer and Delhi, defeated Muhammad Ghuri. Ghuri was wounded and went back. It matters because the victory did not last. Ghuri returned the very next year with a bigger army.
Example
In 1191 Prithviraj Chauhan's forces pushed back Muhammad Ghuri's army at Tarain. In 1192, at the same place, Ghuri won the Second Battle of Tarain. He executed Prithviraj and captured Delhi, which opened the way for the Delhi Sultanate.
Don't confuse with
- Second Battle of Tarain (1192): Prithviraj lost this one. A common exam trap says he won the second battle, but he won only the first.
Related concepts
- Ghurids
- Muhammad Ghori
- Prithviraj Chauhan
- Second Battle of Tarain
- Qutbuddin Aibak
- Bakhtiyar Khilji
- Tabaqat-i-Nasiri