Important Battles — Set 6

Correct Answer: B. Second Battle of Tarain

• **Second Battle of Tarain** = In this battle, Muhammad Ghori decisively defeated Prithviraj Chauhan, opening the gates of Delhi to Turkish invasions. • **1192** — This victory ended the Chahamana (Chauhan) rule and paved the way for the Slave Dynasty, establishing the first Islamic Sultanate in Delhi. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: [First Battle of Tarain]: Fought in 1191, where Prithviraj Chauhan defeated Muhammad Ghori; [Battle of Chandawar]: Fought in 1194, where Muhammad Ghori defeated Jayachandra of Kannauj; [Battle of Panipat I]: Fought in 1526, establishing the Mughal Empire under Babur.

Correct Answer: A. Jayachandra

• **Jayachandra** = Muhammad Ghori defeated King Jayachandra (Jaichand) at Chandawar near Firozabad. • **1194** — This victory extended Ghurid control over the fertile plains of the Doab and marked the end of the Gahadavala dynasty's power. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: [Prithviraj Chauhan]: Defeated by Muhammad Ghori in the Second Battle of Tarain (1192); [Raja Bhoj]: A powerful Paramara ruler of Malwa from the 11th century; [Nagabhata II]: A Gurjara-Pratihara emperor from the 9th century.

Correct Answer: B. Rao Maldeo

• **Rao Maldeo** = Sher Shah Suri narrowly defeated Rao Maldeo of Marwar in the Battle of Samel. • **1544** — Sher Shah famously remarked, 'For a handful of bajra, I nearly lost the empire of Hindustan,' highlighting the difficulty of this victory. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: [Maharana Pratap]: A Mewar ruler who fought against Akbar in the late 16th century; [Rana Sanga]: Fought against Babur at the Battle of Khanwa in 1527; [Raja Man Singh]: A prominent general in Emperor Akbar's Mughal army.

Correct Answer: B. Medini Rai

• **Medini Rai** = Babur captured the strategic fort of Chanderi after a fierce siege against Medini Rai, a key ally of Rana Sanga. • **1528** — This victory effectively crushed the remaining Rajput opposition in the Malwa region. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: [Rana Sanga]: Fought Babur at the Battle of Khanwa in 1527; [Rao Jodha]: The founder of Jodhpur in the 15th century; [Raja Bharmal]: The first Rajput ruler of Amber to ally with Akbar.

Correct Answer: A. Lachit Borphukan

• **Lachit Borphukan** = Lachit Borphukan led the Ahom army to a decisive victory against the massive Mughal fleet on the Brahmaputra river. • **1671** — This battle preserved the independence of the Ahom kingdom in Assam against Mughal expansion. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: [Shivaji Maharaj]: The founder of the Maratha Empire in western India; [Maharana Pratap]: A Rajput king of Mewar known for his resistance against the Mughals; [Hari Singh Nalwa]: A prominent general of the Sikh Empire in the 19th century.

Correct Answer: A. Arabian Sea

• **Arabian Sea** = The naval battle occurred off the coast of Diu in the Arabian Sea, where the Portuguese fleet destroyed combined Mamluk, Ottoman, and Gujarati forces. • **1509** — This decisive victory secured the Portuguese monopoly on the sea trade with India for a century. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: [Bay of Bengal]: Located on the east coast of India, while Diu is on the west coast; [Indian Ocean]: A vast ocean; the specific battle location was off Diu in the Arabian Sea; [Red Sea]: An inlet of the Indian Ocean, not the location of the battle of Diu.

Correct Answer: A. Marthanda Varma

• **Marthanda Varma** = King Marthanda Varma of Travancore defeated the Dutch navy in this crucial battle. • **1741** — This was the first time an Asian power had defeated a European colonial force in a naval engagement, leading to the decline of Dutch power in India. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: [Hyder Ali]: The ruler of Mysore who fought the British in the late 18th century; [Nanjaraja]: A regent of Mysore (mid-18th century), not known for defeating the Dutch; [Zamoran of Calicut]: Rulers of Calicut, known for conflicts with the Portuguese in earlier centuries.

Correct Answer: B. Baji Rao II

• **Baji Rao II** = Baji Rao II's forces were defeated by the British near Pune during the Third Anglo-Maratha War. • **1817** — This battle effectively signaled the end of the Maratha Peshwa's authority and the Maratha Confederacy. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: [Madhavrao I]: A powerful Peshwa who ruled in the late 18th century, before Baji Rao II; [Narayan Rao]: Peshwa for a short period in the 1770s; [Sawai Madhavrao]: Peshwa from 1774 to 1795, preceding Baji Rao II.

Correct Answer: B. French

• **French** = The British under Sir Eyre Coote defeated the French under the Count de Lally in this decisive battle. • **1760** — This victory removed the last significant European rival to British expansion in India, marking the end of French influence. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: [Dutch]: Their significant influence in India had largely waned by 1760; [Portuguese]: Their power declined much earlier and was confined to coastal enclaves; [Danes]: Had very limited presence and never posed a significant threat to British expansion.

Correct Answer: B. Ganges

• **Ganges** = The Battle of Buxar took place near the town of Buxar on the banks of the Ganges river in modern-day Bihar. • **1764** — The British victory resulted in the 1765 Treaty of Allahabad, which gave them administrative and financial control over the wealthiest provinces of India. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: [Indus]: Located in present-day Pakistan and western India, far from Buxar; [Yamuna]: A tributary of the Ganges, but the battle was directly on the Ganges at Buxar; [Sutlej]: A river in Punjab, located far to the northwest of Buxar.