India has been made and unmade by the battles that have taken place all along its long and checkered history. While some like Kurukshetra/Panipat/Plassey/Tarain/Haldighati have been etched in our collective memories, some battles have disappeared from our minds. A THREAD now
On some of these lesser known battles which have shaped India's destiny. These battles have great significance in the military annals of our great nation and civilisation. We realise how little we know of our own history and legend.
1. DasaRajnya. The Battle of Ten Kings. Mentioned in the Rig Veda, this battle between Aryan TrtsuBharata tribe led by Sudas on one side and 10 allied tribes on other side. First reference to a battle in our literature. Sudas emerges victorious on the banks of the Parushni (Ravi) 
2. Battle of Hydaspes. Between Alexander and King Porus on the banks of the river Hydaspes(Jhelum) in 326BCE. Although Alexander won this battle against a valiant Porus, his battalions refused to venture further dreading the great Magadha armies which lay across the plains.
3. Seleucid-Mauryan War (303/305 BCE). Chandragupta Maurya crosses the Indus river and defeats Seleucus Nikator in battle. The Greek armies were pushed back beyond the Hindukush mountains and Seleucus offered his daughter in marriage to Chandragupta Maurya.
4. Battle of Vatapi 642 CE. The decisive battle between Pulakeshin II of Badami Chalukyas and Narasimhavarman of the Pallavas. The Chalukyan capital is ransacked, Pulakesin dies in battle and the famous "Vatapi Ganapati" is carted back to Pallava lands as a war trophy.
5. Battle of Koppam 1054 CE.The Epic battle between Cholas led by Rajadhiraja Chola against Someswara I, of the Kalyani Chalukyas.Rajadhiraja dies in action and the Chalukyas almost win.But his younger brother Rajendra Chola II is crowned emperor in the battlefield and routs them
6. Siege of Warangal 1310. The month long siege of the Kakatiya capital under king Prataparudra, by Malik Kafur, Allauddin Khilji's general after which the emperor finally surrendered.The surrendered wealth included the famous Kohinoor Diamond.
7. Battle of Khanwa 1527. This pitched battle between Rana Sanga of Mewar and the fledgling Mughal power ended in a Mughal victory and consolidated their position in India. Close on the heels of Panipat (1526), this established Babar as the master of the North.
8. Battle of Kannauj 1540. Sher Shah Suri defeats the Mughal emperor Humayan and almost ends the Mughal dominance in India. Humayan flees the land and takes refuge in Persia for almost 15 years. The battle that almost changed Indian history.
Battle of Raichur 1520. Vijayanagar Emperor Sri Krishnadeva Raya defeats Ismail Adil Shah of the Bijapur Sultanate and pushes him beyond the Krishna. When asked for truce, Devaraya taunts Adil Shah to kiss his feet to get back his territory. Devaraya later invades Bijapur itself.
Battle of Talikota/Rakshasa Tangadi. 1556CE.The sunset over Hampi as the combined Bahamani armies defeat Vijayanagara and burn the capital Hampi to the ground. The Vijayanagara rulers were winning the war until a betrayal by two commanders(Gilani brothers) who switched sides.
Battle of Samugarh 1658CE. The Battle of the Mughal Succession. The fratricidal battle between Aurungazeb and Dara Shikoh which led to the victory of Aurungzeb who marched onto Agra and captured his father Shahjahan. This is one battle which could have changed India.
12. Battle of Karnal 1739CE. The Afsharid Emperor of Persia Nadir Shah defeated the Mughal Empire under Mohammed Shah within three hours of engagement. This swift victory led to the sack of Delhi where the Peacock Throne and the Kohinoor Diamond were carted to Persia.
13. Battle of Vasai 1739 CE. The Portuguese fort of Bassein (Vasai) was attacked and defeated by the Maratha armies of Peshwa Baji Rao, led by his brother Chimaji Appa. The bloody battled finally culminated in a Portuguese surrender.
14. Battle of Wandiwash 1760CE. Taking place in the village of Vandavasi in Tamil Nadu, this battle between the French and the British during the Seven Year's War ended shattering French dreams of ruling India. The British gained momentum hereon.
Battle of Buxar 1764CE .Fought between the British and the combined armies of the Mughal Emperor Sham Alam II, Mir Qasim, Nawab of Bengal and Shuja ud Daulah, Nawab of Awadh. Ending in a decisive British victory, it is considered to be a bigger win than the Battle of Plassey.
16. Capture of Delhi 1771 CE.
The Marathas were not eclipsed after Panipat 1761. In 1771, Mahadji Shinde captured the city of Delhi and placed the Mughal emperor Shah Alam II as its puppet ruler under the sovereignty of the Marathas.
The Marathas were not eclipsed after Panipat 1761. In 1771, Mahadji Shinde captured the city of Delhi and placed the Mughal emperor Shah Alam II as its puppet ruler under the sovereignty of the Marathas.
17. Battle of Palkhed 1728 CE. The Peshwa Baji Rao I defeats the Nizam ul Mulk, Asaf Jah, the Nizam of Hyderabad at the village of Palkhed near Aurungabad, and forces him to sign a humiliating peace treaty.
18. Battle of Sialkot 1761. Durrani Emperor Ahmad Shah Abdali may have destroyed the Maratha supremacy at Panipat but his own commanders and generals were routed by the Sikh Confederacy at Sialkot and later Gujranwala in the same year, 1761. The victorious Sikhs occupied Lahore.
19. Battle of Attock 1813. The decisive battle between the Sikh Empire and the Afghan Durrani Empire when Maharaja Ranjit Singh's armies led by his general Mokham Chand routed the Durranis. It is said that Amritsar was illuminated for two months to celebrate the victory
20. Battle of Aliwal 1846CE. Fought between the Sikhs and British, it ended in a decisive British victory and swung the First Anglo Sikh War in their favour. With this, the British managed to subjugate most of the great Indian Empires with their fold.
There are several more battles which I could have mentioned. Kolachel,Saraighat, Saragarhi, Takkolam, Wadgaon, Chausa, Battle of Ghaghra, Seige of Trinchopoly, Carnatic Wars, Mysore-British Wars and the Anglo Maratha Wars. Then i would not be able to end this thread. So i choose
We ought to know these moments in history which have shaped our present. What if Sher Shah not die in Kalinjar? What if Vijayanagara won at Talikota? What if Babur lost at Panipat? What if Prithviraj beheaded Ghori? What if Alexander entered India? These questions will remain
So just another attempt to provoke a little further reading and thinking among my friends on twitter. Go pick up a history book. Read about our great ancestors. THE END.
