10 Greatest Warriors in Indian History
10 Greatest Warriors in Indian History
India has fought a lot of wars in its history. From Maurya Empire to Chauhan dynasty to Mughals, each has a rich history and has fought many historical wars. The Kings have fought but there are some figures who stood out and created a mark in the history in terms of their valor. Today we’ll tell you about 10 such warriors that are considered the greatest warriors in Indian History.
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Tipu Sultan
Tipu Sultan was the king of Mysore and was also called as ‘Tiger of Mysore’. He was the last ruler of India who dictated terms to the British. He was known for his battle with the English in the four Anglo-Mysore War. He was the first one to use Rockets in the battlefield and even wrote a book wrote the military manual Fathul Mujahidin. He was subsequently defeated and was killed in the battle in the last Anglo-Mysore war. His image is ambiguous as he is regarded both as a secular ruler who fought against British colonialism as well as an anti-Hindu tyrant.
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Rajendra Chola I
Rajendra Chola I or Rajendra I was a Chola king who ruled Tamil kingdom in India. He is considered one of the greatest rulers and military generals of India. During his reign, he extended the influence of the Chola empire to the banks of the river Ganga in North India and across the Indian ocean to the West, making the Chola Empire as one of the most powerful empires of India. He was among the first to go overseas and laid a great impact on navy. He conquered Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Sri Lanka, Maldives, and he successfully invaded the territories of Srivijaya in Malaysia, Southern Thailand and Indonesia in South East Asia. He also defeated the king of Bihar.
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Rani Laxmibai
Rani LAxmibai was the queen of the Maratha-ruled Jhansi. She was one of the leading figures of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and became for Indian nationalists a symbol of resistance to the British Raj. The reason for her rebellion was that her son was deprived of the throne due to the Doctrine of Lapse policy. She fought bravely in the revolt of 1857 but however was killed in action. She is famously depicted in songs and poems. Most famous among them is a line, “Khub ladi mardani vo to, Jhasi wali rani thi!”
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Sher Shah Suri
Sher Shah Suri was the founder of the Sur Empire in North India, with its capital at Delhi. He took control over the Mughal empire in 1540. He first served as a private before rising to become a commander in the Mughal army under Babur and then as the governor of Bihar. In 1537, when Babur’s son Humayun was elsewhere on an expedition, Sher Khan overran the state of Bengal and established the Sur dynasty. He was a brilliant strategist, and he proved himself as a gifted administrator as well as a capable general. His reorganization of the empire laid the foundations for the success of Akbar. His empire was overthrown after his death.
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Akbar
Akbar is one of the greatest Mughal emperor and he was one of the most brilliant strategist and military leader in the history of India. He learned the importance and impact of Rajputs in Middle India so had diplomatic relationships with most of them. He also famously married Jodhabai, Daughter of King Man Singh of Amber. He was a peace loving king and Akbar promulgated Din-i-Ilahi, a syncretic creed derived from Islam. He is famous for his battles like siege of Chittor and with Maharana Pratap.
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Chandragupta Maurya
Chandragupta Maurya was the founder of the Maurya Empire and the first emperor to unify most of Greater India into one state. He ruled from 324 BC to 297 BC. He defeated the Greeks and stopped them from entering India. He is widely regarded as the King who brought India under one rule and was very popular as he promoted trade and economy. He also foughtr various wars bravely and conquered most of the India except Kalinga which was later sieged by his grandson Ashoka. He is one of the greatest warriors because he rose from rags to riches.
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Maharaja Ranjit Singh
He was the founder of the Sikh Empire, which came to power in the Indian subcontinent in the early half of the 19th century. The empire was in Punjab region. It was forged, on the foundations of the Dal Khalsa. Ranjit Singh was a who had lost one eye, an arm, and yet built one of the greatest empires in India.He drove out the Durranis from Punjab, captured Multan, Peshawar, annexed the whole pf Punjab. His kingdom extended right up to the foothills of the Sulaiman Mountains, and conquered Kasur from the fierce Pathans. His empire consisted of undivided Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir till some parts of Tibet. It was after his rule that Britishers started dictating terms in Punjab.
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Prithviraj Chauhan
He was a Rajput king of the Chauhan dynasty and ruled the kingdoms of Ajmer and Delhi in northern India during the latter half of the 12th century. Prithviraj Chauhan was the last independent Hindu king to sit upon the throne of Delhi. He succeeded to the throne in 1179 CE at the age of 13. He is notable for his valor and courage. He was in love with princess Samyukta who was princess of Kannauj and eloped with her in her swamywar where he was not invited because of his rivalry with ruler of Kannauj. Prithviraj Chauhan defeated the Muslim ruler Ghori in the First Battle of Tarain but let him free as an open gesture. However, in the preceding war he was defeated and captured as a war prisoner and later killed.
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Maharana Pratap
He was the ruler of Mewar, Rajasthan. His birth anniversary (Maharana Pratap Jayanti) is celebrated as a full-fledged festival every year on the 3rd day of the Jyestha Shukla phase. He belonged to the Sisodia clan of Rajputs. Maharana Pratap Singh is widely regarded as a fearless warrior and ingenious strategist, who successfully fought the Mughals and safeguarded his people until his death. He fought Akbar and refused to turn himself to his rule. He fought bravely with Mughlas in the war where Rajputs were outnumbered by 1 to 8 and was lived in a short period of exile before conquering back again the rest of his kingdom. In popular Indian culture, he is hailed as an inspirational figure for exemplifying gallantry and resourcefulness.
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Shivaji
The founder of Maratha Empire, Chatrapati Shivaji was a gallant ruler whose empire enclosed almost complete Indian subcontinent at one point of time. He is famous for his gurella warfare and his subsequent rivalry with the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. He innovated military tactics, pioneering the guerrilla warfare methods (Shiva sutra or ganimi kava), which leveraged strategic factors like geography, speed, and surprise and focused pinpoint attacks to defeat his larger and more powerful enemies. From a small contingent of 2,000 soldiers inherited from his father, Shivaji created a force of 100,000 soldiers He outsmarted him on various occasions and his famous for his escapes from prison of Agra. He was the pioneer of the concept of Swaraj. He laid the foundation of Maratha kingdom and made many reforms.