Rana Pratap of Mewar was born on May 9, 1540. This quiz is about legendary Indian warriors.

Battle ready

1. The most famous ruler of the Chalukya dynasty, he was the only king of his time to defeat Harshavardhana and stop his expansion into the South. Name the legendary ruler and general.

2. Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon will always be remembered for his incredible heroism on December 14, 1971, for which he established a first in the history of Indian military. What was that unprecedented distinction?

3. Born Farid Khan, which legendary warrior from Sasaram in present-day Bihar got his name from his courage in defending the local king from a ferocious animal?

4. Which 16th-century queen of Gondwana is remembered for her spirited battle against the Mughal troops led by Khwaja Abdul Majid Asaf Khan? She led a final charge on her elephant, Sarman, and died in combat in June 1564.

5. He is generally accused of imprisoning his father and also murdering him, but this Magadha ruler was one of the most astute warriors in history. He is also credited with using catapults, relatively unknown in India at the time. Name this ruler from the 6th century BC.

6. The Greek writers call him Sandrocottus or Androcottus. With the help of his wily strategist, he managed to finally usurp the Nanda dynasty and conquered a large part of North India. Who was this ruler, also known for having a set of female bodyguards?

7. The Gupta Empire was at its zenith around the 4th century AD and extended from the Ravi river in modern Punjab to the Brahmaputra and from the Himalayan foothills to the Deccan plateau. Name its most famous ruler, who also performed the legendary Ashvamedha sacrifice.

8. Which southern ruler is most remembered for his rout of the sultan of Bijapur, Ismail Adil Shah, in the battle of Raichur?

9. Born Ramchandra Panduranga, he was known by a different name when he fought the British in a series of battles in 1857 for his lord, Nana Saheb. Who was this general who also came to the rescue of Rani Lakshmibai during the same war?

10. Which daughter-in-law of Shivaji took on Aurangzeb’s forces and continually harried the Mughal empire by crossing the river Narmada and raiding their territories?

Answers

1. Pulakesin II

2. The first and so far the only Param Vir Chakra winner from the Indian Air Force. He defended Srinagar airport alone against a flight of Sabre jets.

3. Sher Shah Suri, who defeated Humayun to become the sultan of Delhi in the 16th century.

4. Rani Durgavati.

5. Ajatashatru, the son of Bimbisara of Magadha.

6. Chandragupta Maurya, whose advisor was Chanakya.

7. Samudragupta.

8. Krishnadevaraya, the emperor of Vijayanagara.

9. Tatya Tope.

10. Tarabai Bhosale.

BLINKJOY
 

Joy Bhattacharjya is a quiz master

Twitter: @joybhattacharj

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