Foreign Invasions in Medieval India

The Medieval period dates roughly between 6th A.D and 16th A.D. During this period many dynasties ruled India. The period was marked by several battles which some developments of new weapons and new military strategies.

When the first foreign invasion into India took place? It was during 5th century BC that the Persian King Darius invaded the North Western part of India, which was then divided into small regional states. The division of India into many principal states and lack of unity among them provided the opportunity for King Darius to invade and annex them. Thereafter invasions from abroad continued. All invaders who came to India aimed at conquering and acquiring wealth.

Each such invasion not only brought destruction but new developments in various fields such as the introduction of new language, different religious beliefs and practices, development of art and culture and most importantly new military organizations, new weapons and tactics as well.

Important of these many foreign invasions is the one by Sultan Shahab-ud-din Mohammed Ghori. The main reason for his expansion was to gain foot-hold in India and also acquire its huge wealth. His invasion led to setting up of Muslim rule in India for the very first time. Mohammed Ghori was ruler of a small region called Ghor in today's central Afghanistan. He was originally from Turkey and he desired to expand his empire by turning to neighboring countries including India.

The invasion took place through Khyber Pass, the route that connected Kabul, the capital city of Afghanistan and the present day Peshawar in Pakistan. Geographically, the Himalaya mountain ranges act as the natural frontier of India in the North, Northwest and the Eastern part, whereas the oceans cover the Southern part of India. However, at Khyber Pass the mountain ranges are low and hence provided a viable route for foreign invasions to happen.

Even so, capturing India and establishing his rule was not an easy task for Ghori since he had to fight twice with the Indian local rulers - in 1191 A.D for the first time, followed by the second invasion the very next year in 1192 A.D. On both occasions he faced the Rajput king Prithviraj Chauhan who was then the ruler of Ajmer and Delhi. These battles are remembered as Battles of Tarain.

Impact of the invasion

The impact of the invasion not only paved the way for the establishment of Muslim rule but also that the Khyber Pass became the frequent route through which subsequent invasions from abroad became possible. Babur's invasion also came through this route, which led to the establishment of Mughal rule.