Mighty Raja Dahir’s Fierce Battle With Muhammad Bin Kasim — I
After having camped on the western bank of river Indus for nearly fifty days, preparing for the battle ahead with Raja Dahir, Muhammad bin Kasim eventually crossed the river. He got the treacherous Mokah to arrange for the boats to make a makeshift bridge by linking all the boats together along the western bank of the river. The makeshift bridge of boats, made to match the width of the river, was eventually floated on the river with one end tethered on the western bank and the other end moved slowly till it touched the eastern bank. Once this end was tethered to the eastern bank, the Arab army was able to cross river Indus at a location near the fortress of Bet.
Finally, Raja Dahir’s army came face to face with Muhammad bin Kasim’s army at a place called Raor or Rawar and “a dreadful conflict ensued, such as had never been heard of.” [The History Of India As Told By Its Own Historians, Vol. 1 — The Muhammadan Period, P 121 — Elliot And Dawson]
Raja Dahir’s Invincible Valour In Battlefield
The fierce, pitched battle that took place between Raja Dahir and Muhammad bin Kasim lasted for several days. On the first day, Raja Dahir sent his son, prince Jaisiah to the battlefield. Jaisiah and his troops fought valiantly. At one point, the Arabs surrounded Jaisiah on all sides, but Jaisiah’s elephant charged “against the Arab horsemen and foot soldiers fighting around, and these could not check the attack of the elephant and gave way.” [The Chachnama: Volume 1 (1900), P 121 — Translated from Persian by Mirza Kalichbeg Fredunbeg]
At this time, Mokah’s brother Rasil, who had so far claimed allegiance to his king, Raja Dahir, also betrayed him against the advice of his minister, and arranged for his own capture by Muhammad’s men so that he would “not be a subject of reproach and our respective objects will also be gained.” [The Chachnama: Volume 1 (1900), P 122 — Translated from Persian by Mirza Kalichbeg Fredunbeg] Rasil and Mokah advised Muhammad bin Kasim to cross the large lake that separated the two armies and gain strategic geographical advantage by advancing to a place called Jitor. Rasil told Muhammad, “you should go one stage higher up, and encamp at Jitor on the stream of Doharah… from that position you can easily carry on war with Dahar and command his front and rear.” [The Chachnama: Volume 1 (1900), P 123 — Translated from Persian by Mirza Kalichbeg Fredunbeg]
For the next three days, the battle raged on between the two armies and Raja Dahir’s army fought hard against the Arab invaders. On the fifth day of the battle, the valiant Raja Dahir led a large army into the battlefield himself. “Young men of royal blood, and celebrated horsemen and veteran warriors, numbering 5,000, with 60 elephants, some say 1000-like elephants and 20,000 foot soldiers with complete armour or coats of mail, marched out in front of Dahar, who himself sat on a furious elephant.” [The Chachnama: Volume 1 (1900), P 125 — Translated from Persian by Mirza Kalichbeg Fredunbeg]
It was a customary practice for Indian kings to lead the vanguard of their armies when they proceeded for battle. Raja Dahir also led his army from the forefront, seated on his elephant. He positioned some elephants with the advanced columns while the central forces surrounded him. Towards the front were the armed foot soldiers and archers, men with javelins, half-spears and halberts. To his right were the archers and to his left were armed horsemen with naked swords. [The Chachnama: Volume 1 (1900), P 126 — Translated from Persian by Mirza Kalichbeg Fredunbeg] In this array Raja Dahir’s army engaged in fierce battle with the Arab army and fought valorously to defend their country and their people.
On the seventh day of the battle, Raja Dahir marched into the battlefield along with his son, the valiant prince Jaisiah. Raja Dahir was at the centre of the army surrounded by 10,000 brave horsemen clad in iron-mail armour. Some horsemen held drawn swords while others bore swords and shields. Raja Dahir was seated on a white elephant and was surrounded by other elephants, including some more towards the rear. On the front were the great swordsmen and slaughterers while on his right and left were the brave princes and nobles and other seasoned warriors of Sindh. The robust Jats of the eastern part of Sindh were marshalled in the rear. As Raja Dahir commanded his army to battle, all elephants except two, charged forward with the cavalry to fight the army of Islam. [The Chachnama: Volume 1 (1900), P 127 — Translated from Persian by Mirza Kalichbeg Fredunbeg]
Upon seeing the mammoth army of Raja Dahir, one of the generals of Muhammad bin Kasim approached him and said, “the army of the infidels appears to be a veritable calamity, so numerous is it. It has already its weapons and instruments of war in perfect order, and being quite ready for battle, it is quite jubilant, and is pressing forward to meet you and to fight.” [The Chachnama: Volume 1 (1900), P 128–129 — Translated from Persian by Mirza Kalichbeg Fredunbeg]
Seeing that his troops were vastly outnumbered, Muhammad bin Kasim exhorted them to fight in the name of the Islamic God and strategically divided his troops into three parties. “He ordered the naptha-shooters to have their weapons and appliances ready and to light their torches and set up their fires.” [The Chachnama: Volume 1 (1900), P 128 — Translated from Persian by Mirza Kalichbeg Fredunbeg] With the aid of some more traitors who deserted Raja Dahir in the battlefield, Muhammad formed a column of select cavalry and sent them to attack the army of Raja Dahir from the rear.
(To be continued…)
