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The Battle of Kannauj (1540), in which Sher Shah finally drove Humayun out of India, is also known as the Battle of:
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Answer: Option C — Bilgram
Detailed Solution
The Battle of Kannauj, fought on 17 May 1540 between Sher Shah Suri and Humayun, is also known as the Battle of Bilgram, after a town near the battlefield on the Ganga in present-day Uttar Pradesh.
About the battle:
- After his earlier defeat in Bihar, Humayun returned to Agra and gathered a large army to fight Sher Shah again.
- The two armies faced each other across the Ganga near Kannauj for about a month.
- When the rainy season began and Humayun's camp was flooded, he moved his army, and Sher Shah attacked.
- Sher Shah's army defeated the Mughals decisively.
- Humayun's brothers did not help him, and many of his nobles deserted.
Results:
- Humayun lost his kingdom, and fled first to Agra, then to Lahore, Sindh and finally to Persia.
- Sher Shah became the ruler of north India, and established the Sur empire.
- Humayun spent about 15 years in exile.
- During his exile, his son Akbar was born in 1542 at Amarkot (Umerkot), in Sindh, in the house of a Rajput ruler.
Humayun's return:
- After Sher Shah's death (1545) and the death of his son Islam Shah (1553), the Sur empire became weak and divided.
- With help from the Persian ruler Shah Tahmasp, Humayun recaptured Kabul and Qandahar.
- In 1555, he defeated the Afghans at the Battle of Machhiwara and the Battle of Sirhind (in Punjab), and recaptured Delhi and Agra.
- He died in early 1556, a few months after regaining his throne.
About Kannauj:
- It was an ancient capital of north India (Kanyakubja), once the capital of Harshavardhana and the Pratiharas.
- It is famous today for its perfumes ("ittar").
Why not the other options?
- ✗Chausa was the earlier defeat of Humayun.
- ✗Sirhind and Machhiwara were Humayun's victories in 1555.
Quick tip
Remember: Battle of Kannauj = Battle of Bilgram (17 May 1540; Sher Shah defeated Humayun, who went into exile for 15 years); Humayun won back Delhi after Sirhind (1555).
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Mughal Empire — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Mughal Empire, 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.
The Mughal Empire was founded by Babur in 1526 and reached its height under Akbar. This topic covers the Mughal emperors from Babur to Aurangzeb and the later Mughals, the Sur interlude under Sher Shah Suri, Mughal administration (the mansabdari and jagirdari systems), revenue systems, architecture, painting and literature. Common questions ask about important battles (Panipat, Khanwa, Haldighati), Akbar's policies such as Din-i-Ilahi and the abolition of the jizya, Sher Shah's reforms such as the rupiya coin and the Grand Trunk Road, and the builders of famous monuments. For example, Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort in Delhi. Practise the Mughal Empire 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.