Rajput states (8th Century to 12th Century) Mains Test
Mains Test Series
Rajput states (8th Century to 12th Century)
Q1. The inferior cavalry of the Rajputs was the only reason for their defeat at the hands of Turko afghans”-Critically Analyse.
Answer:
Note: The demand of the question is that we have to analyse whether the inferior cavalry of the Rajputs was the only reason for their defeat at the hands of Turko Afghans.
Introduction
The term Rajput is derived from the Sanskrit word Raj-Putra, which means “son of a king.” It is an irony of fate that the Rajputs, a paragon of immense bravery, courage and valour, lost to the Turk invaders from barren, destitute and distant lands.
Justification:
Inferior military arrangements of Rajput states:
- Lack of appropriate military strategy:
The Rajput army advanced with all the wings together. The Turks used a special strategy with their two units—one advanced guard and the other the reserve. The advance guard was meant to test their strength and find the weak areas. The reserve was thrown into the battle fray after the Rajputs had exhausted their resources.
- Inferior war art:
As per V.A. Smith, “Hindu Kings, though fully equal to their assailants in courage and contempt of death, were distinctly inferior in the art of war and, for that reason, lost their independence.”
- Lack of offensive strategy and outdated war strategy :
The Rajputs mostly fought defensive battles rather than offensive ones, which goes against them.
- Elephants versus horses: The strength of the Turks lay in their efficient cavalry. At the same time, The Rajputs depended considerably upon the elephants, which were far slower and bulky. The elephants were easily struck with fear by the swiftness of the horse’s movements and the war cries.
Several other reasons prevail for this phenomenon, some of them are:
Political causes:
- Lack of a powerful central authority: There was no powerful central authority in India that could have offered strong resistance to the invaders, as did the Magadha empire at the time of Alexander’s invasion. Rajputs were divided into numerous ruling dynasties, and there was never a united common front.
- Lack of unity: Rajput rulers fought for selfish reasons and the honour of their own families, with generally no regard for the country or nation. Chandbardai said, “Ninety out of a hundred of Prithviraj’s ‘Samantas’ (chiefs) fell in his conflicts with Jai Chand on account of his carrying away Samyukta.” As a result, the lack of unity was one of the first major reasons for the demise of the Rajputs.
- Neglect of the frontiers: The Rajput rulers failed to develop any foolproof frontier policy.
- Feudalism: The army of a Rajput ruler was constituted by collecting the armies of the feudal chiefs. The soldiers demonstrated more loyalty to their feudal chief than to the ruler.
Religious causes:
- Impact of Buddhist religion: Due to the emergence of Buddhism, India emerged as a land of ahimsa. The philosophy of ahimsa greatly harmed the martial spirit of the Indian rulers.
- Jihad spirit of the Muslim army: Lane-Poole said, “The very bigotry of their creed was an instrument of self-preservation.” For the Muslim soldiers, the fight against the Rajputs( the Hindus) was a ‘Jihad’ (Holy war). The soldiers were convinced that they would go to paradise if they died for their religion. If they won, they would be considered the protectors of their religion. On the other hand, Rajput soldiers were devoid of such emotions.
Social and Administrative Causes:
- Inefficient spy system: The Rajput rulers did not set up an efficient spy system. It is also unfortunate that sometimes Rajput officials proved punic as they revealed some of the enemy’s military secrets.
- Historian Dr. K.S. Lai lists two main reasons for the defeat of the Rajputs: Social division and rivalry between different groups and the absence of an efficient spy system. The Rajputs prefer only Rajputs by birth as a soldier.
- According to Prof. K.A. Nizami, The real reason for the defeat of the Indians adhered to their rigid social system and the invidious caste distinctions, which rendered the whole military organisation rickety.
Moral and Ethical Character:
- Rajputs never attacked their enemies after sunset. They also did not attack the retreating army.
- They neither attack the sleeping enemy nor the unarmed one. On the other hand, Turks did not distinguish between moral and immoral conquest.
- If Prithvi Raj Chauhan had killed Mohammad Ghori in the first battle of Tarain after Ghori’s defeat, the second battle of Tarain would not have occurred, and the history of medieval India would have been different.
Geographical causes: Turkish invaders were habituated to harsh weather(‘Heat or cold’) due to the adverse weather of central Asia, which had given them a huge advantage.
Economic causes: The wealth of the temples attracted the Muslim invaders.
Conclusion: Therefore, multiple reasons were responsible for the collapse of the Rajputs in front of the Turks. R.C. Datt has rightly emphasised that the Hindus had reached the climax of their political, religious and social decline at that time, so they became an easy target for the invading Turks.
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