Later Mughals and Early Modern India: UPSC Previous Year Questions (Modern History)

Explanation

Ahmad Shah Abdali invaded India because the Marathas had expelled his son, Timur Shah, from Lahore in 1758. Timur Shah was Abdali’s viceroy in Punjab, and his removal by the Marathas was seen as a direct challenge to Abdali’s authority. This greatly angered him, and he decided to take revenge. In 1760, he marched towards India to reclaim Punjab and restore his influence. This was the main reason behind the Third Battle of Panipat in 1761.

Option (b) is incorrect: Adina Beg Khan was a Mughal officer who played an important role in Punjab’s politics. However, he did not invite Abdali to invade India. In fact, he had earlier invited the Marathas to fight against Abdali’s influence in Punjab.

Option (c) is incorrect: Abdali had financial interests in India, and he did demand revenue from Mughal territories. However, this was not the main reason for his invasion. By 1760, the Mughal administration had already weakened, and the real power in North India was shifting towards the Marathas and other regional powers. Abdali’s main enemy at this time was not the Mughals but the Marathas, who had taken over Punjab. His invasion was more about reclaiming lost territory than collecting revenue.

Option (d) is incorrect: Punjab was strategically important, and Abdali did want to maintain control over it. However, his primary goal was not permanent annexation but restoring his authority after the Marathas had removed his son from Lahore.

Explanation

Lord Dalhousie is considered "the creator of the map of India". Doctrine of Lapse was introduced by Lord Dalhousie. This policy allowed the British to annex any Indian princely state if the ruler died without a natural heir or was deemed incompetent. The doctrine was based on the idea that the British, as the paramount power, had the right to decide the succession of Indian states. States annexed under this policy:

Satara (1848): The first state to be annexed under the Doctrine of Lapse. Jhansi (1853): Annexed after the death of Raja Gangadhar Rao without a male heir. Nagpur (1854): Annexed after the death of Raghoji III without a natural heir. Annexation of Awadh (1856):

Awadh (or Oudh) was a wealthy and strategically important state in northern India, ruled by the Nawabs of Awadh. Unlike the states annexed under the Doctrine of Lapse, Awadh had a legitimate ruler, Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, who had a natural heir. Therefore, the Doctrine of Lapse could not be applied here. To justify the annexation, the British accused Nawab Wajid Ali Shah of misgovernance and claimed that the people of Awadh were suffering under his rule. This was largely a pretext to annex the state, as Awadh was a fertile and revenue-rich region.