In which of the following years did Nadir Shah invade India?

Question

UnlockIAS · Accepted Answer

Correct — D, 1739 AD. The Persian ruler Nadir Shah defeated the Mughal army of Emperor Muhammad Shah at the Battle of Karnal in February 1739 and then occupied and plundered Delhi, carrying off the Peacock Throne and the Koh-i-Noor diamond. 1739 is the year this invasion of India — as distinct from his earlier campaigns in Afghanistan — is dated.

Why the other options are wrong — (a) Too early — Nadir Shah had not yet begun his campaign toward India; his siege of Kandahar (the staging point) started only the following year.  (b) The year Nadir Shah began besieging Kandahar in Afghanistan — a step before his actual invasion of India, not the invasion itself.  (c) The year he took Ghazni and Kabul and crossed toward the Khyber Pass — still on the Afghan side, before the Battle of Karnal and the sack of Delhi in early 1739.

Concept: Nadir Shah's invasion is the classic illustration of Mughal military collapse in the 18th century: a smaller Persian force routed the far larger but disorganised Mughal army at Karnal, and Delhi was sacked and plundered with almost no further resistance.

State PCS 2023 Q67 — History PYQ with Answer

State PCS 2023 Q67 — History PYQ with Answer