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Prithvi Raj Chauhan

Chauhan, Chouhan or Chohan is a clan that ruled parts of northern India in the medieval period. Prithviraj Chauhan, the last Hindu king of Delhi, was a member of this community.

Origins[link]

Rajput bardic accounts describe the Chauhans as one of the four Agnikula Rajput clans which claims to have originated from a sacrificial fire-pit (agnikunda) at Mount Abu to fight against the Asuras or demons whereas in context Agnikula is considered as another branch of Suryavanshi Rajput descent.^[4][5]

Descendants of these Chauhan Rajput ruled princely states in Western and Northern India until the pre-independence era.^[6]

Manik Rai (AD 685), progenitor of Chauhan dynasty^[7] was lord of Ajmer and Sambhar in Western Rajwara.

History[link]

Harsraj[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

Harsraj Chauhan reigned about 812 - 827 VS (756 AD), his authority stretching from Aravalli to Abu to Chambal. He fell to the Muslim invaders from Sind. A Chauhan king ruled from Lahore and sought the help of his sovereign, the king of Ajmer, who sent forward a force of 5,000 of the finest Chauhan horsemen to aid the Chauhan king of Lahore. Lahore king's brother led the forces, and fought as many as 70 battles with the forces of Ghor, Gajni and Kabul.

Harsraj was followed by his son Doojgundeo Chauhan. His outpost was Bhatnair and from there he once defeated Nusruddin also called Subaktegin, son of Aleptegin and who was the father of Md. Gajni who later raided India. From this ruler, Doojungdeo collected 1,200 horses.

Ajay Raj (Anuraj)[link]

Chauhans^[8] later asserted their independence from the Gurjara Pratiharas, and in the early eleventh century, the Sakhambari king Ajaya-Raja founded the city of Ajayameru (Ajmer)^[9] in the southern part of their kingdom.

Bisaldeo[link]

His son was the famous Chauhan King Bisaldeo who was famous for repulsing Chaluka attacks and that of western powers and one time led an army of Indian Rajput Kings,^{[10][dubious – discuss]} his contemporaries were: Jeypal Tuar of Delhi, Durlabh and Bhim Solanki of Patun-Gujarat, Parmara Raja Bhoj and Udaydit of Dhar and Padamsi and Tejsi of Mewar.

Bisaldev Chauhan fights Chaluk of Patan[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

In 936 V.S. (993 A.D.) he reduced Abu, Jalor on way to destroy the Solanki (Chaluk) of Patan - Bhim Singh 'Baluk', with a force that was 70,000 strong with all the allies.^[11] Further he took land of Girnar, Wagar and Sorath and total 56 cities and molested common people, a sin for warrior in those days. The Chaluka King Baluka (Bhim) Rai had 17000 strong army at Patan and 30000 Horsemen from Lar, he came to Abu for fight.

Someshwar defeats Kamdhuj of Kannauj[link]

Raja Vijaychand Kamdhuj attacked the Anangpal Tuar of Delhi and at that time, Raja Someshwar of Ajmer forged an alliance with Anangpal Tuar of Delhi.^{[12][dubious – discuss]} At Kalindi River (Kalinadi-Black River) Vijaychand formed army in Sarpa (vyuha). Chauhan was the victor of the ensuing battle.

Samantas[link]

Mukut Bandh and Mandaleshwar are traditionally the two type of samanta (a title for noble vassals) accorded by Chauhans. The Mukut Bandh owned land but accepted the suzerainty of the Chauhans, while Mandaleshwar were granted jagirs by Chauhan rulers.^[13]

Culture[link]

Religion[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

In India, Chauhans are predominantly Hindu.^{[citation needed]}

Some Chauhan Rajputs of the Doab region of Punjab also adopted Sikhism and are called Sikh Rajputs, not to be confused with Jat Chohans of the Punjab (who happen to write the transliteration of their name in English differently).

There are some villages in Haryana (Distt. Ambala, Yamuna Nagar) which contain heavy population of chauhans. They have a mix population of Hindu and Sikh Rajputs.

Chohan/Chauhans belong to a select group of clans that are Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims.

Famous Chauhan rulers of Ajmer, Rajasthan[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

• Ajay Pal - founded the city Ajaymeru which came to be called as Ajmer in the modern times.
• Prithviraja I
• Jagdeva
• Vigraharaja IV
• Apara Gangeya
• Prithviraja II
• Someshwara

Notable people[link]

• Manik Rai, Founder of Chauhan Dynasty
• Prithvi Raj Chauhan, Ruler of Ajmer and Delhi
• Hammir Dev Chauhan, Ruler of Ranathambore
• Kanhad Dev Sonigara, Ruler of Jalor
• Ashish Chauhan, Founder of National Stock Exchange (NSE) and Deputy CEO Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE)
• Subhadra Kumari Chauhan, poetess of "Jhansi ki Rani"
• Yashwantrao Chavan, Former Deputy Prime Minister of India
• Shankarrao Chavan, Former CM of Maharashtra & former Home Minister of India
• Jagjit Singh Chauhan, Founder of the Khalistan movement
• Dalel Singh Chauhan, Arjuna Award winner, Indian Volleyball team Captain in 1980s, Village Amin

References[link]

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (May 2011)

Mohit Chauhan
Chauhan in 2009
Background information
Born	(1974-03-11) 11 March 1974 (age 38) Nahan, Himachal Pradesh, India[1]
Origin	Himachal Pradesh, India
Genres	Indian pop, Bollywood
Occupations	Singer
Instruments	Guitar, Harmonica, Flute
Years active	1998 – present
Associated acts	Silk Route
Website	mohitchauhan.in

Mohit Chauhan (born March 11, 1974) is an Indian pop and playback singer, most known for his romantic ballads.^[1] He started his career singing Indian pop songs with the band Silk Route, which released two albums, Boondein (1998) and Pehchan. The song "Dooba Dooba" became a rave in the Indipop music scene. However, the band dissolved. He would stay off the scene for a while until he came back with the song "Guncha" in 2005 from the "Main, Meri Patni Aur Woh" for which, he would also compose. Impressed by his vocals, he was then approached by A. R. Rahman to sing for the movie Rang De Basanti. The song "Khoon Chala" earned him rave reviews. However, it wouldn't be until 2007 when music director Pritam approached him for the song Tum Se Hi for the movie Jab We Met that Chauhan would finally achieve mainstream success.

Early life and career[link]

Mohit Chauhan was born in the town of Nahan in Sirmaur district, Himachal Pradesh, to Krishana Rana and B. K. Rana.^[1][2] He can speak fluently in Pahari and Hindi. He first attended St. Xavier's School, Delhi and then again moved to Himachal Pradesh to complete his education. Chauhan went to college in Nahan Sirmour, Bilaspur, Mandi, Kullu, and graduated with a Master of Science in Geology from the Dharamshala College in Himachal.

He never received formal training in music, but sings and plays guitar, harmonica and the flute. After completing his education in Himachal, Chauhan came to Delhi where he formed the band Silk Route with his schoolmate Kem Trevedi (pianist) in 1996. Boondein was their first album and included the song "Dooba Dooba". In Bollywood, his career started when he sang the A. R. Rahman song "Khoon Chala" in Rang De Basanti.

Career[link]

Mohit Chauhan had his first brush with success with the song "Dooba Dooba" from the Silk Route band's album Boondhein. The album debuted at number one on the album chart. Boondhein featured songs in Hindi, English, and Pahadi, and the band won several awards at the Channel V awards in 1998.^[3]

Chauhan's career in Bollywood began in 2005 when he sang “Guncha Koi” in the movie "Main, Meri Patni... Aur Woh!". His songs "Khoon Chala" and "Masakali" from the films Rang De Basanti and Delhi-6 respectively, composed by Rahman and "Tum Se Hi" from the film Jab We Met,^[4] composed by Pritam, were successful. His subsequent chartbusters included the songs "Tu Ne Jo Na Kaha" for the 2009 film New York, "Ye Dooriyan" for Love Aaj Kal, and "Pehli Baar Mohabbat Ki Hai" for Kaminey. In 2010, he won the Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer for "Masakali".^[5] He also sung two superhit tracks "Bheegi Si" from the Movie Raajneeti and "Pee Loon" from Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai both arranged and directed by Pritam. His songs "Pee Loon" from Once Upon A Time in Mumbai,"Tujhe Bhula Diya" from Anjaana Anjaani directed by Vishal-Shekhar became chartbusters. He then sang "Yun Hi" from Tanu Weds Maanu which is another addition to his superhit songs. His songs from the movie Rockstar (2011 film) have become anthems. He sang his first Bengali song for the movie Sedin Dekha Hoyechilo and also he sang his second Bengali song for the movie Paglu . He sang his first Tamil Song "Po Nee Po" for the Movie 3

In addition to film playback singing, Chauhan has sung many advertisement jingles for products including Alpenlibe, Parachute, Wheel (detergent), Nescafe, Hippo Munchies, Vicks Vapor Rub, Alchemist & Maruti Suzuki Alto (2011). He has also sung the theme song for Star Parivaar Awards 2011.

In 2007, he took part in singing reality show, Mission Ustaad on 9X, where he teamed with Vasundhara Das. He also took part in the singing reality show on STAR Plus, Music Ka Maha Muqqabla, where he lead the team Mohit's Fighhter. He has also performed at various college festivals across the country, including the Cultural Night of IIT Bombay, 2009.

In 2011 he featured in the third episode of The Dewarists collaborating with Indian Ocean for the song called Maaya.

Works[link]

Albums[link]

• Boondhein – Silk Route (1998)
• Pehchan – Silk Route (2000)
• Kalaam – Poetry of Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam (2008)
• Sar Utha Ke Jiyo – Made for HDFC Bank (2008)
• FITOOR' – Solo Debut Album (2009) – Comprises 10 songs composed and sung by him
• Aao Sai (2011) [Bhajan Album] [He sung one song]
• Maaya maaya re [Indian Ocean and Mohit Chauhan]

Movies[link]

• Road (2002)
• Main Madhuri Dixit Banna Chahti Hoon (2003)
• Adharm (2003)
• Let's Enjoy (2004)
• Main, Meri Patni Aur Woh (2005)
• Rang De Basanti (2006)
• Jab We Met (2007)
• Chak De! India (2007)
• Kismat Konnection (2008)
• Ugly Aur Pagli (2008)
• Welcome to Sajjanpur (2008)
• Fashion (2008)
• EMI (2008)
• Birugaali (2009) (Kannada)
• Delhi-6 (2009)
• 8 x 10 Tasveer (2009)
• Let’s Dance (2009)
• New York (2009)
• Sikandar (2009)
• Love Aaj Kal (2009)
• Kaminey (2009)
• Tum Mile (2009)
• Well Done Abba (2010)
• Badmaash Company (2010)
• Rajneeti (2010)
• Once Upon A Time In Mumbai (2010)
• Lafangey Parindey (2010)
• Aashayein (2010)
• Anjaana Anjaani (2010)
• Rockstar (2011)
• Paach Naar Ek Bejar(2011)
• 3 (2012)
• Jannat 2 (2012)
• Tezz
• qasam se qasam se

Awards[link]

Other Awards and Honors[link]

• 2011: RMIM Puraskaar — Male Singer of the Year^[7]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Mohit Chauhan at Lastfm
• Mohit Chauhan at the Internet Movie Database

Sunidhi Chauhan
Sunidhi Chauhan at the launch of Indian Idol 6.
Background information
Birth name	Nidhi Chauhan
Born	(1983-08-14) 14 August 1983 (age 28) New Delhi, India
Genres	playback singing, Indipop
Occupations	Singer
Instruments	Vocalist
Years active	1996–present

Sunidhi Chauhan (born Nidhi Chauhan^[1] on 14 August 1983) is an Indian playback singer, best known for her Hindi film songs in Bollywood. She has also recorded songs for Marathi, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Bhojpuri, Bengali, Assamese and Gujarati films .^[2]

Chauhan began to sing at the age of four^[3] and was discovered by a local TV anchor.^[4] She won recognition through a televised singing contest, Meri Awaz Suno, which she won, and made her entrance into playback singing with the Hindi film Shastra.^[4]

Her breakthrough was Ram Gopal Varma's film Mast, in which she sang the hit song, "Ruki Ruki Si Zindagi."^[4] She has been nominated for fourteen Filmfare Awards, winning it on three occasions. She has won two Star Screen Awards, two IIFA Awards and one Zee Cine Award.

Early career[link]

Sunidhi Chauhan family hail from Uttar Pradesh. She started her singing career as a child, giving her first performance at the age of four, in a local temple in Delhi.^[3] Thereafter, she began to participate in, and sing for, competitions and local gatherings. When local TV anchor, Tabassum, spotted her talent, her family shifted to Mumbai in a bid to further develop the young singer's skills, and Chauhan became the lead singer in Kalyanji's 'Little Wonders' troupe.^[4]

Recognition first met her in 1996, through the music show Meri Aawaz Suno — the first such televised contest in India — which was broadcast through the Indian national television channel, Doordarshan. She won the competition and bagged the top prize of recording an album, Aira Ghaira Nathu Khaira, with HMV.^[4]

Unluckily for Chauhan, Aira Ghaira Nathu Khaira was promoted as a children's album and failed to get the recognition it deserved.^[4] In 2002, Chauhan herself observed this in an interview:

"My first song and the contest did not help me much. Nothing happened for a while. But by then, I had made up my mind that I will pursue singing as a career."^[5]

Chauhan stepped into the world of playback singing with the 1996 Bollywood film, Shastra,^[2][4] after Aadesh Srivastava asked her to lend her voice to the song "Larki Deewaani Dekho, Ladka Deewaana."^[5] She followed it with work in films like Gang, Veergati, Dahek, Bade Dilwala, Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat and Samar. By the age of nineteen, Chauhan had already lent her voice to over 350 songs.^[5]

Breakthrough and later work[link]

Chauhan's breakthrough was Ram Gopal Varma's Mast, in which she sang the hit song, "Ruki Ruki Si Zindagi" and three others, including the title song.^[4] In an interview, while speaking of Mast, she said:

"Whatever I am today, I owe to Mast. I met Sandeep Chowta through Sonu Nigam, and fifteen days later, Mast was in my lap. I was only sixteen then."^[5]

In February 2007, as part of its marketing campaign and launch of Windows Vista in India, Microsoft hired Sunidhi Chauhan to sing the "Windows Vista Song"^[2] titled "Wow is Now". This song features English and Hindi lyrics proclaiming the many 'glamorous' features of the Windows Vista operating system.

Chauhan sung for the Hindi-dubbed version of Disney's movie, High School Musical^[2] — songs which were sung by Vanessa Anne Hudgens in the English version. Moreover, she was the singer of the English language song "Reach Out" at the opening ceremony of the 2006 Asian Games at Doha, Qatar.^[2]

2008 was a highly successful year for the young singer, as she went on to deliver a huge number of superhit songs like "Chhaliya" (Tashan), "Rock Mahi," "Lucky Boy," "Desi Girl" (Dostana), "Dance Pe Chance" (Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi), and "Race Saanson Ki" (Race), and which resulted in her winning the "Kelvinator GR8! FLO Women Award 2009" for her contribution to music.^[6][7]

In April 2010, Chauhan joined Anu Malik and Salim Merchant as a judge on the fifth season of the immensely popular singing talent show, Indian Idol 5. She will also be judging the sixth season of Indian Idol alongside Anu Malik and Salim Merchant.

Due to her high pitch voice and outstanding stage performances Sunidhi got "Chevrolet GIMA (Global Indian Music Awards) of Best Live Performer- Female"

Sunidhi Chauhan also joined Pitbull, John Ledend, K'Naan and Alicia Keys in the Western Union's World Of Betters to raise fund. Sunidhi sang two English songs, "Call me" and "Valentine". She moved the money to disadvantaged girls of Mumbai to help them discover their inner beauty

Collaborations[link]

Chauhan has collaborated with Indian singers such as Alka Yagnik, Shaan and Udit Narayan. She is known for her popular pairing with Sukhwinder Singh (in films such as Omkara and Aaja Nachle). She is most often paired with singer Sonu Nigam and with the female playback singer Shreya Ghoshal, whom critic's view as a stiff competitor of Chauhan.^[8] She had done a duet with Pakistani singer Faakhir Mehmood for album Mantra, She has also colaborated with Enrique Iglesias, on a song titled as "Heartbeat (India Mix)" which was included on Iglesias' album Euphoria (Special Indian Edition).

Lyricists she has worked with include Jaideep Sahni, Irshad Kamil, Gulzar, Sameer, Prasoon Joshi, Swanand Kirkire, Javed Akhtar and Anand Bakshi;^{[9][unreliable source?]} and the music directors include Vandemataram Srinivas, Bappi Lahiri, A. R. Rahman, Ilaiyaraja, Yuvan, Himesh Reshammiya, Anu Malik, Jatin Lalit, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Pritam Chakraborty, Rajesh Roshan, Nadeem-Shravan, Anand-Milind, Vishal-Shekhar, M. M. Keeravani and others.^[5][9]

Chauhan is one of the few female singers of the present generation who have lent there voice for most of the leading actressess in the Hindi entertainment industry, among those include Madhuri Dixit, Kajol, Aishwarya Rai, Preity Zinta, Rani Mukerji, Kareena Kapoor, Bipasha Basu, Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone and Konkona Sen Sharma. She has also sung for actresses of yester year cinema, such as Rekha.^[10] She was the main singer who lent voice for the comebacks of two leading Bollywood actresses; Kajol, in the movie (Fanaa), and Madhuri Dixit (Aaja Nachle).^[10]

In 2011, Chauhan got her breakthrough in international pop world by collaborating with international pop star Enrique for Hindi version of song Heartbeat and becomes first Indian female singer for an international collaboration.

Special appearances[link]

In October 2008, Chauhan appeared on a special episode of the singing contest, Star Voice of India, alongside composer Ashu Dhruv, to promote their film, Drona.^[11]

She was a guest RJ for India's Radio City 91.1 FM's new morning show, Musical-e-Azam^[12] where, over her week-long stint, she interviewed the likes of Kunal Ganjawala, Daler Mehendi, Sukhwindar, Adnan Sami and Gulzar.

She also appeared on the Femina Miss India 2011 contest and X-factor India to promote her song HEARTBEAT, a song in collaboration with the international pop star Enrique Iglesias in his album Euphoria.

Personal life[link]

Chauhan was born in Delhi. Her father is a minor theatre personality who pushed her into the music industry from a young age. She has a younger sister, Suneha.^[13]

Chauhan, who believes herself to be "the most versatile singer today," attributes her success to her parents and Indian singer Sonu Nigam.^[2] She has cited Sadma (1983) as her favourite film; gymnastics and cricket as her favourite sports; and Akshaye Khanna and Madhuri Dixit as her favourite actors.^[14] Chauhan also loves western music and cites Mariah Carey and Michael Jackson as her inspirations. She has noted that one of her ambitions is to achieve global fame like they did.^[4] She is known for her admiration of international divas Celine Dion and Whitney Houston.

After entering the film industry, Chauhan upgraded her wardrobe and lost twelve kilos by jogging and working out.^[5] In an early interview, she revealed a "secret dream" of seeing herself as a Bollywood actress, saying, "I have many acting offers too, but I don't want to rush it. Frankly, I would like to do just one or two films to fulfill that secret dream of seeing myself as an actress. But my life is singing and my aim is to keep singing better."^[5]

In 2002, at the age of 18, Chauhan ran away with director and choreographer Bobby Khan, after working on the music video for "Pehla Nasha."^[15] It was reported that the couple married in a secretly arranged ceremony, attended only by very close friends and vigilantly watched over by security.

Chauhan was initially happy with the marriage. In an interview, she said:

"My in-laws don't make me feel I am 'married'. I don't feel I have stepped into a new house. I am so comfortable. And Bobby is a darling. I am very, very happy."^[5]

On the downside, the marriage caused a rift between the young singer and her parents, who considered the union unsuitable and consequently disowned her.^[16] However, Chauhan and Khan separated a year later, bringing about a reconciliation between the estranged parents and daughter.^[17] Chauhan, who lived with mentor, actor and TV anchor, Annu Kapoor and his wife Arunita during the separation, filed for divorce the same year, citing that she had realized she and Khan "wanted different things from life."

On April 27, 2012, Sunidhi Chauhan tied the knot childhood friend and music composer Hitesh Sonik at a low profile wedding ceremony in Mumbai, but the reception the couple threw saw some colleagues from the industry in attendance. Asha Bhonsle, Kavita Krishnamurthy, Smita Thackeray, Alka Yagnik, Konkona Sen Sharma were spotted at the reception.

^[18]

Filmography[link]

• Ehsaas - A Feeling (Released November 30, 2001) (Special Appearance)
• Bhoot (Special Appearance in Promotional Song Bhoot Hoon Main)
• Bas Ek Pal (Special Appearance in Promotional Song Dheeme Dheeme with singer K.K.)

Awards and honors[link]