Muhammad Ghori's first invasion of India, directed against Multan, took place in:

Muhammad Ghori (Shihabuddin Muhammad of Ghor) made his first invasion of India in 1175 CE, when he captured Multan.

About the first invasion:

• Multan, in southern Punjab (present-day Pakistan), was then ruled by a dynasty of Ismaili (Qarmatian) Shia Muslims.
• Muhammad Ghori, who was a Sunni Muslim, attacked and captured Multan, and then moved on to take Uch in Sindh.

His early campaigns:

Unlike Mahmud of Ghazni, who had come through the Khyber Pass, Muhammad Ghori first entered India through the Gomal Pass, further south.

In 1178, he tried to invade Gujarat, but was decisively defeated near Mount Abu (at Kayadara) by the army of the Chaulukya (Solanki) ruler Mularaja II, a young king, whose mother Naiki Devi led the army; this was his first major defeat in India.

After this defeat, he changed his strategy and decided to first capture Punjab, to make a secure base.

He took Peshawar in 1179-80, and other parts of Punjab soon after.

In 1186, he captured Lahore from Khusrau Malik, the last Ghaznavid ruler, ending the Ghaznavid dynasty.

He then came into conflict with the Chauhan (Chahamana) ruler of Ajmer and Delhi, which led to the battles of Tarain.

About Muhammad Ghori:

• He belonged to the Shansabani dynasty of Ghor (in present-day Afghanistan).
• His elder brother, Ghiyasuddin Muhammad, ruled at Firozkoh (or Ghazni); Muhammad Ghori ruled Ghazni and led the campaigns in India.
• Unlike Mahmud of Ghazni, he wanted to establish a permanent empire in India.
• He issued coins with the image of the goddess Lakshmi on one side and his name in Devanagari script.
• He had no son, and his Indian territories passed to his slave commanders after his death in 1206.

Why not the other options?

• ✗1178 CE was the year of his defeat in Gujarat.
• ✗1186 CE was the year he captured Lahore.
• ✗1191 CE was the year of the first battle of Tarain.