Muhammad of Ghor
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Obv: Rider bearing lance on caparisoned horse facing right.Devnagari Legends : Sri /hamirah'. Rev: Simple rendition of recumbent bull with long snout facing left, Devnagari Legends : ' Sri Mahamada Same ' in arc .
Muhammad Shahab ud-Din Ghori (Persian,Urdu: محمد شہاب الدین غوری), also spelled Mohammad Ghauri, originally named Mu'izzuddin Muhammad Bin Sam but famously known as Muhammad of Ghor, b.1162 - d.1206, was a governor and general under the Ghorid dynasty. He was the governor of Ghazni (province in modern Afghanistan) from 1173 to 1206. His ethnic background was most likely of Persian-speaking Eastern-Iranian Tajik stock.[1][2]
Muhammad of Ghor was the brother of the Sultan Ghiyas-ud-din Muhammad of Ghor (province in modern Afghanistan). Ghor lay on the western boundary of the Ghaznavid Empire. Before 1160, the Ghaznavid Empire covered an area running from central Afghanistan to the Punjab, with capitals at Ghazni and Lahore.
In 1160, the Ghorids conquered Ghazni from the Ghaznavids, and in 1173 Muhammad Shahab ud-Din Ghori became governor of the province. In 1186-7 he conquered Lahore, ending the Ghaznavid Empire and bringing the last of Ghaznavid territory under his control. Muhammad Shahab ud-Din Ghori was a loyal brother. He refrained from declaring his independence in South Asia, knowing that it would result in civil war between the two brothers. Till the death of Ghiyas-ud-din Muhammad in 1202, Ghori never considered himself anything but a general in his brother's army. After every victory he would send the best of the looted items to his elder brother in Firuz Koh. Ghiyas-ud-din reciprocated by never interfering in the affairs of his younger brother. Thus they were each able to concentrate on their own responsibilities. As a result, Ghori managed to push permanent Muslim rule much further east than Mahmud Ghaznavi did.
Muhammad attacked the north-western regions of the Indian subcontinent many times. The first time he was defeated in the First Battle of Tarain in present-day Haryana, India by Prithviraj Chauhan while he was returning from another invasion when he was caught mostly unawares. Though Ghori's main aim was the expansion of his empire, he also took an interest in the patronization of education and learning. Illustrious Muslim philosopher Fakh-ud-din Razi and the well know poet Nizami Aruzi were few of the big names of his era.
After defeating Prithviraj Chauhan in the the Second battle of Tarain in 1192 CE, Rajput kingdoms like Saraswati, Samana, Kohram and Hansi were captured without any difficulty. Then Ghori proceeded to Ajmer. Nobody challenged him. After reaching Ajmer, he spared the son of PrithviRaj , Kola, who in turn took the oath of loyalty and servitude to Ghori.
In 1206, Ghori had to travel to Lahore to crush a revolt. On his way back to Ghazni, his caravan halted at Dhamiak near Jehlum. He was killed while offering his evening prayers. Many think that the murderer was an Ismaili. However, some historians believe that the murderer belonged to the warrior Gakhars tribe that resided in the area. He was buried where he fell and his tomb has recently been renovated.
In some popular bardic compositions in North India like the Prithviraj Raso, woven around the bravery of Prithviraj Chauhan, it is stated that Ghori did not kill Prithviraj but rather blinded him. Subsequently, Prithviraj discharged a Shabdbhedi (an arrow shot at the source of a sound) arrow, on being challenged by Ghori to do so. The arrow hit Ghori and subsequently he was killed. Yet there is no historical evidence to substantiate it. Nonetheless in Ghori province, there also exists a grave site of Ghori as well as his arch rival Prithiviraj in the same vicinity.The fact that Ghori died about fourteen years after the war is proof sufficient to counter the folklore.Ghori was actually engaged in suppression of revolt of the tribes aforementioned and who have been narrated to be the cause of his death.
Muhammad Ghori had no heirs and thus he treated his slaves as his sons. It is said that he trained thousands of Turkish slaves in the art of warfare and administration. Most of his slaves were given excellent education. During his reign many hardworking and intelligent slaves rose to positions of excellence. Once a courtier lamented; that Sultan has no male heirs. Ghori immediately replied;
| “ | Other monarchs may have one son, or two sons; I have thousands of sons, my Turkish slaves who will be the heirs of my dominions, and who, after me, will take care to preserve my name in the Khutbah throughout these territories. | ” |
Ghori's prediction proved true when he was succeeded by a dynasty of Turkish Slaves. Upon his death, Qutb-ud-din Aybak, Muhammad Ghori's most capable general, who had started of by sacking Ayodhya in 1193 A.D., took control of Muhammad's Indian conquests and declared himself the first Sultan of Delhi thus establishing Sultanate of Delhi in 1206 CE. Muhammad Ghori is remembered as an empire builder and is justly called the founder of the Muslim Empire in Indo-Pakistan.
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[edit] Influence in Modern Politics
In response to India's development of its nuclear warhead Prithvi in 1998, Pakistan launched its own nuclear warhead on April 6, 1998 called Ghauri - I. It was symbolically named after Muhammad of Ghori, who is highly revered in Pakistan and defeated his arch-rival: the Hindu ruler Prithvi Raj Chauhan, who is highly revered in India. Pakistan has since developed the Ghauri - II and Ghauri - III as well.
[edit] See also
[edit] References and footnotes
- John Keay (May 2001). India: A history. Grove Press; 1 Grove Pr edition. ISBN 0-8021-3797-0.
- ^ Encyclopaedia Iranica, "Ghurids", C.E. Bosworth, (LINK): "... The Ghurids came from the Šansabānī family. The name of the eponym Šansabānasb probably derives from the Middle Persian name Wišnasp (Justi, Namenbuch, p. 282). [...] Nor do we know anything about the ethnic stock of the Ghori's in general and the Sansabanis in particular; We can only assume that they were eastern Iranian Tajiks ... The sultans were generous patrons of the Persian literary traditions of Khorasan, and latterly fulfilled a valuable role as transmitters of this heritage to the newly conquered lands of northern India, laying the foundations for the essentially Persian culture which was to prevail in Muslim India until the 19th century. ..."
- ^ Encyclopaedia of Islam, "Ghurids", C.E. Bosworth, Online Edition, 2006: "... The Shansabānīs were, like the rest of the Ghūrīs, of eastern Iranian Tājik stock. ..."
[edit] Further reading
- Elliot, Sir H. M., Edited by Dowson, John. The History of India, as Told by Its Own Historians. The Muhammadan Period; published by London Trubner Company 1867–1877. (Online Copy: The History of India, as Told by Its Own Historians. The Muhammadan Period; by Sir H. M. Elliot; Edited by John Dowson; London Trubner Company 1867–1877 - This online Copy has been posted by: The Packard Humanities Institute; Persian Texts in Translation; Also find other historical books: Author List and Title List)
