UPPCS (Pre) 2019

Political Timeline of Mughal India

Authentic Past Paper Standard Evaluation

Arrange the following battles chronologically: I. Battle of Sarnal II. Battle of Bilgram III. Battle of Dharmat IV. Battle of Jajau

Solution & Analysis

Answer: A

Concept Chronological mastery of these battles provides a bird's-eye view of Mughal history—from the struggle to survive (Sher Shah era) to the height of expansion (Akbar/Aurangzeb) and finally the decline (Post-Aurangzeb).

Explanation 1. Battle of Bilgram (1540): Sher Shah Suri defeated Humayun, forcing him into exile. 2. Battle of Sarnal (1572): Akbar defeated Gujarati rebels to secure control of Western India. 3. Battle of Dharmat (1658): Aurangzeb defeated imperial loyalists during the War of Succession. 4. Battle of Jajau (1707): A succession battle between Aurangzeb's sons, Bahadur Shah I and Azam Shah.

Logical Breakup
Logic 1: Bilgram marks the mid-16th century collapse of the first Mughal phase.
Logic 2: Sarnal represents the peak of Akbari consolidation. Dharmat and Jajau are both succession conflicts, but Jajau occurs at the very start of the 18th century after Aurangzeb's death.

Active Recall

Question

What was the significance of the Battle of Bilgram?

Answer

It completely ousted the Mughals from India for 15 years, allowing Sher Shah Suri to establish the Sur Empire.

Core Insight

The gap between Bilgram (1540) and Jajau (1707) encompasses the entire span of the 'Great Mughals' era.