GodlessBastard
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I was inspired by the thread called "20 most Decisive Battles" by Austerlitz to create a similar thread which deals exclusively with the Indian subcontinent. Here, I will rank the Top 10 military encounters which I feel have had the greatest impact on South Asia. Tactical brilliance, or lack thereof, is not taken into account.
My list:
10. The Kalinga War (261 B.C.)
Belligerents: Maurya Empire vs. Kingdom of Kalinga
Victor: Maurya Empire
Rationale: We don't know much about this legendary war, besides that many people supposedly died and Emperor Ashoka supposedly felt great guilt after the bloodshed. From a purely scholarly standpoint, I have good reasons to label both "facts" as fabrications, or at least exaggerations, but that is a story for another day. The importance of this conflict is two-fold. First, it marked the first time that the subcontinent was politically united under a single government, a feat that would not be repeated until the 19th century, with British India. Secondly, it indirectly marked the rise of Buddhism as a major religion and philosophy in Asia. Ashoka was catapulted into eternal fame as he sought to build the world's first empire based on dharma following the war, and his great efforts at spreading Buddhism started a revolution. Buddhism, which was previously confined to Bihar, spread across the subcontinent and across Asia. Today, some 500 million people identify themselves as Buddhists.
The Kalinga War is by far the most ancient of the conflicts described here, occurring over 2,200 years ago. Despite its golden legacy and broad influence, much of what we actually know is based on shaky history. For this reason, I have placed the Kalinga War in last place.
9. Battle of Pratapgarh (1659)
Belligerents: Marathas vs. Adilshahis
Victor: Marathas
Rationale: This was the battle that marked the rise of the Maratha Empire as a major player. Following the stunning victory at Pratapgarh, Shivaji and his successors would wage a series of campaigns that would make the Marathas the first Hindu empire in well over 600 years to have a considerable influence across the subcontinent. At the same time, however, the constant fighting between the Marathas, other Hindu states, Islamic sultanates, the decaying Mughal Empire, and restless Afghan tribes would greatly weaken India as a whole, making it ripe for European colonization.
8. Battle of Diu (1509)
Belligerents: Portuguese Empire vs. Gujarati-Mamluk-Ottoman Coalition
Victor: Portuguese
Rationale: Europeans had been trying for centuries to exploit the riches of India, but it would be the Portuguese who would get the first piece of the pie. After a string of earlier setbacks, the Portuguese achieved a decisive victory in 1509 against a combined coalition of various powers. The Portuguese victory at Diu gave them their first permanent holdings in India, which wouldn't be liberated until the 1961 Indo-Portuguese War. The Battle of Diu has a certain degree of global significance for being one of the first "modern" naval battles, in which technologically superior Portuguese gunships were able to triumph against a much larger fleet of obsolete dhows. In addition to its global importance, the battle is important in the regional context because it marked the first time a European power made inroads into the subcontinent, foreshadowing much greater things to come.
7. Muhammad bin Qasim's Invasion of Sind (712)
Belligerents: Umayyads vs. Jats and Native Kingdoms of Sind
Victor: Umayyads
Rationale: This should be a familiar one for most people. Although Muhammad bin Qasim's famous conquest of Sind had little immediate impact, it was extremely important because it introduced Islam to the subcontinent; over the next millennium, Islam would shape the culture and sociopolitical atmosphere of the subcontinent more than any other factor. The destruction that the Umayyad invasion left in its path, such as pillaged riches and sacked temples, and the relative inaction of the native rulers to counter this new threat, would be a precursor for much greater things to come. Like the Battle of Diu eight centuries later, this fateful episode in history marked the beginning of a brand new age.
6. First Battle of Panipat (1526)
Belligerents: Mughals vs. Delhi Sultanate
Victor: Mughals
Rationale: From the 13th through the early 16th centuries, the Delhi Sultanate was the dominant power in the Indian subcontinent. In addition to espousing a unique Indo-Islamic culture, the Delhi Sultanate maintained a certain degree of stability in the subcontinent, especially in North India. However, this stability was shattered in 1526 when an ambitious conqueror by the name of Babur crushed the armies of the Lodi Dynasty at the fields of Panipat, creating one of the largest power vacuums in Indian history. Here, India's history could have diverged spectacularly, as different factions competed for the spoils. Ultimately, it would be Babur's grandson Akbar who would emerge triumphant and consolidate Mughal power.
5. Battle of Talikota (1565)
Belligerents: Vijayanagar Empire vs. Deccan Sultanates
Victor: Deccan Sultanates
Rationale: This battle is not very well known, despite its tremendous significance. While North India succumbed to numerous Islamic invasions from Central Asia, South India remained a firm bastion of Hindu culture. This was solidified in the 14th century, when the various Hindu states of the South became unified under the powerful and prosperous Vijayanagar Empire. The existence of such an empire effectively checked the advance of Islam south of the Godavari. However, the situation changed when the Deccan Sultanates overcame their differences and united in force against Vijayanagar, dealing a decisive blow at Talikota. The collapse of the Vijayanagar Empire following the Battle of Talikota meant the fall of the last great Hindu empire in India, and opened South India to Islam.
4. Second Battle of Panipat (1556)
Belligerents: Mughals vs. Hemu Vikramaditya
Victor: Mughals
Rationale: Babur's decisive victory in the First Battle of Panipat resulted in enormous political upheaval in North India, with various factions vying to fill the power vacuum created by the collapse of the Delhi Sultanate. Having died just five years after this great victory, Babur was unable to consolidate his conquests. His successor Humayun also failed, facing enormous competition from the Suri dynasty. In this chaotic environment rose the Hindu emperor Hemu Vikramaditya, who in 1556 attempted to recreate a Hindu empire in North India. Had he succeeded, it would have been the first of its kind in over six centuries. However, he was not alone in his ambitions; Babur's grandson Akbar rose to the challenge and decisively defeated Hemu, thus consolidating the Mughal Empire. Over the next five decades, Akbar would establish the fundamental groundwork of the empire (which his successors would haplessly abuse), making India one of the most powerful and prosperous nations of its time.
3. Second Battle of Tarain (1192)
Belligerents: Ghorids vs. Rajputs
Victor: Ghorids
Rationale: This was the battle in which the famed Prithviraj Chauhan was defeated. The Rajput defeat allowed Shahabuddin Muhammad Ghauri to easily subdue most of North India, establishing the first Islamic empire in the subcontinent. Although Islam had been introduced to India four and a half centuries prior by Muhammad bin Qasim, it wasn't until Ghauri's time that Islam became a "game changer" and a major sociopolitical force in the subcontinent. It is very important to note that, after the Battle of Tarain, Muslim rulers have continuously ruled India (especially the North) until the British era.
2. Battle of Plassey (1757)
Belligerents: British East India Co. vs. Bengal and French allies
Victor: British East India Co.
Rationale: Another commonly-known battle, and for good reason. The Battle of Plassey gave the British a permanent presence in India, and marked the end of French dreams of empire in the subcontinent. In the global context, this battle can be considered part of the Seven Years' War, a series of global conflicts involving Britain, France, and their respective allies. From their base in Bengal, the British would eventually exert their control over the entire subcontinent by the early 19th century. In time, India would become the most valuable possession of the British Empire, the "Jewel in the Crown". The British period of rule had huge effects on India, which I am sure you all are well aware of.
1. Third Battle of Panipat (1761)
Belligerents: Marathas vs. Durranis and various allies
Victor: Durranis
Rationale: The Third Battle of Panipat, like the First, created a huge power vacuum in India. The battle marked the beginning of the decline of the Marathas, who would be progressively weakened in three devastating wars against the British. However, the battle was very costly for both sides, and weakened the Durranis as well as the Marathas. It also marked, very importantly, the last time two South Asian powers fought a major battle. In my opinion, the weakening of India's largest powers in this battle was more crucial to the overall British success in India than the Battle of Plassey itself. After 1761, conflicts in India would almost exclusively involve the British.
Moreover, the Third Battle of Panipat set in stone a distinct cultural gap in the subcontinent. For most of history, the area corresponding to modern-day Afghanistan and Pakistan's tribal areas were considered the "natural frontiers" of India. Unsurprisingly, Indian empires with their base of power in the Indo-Gangetic Plain had their political frontiers in those regions, and the people of the frontiers were considered to be highly Indianized. This changed in the 18th century, when the collapse of the Mughal Empire, coupled with the rise of tribal Afghan dynasties like the Durranis, permanently pulled the frontier regions out of the cultural orbit of the Gangetic states. The repercussions of this highly significant development can still be felt today.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
That concludes my list. Comments are both welcome and highly appreciated.
If you feel another battle should be added, or a battle already on the list shouldn't be removed, feel free to post your concerns with a strong rationale.
I am open to editing my list if people more intelligent than me provide compelling cases to do so.
My list:
10. The Kalinga War (261 B.C.)
Belligerents: Maurya Empire vs. Kingdom of Kalinga
Victor: Maurya Empire
Rationale: We don't know much about this legendary war, besides that many people supposedly died and Emperor Ashoka supposedly felt great guilt after the bloodshed. From a purely scholarly standpoint, I have good reasons to label both "facts" as fabrications, or at least exaggerations, but that is a story for another day. The importance of this conflict is two-fold. First, it marked the first time that the subcontinent was politically united under a single government, a feat that would not be repeated until the 19th century, with British India. Secondly, it indirectly marked the rise of Buddhism as a major religion and philosophy in Asia. Ashoka was catapulted into eternal fame as he sought to build the world's first empire based on dharma following the war, and his great efforts at spreading Buddhism started a revolution. Buddhism, which was previously confined to Bihar, spread across the subcontinent and across Asia. Today, some 500 million people identify themselves as Buddhists.
The Kalinga War is by far the most ancient of the conflicts described here, occurring over 2,200 years ago. Despite its golden legacy and broad influence, much of what we actually know is based on shaky history. For this reason, I have placed the Kalinga War in last place.
9. Battle of Pratapgarh (1659)
Belligerents: Marathas vs. Adilshahis
Victor: Marathas
Rationale: This was the battle that marked the rise of the Maratha Empire as a major player. Following the stunning victory at Pratapgarh, Shivaji and his successors would wage a series of campaigns that would make the Marathas the first Hindu empire in well over 600 years to have a considerable influence across the subcontinent. At the same time, however, the constant fighting between the Marathas, other Hindu states, Islamic sultanates, the decaying Mughal Empire, and restless Afghan tribes would greatly weaken India as a whole, making it ripe for European colonization.
8. Battle of Diu (1509)
Belligerents: Portuguese Empire vs. Gujarati-Mamluk-Ottoman Coalition
Victor: Portuguese
Rationale: Europeans had been trying for centuries to exploit the riches of India, but it would be the Portuguese who would get the first piece of the pie. After a string of earlier setbacks, the Portuguese achieved a decisive victory in 1509 against a combined coalition of various powers. The Portuguese victory at Diu gave them their first permanent holdings in India, which wouldn't be liberated until the 1961 Indo-Portuguese War. The Battle of Diu has a certain degree of global significance for being one of the first "modern" naval battles, in which technologically superior Portuguese gunships were able to triumph against a much larger fleet of obsolete dhows. In addition to its global importance, the battle is important in the regional context because it marked the first time a European power made inroads into the subcontinent, foreshadowing much greater things to come.
7. Muhammad bin Qasim's Invasion of Sind (712)
Belligerents: Umayyads vs. Jats and Native Kingdoms of Sind
Victor: Umayyads
Rationale: This should be a familiar one for most people. Although Muhammad bin Qasim's famous conquest of Sind had little immediate impact, it was extremely important because it introduced Islam to the subcontinent; over the next millennium, Islam would shape the culture and sociopolitical atmosphere of the subcontinent more than any other factor. The destruction that the Umayyad invasion left in its path, such as pillaged riches and sacked temples, and the relative inaction of the native rulers to counter this new threat, would be a precursor for much greater things to come. Like the Battle of Diu eight centuries later, this fateful episode in history marked the beginning of a brand new age.
6. First Battle of Panipat (1526)
Belligerents: Mughals vs. Delhi Sultanate
Victor: Mughals
Rationale: From the 13th through the early 16th centuries, the Delhi Sultanate was the dominant power in the Indian subcontinent. In addition to espousing a unique Indo-Islamic culture, the Delhi Sultanate maintained a certain degree of stability in the subcontinent, especially in North India. However, this stability was shattered in 1526 when an ambitious conqueror by the name of Babur crushed the armies of the Lodi Dynasty at the fields of Panipat, creating one of the largest power vacuums in Indian history. Here, India's history could have diverged spectacularly, as different factions competed for the spoils. Ultimately, it would be Babur's grandson Akbar who would emerge triumphant and consolidate Mughal power.
5. Battle of Talikota (1565)
Belligerents: Vijayanagar Empire vs. Deccan Sultanates
Victor: Deccan Sultanates
Rationale: This battle is not very well known, despite its tremendous significance. While North India succumbed to numerous Islamic invasions from Central Asia, South India remained a firm bastion of Hindu culture. This was solidified in the 14th century, when the various Hindu states of the South became unified under the powerful and prosperous Vijayanagar Empire. The existence of such an empire effectively checked the advance of Islam south of the Godavari. However, the situation changed when the Deccan Sultanates overcame their differences and united in force against Vijayanagar, dealing a decisive blow at Talikota. The collapse of the Vijayanagar Empire following the Battle of Talikota meant the fall of the last great Hindu empire in India, and opened South India to Islam.
4. Second Battle of Panipat (1556)
Belligerents: Mughals vs. Hemu Vikramaditya
Victor: Mughals
Rationale: Babur's decisive victory in the First Battle of Panipat resulted in enormous political upheaval in North India, with various factions vying to fill the power vacuum created by the collapse of the Delhi Sultanate. Having died just five years after this great victory, Babur was unable to consolidate his conquests. His successor Humayun also failed, facing enormous competition from the Suri dynasty. In this chaotic environment rose the Hindu emperor Hemu Vikramaditya, who in 1556 attempted to recreate a Hindu empire in North India. Had he succeeded, it would have been the first of its kind in over six centuries. However, he was not alone in his ambitions; Babur's grandson Akbar rose to the challenge and decisively defeated Hemu, thus consolidating the Mughal Empire. Over the next five decades, Akbar would establish the fundamental groundwork of the empire (which his successors would haplessly abuse), making India one of the most powerful and prosperous nations of its time.
3. Second Battle of Tarain (1192)
Belligerents: Ghorids vs. Rajputs
Victor: Ghorids
Rationale: This was the battle in which the famed Prithviraj Chauhan was defeated. The Rajput defeat allowed Shahabuddin Muhammad Ghauri to easily subdue most of North India, establishing the first Islamic empire in the subcontinent. Although Islam had been introduced to India four and a half centuries prior by Muhammad bin Qasim, it wasn't until Ghauri's time that Islam became a "game changer" and a major sociopolitical force in the subcontinent. It is very important to note that, after the Battle of Tarain, Muslim rulers have continuously ruled India (especially the North) until the British era.
2. Battle of Plassey (1757)
Belligerents: British East India Co. vs. Bengal and French allies
Victor: British East India Co.
Rationale: Another commonly-known battle, and for good reason. The Battle of Plassey gave the British a permanent presence in India, and marked the end of French dreams of empire in the subcontinent. In the global context, this battle can be considered part of the Seven Years' War, a series of global conflicts involving Britain, France, and their respective allies. From their base in Bengal, the British would eventually exert their control over the entire subcontinent by the early 19th century. In time, India would become the most valuable possession of the British Empire, the "Jewel in the Crown". The British period of rule had huge effects on India, which I am sure you all are well aware of.
1. Third Battle of Panipat (1761)
Belligerents: Marathas vs. Durranis and various allies
Victor: Durranis
Rationale: The Third Battle of Panipat, like the First, created a huge power vacuum in India. The battle marked the beginning of the decline of the Marathas, who would be progressively weakened in three devastating wars against the British. However, the battle was very costly for both sides, and weakened the Durranis as well as the Marathas. It also marked, very importantly, the last time two South Asian powers fought a major battle. In my opinion, the weakening of India's largest powers in this battle was more crucial to the overall British success in India than the Battle of Plassey itself. After 1761, conflicts in India would almost exclusively involve the British.
Moreover, the Third Battle of Panipat set in stone a distinct cultural gap in the subcontinent. For most of history, the area corresponding to modern-day Afghanistan and Pakistan's tribal areas were considered the "natural frontiers" of India. Unsurprisingly, Indian empires with their base of power in the Indo-Gangetic Plain had their political frontiers in those regions, and the people of the frontiers were considered to be highly Indianized. This changed in the 18th century, when the collapse of the Mughal Empire, coupled with the rise of tribal Afghan dynasties like the Durranis, permanently pulled the frontier regions out of the cultural orbit of the Gangetic states. The repercussions of this highly significant development can still be felt today.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
That concludes my list. Comments are both welcome and highly appreciated.
If you feel another battle should be added, or a battle already on the list shouldn't be removed, feel free to post your concerns with a strong rationale.
I am open to editing my list if people more intelligent than me provide compelling cases to do so.
