Bravehearts of Bharat: Vignettes from Indian History

by Vikram Sampath

The unexpected massive rout that befell his army shattered Muhammad Ghori’s pride—more so since this defeat was wrought on him by a woman whom he had vastly underestimated. He fled from the battlefield with a handful of bodyguards to save his life. Such was the rude jolt he received from this battle that he never again turned towards Gujarat to conquer it and instead eyed the more vulnerable Punjab, making his entry through the Khyber Pass the following year. The wound of Gujarat remained with Ghori for long and it was later left to his slave Qutub-ud-din Aibak to avenge his master’s humiliation, decades later in 1195–97. But thanks to the bravery and strategic assault of the fierce Queen of Patan, Gujarat remained invincible for Muhammad Ghori personally. Had this conquest been won by Ghori the whole of southern Rajputana and Gujarat would have gone under his control and the history of India might have taken a different course.