RAS question
The Chauhans of Ranthambore were defeated by Alauddin Khilji in 1301. Who was the last Chauhan ruler of Ranthambore?
Correct answer: (D) Hammiradeva.
Hammiradeva was the last Chauhan ruler of Ranthambore, and Chauhan rule there ended with his death in 1301 after Ala-ud-din Khilji's conquest.
Explanation
Hammiradeva was the last and most famous Chauhan ruler of Ranthambore, ruling from 1280 to 1301. The Ranthambore Chauhan line ran through Govindaraja, Balhanadeva, Prahladadeva, Viranarayana, Vagbhata and Jaitrasimha before ending with Hammiradeva. Ala-ud-din Khilji conquered Ranthambore in 1301. Hammir fought the siege but was betrayed by his own commanders, died fighting, and jauhar was performed in the fort. The issue is not the broader Chauhan dynasty of Ajmer, but the separate Ranthambore branch whose rule ended with Hammiradeva.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Vagbhata appears in the Ranthambore Chauhan genealogy before Jaitrasimha and Hammiradeva, so he was an earlier ruler, not the last one.
- (B) Prithviraj III belongs to the Chauhan line of Ajmer, whereas Hammiradeva was the final Chauhan ruler of the separate Ranthambore branch.
- (C) Jaitrasingh, or Jaitrasimha in the Ranthambore genealogy, precedes Hammiradeva and therefore cannot be the final Ranthambore Chauhan ruler.
Concept
This tests medieval Rajasthan history, especially the Ranthambore Chauhans and Ala-ud-din Khilji's conquest of major Rajput forts. It recurs in RAS because it links dynastic chronology with a clearly dated political event, 1301.