Unlock Elite Access: Level Up Your Preparation with Exclusive Content

History Optional PYQ Master Pack · Model answer

“The inferior cavalry of the Rajputs was not the only cause of their defeat at the hands of Turko-Afghans and Mughals.” Comment.

  • UPSC 2001
  • The Thirteenth Century

Rajput battlefield defeats stretch across four centuries, from Prithviraj III's loss at the Second Battle of Tarain in 1192 to Rana Sanga's defeat at Khanwa in 1527 and the eventual submission of Mewar under Akbar. A purely technological explanation — that Rajput horses and cavalry tactics were simply outmatched — cannot carry this entire span,…

You are reading the opening of the model answer. The full answer is part of the History Optional PYQ Master Pack.

What the full answer covers

  • The Cavalry and Technological Gap — What Was Real
  • Political Disunity as the Deeper Cause
  • Structural-Military Contrasts: Feudal Levy versus Standing Professional Army
  • Social-Structural Limits on Recruitment
  • The Mughal-Era Continuity and Its Limits

Unlock this answer and 1,350+ more

  • 1,350+ solved UPSC History Optional PYQs from 1985 to 2025, Paper-1 and Paper-2
  • Topic-wise across Ancient, Medieval, Modern, Post-Independence and World History
  • Model answers with a clear structure and historian citations
  • Map section solutions included, at no extra cost
  • Read online on lotusarise.com, plus PDF download

₹1,499₹2,50040% off

Get History Optional PYQ Master Pack @ ₹1,499 →

One-time payment · No subscription · Instant access · UPI, cards, RuPay

See every The Thirteenth Century question (24 solved) →Already enrolled? Log in