Battle of Gujarat or Kayadara, 1178

The battle of Gujarat or Kayadara (1178) was a defeat suffered by Muhammad of Ghur during his first campaign against a Hindu ruler in India. Muhammad's first campaign had been against the Muslim rulers of Multan in 1175 and had ended in victory. In 1178 he turned south, and led his army from Multan to Uch and then across the desert towards the Gujarat capital of Anhilwara (modern Patan).

Gujaray was ruled by the young Raja Bhimdev II (ruled 1178-1241), a member of the Solanki dynasty (one of several Chalukya dynasties), although the age of the Raja meant that the army was commanded by his mother Naikidevi. Muhammad's army had suffered greatly during the march across the desert, and Naikidevi inflicted a major defeat on him at the village of Kayadra (near to Mount Abu, about forty miles to the north-east of Anhilwara). The invading army suffered heavy casualties during the battle, and also in the retreat back across the desert to Multan.

Muhammad of Ghur never returned to Gujarat. An army led by Qutb al-din Aibek, his deputy in India, invaded in c.1195-97 and plundered the capital, but then returned to Delhi. Gujarat wasn't annexed by the Sultanate of Delhi until 1297.

Medieval Indian Armies (2), Indo-Islamic Forces, 7th-Early 16th Centuries, David Nicolle. Covers a vast topic, a millennium of Indian history, with at least twenty eight Islamic dynasties claiming some part of the sub-continent. Starts with useful overviews of the involvement of Islamic powers in the area, before moving on to look at the military history and armies, split into five chapters, each of which discusses the main military activities of the period with an overview of what we know about the armies involved (Read Full Review)

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