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Battle of Rajasthan/ Arab Rajput War
Date 738 CE Location Rajasthan, India Result Decisive Indian victory, Arab expansion checked Territorial changes Umayyad Arab expansion checked and contained to Sindh.
Belligerents
Chalukya dynasty Gurjara-Pratihara	Umayyad Caliphate
Commanders and leaders
Nagabhata I Vikramaditya II Bappa Rawal	Junayd ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Murri† Tamim ibn Zaid al-Utbi†

The Battle of Rajasthan is a folkloric term used to refer to a series of battles in early-8th century CE between the Arab regime in Sindh and the Hindu kings to the east of the Indus river.

Fought around 738 CE, a Hindu alliance repelled invading Arab armies and pushed the Arabs out of the areas east of Indus. The final battle took place somewhere on the borders of modern-day Sindh and Rajasthan. The Hindu alliance consisted of the north Indian Emperor Nagabhata I of the Gurjara-Pratihara Dynasty, the south Indian Emperor Vikramaditya II of the Chalukya dynasty, and other small Hindu kingdoms. Vikramaditya II sent his general Pulakesi who defeated the Arabs in Gujarat. Nagabhata of the Pratihara Dynasty defeated the Arabs in Malwa. The Muslim conquest of Persia by Arab forces in a short space of time gave Arabs the confidence to invade India which ended in failure.

Events leading up to the battle

According to Indian records, al-Murri was only successful against the smaller states in Gujarat and was defeated at two places. The southern contingent moving south into Gujarat was defeated at Navsari by Avanijanashraya Pulakesi, who was sent by Vikramaditya II, the ruler of the South Indian Chalukya Empire. The eastern contingent was defeated by the Gurjara-Pratihara ruler Nagabhata I after reaching Avanti. According to Indian records the Umayyad armies were routed at the latter battle.

Invasion of Rajasthan

Arab armies captured Sindh, but further expansion was contained after which the Arab army retreated to the western bank of the Indus river. After ten years, the Arab generals tried to expand Sindh empire toward the way of the east to Kutch, the coastal area between Gulf of Kutch and Malwa, but the Arabs were driven away at the Rajasthan by the Gurjara-Pratihara of the Thar Desert in 738.

Aftermath

In the words of the Arab chronicler Suleiman, “A place of refuge to which the Muslims might flee was not to be found.” The Arabs crossed over to the other side of the River Indus, abandoning all their lands to the Indian kings. The local chieftains took advantage of these conditions to re-establish their independence. Subsequently, the Arabs constructed the city of Mansurah on the other side of the wide and deep Indus, which was safe from attack. This became their new capital in Sindh.

Equipment and resources

The Arab chronicler Suleiman describes the army of the Gurjara Pratiharas as it stood in 851 CE: "The king of Gurjars maintains numerous forces and no other Indian prince has so fine a cavalry. He is unfriendly to the Arabs, still he acknowledges that the king of the Arabs is the greatest of kings. Among the princes of India there is no greater foe of the Islamic faith than he. He has got riches, and his camels and horses are numerous."

But at the time of the Battle of Rajasthan the Gurjar Pratiharas had only just risen to power. In fact Nagabhatta was, their first prominent ruler, but the composition of his army, which was predominantly cavalry, is clear from the description. There are other anecdotal references to the Indian kings and commanders riding elephants to have a clear view of the battlefield. The infantry stood behind the elephants and the cavalry formed the wings and advanced guard.

See also

• Bappa Rawal
• Muslim conquest in the Indian subcontinent

References

1. Kapur, Kamlesh (2010). History Of Ancient India (portraits Of A Nation). New Delhi: Sterling Publishers. p. 362. ISBN 978-81-207-5212-2.
2. Crawford, Peter (2013). The War of the Three Gods: Romans, Persians and the Rise of Islam. Barnsley, Great Britain: Pen & Sword Books. p. 216. ISBN 978-1-84884-612-8.
3. ^ Majumdar, Ramesh Chandra (1977). Ancient India (Eighth ed.). Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass. p. 279. ISBN 81-208-0436-8.
4. Sandhu, Gurcharn Singh (2000). A Military History of Ancient India. Vision Books. p. 402.
5. Sen, Sailendra Nath (1999). Ancient Indian History and Civilization. New Delhi: New Age International Publishers. p. 348. ISBN 81-224-1198-3.
6. ^ Panchānana Rāya (1939). A historical review of Hindu India: 300 B. C. to 1200 A. D. I. M. H. Press. p. 125.
7. Saxena, Sunil (2011). "Chapter 1". History of Medieval India. D. P. S. Publishing House. ISBN 978-81-250-3226-7.
8. Radhey Shyam Chaurasia (2002). History of Ancient India: Earliest Times to 1000 A. D. Atlantic Publishers & Distributors. p. 207. ISBN 81-269-0027-X, ISBN 978-81-269-0027-5.

• 730s conflicts
• Battles involving the Umayyad Caliphate
• History of Hinduism
• 730 in Asia
• 8th century in India