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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

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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,…

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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
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