Heroic Trivia Quiz

Answer: Second Battle of Tarain

Tarain is located in present-day Haryana. The Second Battle of Tarain was fought in AD 1192. Both the First and the Second Battles of Tarain were fought between the Chauhan king Prithviraj Chauhan and Mu'izz al-Din Muhammad of Ghor. The First Battle of Tarain in 1191 resulted in a victory for Prithviraj Chauhan, who spared the life of Muhammad of Ghor and released him.

A year later, Muhammad of Ghor allied with King Jaichand, who was angry at Prithviraj's marriage with his daughter, Samyukta. The combined army of Muhammad of Ghor and Jaichand defeated Prithviraj Chauhan. Prithviraj Chauhan was blinded on the orders of Muhammad of Ghor.

Answer: Battle of Saragarhi

The Battle of Saragarhi was fought between the 36th Sikh Regiment of the British Army and Pashtun Orakzai tribesmen on 12 September 1897. Saragarhi is in modern-day Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (North-West Frontier Province), Pakistan. The British Indian contingent consisted of 21 Sikh soldiers.

Their army post was attacked by around 10000 Pashtun soldiers. The Sikhs were led by Havildar Ishar Singh. The soldiers fought till the end in one of the bravest acts in Indian history. Although the Afghans ultimately won control over the region, the Sikh soldiers delivered a disproportionate number of fatalities on the Afghans.

The epic poem 'Khalsa Bahadur' by Chuhar Singh, is dedicated to the bravery of the Sikh soldiers.

Answer: Second Battle of Panipat

The Second Battle of Panipat was fought on November 5, 1556. The Hindu Emperor of Delhi Hemu Vikramaditya had earlier conquered Delhi and Agra by defeating the Mughal army under Tardi Beg Khan at the Battle of Delhi, also called the Battle of Tughlaqabad.

In response, Emperor Akbar himself attacked Hemu Vikramaditya at the same site where his grandfather Babur had fought the First Battle of Panipat in 1526. The numerically superior army of Hemu had gained an advantage, when he got severely wounded in the battle.

Hemu's army subsequently panicked and lost the battle, with Akbar capturing and beheading Hemu. This battle consolidated Akbar's rule in the Indian subcontinent.

Answer: Battle of Pullalur

Pullalur is located near modern-day Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu. The Chalukya Empire had earlier conquered the Vishnukundin kingdom, and thus came in control over the Vengi area. The Vishnukundim kingdom was an ally of the Pallava kingdom. The Pallava king Mahendravarman I and the Chalukyan king Pulakeshin II fought in the Battle of Pullalur in 618-619 AD. Thus began a series of conflicts between the Chalukyas and the Pallavas.

The Chalukyas won the Battle of Pullalur. Later, Mahendravarman's son, NarasimhavarmanI, defeated Pulakeshin II at the Battle of Manimangala in 642 AD.

Answer: Battle of Rakshasbhuvan

The Battle of Rakshasbhuvan was fought on 10 October 1763. The Maratha Empire was weakened after their defeat by Ahmad Shah Abdali at the Third Battle of Panipat. The Nizam of Hyderabad attacked the Maratha Empire in the area near the Rakshasbhuvan dam on the Godavari river.

The Maratha forces were led by Peshwa Madhavrao I and Raghunathrao. Although a rebel portion of the Marathas supported the Nizam, it was the Maratha Empire who won. The resultant treaty signed at Aurangabad meant that the Nizam lost a lot of his territory to the Marathas.

Answer: Battle of Haldighati

The Battle of Haldighati was fought on 18 June 1576 in the Haldighati valley area in modern-day Rajasthan. The name 'Haldighati' refers to the yellow soil there ('haldi' means 'yellow' in Hindi). The Mughal Empire was ruled by Emperor Akbar then, but the Mughal forces were led by Raja Man Singh I of Amber, who was also Akbar's brother-in-law.

The Mughal Empire had earlier conquered Chittorgarh in the Siege of Chittorgarh in AD 1568. The Mewar army was supported by some archers of the Bhil tribe. The army of Maharana Pratap was entirely routed, but Pratap managed to escape.

The Mewar army was heavily outnumbered, but their bravery is immortalised in subsequent Rajput literature. The legend goes that even Rana Pratap's horse Chetak took an active role in the fight.

Answer: Battle of Assaye

The Battle of Assaye was an important battle in the Second Anglo-Maratha War. It was fought on 23 September 1803. Assaye is located in modern-day Maharashtra, India. The British Army was led by the Major General Arthur Wellington, who later became the 1st Duke of Wellington, and is famous for his exploits at the Battle of Waterloo.

The Maratha Empire was led by King Daulat Scindia and the Raja (King) of Berar. The Maratha Empire outnumbered the British forces, and had modern artillery, but it was Wellesley's excellent defensive tactics and leadership which made the British win.

Answer: Battle of the Hydaspes

The Battle of the Hydaspes was fought in 326 BC on the banks of the river Jhelum in the Punjab area, which is now divided between India and Pakistan. The name 'Hydaspes' was the Greek name of the Jhelum river. The battle was a decisive victory for Alexander, as the Punjab region was incorporated into his empire.

However, Alexander was reportedly impressed by the bravery of King Porus, and asked him to be his satrap. A legend goes that when Alexander asked Porus how he should treat Porus, after Porus was captured, Porus replied that Alexander should treat him how a king should treat a king.

This impressed Alexander.

Answer: Battle of Buxar

The Battle of Buxar was fought on 22 October 1764. The British East India Company was led by Hector Munro. The army of Mir Qasim was supported by the army of the Nawab (King) of Awadh and the army of the Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II. Buxar is located on the banks of the Ganges river in modern-day Bihar.

The British army was outnumbered, but the lack of coordination between the three allied armies caused the British empire to win. This victory, and the following Treaty of Allahabad, was a key event in the colonization of India.

Answer: Battle of Saraighat

The Ahom Empire ruled over the Brahmaputra valley area in modern-day Assam, India. The Battle of Saraighat was fought in 1671 AD on the banks of the Brahmaputra river at Saraighat in modern-day Assam. The forces of the Mughal Empire were actually led by King Ramsingh I, king of Jaipur.

The Ahom forces were led by Lachit Borphukan. The Ahoms were militarily weaker, but exploited the rough terrain of the Saraighat area through guerilla warfare and by attacking the comparatively weaker Mughal navy. The Ahoms won the battle.