Important Battles in Indian History

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. 

Related Links
UPSC Mains Exam Government Exams
NCERT Notes India – Bangladesh Relations
Battle of Dabul Battle of Chengam

 

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