MCQ
Q.
When did Nadir Shah invade India and sack Delhi?
Correct Answer: A
The correct answer is 1739.
- In 1739 Nadir Shah invaded India and sacked Delhi.
- The Battle of Karnal, was a decisive victory for Nader Shah, the founder of the Afsharid dynasty of Iran, during his invasion of India.
- Nadir Shah advanced towards India in 1738. He captured the western frontiers of the Mughal Empire such as Kabul, Ghazni, Lahore in 1739.
- The two forces of Nadir Shah and Muhammad Shah met at Karnal. At the battle of Karnal on 13 February 1739, Nadir Shah easily outnumbered the Mughal forces.
- The battle lasted for less than three hours and the Mughal emperor, Muhammad Shah surrendered. Both the rulers now entered Delhi on 12 March 1739 and Delhi was handed over to Nadir Shah, along with all its treasures.
- In 1739, Nadir Shah, the emperor of Iran, conquered and enslaved the city of Delhi and took away immense quantities of money.
- Shah's army had easily defeated the Mughals in the battle of Karnal and in the aftermath of the battle, would eventually capture the Mughal Capital.
Key Points
- The whole city of Delhi was destroyed, looted, plundered, and ruined by the army of Nadir Shah.
- Nadir Shah took with him the Peacock throne built by Shah Jahan. He also took the legendary Koh-i-Noor diamond.
- Besides this, he plundered gold worth 10 million rupees, 600 million rupees worth of jewellery, and coins worth 6 million rupees.
- Historians said that his overall collection after invading India, was 700 million rupees worth, including 7000 craftsmen, 200 carpenters, 100 stone-cutters, and thousands of elephants, horses, and camels, which he took with him to Persia.
Additional Information
- Nader Shah Afshar was the founder of the Afsharid dynasty of Iran and one of the most powerful Iranian rulers in Iranian history.
- He was born on 22 November 1688 in Dargaz, Safavid Iran.
- In the spring of 1730, Nader attacked Iran's archrival the Ottomans and regained most of the territory lost during the recent chaos. At the same time, the Abdali Afghans rebelled and besieged Mashhad, forcing Nader to suspend his campaign and save his brother, Ebrahim.
