Battle of Tukaroi - [March 3, 1575] This Day in History

The Battle of Tukaroi was fought between the Mughals army and the Sultanate of Bangala and Bihar on 3 March 1575. It resulted in the Mughal annexation of Bengal.

This article will provide you with relevant facts about the Battle of Tukaroi which are useful for the IAS Exam (History) preparation.
See previous ‘This Day in History’ in the linked article.

Battle of Tukaroi

• This battle was fought in a village called Tukaroi, located in the present-day Balasore District in Odisha.
• Delhi Sultanate’s Bakhtiyar Khilji had annexed most of Bengal by defeating its Sena ruler Lakshman Sen in 1203-04.
• When Akbar was the Mughal Emperor, the ruler of Bengal (Sultan of Bangala) was Daud Khan Karrani. Karrani had great ambitions and wanted to rule over the whole subcontinent. He captured the Zamania Fort which was a frontier post of the Mughal Empire.
• This gave Akbar a reason to resort to war with him. He deputed his general Munim Khan to deal with Karrani.
• Munim Khan led a force towards Patna. But he was opposed by Karrani’s powerful Afghan chief Lodi Khan. Munim Khan had to content with letting Karrani go on light terms.
• This displeased Akbar who sent one of his trusted ministers Raja Todar Mal to take over Bihar. Thus hurt the pride of Munim Khan who then laid siege to the city of Patna. But it proved too much of a task for Munim Khan to hold it, and so he requested his emperor to take command.
• Meanwhile, Lodi Khan was deceitfully killed by Karrani who also confiscated his property.
• Akbar proceeded to Patna from his annual visit to Ajmer. In 1574, he conquered Hajipur from where he provided supplies to Patna. He also captured the Patna Fort.
• He then provided Munim Khan with additional men and made him the governor of Bengal. Munim Khan and the Mughal army engaged Karrani’s forces in the battle at Tukaroi. Earlier on in the battle, Munim Khan was injured and it looked like the Bengal army was going to win. However, things reversed soon enough and Karrani fled from the scene.
• The Treaty of Katak was signed between the belligerents.
• Karrani was left with only Odisha while Bengal and Bihar had to be ceded to the Mughals.

Also on this day

1839: Birth of the ‘father of Indian industry’ Jamsetji Tata.

1847: Birth of Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the telephone.

1924: The Ottoman Caliphate in Turkey was abolished by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

2002: Death of the Speaker of the Lok Sabha GMC Balayogi.

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