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The village of Plassey (Palashi), the site of the famous battle of 1757, is located on the banks of the:

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Answer: Option B — Bhagirathi-Hooghly river

Detailed Solution

The village of Plassey (Palashi), the site of the famous Battle of Plassey (23 June 1757), is located on the east bank of the Bhagirathi river (part of the Bhagirathi-Hooghly distributary of the Ganga), in the Nadia district of West Bengal.

About the location:

  • Plassey is about 150 km north of Kolkata, and lies between Kolkata and Murshidabad, the capital of the Nawabs of Bengal in the 18th century.
  • The name "Palashi" comes from the "palash" trees (flame of the forest), which once grew there in large numbers.
  • The battlefield lay in a mango grove near the river.

The Battle of Plassey:

  • It was fought between the forces of the English East India Company, led by Robert Clive, and the army of Siraj-ud-Daula, the Nawab of Bengal.
  • The Nawab's army was much larger, but his commander Mir Jafar, who had made a secret deal with Clive, did not fight.
  • A sudden rainstorm damaged the Nawab's gunpowder, while the English kept theirs dry.
  • The Nawab's army was defeated, and Siraj-ud-Daula fled; he was later captured and killed.
  • Mir Jafar was made the Nawab.

Significance:

  • NCERT notes that the Battle of Plassey became famous because it was the first major victory the Company won in India.
  • It made the Company a powerful political force in Bengal.
  • Clive received large rewards and the title of Baron of Plassey.

Today:

A memorial (Plassey Monument) stands at the site.

The Bhagirathi-Hooghly river:

It is a distributary of the Ganga, which flows through West Bengal to the Bay of Bengal; Kolkata stands on its banks.

Why not the other options?

  • ✗The Damodar, Teesta and Mahanadi are other rivers.

Quick tip

Remember: Plassey (Palashi, Nadia district, West Bengal) = on the Bhagirathi (Hooghly) river; battle of 23 June 1757; "first major victory" of the Company (NCERT).

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Arrival of Europeans & Expansion of British Rule — Preparation

This question tests your understanding of Arrival of Europeans & Expansion of British Rule, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.

This topic covers the arrival of the Portuguese, Dutch, English, Danes and French in India, the growth of the East India Company, and the battles, wars and treaties through which British power expanded, including the Battles of Plassey and Buxar, the Anglo-Mysore, Anglo-Maratha and Anglo-Sikh wars, and policies such as subsidiary alliance and the doctrine of lapse. Typical questions ask which battle was fought in which year and between whom, which treaty ended which war, and which Governor-General introduced a policy. For example, the Battle of Plassey (1757) was fought between Robert Clive and Siraj-ud-Daulah, and the Treaty of Allahabad (1765) gave the Company the diwani of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. Practise the arrival of Europeans and expansion of British rule questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.

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