'Wars', a term which is seen in a bad light in the contemporary world, but are inevitable in any light.
Human race since their advent have been under a war, be it of ideologue, territory, or religious supremacy over the other. Living in South-Asia, we know this at the best.
The ancient and medieval history uses the word 'battle' more often. This was due to non-tactical warheads and tech over a long period of time, unlike in the modern times where such phenomenon have reached to fourth generation. Nations like China are into the fifth, allegedly.
As an Indian born around the end of millennial, we remember years like 1947, 1962, 1975, and most importantly 1999 when we hear the world war.
These years have seen India going in war with its neighbors namely Pakistan (thrice) and China (once), broadly.
1947 can be regarded as one of those years which changed the post modern history of India when Pakistan was created, and we were in a war with them over a blink of an eye.
It made strategic difference and cracks between both the sides, militaristically as well as politically.
1999 is another such year, when we were in a war with our Nuclear Armed neighbor. It is important to note that despite having Nuclear Weapons, it was not possible to deter a war in the region, this has never happened elsewhere in world.
The crack-lines hereon became wider.
Today, once a united force to get itself freed from colonial rule are fighting each other, called 'dog-fight' where neither side leaves a chance to eat onto the other side.
We are no more even on the talking terms, such a rock bottom that foreign office has no high commissioner.
PS: The very first brick laid for the concurrence of a '2 Nation Theory' can be laid to the acceptance of Khilafat Movement during the Indian National Movement in 1919.
Further debate is a matter of a whole new writeup altogether.
From the above example, it is evident that a course of decisions and actions can change the history of a nation. We shall heron see such instances from India's diverse history which changed the way we all have learned it and have worshiped and abused the gneiss.
1. Battle of Hydaspes in 326 BCE (Alexander vs Porus)
Who amongst us do not know the ambitions of Sikander from Macedonia. He won every battle he thought and did fight, but his eventual battle with Indian king in NWFP made his army very vary and homesick.
The already war sickened army of Alexander further knew the Nanda dynasty of Magadh have been waiting for them with a large force, and once they cross the stretches' of Ganges, their end is inevitable.
They were already coping up with the hardships which Porus presented.
The rebellion from the army and a tough battle at Hydaspes gutted the end to Sikander's dream of watching 'how the tip of end of world looks like'.
Had Alexander crossed Ganges, he would have fought a drowning Nandas who Mauryans with help of Chanakya were already taking down.
The Greek inroads in India were not the last, but a first of many. While leaving India, Alexander placed his satrapies, one of which was Seleucid who was later defeated by Chandragupta Maurya, leaving behind any possibility of Greek conquest.
Alexander died in in 323 on way back.
The Greek downfall in India mainland as of now was over, but on the peripheries they remained to exist with name of Indo-Greek empires.
2. Battle of Badr ( Prophet Muhammad vs Meccan trades) in 624
It was the major military victory of Muslim ummah. The prestige of the battle in the Islamic consciousness is marked by the fact that it is the only battle mentioned by name in the Quran.
The battle was a turning point for the early Muslims where they shifted from defensive stance toward one of stability and expansion and all the future invasions and expansion from Islamic empires and emperors had the same Islamic consciousness.
This is very significant for India where the same period was on the edge of ending the 'Golden Period' with Gupta empire at its end and India was to fragment into very small and big kingdoms here and there.
Hindushahi was present at the NWFP which would be open for invasions.
The Islamic tactics of war were carried out and we are all are well known that India for a greater period heron will be ruled by Muslim rulers.
2. The Second Battle of Tarain in 1192 (Ghuri vs Prithviraj Chauhan)
The first battle was won by Prithviraj a year before and the king from Ghurid region in Afghanistan was thrashed out in 1191, but he re-assembled and fought a battle the very next year and defeated Prithviraj.
The second time around there was lack of unity between the Rajput confederation, Chauhan was short on support from other Rajput kings. This defeat resulted in a defeat to the second last Hindu king on the throne of Delhi.
Ghuri unlike other invaders, stayed in India, not by himself, but established an empire with Qutub-ul-Din Aibak as the regional governor who later founded the Mameluk (Slave) dynasty in India under the name of Delhi Sultanate.
The Sultanate ruled for almost 350 years.
3. Battle of Kili in 1299 (Allaudin Khilji and Mongols)
After the civil wars of the mid-13th century, the once-mighty Mongol Empire split into four independent Khanate. The least known was Chagatai Khanate.
The background of the battle goes back beyond when Gengis Khan was alive.
In 1220s he was chasing Khwarizmi Prince to the borders of the sultanate when Iltutmish from Slave dynasty was ruling from Delhi. The Khwarizmi Prince came to the court of Sultan for taking refuge, but he was denied refuge due to the fear of a Mongol invasion led by Gengis.
Finally in 1299, the might Mongols were defeated by the forces of Alauddin, although Mongolic subsequent invasions would take place in 1303, 1305 and 1306. They became irrelevant by that time.
Had Iltutmish and Allaudin not do what they did, Mongols would have gone deep south.
4. First Battle of Panipat in 1526 (Babur vs Lodhi) and Battle of Khanwa in 1527 (Babur vs Rana Sanga)
These two battles which led to the losses of the ones who were having rules in India led to the establishment of Mughal rule in India which ended only with British came to India
It is said that Daulat Khan Lodi, governor of Lodi dynasty in Punjab called on Babur to invade India, which was even supported by Rana Sanga. Rana thought, Babur will loot India and leave like his Timurid past, but he stayed owning to politics in Central Asia.
5. There should be a special mention to Ottomans capturing Constantinople in 1453 when forces of Sultan Mehmud II defeated the hard resistance from Byzantine empire.
This made the sea route and trade route between the west and east come under Ottomans.
This led to many voyages from Europe, especially the ones to America and India which made Colonialism come to the map of World.
Cape of Good hope had to be discovered and the trade with east was taken up.
This led to Portuguese conquest in India which were followed by Dutch and later British who ruled India for almost 400 years.
Has this not happen, the coast of India would not have been discovered although Gujarat and Khandeshi navy was developed.
They were of no match to European machines and India finally fell in the hands of British.
PS: Battle of Pallasey and Buxar too are a watershed in Indian history, but they were a even of eventualities.
Thanks.

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More from @iamarpan_m

Jan 18
India after 2014 has suddenly been a renaissance to a community labelled as majority, although the term should be indigenous if the agenda has to be fulfilled at the maximum. However, the debate of majority and minority has come forward not recently.
Indians have been fooled by not even firing a shot, and just by the normal put the knife on throat tactics by the Colonizers for almost 4 centuries.
No one amongst us was behind in fueling the burn that started in house of Commons and slowly burnt down the ethos of the holy-land.
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Jan 16
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The stark contrast to those contemporary times was the advancement of the way people lived here.
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Jul 30, 2021
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They are still the same and hitherto does not shamble his image (over which BJP surfs their boat).
SIMPLE.
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Oct 7, 2020
I live in a country where saying anything against religion in bad deeds is a crime but casteism in the same is an act of being progressive.
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(3/n)
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2. Stance shown by the Indian Army last week and so time at the KALATOP area. This might have caught the PLA to surprise as India has not been so progressive during the whole of LAC crisis.
Read 9 tweets

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