Conquest of Punjab and Sind by Muhammad Ghori:

(i) In 1175, Muhammad Ghori led his first expedition. He defeated the ruler of Multan. In the same campaign he captured Uchch from the Bhatti Rajputs.

(ii) In 1178, he fought with the ruler of Gujarat (Ghima II-a Chalukyan ruler) but he was defeated at the battle of Anhilwara. After this defeat Ghori realised the necessity of creating a suitable base in Punjab before venturing on the further conquest of India.

(iii) He launched a campaign against the Ghaznavid possessions in Punjab and conquered Peshawar in 1179-80 and Lahore in 1186. Then, he captured the fort of Sialkot and Debol. By 1190, he secured Multan, Sind and Punjab.

The first Battle of Tarain (1191)

(i) Possession of Multan, Punjab and Sind by Muhammad Ghori paved the way for a further into the Gangetic Doab. As a result a direct conflict between Ghori and the Rajput ruler Prithviraj Chauhan took place.

(i) He had overrun many small states in Rajputana, captured Delhi and wanted to extend his control over Punjab and Ganga valley.

(iii) The conflict started with claims of Bhatinda. In the first battle fought at Tarain in 1191, the army of Ghroi was routed and he managed to save his life anyhow. Prithviraj conquered Bhatinda but he made no efforts to garrison it effectively. This gave Ghori an opportunity to re-assemble his forces and make preparations for another advance into India.