The Battle of Kasahrada halted Ghurid expansion into mainland India, being one of the few decisive defeats suffered by Muhammad of Ghor.
Key Facts
- Year
- 1178
- Location
- Kasahrada, near Mount Abu, Sirohi district, Rajasthan
- Rajput commander
- Mularaja II (Chaulukya king)
- Ghurid commander
- Muhammad of Ghor
- Ghurid retreat destination
- Ghazna
- Key terrain factor
- Thar Desert exhausted Ghurid forces before battle
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Muhammad of Ghor sought to expand Ghurid power east of the Indus River in the late twelfth century. After seizing Multan and Uch by ejecting the Carmathians, he attempted to penetrate mainland India by marching through the territory of the Chaulukyas in present-day Gujarat, traversing the Thar Desert via Multan and Uch.
The Ghurid army, exhausted and famished after a long desert march, reached Kasahrada at the foot of Mount Abu, where they were met by the Rajput Confederacy led by Chaulukya king Mularaja II and his allied Rajput forces. In the ensuing battle, the weakened Ghurid army was decisively routed and Muhammad of Ghor was wounded.
Muhammad of Ghor, wounded and defeated, retreated with great difficulty back through the desert to his capital at Ghazna. The Ghurid advance into mainland India was checked, marking one of the few significant military setbacks in Muhammad of Ghor's career of conquest.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Mularaja II.
Side B
1 belligerent
Muhammad of Ghor.