History of Mediaeval Hindu India (being a History of India from 600 to 1200 A.D.) v3.c33.s2.12

v3.c33.s2.12

Utbi’s account of the second battle seems to be of more doubtful credibility. In the first place the first defeat of the Hindus was only nominal and the delivery of fortresses in Jaipal’s territory was a condition too exacting. Secondly, if it had been agreed upon, Jaipal was not the man treacherously to break it as soon as he was safe within his own country. The Brahmin kings of Kabul, like in fact the Rajput kings of the whole of India at this time, were men of honour. Even Al-Beruni praises this high character; Mahomedan though he was, he was a truthful observer of the Hindus and their character and he gives a very flattering description of the probity and goodness of these kings of Kabul “In all their grandeur” he remarks (Vol. II Sachau p. 10) “they never slackened their ardent desire for doing what was good and right; they are men of noble sentiment and noble bearing.” Thirdly, it is not possible that kings of different countries in India would again combine so soon after their first attempt had failed. Lastly, if the combined army was so vast as to number about one lakh of men and included several hundreds of elephants, the tactics of Sabuktagin in attacking them incessantly with bodies of 500 horsemen could not have succeeded and the Hindus could not have been so signally defeated. Sir Vincent Smith mentions here the fact that Alexander had adopted the same tactics in his battle with Porus. But Alexander’s cavalry was disciplined and Sabuktagin’s cavalry could not have been a disciplined force in the sense that Alexander's cavalry was. The Rajputs too were not less known for their cavalry and it is impossible to believe that in such a vast force there was no cavalry with the Hindus. The Pratihāras of Kanauj were, even according to Arab writers, known for their numerous and efficient cavalry. And the Kanauj monarch, the foremost king and emperor in Middle India contiguous to the kingdom of Jaipal, must have been one of the allies assembled to assist Jaipal and he is actually mentioned as taking part. The probability is that this account of the second battle is an exaggerated one containing a repetition of the story of the assembling of allies with a vast force. It seems that Sabuktagin must again have invaded the territory of Jaipal after some time on one pretext or another or on no pretext whatever for reasons stated in the beginning. And Jaipal must have opposed him with such force as he could muster from his own kingdom and he was signally defeated. He lost much of his territory upto the Indus but not the whole of Gāndhāra. He may have lost the southern part of it including Bannu, for he still appears to be ruling in Parshawar and Wahind as we shall presently see.