06-05-2009, 12:48 AM
Ramana:
In A.D. 711, Hajjaj, Arab governor of Iraq sent his son-in-law Muhammad ibn Qasim to invade Sindh. Sindh was then ruled by a brahmana king Dahir (or Dahar). The capital was captured, citizens massacred, women & children imprisoned & temples ransacked. Dahir met with 50,000 warriors in the battle, he died in the fighting. Dahir is supposed to have fought courageously and gallantly. His widow then took over what ever army remained and defended the fort till their provisions failed. Then the women chose death instead of dishonor, they lighted fire in the courtyard and threw themselves and their children into fire - their husbands watched and after the fire devored the women and kids, the men rushed with swords to meet the invaders eventually to their death. R.C.Majumdar notes before this battle the treachery of Buddhists played no small part in some campaigns to reach Dahar. There is treachery involved in the capture of Multan too. A traitor pointed out water-supply of Multan to Muhammad.
So that is the setting of Sindh...Now on to Pulakesiraja.
Later, Caliph Hisham (A.D. 724-43) appointed al-Junayad as the governor of Sind. Around A.D. 725 Junayad's forces invaded and defeated rulers of Kachchellas of Cutch, Maitrakas of Saurashtra, Chavotakas of South Rajasthan, Saindhavas of Bhumilka in West Kathiawar, Mauryas of Chitor and Gurjaras of Bhillamala. Then the forces proceeded towards Deccan with the entire Southern and Northern India seeming to fall to the Arabs. Some where between A.D. 731 and A.D. 738 Pulakesi defeated these forces. Pulakesi was a Chalukyan prince of Lata in the southern part of Gujarat, near Navasarika. Lata was the northern-most province of Chalukyas. Dantidurga, a Rashtrakuta King was known to have helped Pulakesi. This defeat of the Arabs is important because this is the deepest part of India that the Caliphate ever penetrated.
Pratihara Nagabhata I of Avanti (present Malwa) (A.D. 730-56) is credited for driving out the Muslims out of the area.
I think Nagabhata operated from the Northern-Eastern side (Ujjain) and Pulakesi operated from the Western-Southern area. Thus the North and South were saved.
Subsequently the Arabs are driven back till the Indus river.
Now let us see what people say about the defeat of Arabs by Pulikesi.
1) R.C.Majumdar says "Southern India was thus saved".
2) D.P. Dikshit says "If the Arabs had been successful, probably it would have meant the end of Hindu rule in Western India and complete extinction of their power."
3) Vikramaditya II the King then bestowed the title "the repeller of the unrepellable" on Pulakesi. This shows the power of the marauders.
Notes:
1) The Arabs were refered by the term 'Tajika'. There is a branch of Astrology related to this term.
2) Lata a.k.a Lata Desh or Lar Desh is believed to be Ptolemy's Larike that included Broach, Ujain and Nasik. Navasari was the capital of Lata.
Source: Several of the sources use the 'Gurjara Grants' of the time.
0) INTERNET :-)))
1) The Royal Gurjars by Nau Nihal Singh
2) The End of Jihad State by Khalid Yahya Blankinship
3) Ancient India, R.C.Majumdar
4) A History of South Inda, KAN Sastri
5) Gazetter of the Bombay Presidency - Khandesh.
6) Political History of the Chalukyas - D.P.Dikshit.
In A.D. 711, Hajjaj, Arab governor of Iraq sent his son-in-law Muhammad ibn Qasim to invade Sindh. Sindh was then ruled by a brahmana king Dahir (or Dahar). The capital was captured, citizens massacred, women & children imprisoned & temples ransacked. Dahir met with 50,000 warriors in the battle, he died in the fighting. Dahir is supposed to have fought courageously and gallantly. His widow then took over what ever army remained and defended the fort till their provisions failed. Then the women chose death instead of dishonor, they lighted fire in the courtyard and threw themselves and their children into fire - their husbands watched and after the fire devored the women and kids, the men rushed with swords to meet the invaders eventually to their death. R.C.Majumdar notes before this battle the treachery of Buddhists played no small part in some campaigns to reach Dahar. There is treachery involved in the capture of Multan too. A traitor pointed out water-supply of Multan to Muhammad.
So that is the setting of Sindh...Now on to Pulakesiraja.
Later, Caliph Hisham (A.D. 724-43) appointed al-Junayad as the governor of Sind. Around A.D. 725 Junayad's forces invaded and defeated rulers of Kachchellas of Cutch, Maitrakas of Saurashtra, Chavotakas of South Rajasthan, Saindhavas of Bhumilka in West Kathiawar, Mauryas of Chitor and Gurjaras of Bhillamala. Then the forces proceeded towards Deccan with the entire Southern and Northern India seeming to fall to the Arabs. Some where between A.D. 731 and A.D. 738 Pulakesi defeated these forces. Pulakesi was a Chalukyan prince of Lata in the southern part of Gujarat, near Navasarika. Lata was the northern-most province of Chalukyas. Dantidurga, a Rashtrakuta King was known to have helped Pulakesi. This defeat of the Arabs is important because this is the deepest part of India that the Caliphate ever penetrated.
Pratihara Nagabhata I of Avanti (present Malwa) (A.D. 730-56) is credited for driving out the Muslims out of the area.
I think Nagabhata operated from the Northern-Eastern side (Ujjain) and Pulakesi operated from the Western-Southern area. Thus the North and South were saved.
Subsequently the Arabs are driven back till the Indus river.
Now let us see what people say about the defeat of Arabs by Pulikesi.
1) R.C.Majumdar says "Southern India was thus saved".
2) D.P. Dikshit says "If the Arabs had been successful, probably it would have meant the end of Hindu rule in Western India and complete extinction of their power."
3) Vikramaditya II the King then bestowed the title "the repeller of the unrepellable" on Pulakesi. This shows the power of the marauders.
Notes:
1) The Arabs were refered by the term 'Tajika'. There is a branch of Astrology related to this term.
2) Lata a.k.a Lata Desh or Lar Desh is believed to be Ptolemy's Larike that included Broach, Ujain and Nasik. Navasari was the capital of Lata.
Source: Several of the sources use the 'Gurjara Grants' of the time.
0) INTERNET :-)))
1) The Royal Gurjars by Nau Nihal Singh
2) The End of Jihad State by Khalid Yahya Blankinship
3) Ancient India, R.C.Majumdar
4) A History of South Inda, KAN Sastri
5) Gazetter of the Bombay Presidency - Khandesh.
6) Political History of the Chalukyas - D.P.Dikshit.