The Ghurids hold Kannauj, Kara and Koil above the Yamuna-Ganges meeting; the Chandela kingdom begins across the Yamuna at Kalpi and the Betwa mouth (Hamirpur).
Between them is a belt of ravines, ferries and chief-held villages. No raid on this line is recorded in our sources for the winter of 1199-1200: Prithviraja's attack on Mahoba is of 1182, and Aibak's march on Kalanjara is of 1202 or 1203 (later). It is drawn as a march, not as a war: a zone where neither side's writ runs and where the ferries are the thing to hold.
The Chandela side is anchored at Kalpi, Erach, Charkhari and Kalanjara; the Ghurid side at Kara, Kannauj and Gwalior.
Who holds it
- Title
- No holder: a zone
- Confidence
- low
Allies and rivals
The last campaign in the belt is Prithviraja's of 1182 to 1183; the Ghurid conquest of Kannauj (1198 to 1199) is the nearest event on the Ghurid side.
How things stand that morning
Ghurid cavalry from Kannauj and Kara raid when Aibak chooses; the Chandela frontier chiefs keep the ferries. No recent campaign.
Military
Ghurid: Kara, Kannauj, Gwalior. Chandela: Kalpi, Erach, Charkhari, Kalanjara.
What the year holds
What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.
- 1202 or 1203Aibak crosses the Yamuna and besieges Kalanjara.Depends on: Ghurid freedom of action. Stopped by: A call to Khurasan or a Chandela payment.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: The state of the line on 1 January 1200 is inferred; the sources record dated campaigns only before and after.
On the map: A hand-drawn estimate of a zone whose width is not recorded.
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.