History of Kanauj to the Moslem Conquest c17.s6.1.3

c17.s6.1.3

Hearing this, Ānandapāla despatched ambassadors to all parts of Hindustan appealing for assistance from other rulers, who “now considered the expulsion of the Muhammandans from India as a sacred duty.”² The king of Kanauj, who had helped his father on an earlier occasion, promptly answered the call of his campatriot by sending a huge contingent, his example being followed by the Rājās of Ujjain, Gwalior, Kālañjara, Delhi, and Ajmer.³ The confederate army, “the greatest that had yet taken the field”, encamped on the confines of the province of Peshawar, where it remained for forty days without going into action. A wave of sullen enthusiasm seems to have swept over Hindustan; the women “sold their jewels and melted down their golden ornaments to furnish resources for the war”, and even the Khokhars (Gukkurs) and other warlike tribes rose up to defend the gates of India. But nothing availed the Hindus. Their forces were signally routed just when victory seemed in sight, and Mahmud was suffering heavy losses by their furious charges. All of a sudden Ānandapāla’s elephant became unruly from the effects of naphtha balls and fled. This circumstance caused a panic among the Hindus who thought that their commander had deserted them, and the battle ended in a victory for Mahmud amid scenes of awful carnage and confusion.