History of Mediaeval Hindu India (being a History of India from 600 to 1200 A.D.) v3.c33.s3.14

v3.c33.s3.14

Firishta places this decisive battle in the plain of Peshawar, but Elliot does not think this probable. Utbi has not mentioned the site of the engagement. But as Wahind and the territory to the west of the Indus was already under Mahmud, he might have taken steps to meet the enemy in his own land, like a consummate commander. Utbi mentions the bank of the Wamand (p. 340) but what river it is cannot be determined. He also does not mention whether the river was crossed and if so by whom. The Gazetteer of the Attock district places this battle in the plain of Chhachh lying in that district between Attock and Hazro, and the Rawalpindi Gazetteer reiterates the statement. Both opine that the battle was fought between Mahmud and Ānandapāla Shahi Kabul king who was also master of the Panjab. The king's name as read in Utbi is Wabal-bin-Abdbal, but this is certainly a misreading; the last name is no doubt Ānandapāla; Wabal may have been the name of one of his sons.