Decline of the Mughal Empire & Rise of Regional States
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Why This Chapter Matters
SSC and RRB treat this chapter as the bridge between medieval and modern history, and they pull questions from a small, fixed pool: the order of the Later Mughals, Nadir Shah's invasion of 1739, the Third Battle of Panipat (1761), and the founders of the successor states (Murshid Quli Khan, Saadat Khan, Nizam-ul-Mulk). Expect 1–2 questions from this zone in a typical SSC CGL/CHSL GA section and roughly the same in RRB NTPC. The founder-plus-year pairs are the single most repeated pattern, so learn them as pairs, not as stories.
The other favourite is the "odd ruler out" or "arrange chronologically" question on the emperors after Aurangzeb. Students lose easy marks here because the names sound alike (Bahadur Shah I vs Bahadur Shah Zafar, Jahandar Shah vs Farrukhsiyar). This chapter fixes the sequence in your memory with tables and a few simple hooks. Read the ruler list twice, the successor-state table thrice, and the Panipat section once carefully.
1. Aurangzeb's Death and the Empire He Left Behind
Aurangzeb died at Ahmadnagar in 1707, after ruling for 49 years. He spent his last 25 years in the Deccan fighting the Marathas, a campaign that emptied the treasury, exhausted the army, and kept the emperor away from north India. The empire he left stretched from Kabul to the Carnatic on paper, but it was already hollow inside.
His death triggered a war of succession among his three surviving sons. Muazzam (Bahadur Shah I) defeated Azam Shah at the Battle of Jajau (1707) and later killed Kam Bakhsh near Hyderabad (1709). This pattern, brothers killing brothers after every death, repeated for the next half century and bled the dynasty of talent and money.
The problem of the jagirdari crisis
The Mughal noble was paid through a jagir, the right to collect revenue from a piece of land. By 1700 the number of nobles (mansabdars) had grown much faster than the land available to assign. The result is called the jagirdari crisis: nobles fought each other for good jagirs, squeezed peasants to extract maximum revenue quickly, and lost all loyalty to the throne. Historians such as Satish Chandra put this crisis at the centre of the Mughal decline. Remember the term; SSC likes it in statement-based questions.
2. The Later Mughals (1707–1857): The Full List
Exams ask this list as a sequence. Learn it in order.
| Ruler | Reign | Points an exam can ask |
|---|---|---|
| Bahadur Shah I (Muazzam / Shah Alam I) | 1707–1712 | Called "Shah-i-Bekhabar" by Khafi Khan; made peace with Rajputs and Marathas; released Shahu (1707) |
| Jahandar Shah | 1712–1713 | First "puppet" emperor; controlled by noble Zulfiqar Khan; introduced ijarah (revenue farming); famous for favourite Lal Kunwar |
| Farrukhsiyar | 1713–1719 | Throne with help of Sayyid Brothers; gave the 1717 farman to the East India Company (Magna Carta of the Company); executed Banda Bahadur (1716); himself killed by the Sayyids in 1719 |
| Rafi-ud-Darajat | 1719 (Feb–Jun) | Shortest reign; Sayyid puppet |
| Rafi-ud-Daula (Shah Jahan II) | 1719 (Jun–Sep) | Sayyid puppet; died of illness |
| Muhammad Shah "Rangila" | 1719–1748 | Longest of the Later Mughals; Sayyid Brothers eliminated (1720); Nadir Shah invaded in 1739; Hyderabad, Awadh, Bengal became autonomous in his reign |
| Ahmad Shah | 1748–1754 | Abdali's early invasions; blinded and deposed by wazir Imad-ul-Mulk |
| Alamgir II | 1754–1759 | Abdali sacked Delhi (1757); murdered by Imad-ul-Mulk |
| Shah Alam II | 1759–1806 | Fought at Buxar (1764); lived under Maratha, then British protection; blinded by Rohilla Ghulam Qadir (1788) |
| Akbar II | 1806–1837 | Gave the title "Raja" to Ram Mohan Roy; pensioner of the Company |
| Bahadur Shah II "Zafar" | 1837–1857 | Last Mughal; figurehead of the 1857 Revolt; deported to Rangoon, died there in 1862; was an Urdu poet |
The Sayyid Brothers, the "Kingmakers"
Abdullah Khan (wazir) and Hussain Ali Khan (mir bakshi) of Barha made and unmade four emperors between 1713 and 1720. They put Farrukhsiyar on the throne, then killed him in 1719, ran through two puppets, and installed Muhammad Shah. In 1720 Muhammad Shah had Hussain Ali assassinated and defeated Abdullah Khan, ending the Sayyid era. Exam phrasing: "Who were known as the Kingmakers of the Mughal Empire?" Answer: the Sayyid Brothers.
3. Causes of Mughal Decline
Keep these as short, separate points. A statement-type question usually mixes one wrong cause among three right ones.
- Aurangzeb's policies: the 25-year Deccan war, re-imposition of jizyah (1679), conflict with Rajputs (Marwar succession after 1678), and persecution of the Sikhs (execution of Guru Tegh Bahadur, 1675) turned allies into enemies.
- Wars of succession: no fixed law of primogeniture; every death meant civil war.
- Weak successors: after 1712, no emperor had real military or administrative ability.
- Jagirdari crisis: explained above; the fiscal core of the decline.
- Factionalism of nobles: three broad groups, Turani (Central Asian), Irani (Persian), and Hindustani (Indian Muslims plus allied Hindus), fought for control of the court rather than for the empire.
- Rise of regional powers: Marathas, Sikhs, Jats and provincial governors drained territory and revenue.
- Foreign invasions: Nadir Shah (1739) and Ahmad Shah Abdali (1748–1767) destroyed the empire's prestige, treasury and army.
- Military stagnation: the Mughal army remained a slow, artillery-heavy feudal levy while its enemies used mobile cavalry (Marathas) or drilled infantry.
4. Nadir Shah's Invasion (1739)
Nadir Shah, ruler of Persia, entered India through Kabul and defeated Muhammad Shah at the Battle of Karnal (24 February 1739). The battle lasted barely three hours. Nadir Shah occupied Delhi, and after a rumour of his death led to attacks on his soldiers, he ordered a general massacre (the qatl-e-aam) in which an estimated 30,000 people died in one day.
He returned to Persia with plunder valued at about 70 crore rupees, plus two items every exam knows:
- the Peacock Throne (Takht-i-Taus), built by Shah Jahan, and
- the Koh-i-Noor diamond.
He also annexed all Mughal territory west of the Indus, including Kabul. The invasion exposed the empire as a shell. One-line memory hook: Karnal 1739 = Kohinoor gone.
5. Ahmad Shah Abdali and the Third Battle of Panipat (1761)
Ahmad Shah Abdali (Durrani), a general of Nadir Shah, became ruler of Afghanistan after Nadir's assassination (1747). He invaded India repeatedly between 1748 and 1767 (most books count 8 invasions). In 1757 he sacked Delhi and Mathura. To check him, the Mughal wazir invited the Marathas, who took Lahore in 1758. A direct clash became unavoidable.
The battle
- Date: 14 January 1761, at Panipat (Haryana), the third great battle on that field (first 1526, second 1556).
- Maratha side: commander Sadashivrao Bhau, with the Peshwa's son Vishwas Rao; fighters included Ibrahim Khan Gardi (artillery chief), Jankoji Scindia and Malharrao Holkar.
- Abdali's side: supported by Najib-ud-Daula (Rohilla chief) and Shuja-ud-Daula of Awadh.
- Who stayed away from the Marathas: the Rajputs, the Jats (Suraj Mal left the camp), and the Sikhs. The Marathas fought alone, far from home, with supply lines cut.
Result and consequences
The Marathas were routed. Sadashivrao Bhau and Vishwas Rao died in battle. Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao (Nana Saheb), shattered by the news, died in June 1761. The defeat did not destroy Maratha power permanently, they recovered under Madhav Rao I and later Mahadji Scindia re-entered Delhi (1772), but it ended their dream of replacing the Mughals. Standard exam line: Panipat III decided not who would rule India, but who would not (neither Marathas nor Afghans), clearing space for the English Company. Abdali gained nothing lasting either; his troops mutinied over pay and he went back.
A famous casualty description comes from a contemporary letter: "Two pearls have been dissolved, twenty-seven gold mohurs have been lost..." referring to the dead Maratha leaders. You do not need the full quote, only that Panipat III wiped out a generation of Maratha commanders.
6. The Successor States
Historians divide the 18th-century states into three types. This classification itself has appeared in exams.
- Successor states: carved out by Mughal governors who stopped obeying Delhi but never formally broke away — Bengal, Awadh, Hyderabad.
- New states / insurgent states: created by rebels against the empire — Marathas, Sikhs, Jats, Afghans (Rohilkhand).
- Independent kingdoms: old states outside effective Mughal control — Mysore, Travancore, Rajput states (Rajputs were watan jagirdars turning autonomous).
6.1 Bengal
Murshid Quli Khan, appointed Diwan of Bengal by Aurangzeb, became Subahdar (governor) in 1717 and made Bengal virtually independent, though he still sent revenue to Delhi. He shifted the capital from Dhaka to Murshidabad (the city carries his name). He introduced the ijara (revenue farming) system in Bengal and pushed the rise of big zamindar houses and the banking family of Jagat Seth.
| Nawab of Bengal | Period | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Murshid Quli Khan | 1717–1727 | Founder; capital Murshidabad |
| Shuja-ud-din | 1727–1739 | Son-in-law of Murshid Quli |
| Sarfaraz Khan | 1739–1740 | Killed at Battle of Giria (1740) |
| Alivardi Khan | 1740–1756 | Fought Maratha (Bargi) raids; ceded Orissa's chauth; stopped fortification by Europeans |
| Siraj-ud-Daula | 1756–1757 | Grandson of Alivardi; his conflict with the English belongs to Chapter 3 |
Alivardi Khan reportedly compared the Europeans to bees: honey if left alone, stings if disturbed. He kept them commercially useful and politically caged. The cage broke under Siraj.
6.2 Awadh
Saadat Khan Burhan-ul-Mulk, a Persian noble, became governor of Awadh in 1722. He created a hereditary Nawabi, carried out a fresh revenue settlement (1723), and recruited Hindus like the Kayasthas into administration. He fought at Karnal (1739), was taken by Nadir Shah, and died in Delhi (by most accounts, by poison/suicide) in 1739.
Successors: Safdar Jang (1739–1754, also Mughal wazir, hence "Nawab Wazir" of Awadh; his tomb stands in Delhi) and Shuja-ud-Daula (1754–1775), who fought on Abdali's side at Panipat (1761) and against the English at Buxar (1764, detail in Chapter 3). Awadh's capital in this period was Faizabad; it moved to Lucknow under Asaf-ud-Daula in 1775.
6.3 Hyderabad
Nizam-ul-Mulk Asaf Jah (Chin Qilich Khan) founded the Hyderabad state in 1724 after defeating Mubariz Khan at the Battle of Shakar Kheda. He had been Mughal wazir under Muhammad Shah, grew disgusted with court politics, and left for the Deccan. He never formally declared independence, no coins in his own name, khutba still read for the emperor, but ruled as a sovereign. The Asaf Jahi dynasty he founded lasted till 1948. Exam pair: 1724 – Nizam-ul-Mulk – Hyderabad.
6.4 Mysore
Mysore under the Wodeyar dynasty had slipped into the hands of ministers. Hyder Ali, who began as a soldier, modernised the army with French help at Dindigul and became the de facto ruler in 1761. His son Tipu Sultan (ruled 1782–1799) continued state-building: a modern navy plan, rockets, sericulture, and the new calendar. Their four wars with the English belong to Chapter 4; here remember only the pair Hyder Ali – 1761 and that Mysore became the strongest power in the south.
6.5 The Marathas and the Peshwas
After Shahu's release (1707) and his victory over Tarabai at the Battle of Khed (1707), real power shifted to his Peshwa (prime minister). The Peshwaship became hereditary in the family of Balaji Vishwanath, seated at Poona.
| Peshwa | Period | Key facts |
|---|---|---|
| Balaji Vishwanath | 1713–1720 | First hereditary Peshwa, "the second founder of the Maratha state"; 1719 deal with the Sayyids securing chauth and sardeshmukhi of the Deccan |
| Baji Rao I | 1720–1740 | Greatest exponent of guerrilla ("strike at the trunk") strategy; defeated the Nizam at Palkhed (1728) and Bhopal (1737); raided Delhi (1737); said the Maratha flag should fly from the Krishna to the Attock |
| Balaji Baji Rao (Nana Saheb) | 1740–1761 | Convention of Sangola (1750) made the Peshwa the real head of the confederacy; expansion to Punjab; Panipat disaster (1761); died June 1761 |
Under the confederacy, big Maratha families ruled semi-independent territories. Learn the pairs cold; match-the-pair questions come straight from this table:
| Family | Capital/Region |
|---|---|
| Scindia (Shinde) | Gwalior |
| Holkar | Indore |
| Gaekwad | Baroda |
| Bhonsle | Nagpur |
| Peshwa | Poona |
6.6 Punjab and the Sikhs
After Guru Gobind Singh's death (1708), Banda Bahadur led the Sikh revolt, struck coins, and was captured and executed in 1716 under Farrukhsiyar. Through the mid-century chaos of Abdali's invasions, the Sikhs organised into 12 misls (confederacies). Ranjit Singh of the Sukerchakia misl captured Lahore in 1799 and took the title Maharaja of Punjab in 1801. By the Treaty of Amritsar (1809) with the English, the river Sutlej became the boundary between his kingdom and Company territory. He ran a modernised army (trained by European officers) and a secular administration with ministers like Fakir Azizuddin and Dina Nath. He acquired the Kohinoor from the Afghan Shah Shuja in 1813. He died in 1839; the Anglo-Sikh wars that followed are in Chapter 4.
6.7 Rajputs, Jats and Others
- Rajputs: the big houses (Amber/Jaipur, Marwar/Jodhpur, Mewar/Udaipur) became autonomous but stayed divided. Sawai Jai Singh II of Amber founded Jaipur in 1727 and built five observatories (Jantar Mantar) at Delhi, Jaipur, Ujjain, Mathura and Varanasi. He also had the astronomical tables Zij-i-Muhammad Shahi prepared. He is the classic "scientific ruler" question of this chapter.
- Jats: peasant revolts around Delhi-Agra hardened into a state under Churaman and Badan Singh. It peaked under Suraj Mal of Bharatpur (ruled 1756–1763), called the "Plato of the Jat tribe". The Bharatpur fort (Lohagarh) was his stronghold. He walked out of the Maratha camp before Panipat III over strategy differences.
- Rohilkhand and Farrukhabad: Afghan migrants set up Rohilkhand under Ali Muhammad Khan, and the Bangash Pathans ruled Farrukhabad. Rohilla chief Najib-ud-Daula sided with Abdali at Panipat.
- Travancore: Martanda Varma built a strong southern state with capital Trivandrum and defeated the Dutch at the Battle of Colachel (1741), only that one fact is needed here; European affairs proper start in Chapter 3.
7. Was the 18th Century a "Dark Age"?
Older British writing painted the whole 18th century as anarchy. Later research qualified this: regional courts like Lucknow, Jaipur, Hyderabad and Murshidabad kept art, music and trade alive, and some regions actually prospered as Delhi declined. For the exam, one balanced line is enough: the century saw the collapse of the centre but the growth of vigorous regional polities. SSC has framed this as a statement question ("The 18th century was a dark age for the whole of India — true/false"), so keep the qualified view.
Quick Revision — One-Line Facts
- Aurangzeb died at Ahmadnagar in 1707.
- Battle of Jajau (1707): Bahadur Shah I defeated Azam Shah.
- Bahadur Shah I was nicknamed Shah-i-Bekhabar.
- Jahandar Shah (1712–13) was the first puppet emperor, controlled by Zulfiqar Khan.
- Farrukhsiyar issued the farman of 1717 to the East India Company.
- Banda Bahadur was executed in 1716 under Farrukhsiyar.
- The Sayyid Brothers (Abdullah Khan and Hussain Ali) were the "Kingmakers"; eliminated in 1720.
- Muhammad Shah Rangila (1719–48) had the longest reign among the Later Mughals.
- Nadir Shah defeated Muhammad Shah at Karnal, 24 February 1739.
- Nadir Shah carried off the Peacock Throne and the Koh-i-Noor.
- Ahmad Shah Abdali invaded India repeatedly between 1748 and 1767.
- Third Battle of Panipat: 14 January 1761; Abdali defeated the Marathas.
- Maratha commander at Panipat III: Sadashivrao Bhau; the Peshwa's son Vishwas Rao also died.
- Najib-ud-Daula and Shuja-ud-Daula supported Abdali at Panipat III.
- Shah Alam II (1759–1806) was blinded by Ghulam Qadir Rohilla in 1788.
- Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last Mughal, died in Rangoon in 1862.
- Murshid Quli Khan made Bengal autonomous (Subahdar from 1717); capital Murshidabad.
- Alivardi Khan (1740–56) fought the Maratha Bargi raids in Bengal.
- Saadat Khan Burhan-ul-Mulk founded autonomous Awadh in 1722.
- Safdar Jang of Awadh was also the Mughal wazir; his tomb is in Delhi.
- Nizam-ul-Mulk Asaf Jah founded Hyderabad state in 1724 after the Battle of Shakar Kheda.
- Hyder Ali became de facto ruler of Mysore in 1761.
- Balaji Vishwanath (1713–20) was the first hereditary Peshwa.
- Baji Rao I defeated the Nizam at Palkhed (1728) and Bhopal (1737).
- Convention of Sangola (1750) made the Peshwa the real head of the Maratha state.
- Maratha confederacy pairs: Scindia–Gwalior, Holkar–Indore, Gaekwad–Baroda, Bhonsle–Nagpur.
- Ranjit Singh took Lahore in 1799; Treaty of Amritsar (1809) fixed the Sutlej boundary.
- Sawai Jai Singh II founded Jaipur (1727) and built five Jantar Mantar observatories.
- Suraj Mal of Bharatpur was called the "Plato of the Jat tribe".
- Martanda Varma of Travancore defeated the Dutch at Colachel (1741).
Memory Tables
Table 1: Year → Event (chronological spine of the chapter)
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1707 | Aurangzeb dies; Battle of Jajau; Shahu released |
| 1713 | Farrukhsiyar becomes emperor with Sayyid help; Balaji Vishwanath becomes Peshwa |
| 1716 | Banda Bahadur executed |
| 1717 | Farrukhsiyar's farman to the Company; Murshid Quli Khan Subahdar of Bengal |
| 1719 | Farrukhsiyar killed; two puppet emperors; Muhammad Shah enthroned |
| 1720 | Sayyid Brothers eliminated; Baji Rao I becomes Peshwa |
| 1722 | Saadat Khan founds autonomous Awadh |
| 1724 | Nizam-ul-Mulk founds Hyderabad (Battle of Shakar Kheda) |
| 1727 | Jaipur founded by Sawai Jai Singh II |
| 1728 | Battle of Palkhed (Baji Rao I defeats the Nizam) |
| 1739 | Battle of Karnal; Nadir Shah sacks Delhi |
| 1740 | Alivardi Khan seizes Bengal (Battle of Giria) |
| 1741 | Battle of Colachel (Martanda Varma defeats the Dutch) |
| 1750 | Convention of Sangola |
| 1761 | Third Battle of Panipat (14 January); Hyder Ali rises in Mysore; Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao dies |
| 1788 | Shah Alam II blinded by Ghulam Qadir |
| 1799 | Ranjit Singh captures Lahore |
| 1809 | Treaty of Amritsar (Sutlej boundary) |
| 1862 | Bahadur Shah Zafar dies in Rangoon |
Table 2: Founder → State (the highest-yield table of this chapter)
| Founder | State | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Murshid Quli Khan | Bengal (autonomous) | 1717 |
| Saadat Khan Burhan-ul-Mulk | Awadh | 1722 |
| Nizam-ul-Mulk Asaf Jah | Hyderabad | 1724 |
| Sawai Jai Singh II | Jaipur | 1727 |
| Hyder Ali | Mysore (de facto) | 1761 |
| Badan Singh / Suraj Mal | Bharatpur (Jat state) | mid-1700s |
| Ranjit Singh | Punjab (Lahore) | 1799 |
| Martanda Varma | Travancore (expanded) | 1729 onwards |
Table 3: Panipat III at a glance
| Item | Fact |
|---|---|
| Date | 14 January 1761 |
| Winner | Ahmad Shah Abdali (Durrani) |
| Maratha commander | Sadashivrao Bhau |
| Maratha artillery chief | Ibrahim Khan Gardi |
| Abdali's Indian allies | Najib-ud-Daula (Rohilla), Shuja-ud-Daula (Awadh) |
| Who stayed neutral/away | Rajputs, Jats (Suraj Mal), Sikhs |
| Major deaths | Sadashivrao Bhau, Vishwas Rao; Peshwa died soon after |
Practice MCQs
Q1. Aurangzeb died in 1707 at which place? (a) Aurangabad (b) Ahmadnagar (c) Burhanpur (d) Daulatabad
Q2. Who among the Later Mughals was known as "Shah-i-Bekhabar"? (a) Jahandar Shah (b) Muhammad Shah (c) Bahadur Shah I (d) Ahmad Shah
Q3. The farman of 1717 granting trade privileges to the East India Company was issued by which Mughal emperor? (a) Bahadur Shah I (b) Farrukhsiyar (c) Muhammad Shah (d) Jahandar Shah
Q4. The Sayyid Brothers, known as the "Kingmakers", were finally eliminated during the reign of: (a) Farrukhsiyar (b) Rafi-ud-Daula (c) Muhammad Shah (d) Ahmad Shah
Q5. Nadir Shah defeated the Mughal army in 1739 at the battle of: (a) Panipat (b) Karnal (c) Buxar (d) Jajau
Q6. Which two famous items did Nadir Shah carry away from Delhi in 1739? (a) Peacock Throne and Koh-i-Noor (b) Koh-i-Noor and Akbarnama (c) Peacock Throne and Kalpavriksha (d) Takht-i-Taus and Zafarnama
Q7. The Third Battle of Panipat was fought on: (a) 14 January 1761 (b) 14 January 1760 (c) 23 June 1757 (d) 5 November 1556
Q8. Who commanded the Maratha forces at the Third Battle of Panipat? (a) Balaji Vishwanath (b) Mahadji Scindia (c) Sadashivrao Bhau (d) Malharrao Holkar
Q9. Match the founder with the state:
- Murshid Quli Khan — A. Hyderabad
- Saadat Khan — B. Bengal
- Nizam-ul-Mulk — C. Awadh (a) 1-B, 2-C, 3-A (b) 1-A, 2-B, 3-C (c) 1-C, 2-A, 3-B (d) 1-B, 2-A, 3-C
Q10. The Asaf Jahi dynasty of Hyderabad was founded in 1724 after which battle? (a) Battle of Palkhed (b) Battle of Shakar Kheda (c) Battle of Giria (d) Battle of Khed
Q11. Under the Maratha confederacy, the Bhonsle family ruled from: (a) Baroda (b) Indore (c) Gwalior (d) Nagpur
Q12. By the Treaty of Amritsar (1809), which river was fixed as the boundary between Ranjit Singh's kingdom and the East India Company's territories? (a) Ravi (b) Beas (c) Sutlej (d) Jhelum
Q13. Arrange the following events in chronological order:
- Foundation of Hyderabad state
- Nadir Shah's invasion
- Execution of Banda Bahadur
- Third Battle of Panipat (a) 3, 1, 2, 4 (b) 1, 3, 2, 4 (c) 3, 2, 1, 4 (d) 1, 2, 3, 4
Q14. Which ruler founded the city of Jaipur in 1727 and built the Jantar Mantar observatories? (a) Raja Bharmal (b) Mirza Raja Jai Singh (c) Sawai Jai Singh II (d) Man Singh I
Q15. Consider the following statements about the Third Battle of Panipat:
- Shuja-ud-Daula of Awadh fought on the side of the Marathas.
- Ibrahim Khan Gardi commanded the Maratha artillery.
- Suraj Mal, the Jat ruler, left the Maratha camp before the battle. Which of the statements are correct? (a) 1 and 2 only (b) 2 and 3 only (c) 1 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer Key
| Q | Answer | One-line reason |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | (b) | Aurangzeb died at Ahmadnagar in the Deccan in 1707 |
| 2 | (c) | Khafi Khan called Bahadur Shah I "Shah-i-Bekhabar" (the heedless king) |
| 3 | (b) | Farrukhsiyar issued the 1717 farman, the Company's "Magna Carta" |
| 4 | (c) | Muhammad Shah had Hussain Ali killed and defeated Abdullah Khan in 1720 |
| 5 | (b) | Battle of Karnal, 24 February 1739 |
| 6 | (a) | He took the Peacock Throne (Takht-i-Taus) and the Koh-i-Noor diamond |
| 7 | (a) | Panipat III was fought on 14 January 1761 |
| 8 | (c) | Sadashivrao Bhau led the Marathas; he died in the battle |
| 9 | (a) | Murshid Quli–Bengal, Saadat Khan–Awadh, Nizam-ul-Mulk–Hyderabad |
| 10 | (b) | Nizam-ul-Mulk defeated Mubariz Khan at Shakar Kheda in 1724 |
| 11 | (d) | Bhonsle–Nagpur; Gaekwad–Baroda, Holkar–Indore, Scindia–Gwalior |
| 12 | (c) | The Sutlej was fixed as the boundary in 1809 |
| 13 | (a) | Banda's execution 1716 → Hyderabad 1724 → Nadir Shah 1739 → Panipat 1761 |
| 14 | (c) | Sawai Jai Singh II of Amber founded Jaipur and five observatories |
| 15 | (b) | Shuja-ud-Daula fought on Abdali's side, so statement 1 is wrong |