Prithviraj Chauhan

Prithviraj Chauhan
Posthumous painting depicting Prithviraj Chauhan seated on a terrace leaning against a bolster from Kota
King of Sapadalaksha
Reign	c. 1177 – December 1192
Predecessor	Someshvara
Successor	Govindaraja IV
Born	22 May 1166[1] Gujarat
Died	December 1192(1192-12-00) (aged 26) Ajmer
Spouse	Sanyogita
Dynasty	Chahamanas of Shakambhari
Father	Someshvara
Mother	Karpuradevi (Kalachuri Princess)
Religion	Hinduism

Prithviraja III (IAST: Pṛthvī-rāja; reign. 22 May 1166 – December 1192), popularly known as Prithviraj Chauhan or Rai Pithora, was a king from the Chauhan (Chahamana) dynasty who ruled the territory of Sapadalaksha, with his capital at Ajmer in present-day Rajasthan in north-western India. Ascending the throne as a minor in 1177 CE, Prithviraj inherited a kingdom which stretched from Thanesar in the north to Jahazpur (Mewar) in the south, which he aimed to expand by military actions against neighbouring kingdoms, most notably defeating the Chandelas.

Prithviraj led a coalition of several Rajput kings and defeated the Ghurid army led by Muhammad of Ghor near Taraori in 1191 However, in 1192, Muhammad returned with an army of Turkish mounted archers and defeated the Rajput army on the same battlefield. Prithviraj was captured and summarliy executed, although his minor son Govindaraja was reinstated by Muhammad as his puppet ruler in Ajmer. His defeat at Tarain is seen as a landmark event in the Islamic conquest of India, and has been described in several semi-legendary accounts, most notably the Prithviraj Raso.