Battle of Chandawar
The Battle of Chandawar was fought between Muhammad Ghori and Jaichand of Kannauj of the Gahadavala dynasty. It took place at Chandawar, on the Yamuna River close to Agra. Jaichand was defeated, giving Muhammad control of much of northern India. The battle was hotly contested, and the Gahadavalas were almost carrying the day until Jaichandra unexpectedly died, throwing his entire army into confusion. Muhammad used this development to turn the tables and defeat the Gahadavala army.
The Kannauj army expected Ghori to attack the capital next, but he chose to target the defenseless city of Varanasi, a famous Hindu pilgrim center. Turkic garrisons were placed in Varanasi, Asni, and other wealthy towns. However, Jayachandra's son, Harishchandra, was able to expel them, recovering Kanauj, Jaunpur and Mirzapur in AD 1197. Kannauj seems to have stayed independent until Iltumish conquered it.
