famous ballad "Prithviraj Raso"

I have to disagree with you here, Mohammed Ghori was the one who fought Prithviraj Chauhan.

And Mohammed Ghori did not kill Prithiviraj, he held him captive and took him as prisoner because he wanted to humiliate the Rajput King (the last Hindu Emperor of Delhi).

The whole account is recorded in the famous ballad "Prithviraj Raso".

After Prithiviraj was defeated and captured, thanks to his father-in-law the king of Kannauj Jai Chand Rathore, who helped Ghori fight the 18th battle, Prithiviraj was brought in chains infront of Ghori.

Ghori began to insult Chauhan (Prithiviraj) infront of his muslim ministers and then ordered Chauhan to lower his eyes in his presence, Chauhan refused and kept glaring at the muslim invader with anger, to which Ghori ordered that his eyes be removed.

Chauhan was kept as a prisoner, the news reached his childhood friend who was a court poet named Chand Bardai.

Chand Bardai came to Ghori's court and told the muslim invader that Chauhan was a skilled warrior who also knew the art of the Shabad-bedi Vahan (Being able to shoot a target by hearing its sound only), thus being blinded, he claimed Chauhan could still shoot the target just based on sound alone.

Ghori wanted to see this display of skill. He agreed fopr an exhibition.

On that day, Ghori stood on his balcony, Chauhan was brought out in his chains and given a bow and a single arrow.

Chand Bardai seeing his friend in this state, he immediately knew this was the time to strike. Chand Bardai coined a poem on the spot, calling out to Prithviraj, he said:

"Char bans chaubis gaj , 

Angul asth praman, 

Tao pe Sultan hai, 

Mut jhuko Chauhan!"

The first two lines are measurements. The last two lines mean: The Sultan is on the balcony, Chauhan don't miss your mark!

Ghori thought that Chand Bardai was telling Chauhan were the "real" target was for the exhibition, so he ordered Chauhan to shoot. And he did. Chauhan shot Ghori in the neck, and knowing that torture and death awaited them in the muslim camp, Chand Bardai had already smuggled two daggers, one of which he gave to Chauhan and they immediatle killed themselves instead of being captured.

The book "Arms and Armour: Traditional Weapons of India" by E Jaiwant Paul says on the outskirts of Ghazni are two domed tombs... The larger was of Ghori and few meters away was a second smaller tomb of Prithviraj Chauhan.

"In the centre of the second tomb was a bare patch of earth where the actual grave should have been. Hanging over this spot from the top of the dome is a long, thick rope ending in a knot at shoulder height. Local visitors would grab hold of this knot in one hand and stamp vigorously and repeatedly with one foot on the bare patch in the centre of the tomb," says Paul, a weapons collector.

Paul, who saw this on his visit to Afghanistan says on seeking an explanation, he found that the Afghans still stamped on his grave because Prithviraj killed Ghori, 900 years ago.

In Afghanistan, Prithviraj's tomb stands near Ghazni and history books need to be rewritten, he says adding "his remains must be brought back home, where they belong."

(About the book: Arms and Armour: Traditional Weapons of India; By E Jaiwant Paul, Published by Roli Books; Price Rs 595; PP 144)

PS: Our honourable Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Rahul Gandhi had time to visit Babur’s grave (the Islamic invader and First Mughal) and pay ‘homage’, but not to our very own Indian King who defended India from Islam 17 times.