Important Battles in Indian History: Quick Answer
The most asked battles in SSC and Railway exams are the three Battles of Panipat (1526, 1556, 1761), the two Battles of Tarain (1191, 1192), Khanwa (1527), Haldighati (1576), Plassey (1757) and Buxar (1764). Panipat I founded Mughal rule, Plassey began British political power in Bengal, and Buxar (followed by the Treaty of Allahabad, 1765) gave the East India Company the Diwani of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa.
Key takeaway: For every battle, learn four things: year, the two sides (with commanders), the winner, and the result. Exam questions almost always ask one of these. Panipat years trick: 26-56-61 (1526, 1556, 1761).
Ancient Indian Battles List
| Battle | Year | Fought between | Winner and result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Battle of Ten Kings (Dasarajna) | Rig Vedic period | Bharata king Sudas vs a confederation of ten tribes, on the Parushni (Ravi) | Sudas won; described in the Rig Veda |
| Battle of the Hydaspes | 326 BCE | Alexander of Macedon vs King Porus, on the Jhelum (Hydaspes) | Alexander won, but restored Porus as ruler |
| Kalinga War | 261 BCE | Mauryan emperor Ashoka vs the kingdom of Kalinga (Odisha) | Ashoka won; the bloodshed turned him to Buddhism and Dhamma (Rock Edict XIII) |
| Battle on the Narmada | c. 618-619 CE (date debated) | Chalukya king Pulakeshin II vs Harshavardhana | Pulakeshin II won; recorded in the Aihole inscription |
Medieval Indian Battles List (Turks and Delhi Sultanate)
| Battle | Year | Fought between | Winner and result |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Battle of Tarain | 1191 | Prithviraj Chauhan vs Muhammad Ghori | Prithviraj Chauhan won |
| Second Battle of Tarain | 1192 | Muhammad Ghori vs Prithviraj Chauhan | Ghori won; opened North India to Turkish rule |
| Battle of Chandawar | 1194 | Muhammad Ghori vs Jaichand of Kannauj (Gahadavala) | Ghori won |
Tarain is in present-day Haryana (near Thanesar). A favourite trap: the first Tarain was won by Prithviraj, the second by Ghori.
Mughal Era Battles List (1526-1739)
| Battle | Year | Fought between | Winner and result |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Battle of Panipat | 21 April 1526 | Babur vs Ibrahim Lodi | Babur won; end of the Lodi dynasty, start of Mughal rule; Babur's field artillery and tulughma tactic decided it |
| Battle of Khanwa | 17 March 1527 | Babur vs Rana Sanga of Mewar | Babur won |
| Battle of Chanderi | 1528 | Babur vs Medini Rai | Babur won |
| Battle of Ghaghra | 1529 | Babur vs the Afghans under Mahmud Lodi and Nusrat Shah of Bengal | Babur won; his last major battle |
| Battle of Chausa | 26 June 1539 | Sher Shah Suri vs Humayun | Sher Shah won |
| Battle of Kannauj (Bilgram) | 17 May 1540 | Sher Shah Suri vs Humayun | Sher Shah won; Humayun went into exile |
| Second Battle of Panipat | 5 November 1556 | Akbar (under Bairam Khan) vs Hemu | Mughals won; Hemu was killed |
| Battle of Talikota (Rakshasa-Tangadi) | 1565 | Deccan Sultanates (Bijapur, Ahmadnagar, Golconda, Bidar) vs Vijayanagara under Rama Raya | Sultanates won; Vijayanagara city was sacked |
| Battle of Haldighati | 18 June 1576 | Mughal army under Man Singh vs Maharana Pratap of Mewar | Mughals held the field; Pratap escaped and continued resistance |
| Battle of Dharmat | April 1658 | Aurangzeb and Murad vs Jaswant Singh (for Shah Jahan/Dara) | Aurangzeb won |
| Battle of Samugarh | May 1658 | Aurangzeb (with Murad) vs Dara Shikoh | Aurangzeb won the war of succession |
| Battle of Saraighat | 1671 | Ahom army under Lachit Borphukan vs Mughal army under Raja Ram Singh I | Ahoms won; a naval battle on the Brahmaputra near Guwahati |
| Battle of Karnal | 24 February 1739 | Nadir Shah of Persia vs Mughal emperor Muhammad Shah | Nadir Shah won; sacked Delhi and took the Peacock Throne and the Koh-i-Noor |
Modern Indian Battles List (European Powers and the British)
| Battle | Year | Fought between | Winner and result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Battle of Colachel | 1741 | Travancore under Marthanda Varma vs the Dutch East India Company | Travancore won; ended Dutch ambitions on the Malabar coast |
| Battle of Adyar (St. Thome) | 1746 | French forces vs the Nawab of Carnatic (Anwaruddin) | French won; showed the power of a small European-trained army (First Carnatic War) |
| Battle of Plassey | 23 June 1757 | Robert Clive (East India Company) vs Siraj-ud-Daulah, Nawab of Bengal | British won through Mir Jafar's betrayal; Mir Jafar made Nawab |
| Battle of Bedara | 1759 | British vs the Dutch | British won; ended the Dutch challenge in Bengal |
| Battle of Wandiwash | 22 January 1760 | British under Eyre Coote vs French under Count de Lally | British won; decided the Anglo-French struggle (Third Carnatic War) |
| Third Battle of Panipat | 14 January 1761 | Ahmad Shah Abdali (Durrani) vs the Marathas under Sadashivrao Bhau | Abdali won; huge Maratha losses |
| Battle of Buxar | 22 October 1764 | British under Hector Munro vs Mir Qasim, Shuja-ud-Daulah (Awadh) and Mughal emperor Shah Alam II | British won; Treaty of Allahabad (1765) gave them the Diwani of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa |
| Battle of Assaye | 1803 | British under Arthur Wellesley vs the Scindia and Bhonsle armies | British won (Second Anglo-Maratha War) |
| Battle of Koregaon | 1 January 1818 | East India Company force vs Peshwa Baji Rao II's army | Company force held its position (Third Anglo-Maratha War) |
| Battles of Chillianwala and Gujrat | 1849 | British vs the Sikh army | Gujrat was a decisive British win; Punjab annexed in 1849 |
Anglo Wars in India with Treaties (Table)
| War | Years | Ended by / result |
|---|---|---|
| First Carnatic War | 1746-1748 | Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748) |
| Second Carnatic War | 1749-1754 | Treaty of Pondicherry |
| Third Carnatic War | 1758-1763 | Treaty of Paris (1763); French power in India ended |
| First Anglo-Mysore War | 1767-1769 | Treaty of Madras |
| Second Anglo-Mysore War | 1780-1784 | Treaty of Mangalore |
| Third Anglo-Mysore War | 1790-1792 | Treaty of Seringapatam; Tipu lost half his kingdom |
| Fourth Anglo-Mysore War | 1799 | Tipu Sultan killed at Srirangapatna |
| First Anglo-Maratha War | 1775-1782 | Treaty of Salbai (1782) |
| Second Anglo-Maratha War | 1803-1805 | Followed the Treaty of Bassein (1802); treaties of Deogaon and Surji-Anjangaon (1803) |
| Third Anglo-Maratha War | 1817-1818 | Peshwaship abolished |
| First Anglo-Sikh War | 1845-1846 | Treaty of Lahore (1846) |
| Second Anglo-Sikh War | 1848-1849 | Punjab annexed (1849) |
Battles of Panipat Trick and Other Memory Tricks
| Panipat | Year | Winner | Loser |
|---|---|---|---|
| First | 1526 | Babur | Ibrahim Lodi |
| Second | 1556 | Akbar (Bairam Khan) | Hemu |
| Third | 1761 | Ahmad Shah Abdali | Marathas (Sadashivrao Bhau) |
- 26-56-61: the last two digits of the three Panipat years.
- Babur's four battles in four years: Panipat (1526), Khanwa (1527), Chanderi (1528), Ghaghra (1529). One battle a year, in that order.
- Sher Shah beat Humayun twice: Chausa (1539) then Kannauj (1540), alphabetical order.
- P before B: Plassey (1757) came before Buxar (1764). Plassey was won by conspiracy; Buxar was a real military victory.
- Tarain: 1 for Prithviraj, 2 for Ghori.
Important Battles: PYQ-Style Practice Questions with Answers
Q1. The First Battle of Panipat was fought between: (a) Akbar and Hemu (b) Babur and Ibrahim Lodi (c) Abdali and the Marathas (d) Babur and Rana Sanga Answer: (b). 21 April 1526.
Q2. Who won the First Battle of Tarain (1191)? (a) Muhammad Ghori (b) Jaichand (c) Prithviraj Chauhan (d) Qutbuddin Aibak Answer: (c). Ghori won the second battle in 1192.
Q3. The Battle of Khanwa (1527) was fought between Babur and: (a) Rana Sanga (b) Maharana Pratap (c) Medini Rai (d) Hemu Answer: (a).
Q4. Which battle is known for the Ahom victory under Lachit Borphukan? (a) Battle of Alaboi (b) Battle of Saraighat (c) Battle of Talikota (d) Battle of Karnal Answer: (b). Saraighat, 1671.
Q5. The Battle of Plassey was fought in: (a) 1757 (b) 1764 (c) 1761 (d) 1760 Answer: (a). 23 June 1757.
Q6. Who commanded the British forces in the Battle of Buxar? (a) Robert Clive (b) Eyre Coote (c) Hector Munro (d) Warren Hastings Answer: (c).
Q7. Which treaty ended the Third Anglo-Mysore War? (a) Treaty of Madras (b) Treaty of Mangalore (c) Treaty of Seringapatam (d) Treaty of Salbai Answer: (c).
Q8. The Battle of Wandiwash (1760) was fought between: (a) British and Dutch (b) British and French (c) French and Marathas (d) British and Mysore Answer: (b). Eyre Coote defeated Count de Lally.
Q9. Which battle ended the Vijayanagara Empire's power in 1565? (a) Battle of Raichur (b) Battle of Talikota (c) Battle of Haldighati (d) Battle of Chausa Answer: (b).
Q10. Nadir Shah defeated Muhammad Shah in the Battle of: (a) Karnal (b) Panipat (c) Samugarh (d) Buxar Answer: (a). 1739.
Q11. Who led the Marathas in the Third Battle of Panipat? (a) Baji Rao I (b) Sadashivrao Bhau (c) Mahadji Scindia (d) Nana Phadnavis Answer: (b).
Q12. The Kalinga War was fought in about: (a) 326 BCE (b) 261 BCE (c) 185 BCE (d) 232 BCE Answer: (b).
Important Battles in Indian History FAQs
Which is the first battle in Indian history?
The earliest battle recorded in Indian texts is the Battle of the Ten Kings (Dasarajna), described in the Rig Veda, in which King Sudas of the Bharatas defeated a confederation of ten tribes near the Parushni (Ravi). The earliest battle with a firm date is the Battle of the Hydaspes (326 BCE).
How many battles of Panipat were fought?
Three: 1526 (Babur vs Ibrahim Lodi), 1556 (Akbar's forces vs Hemu) and 1761 (Ahmad Shah Abdali vs the Marathas).
Which battle laid the foundation of British rule in India?
The Battle of Plassey (1757) began British political control in Bengal; the Battle of Buxar (1764) and the Treaty of Allahabad (1765) made it firm.
Who won the Battle of Haldighati?
The Mughal army under Man Singh held the field on 18 June 1576, but Maharana Pratap escaped and kept fighting the Mughals for the rest of his life, so it is often called indecisive.
Which battle ended French power in India?
The Battle of Wandiwash (1760), followed by the Treaty of Paris (1763) that closed the Third Carnatic War.
Which battle is called the first defeat of a European power by an Indian kingdom?
The Battle of Colachel (1741), in which Marthanda Varma of Travancore defeated the Dutch East India Company.
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