There have been innumerable battles fought in India throughout history, starting from ancient times to the modern era. Indian History is an important part of the UPSC syllabus and questions are often asked about the important battles and wars in the IAS prelims as well as the mains exam.
In this article, we give you a list of the important battles fought in Indian history. You can use this list as a revision tool while you prepare for the IAS exam history segment.
Important Battles in Indian History:- Download PDF Here
List of Indian Wars
Battle of the Ten Kings (Dāśarājñá Yuddhá)
Parties: Vedic Kingdoms of the Bharatas against the Trtsu-Bharata Sudas
Result: Trtsu-Bharata victory
Location: Near River Ravi (ancient Parushni river), Punjab
Year: 14th century BCE
Source: Rig Veda
Battle of the Hydaspes
Parties: Alexander against Porus
Result: Greek victory
Location: Banks of the Jhelum (Hydaspes to the Greeks), Punjab (Pakistan)
Year: 326 BCE
Seleucid–Mauryan war
Parties: Chandragupta Maurya against Seleucus I Nicator
Result: Mauryan victory
Location: Northwestern India (Indus River Valley)
Year: Between 305 and 303 BCE
Battle of Pullalur
Parties: Chalukya king Pulakesin II against Pallava king Mahendravarman I
Result: Chalukya victory
Location: Pullalur or Pollilur, Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu
Year: 618 – 619 CE
First Battle of Tarain
Parties: Prithviraj Chauhan against Mohammed Ghori
Result: Prithviraj Chauhan won
Location: Taraori, Haryana
Year: 1191
Second Battle of Tarain
Parties: Prithviraj Chauhan against Mohammed Ghori
Result: Ghori won
Location: Taraori, Haryana
Year: 1192
Battle of Diu
Parties: Portuguese versus the combined forces of the Sultan of Gujarat, the Zamorin of Calicut, the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt with support from the Republic of Venice and the Ottoman Empire
Result: Portuguese victory
Location: Arabian Sea, Port of Diu
Year: 3 February 1509
Read more about the Battle of Diu here.
First Battle of Panipat
Parties: Babar against Ibrahim Lodi
Result: Babar won
Location: Panipat, Haryana
Year: 21 April 1526
Read more in the link.
Battle of Khanwa
Parties: Babur against Rana Sanga
Result: Mughal victory
Location: Khanwa, Rajasthan
Year: March 16, 1527
Battle of Ghaghra
Parties: Babur against Mahmud Lodi (Delhi Sultanate), Nusrat Shah (Bengal Sultanate)
Result: Mughal victory
Location: Ghaghara River, Bihar
Year: May 6, 1529
Battle of Chausa
Parties: Sher Shah against Humayun
Result: Mughal loss
Location: Chausa, Buxar, Bihar
Year: 26 June 1539
Second Battle of Panipat
Parties: Akbar against Hemu
Result: Mughal victory
Location: Panipat, Haryana
Year: 5 November 1556
Battle of Talikota
Parties: Vijayanagara Empire (Aliya Rama Raya) against Deccan Sultanate alliance (Ahmednagar, Bijapur, Bidar and Golconda)
Result: Vijayanagara lost
Location: Talikota, Karnataka
Year: 23 January 1565
Battle of Haldighati
Parties: Maharana Pratap of Mewar against Akbar’s forces led by Man Singh I
Result: Mughal victory
Location: Haldighati, Rajsamand District, Rajasthan
Year: 18 June 1576
Battle of Samugarh
Parties: Dara Shikoh against Aurangzeb for the Mughal throne
Result: Aurangzeb won
Location: Samugarh, near Agra
Year: 29 May 1658
Battle of Karnal
Parties: Nader Shah (Persian Empire) against Muhammad Shah (Mughal Empire)
Result: Persian victory
Location: Karnal, Haryana
Year: 24 February 1739
Read more on the Battle of Karnal here.
Battle of Colachel
Parties: Kingdom of Travancore against the Dutch East India Company
Result: Travancore victory
Location: Colachel, Travancore Kingdom (present Kanyakumari District, Tamil Nadu)
Year: 10 August 1741
First Carnatic War
Parties: English and French forces in India
Result: Inconclusive
Location: Carnatic region, South India
Year: 1746 – 1748
Read more about the war here.
Second Carnatic War
Parties: Different claimants to the posts of the Nizam of Hyderabad, and the Nawab of the Carnatic; each claimant being supported either by the British or the French
Result: Muzaffar Jung became Hyderabad’s Nizam. Muhammad Ali became the Nawab of the Carnatic
Location: Carnatic (Southern India)
Year: 1749 – 1754
Read more about the war here.
Battle of Plassey
Parties: British East India Company against Siraj-ud-Daulah (Nawab of Bengal)
Result: British victory, with Mir Jafar crowned as the new Nawab of Bengal
Location: Palashi, on the banks of Bhagirathi river near Calcutta
Year: 23 June 1757
Read the details of the Battle of Plassey here.
Third Carnatic War
Parties: English and French forces in India
Result: British victory
Location: Carnatic, South India
Year: 1757 – 1763
Read details about the Third Carnatic War in the link.
Battle of Wandiwash (Part of the Third Carnatic War)
Parties: English and French forces in India
Result: British victory
Location: Vandavasi, Tamil Nadu
Year: 22 January 1760
Third Battle of Panipat
Parties: Maratha Empire and Durrani Empire (Afghanistan)
Result: Afghan victory
Location: Panipat, Haryana
Year: 14 January 1761
Get details about this battle here.
Battle of Buxar
Parties: British against Mir Qasim (administering Bengal), Shuja-ud-Daulah (Nawab of Oudh) and Shah Alam II (Mughal emperor)
Result: British victory
Location: Buxar, Bihar
Year: October 1764
Read more about the Battle of Buxar here.
First Anglo-Mysore War
Parties: British East India Company against Hyder Ali of Mysore
Result: Mysore victory
Location: South India
Year: 1767–1769
Second Anglo-Mysore War
Parties: British East India Company against Hyder Ali of Mysore
Result: Treaty of Mangalore, restoring the status quo ante bellum
Location: South India
Year: 1780–1784
Read more on the first and second Anglo-Mysore wars here.
Battle of Pollilur (Part of the Second Anglo-Mysore War)
Parties: British East India Company against Hyder Ali of Mysore
Result: Both parties claimed victory
Location: Pollilur, Kanchipuram
Year: 1781
Third Anglo-Mysore War
Parties: British East India Company against Tipu Sultan of Mysore
Result: British victory, Treaty of Seringapatam
Location: South India
Year: 1790 – 1792
Fourth Anglo-Mysore War
Parties: British East India Company against Tipu Sultan of Mysore
Result: British victory, Mysore entered into subsidiary alliance
Location: Chiefly South India
Year: 1799
Read more on the third and fourth Anglo-Mysore wars here.
First Anglo-Maratha War
Parties: British against Marathas
Result: Maratha victory
Location: Pune
Year: 1775 – 1782
Read more here.
Battle of Porto Novo
Parties: British East India Company against Hyder Ali of Mysore
Result: British victory
Location: Parangipettai (earlier called Porto Novo), Cuddalore District, Tamil Nadu
Year: 1 July 1781
Read more on this battle here.
Second Anglo-Maratha War
Parties: British against Marathas
Result: British victory
Location: India
Year: 1803 – 1805
Get details about the war here.
Third Anglo-Maratha War
Parties: British against Marathas
Result: British victory
Location: Maharashtra and neighbouring areas
Year: 1817 – 1818
Read more here.
First Anglo-Sikh War
Parties: British East India Company against the Sikh Empire
Result: British victory
Location: Mudki, Punjab
Year: 1845 – 1846
Get the details about the First Anglo-Sikh War here.
Battle of Sobraon (Part of the First Anglo-Sikh War)
Parties: British against the Sikh Empire
Result: British victory
Location: Sobraon, Punjab
Year: 10 February 1846
Second Anglo-Sikh War
Parties: British East India Company against the Sikh Empire
Result: British victory
Location: Punjab
Year: 1848 – 1849
Get the details about the First Anglo-Sikh War here.
Battle of Imphal
Parties: British against Imperial Japan, Provisional Govt. of Free India (Azad Hind)
Result: British victory
Location: Imphal, Manipur
Year: 1944
Read more about the Battle of Imphal, which was a part of the Second World War here.
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