Govindaraja IV (r. c. 1192 CE ) was an Indian king belonging to the Chahamana dynasty, which ruled the Sapadalaksha country in present-day north-western India. The

Ghurid The Ghurid dynasty (also spelled Ghorids; fa, دودمان غوریان, translit=Dudmân-e Ğurīyân; self-designation: , ''Šansabānī'') was a Persianate dynasty and a clan of presumably eastern Iranian Tajik origin, which ruled from the ...

invaders defeated and killed his father

Prithviraja III Prithviraja III (IAST: Pṛthvī-rāja; reign. – 1192 CE), popularly known as Prithviraj Chauhan or Rai Pithora, was a king from the Chauhan (Chahamana) dynasty who ruled the territory of Sapadalaksha, with his capital at Ajmer in present- ...

, while he was still a minor, and appointed him as a vassal ruler of the Chahamana kingdom. His uncle

Hariraja Hariraja (r. c. 1193–1194 CE ) was a king from the Chahamana (Chauhan) 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 invaders defe ...

dethroned him for accepting the Ghurid suzerainty. Subsequently, Govindaraja established a new branch of the Chahamana dynasty at

Ranastambhapura Ranthambore Fort lies within the Ranthambore National Park, near the city of Sawai Madhopur in Sawai Madhopur district of Rajasthan, India. the park being the former hunting grounds of the Maharajahs of Jaipur until the time of India's Indepen ...

(present-day Ranthambore).

Reign

Govinda-raja was born to the Chahamana king

. The 16th century ''Tarikh-i-

Firishta Firishta or Ferešte ( fa, ), full name Muhammad Qasim Hindu Shah Astarabadi ( fa, مُحَمَّد قاسِم هِندو شاہ), was a Persian historian, who later settled in India and served the Deccan Sultans as their court historian. He was ...

'' names him as "Gola", which is probably a mistranscription of "Guva", a

diminutive A diminutive is a root word that has been modified to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning, either to convey the smallness of the object or quality named, or to convey a sense of intimacy or endearment. A (abbreviated ) is a word-formati ...

of "Govinda". In 1192 CE, the Ghurids invaded the Chahamana kingdom, defeating and killing Govindaraja's father. The victor

Muhammad of Ghor Mu'izz ad-Din Muhammad ibn Sam ( fa, معز الدین محمد بن سام), also Mu'izz ad-Din Muhammad Ghori, also Ghūri ( fa, معز الدین محمد غوری) (1144 – March 15, 1206), commonly known as Muhammad of Ghor, also Gh ...

then appointed Govindaraja as a vassal ruler. Since Prithviraja was around 30 years old at the time of his death, Govindaraja appears to have been a minor at the time of his ascension. During Govindaraja's short reign, the Ghurids subjugated the rebel Chahamana governors, including those at

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

and

Hansi Hansi, is a city and municipal council in Hisar district in the Indian state of Haryana. It appears that at one time Hansi was larger, more prosperous and more important than Hisar. The town has several important buildings of archeological import ...

. Govindaraja's uncle

rebelled against the Ghurid rule in Ajmer, forcing Govindaraja to take shelter in the

Ranthambore Fort Ranthambore Fort lies within the Ranthambore National Park, near the city of Sawai Madhopur in Sawai Madhopur district of Rajasthan, India. the park being the former hunting grounds of the Maharajahs of Jaipur until the time of India's Indepen ...

. The Ghurid governor

Qutb al-Din Aibak Qutb ud-Din Aibak ( fa, قطب‌الدین ایبک), (1150 – 14 November 1210) was a Turkic general of the Ghurid king Muhammad Ghori. He was in charge of the Ghurid territories in northern India, and after Muhammad Ghori's assassination in ...

rushed from Delhi to Ranthambore, and forced Hariraja's army to retreat. Govindaraja gifted three golden melons to the Ghurid governor to express his gratitude. Govindaraja then returned to Ajmer. However, in 1193 CE, Hariraja again invaded Ajmer, supported by Prithviraja's rebel general Skanda. Once again, Govindaraja had to flee to Ranthambore. This time, Hariraja managed to occupy Ajmer, and became the new Chahamana king. Hariraja was defeated by the Ghurids in 1194 CE. Meanwhile, Govindaraja was granted the

fief A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an Lord, overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a for ...

of Ranthambore. His son Valhana (or Balhana) ruled succeeded him on the Ranthambore throne as a vassal of the

Delhi Sultanate The Delhi Sultanate was an Islamic empire based in Delhi that stretched over large parts of the Indian subcontinent for 320 years (1206–1526).

References

Bibliography

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