Hariraja (r. c. 1193–1194 CE) was a king from the Chauhan (Chahamana) dynasty who ruled parts of his ancestral kingdom (in present-day Rajasthan, India) for a brief period, before being defeated by the Ghurids. After the

Ghurid The Ghurid dynasty (also spelled Ghorids; ; self-designation: , ''Šansabānī'') was a Persianate dynasty of eastern Iranian peoples, Iranian Tajik people, Tajik origin, which ruled from the 8th-century in the region of Ghor, and became an Emp ...

invaders defeated his brother

Prithviraja III Prithviraja III (IAST: Pṛthvī-rāja; 22 May 1166 – February 1192), popularly known as Prithviraj Chauhan or Rai Pithora, was a king from the Chahamanas of Shakambhari, Chauhan (Chahamana) dynasty who ruled the territory of Sapadalaksha, w ...

in 1192 CE, he dethroned his nephew

Govindaraja IV Govindaraja IV (r. c. 1192 CE) was an Indian king belonging to the Chahamana dynasty, which ruled the Sapadalaksha region in present-day north-western India. The Ghurid invaders defeated and killed his father Prithviraja III, while he was stil ...

, who had been appointed as a vassal ruler by the Ghurids.

Reign

Hariraja was a son of the Chahamana king Someshvara and queen Karpuradevi. He and his elder brother

were born in

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...

, where their father Someshvara was brought up at the

Chaulukya The Chaulukya dynasty (), also Solanki dynasty, was a dynasty that ruled parts of what are now Gujarat and Rajasthan in north-western India, between and . Their capital was located at Anahilavada (modern Patan). At times, their rule extended ...

court by his maternal relatives. Prithviraja ascended the Chahamana throne after Someshvara's death, but his reign ended in 1192 CE with a

conquest of the kingdom. The Ghurids appointed Prithviraja's son

as a vassal ruler in return for a heavy tribute. Hariraja revolted against the Ghurid rule in the Chahamana capital

Ajmer Ajmer () is a city in the north-western States and union territories of India, Indian state of Rajasthan. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Ajmer district and Ajmer division. It lies at the centre of Rajasthan, earning it the ...

, forcing Govindaraja to take shelter in the Ranthambore Fort. When the Ghurid governor

Qutb al-Din Aibak Qutb ud-Din Aibak (; 1150 – 4 November 1210) was a Turkic general of the Ghurid emperor Muhammad Ghori. He was in charge of the Ghurid territories in northern India, and after Muhammad Ghori's assassination in 1206, he established his ow ...

heard about this, he rushed from Delhi to Ranthambore. Hariraja made a retreat, knowing that he would not be able to defeat the Ghurid army. While the Ghurids were busy fighting other Hindu dynasties such as the Gahadavalas, Hariraja once again invaded Ajmer in 1193 CE. This time, he managed to recapture Ajmer, and became the new Chahamana king, with support from Prithviraja's former general Skanda. Subsequently, Hariraja sent a force led by Jatira (called Jihtar or Jhitar in Muslim accounts) to capture Delhi. However, this force had to retreat in fear of a larger Ghurid army. As Jatira's force was returning to Delhi, Hariraja set out from Ajmer with another army in its support. The Ghurids decisively defeated the Chahamana forces in the ensuing battle. According to the 16th-century Muslim historian

Firishta Firishta or Ferešte (), full name Muhammad Qasim Hindu Shah Astarabadi (), was a Persian historian, who later settled in India and served the Deccan Sultans as their court historian. He was born in 1570 and died between 1611 and 1623. Life F ...

, Hariraja and Jaitra were killed in this battle. However, the near-contemporary 13th-century source ''Taj-ul-Maasir'' states that Jaitra "sacrificed himself in the flames of a fire". ''

Hammira Mahakavya ''Hammira Mahakavya'' (IAST: ''Hammīra-Mahākāvya'') is a 15th-century Indian Sanskrit kavya, epic poem written by the Jain scholar Nayachandra Suri. It is a legendary biography of the 13th century Chahamanas of Ranastambhapura, Chahamana king H ...

'' by the Jain scholar Nayacandra Suri also states that Hariraja had to fall back to Ajmer, where he determined that any further resistance against the Ghurids was fruitless. As a result, he and his family then committed suicide by self-immolation. Hariraja's queen was Pratapadevi, as attested by an 1194 CE Tantoti inscription.

References

Bibliography

* * {{Chahamanas of Shakambhari Chahamana kings of Shakambhari 12th-century Indian monarchs