UPSC Prelims 2001 Q26: Medieval History – Mughal Empire
- (a) Both A and R are individually true, and R is the correct explanation of A
- (b) Both A and R are individually true, but R is NOT a correct explanation of A
- (c) A is true, but R is false
- (d) A is false, but R is true
Answer: (a) Both A and R are individually true, and R is the correct explanation of A
Explanation
Assertion-Reason: Battle of Khanua versus the First Battle of Panipat
| Statement | Verdict |
|---|---|
| A. The Battle of Khanua (1527) was more decisive and significant than the First Battle of Panipat (1526) | True — Panipat gave Babur Delhi and Agra; Khanua broke the Rajput confederacy, the real threat to his rule |
| R. Rana Sanga was a more formidable adversary than Ibrahim Lodi | True — Sanga led a large alliance of Rajput chiefs with Afghan support (Mahmud Lodi, Hasan Khan Mewati) |
| Link | Khanua mattered more because the enemy it defeated was stronger |
| After Khanua | Babur took the title Ghazi; his position in North India was secure |
Panipat removed a weak Lodi Sultan but left the strongest Indian power, the Rajputs under Rana Sanga of Mewar, untouched. Babur's victory at Khanua on 16 March 1527 ended that challenge, so historians treat Khanua as the battle that settled Mughal rule. Since Sanga's strength is exactly why Khanua was more decisive, R explains A.
Answer: (a) Both A and R are individually true, and R is the correct explanation of A.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) CORRECT. Khanua was more decisive because Rana Sanga was the stronger enemy.
- (b) Incorrect. R does explain A; Sanga's strength is why the victory mattered more.
- (c) Incorrect. R is true; Sanga led a powerful Rajput–Afghan alliance.
- (d) Incorrect. A is true; Khanua secured Babur's rule in North India.
Key point
Babur's battles: Panipat 1526 (Ibrahim Lodi), Khanua 1527 (Rana Sanga), Chanderi 1528 (Medini Rai), Ghaghra 1529 (Afghans).
Remember
Khanua 1527 beat Rana Sanga and made Babur's rule secure.
Common mistakes
- Thinking Panipat was decisive because it founded the Mughal Empire.
- Treating Ibrahim Lodi as the stronger enemy because he was Sultan of Delhi.
- Missing that R gives the reason for A.
Exam tip
Ask which defeat removed the bigger threat; that battle is the more decisive one.
Sources
- Satish Chandra — Medieval India: From Sultanat to the Mughals, Part II, chapter on Babur
- Babur — Baburnama (tr. A. S. Beveridge), account of the battle of Kanwa