On the face of it, the story of Sanyogta and Prithviraj may seem to have nothing to with the latter's wars and campaigns. But if it is true that Sanyogta's father Jaichand, already a rival of Prithviraj, was angry that she eloped with the Chauhan king, then the bad blood between Chauhan and Rathore is a definite backdrop to the geopolitics of the time. Also, if – as it is said – Prithviraj was so besotted with Sanyogta that he neglected his kingdom to the extent he was oblivious to the danger Mahmud of Gaur presented, then again we can legitimately discuss Sanyogta.
After all, this is no ordinary king we are discussing, but the man who was the last Hindu emperor of Delhi, a man of immense contradictions, and who appears to have lost his empire to the Muslims despite his magnificent warrior qualities because of a lack of diligence and a preference for the good and soft life. So from this angle, too, Sanyogta is important.
The problem is, according to R.C. Majumdar, there is no evidence to back the story. It originates from the Prithviraso, which was written much after the events it narrates.
It's also worth noting that Prithviraj and Sanyogta are supposed to have eloped in 1175. Even given that she was his youngest queen, if 17 years later the man is still so infatuated with her that he cannot think straight, we can legitimately ask if the story is as told. Kings had their favorite wives, but they had many wives. It would be a bit unusual for a wife to have such a hold for so many years that she is the cause of the king's neglecting his duties.
Our difficulty originates with the part concerning Prithviraj's antecedents. The popular story has it that two daughters of Anangpal, King of Delhi, married rival kings: Someshwar Chauhan of Ajmer, and Vijaypal Rathore of Kannauj. Prithviraj was born to Someshwar and his wife Kamladevi, Jaichand was born to Vijaypal and his wife Roopsundari. This would make Prithviraj and Jaichand first cousins, though Jaichand was much older to Prithviraj.
Furthur, Anangpal of Delhi, having no son, decided to leave his kingdom to Prithviraj, because young as Prithviraj was, he was clearly a better soldier than Jaichand. This discrimination by the grandfather in favor of the junior grandson further exacerbated the hostility Jaichand bore Prithviraj.
The problem with this story is several-fold.
First, Prithviraj's mother was not the daughter of the King of Delhi, but of Achalaraja, the Kalachuri king of Tripuri, which is today's Jabbalpore in Madhya Pradesh. Her name was Karpuradevi and not Kamladevi.
Second, Prithviraj inherited the kingdom of Delhi from his father, Someshwar of Ajmer, not from any king of Delhi. Delhi was a vassal of Ajmer, so when Someshwar died, Prithviraj got Delhi as well as Ajmer.
Third, there was no Anangpal ruling Delhi during Prithviraj's time. The closest Anangpal we have been able to locate is the jagirdar of Bhatnar [modern Bhatinda?]. He was a decendent of Bhimpal, last Shahi king of the Punjab – who was disposed of his kingdom by Mahmud Ghaznavi in the 11th century.
Anangpal, according to the story, was an Aruyvaid herbalist doctor who became close friends with Prithviraj. The later liked him so much he added to Anangpal's jagir at Bhatnar, and this inspired Anangpal to attack and recover his lost inheritance of Lahore 1179. However, he could not hold on to Lahore, was pushed out by the Muslims and died. His son Gorakrai was brought back to Bahtnar, and later became a luminary at Prithviraj's court.
Be that as it may, insofar national psyches are shaped by legends, the story of Prithviraj and Sanyogta is one of the most powerful of Indian legends. For Indians, the romance is on par with the most famous of all Western civilization romances, Paris and Helen of Troy. So while as historians we must remain skeptical, as Indians we should remain free to enjoy the story.here is another article:
EMPEROR PRITHVIRAJ CHAUHAN III (FLOWER OF RAJPUT CHIVALRY) |
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| Prithviraj Chauhan III was the last of the great Chauhan rulers of Ajmer who left a deep imprint in the sands of time and redefined the concept of valour in its noblest form. The Chauhans traced their origins to Sambhar or Sapadlaksh as it was then called. Some contend that the Chauhan descended from the solar dynasty of Rajputs. The historical work Hammir Maha Kavya on this issue quotes. " He (the Chauhan ruler) rules over the heads of kings as his ancestor, the sun, ruled over the heads of Mountains. " However certain stone inscriptions (Hansi Inscription of 1167 A.D. and the Achleshwar temple inscription of 1320 A.D.) assert that the Chauhans belonged to the Lunar dynasty. The town of Ajmer, as per popular belief, was founded by Ajaipal Chauhan in early sixth century. The final transformation of Ajmer into a major city and center of political power probably took place after the tenth century in the time of kind Ajaideva II. Prithviraj Chauhan III came from a distinguished line of rules who had elevated Ajmer to the position of the premier power in north Indian when even the Tomar rulers of Delhi paid homage to them. Prithviraj was the son of Someshwara who died in 1179 A.D. As Prithviraj was a minor, his mother Karpuridevi, a wise and sagacious lady, acted as regent and guided the destinies of the Chauhan empire with great tact and understanding. Prithviraj reigned for thirteen years and had aptly been hailed as the last Hindu Emperor of India. His whole life was one unbroken chain of chivalrous deeds and glorious exploits, which have won for him eternal fame and a name that will last as long as chivalry itself. Among his major military exploits could be termed the defeat of king of Gujarat and the sack of Mahoba whose generals, Ala and Udal, fought with great valour. The neighbour, King Jaichand of Kanauj could not digest his increasing power and influence and conspired against him constantly. Relations with Jaichand reached a low ebb when Prithviraj eloped with the former's beautiful daughter, Samyogita. Prithviraj sprinted away Samyogita from a 'Swayamber' held to choose a husband for her and Prithviraj's name was deliberately omitted from the list of invitees. That she preferred to garland a statue of Prithviraj in the latter's absence and the subsequent elopment has fired the imagination of bards over the years who have woven this tale into lyrical prose. However, the day of recknoing was drawing close for Prithviraj. Shahabuddin Ghori, the Muslim ruler of Ghur, had been eying India and its fabulous wealth for quite some time. Initial invasions were repulsed and he was defeated in a signal encounter at Tarain in 1191 A.D. Even here the magnanimity and chivalry of Prithviraj was evident. When asked to pursue the retreating muslim forces, in true traditions of Rajput valour, he refused to attack the retreating armies as this did not conform to norms of fair warfare. The following year in 1192 A.D., at the same battlefield of Tarain, Prithviraj was defeated after a heroic a struggle. His end was equally heroic-he died as a brave man, battered in body but not in spirit. Prithviraj's court was adorned with many gifted and learned men. A Jain manuscript, Khartargachha Gurvavli by Jainpalodaya contains the account of a 'sastrartha'(academic debate) between Jain scholar Acharya Jinpati Suri of Khartargachha and Padmaprabha of Ukeshgachha. Prithviraj Vijay of Jayanak and Prithviraj Raso of Chand Bardai have immortalised the deeds of Prithviraj. Notwith-standing the latitude due to bards, it is a fact that the Rajput tradition of chivalry and valour drew great inspiration from the deeds of Prithviraj. |
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