| Battle of Chach | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Mahmud of Ghazni riding an elephant following his conquests in India | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Ghaznavids | Hindu Shahi | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Mahmud of Ghazni | Anandapala | ||||||||
The Battle of Chach or Battle of Chaach was fought in 1007 AD between the Ghaznavid army of Mahmud of Ghazni and the Hindu Shahi army of Anandapala, near Hazro, resulting in the latter's defeat. This left the north Indian region vulnerable to further invasions. [1]
After having invaded the Principality of Bhatiya (1004-5) and the neighbouring Emirate of Multan (1006), [2] Mahmud mounted an invasion of the Hindu Shahis circa December 1006, for reasons which are not clear. [3] Correspondence shows that Anandapala actually seems to have had favourable dispositions towards the Muslims. [3] Mahmud left Ghazni with his force on December 31, 1006, for a spring campaign into India. [3] This was his sixth expedition into India. [4]
A huge army, composed of the Hindu Shahis and allied Rajas was placed under the command of Anandapala's son (Trilochanapala) to meet the invasion. [3] [5] Trilochanapala failed to prevent Mahmud's troops from crossing across the Indus, and Mahmud then set out for the plains of Chaach as the battleground. [3]
For 40 days both armies remained entrenched, until Mahmud tried to lure out the Shahis using a combat unit of 6,000 archers. [1] This failed, as the unit was destroyed by the Hindu Shahis. [1] Emboldened, about 30,000 troops of the Gakhar allies of the Shahis attacked Ghaznavid positions, killing about 5,000 Ghaznavid troops. [1]
The Ghaznavids were in a difficult position and Mahmud managed to regain the upper hand only by having his elite personal guards launch a rear-attack. [1] This caused the Shahi forces to become disorganized and eventually flee, losing about 20,000 men in the encounter. [6] The victorious army of Mahmud captured one of the sons of Anandapala, vast amounts of spoil and 30 combat elephants. [6]
The battle was the last occasion on which Mahmud and Anandapala could confront their armies. [6] Mahmud pursued the fleeing Hindu Shahi troops as far as the Kangra valley, where they took refuge in the fort of Bhim or Nagarkot, but capitulated after three days. [7]
Mahmud installed Governors in the lands he had conquered, and returned to Ghazni by June of the next year. [8] Anandapala sent an embassy to Mahmud, with a proposal for peace, which was accepted. [8] The Hindu Shahis had accept tributary status, provide some level of military support, guarantee passage of troops, and remit an annual tribute. [8] Mahmud also sent his own agents to oversee the enforcement of the peace-treaty and within a year, normal trade relations had resumed. [8]
The Muslim conquests of Afghanistan began during the Muslim conquest of Persia as the Arab Muslims migrated eastwards to Khorasan, Sistan and Transoxiana. Fifteen years after the battle of Nahāvand in 642 AD, they controlled all Sasanian domains except in Afghanistan. Fuller Islamization was not achieved until the period between 10th and 12th centuries under Ghaznavid and Ghurid dynasties who patronized Muslim religious institutions.
The Ghaznavid dynasty or the Ghaznavid Empire was a Persianate Muslim dynasty and empire of Turkic mamluk origin, ruling at its greatest extent, large parts of Iran, Khorasan, and the northwest Indian subcontinent from 977 to 1186. The dynasty was founded by Sabuktigin upon his succession to the rule of Ghazna after the death of his father-in-law, Alp Tigin, who was an ex-general of the Samanid Empire from Balkh.
Abu Mansur Nasir al-Din Sabuktigin, also spelled as Sabuktagin, Sabuktakin, Sebüktegin and Sebük Tigin, was the founder of the Ghaznavid dynasty, ruling from 977 AD to 997 AD. In Turkic the name means beloved prince.
Abu al-Qasim Mahmud ibn Sabuktigin, usually known as Mahmud of Ghazni or Mahmud Ghaznavi, was Sultan of the Ghaznavid Empire, ruling from 998 to 1030. During his reign and in medieval sources, he is usually known by his honorific Yamin al-Dawla. At the time of his death, his kingdom had been transformed into an extensive military empire, which extended from northwestern Iran proper to the Punjab in the Indian subcontinent, Khwarazm in Transoxiana, and Makran.
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Hazro is a town located halfway between Islamabad and Peshawar in Hazro Tehsil of the Attock District in the Punjab Province of Pakistan. Hazro is the capital of the Chachh region.
Chukhsa was an ancient area of Pakistan, modern Chach, west of the city of Taxila.
The History of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa refers to the history of the modern-day Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
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The Battle of Peshawar was fought on 27 November 1001 between the Ghaznavid army of Mahmud of Ghazni and the Hindu Shahi army of Jayapala, near Peshawar. Jayapala was defeated and captured, and as a result of the humiliation of the defeat, he later immolated himself in a funeral pyre. This is the first of many major battles in the expansion of the Ghaznavid Empire into the Indian subcontinent by Mahmud.
The Lodi dynasty was the last dynasty to rule over Emirate of Multan, from their capital city of Multan in the 10th century.
Hameed is a village in the Chach Valley of Hazro Tehsil in Attock District of Punjab Province, Pakistan.
Sangramaraja or Samgramaraja was the founder of the Lohara dynasty and ruled Kashmir from 1003 to 1028. During his reign, Mahmud of Ghazni tried to invade Kashmir twice but had to retreat both times after suffering heavy casualties.
The Lawīk dynasty was the last native dynasty which ruled Ghazni prior to the Ghaznavid conquest in the present-day Afghanistan. Lawiks were originally Hindus, but later became Muslims. They were closely related to the Hindu Shahis, and after 877, ruled under the Hindu Shahi suzerainty.
The Sack of Somnath in 1026 was a military campaign orchestrated by Mahmud of Ghazni, a ruler of the Ghaznavid Empire, directed against the Chaulukya dynasty of Gujarat. This is considered Mahmud's fifteenth invasion of India, which saw strategic captures and decisive battles and culminated in the destruction of the revered Somnath Temple. Facing staunch resistance, Mahmud's forces emerged victorious, resulting in significant casualties.
The Ghaznavid campaigns in India refer to a series of military expeditions lasting 54 years (973–1027) launched by the Ghaznavid Empire, a prominent empire of the 10th and 11th centuries, into the Indian subcontinent, led primarily by Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni, leaving a profound impact on the region's history and culture.
One of Mahmud's notable military campaigns during this period was the Siege of Lohkot in A.D. 1015. Positioned strategically in the Kashmir Valley, Lohkot presented a formidable challenge to Mahmud's forces due to its impregnable defenses. Despite persistent efforts, harsh winter conditions and reinforced defenses compelled Mahmud to abandon the siege and retreat to Ghazni. This campaign underscored the enduring challenges faced by Mahmud in asserting his authority in the region.
