Wars involving India

Wars involving India
Name	Wars involving India
Date	Various
Place	Indian subcontinent; South Asia; Indian Ocean; global
Result	Various

Wars involving India

India's military history spans millennia, from the campaigns of ancient polities such as the Maurya Empire and Gupta Empire through medieval dynastic struggles involving the Chola dynasty, Delhi Sultanate, and Mughal Empire, to colonial confrontations with the East India Company and imperial United Kingdom. In the 20th and 21st centuries, India has engaged in wars with neighboring states including Pakistan and China, led insurgencies such as those involving the Maoist insurgency in India, and contributed forces to United Nations peacekeeping missions like those in Sierra Leone and Liberia. The following survey highlights major conflicts, campaigns, and institutions associated with warfare on and by the Indian subcontinent.

Ancient and Classical Conflicts

Ancient conflicts include campaigns by the Nanda dynasty and the military expansion of the Maurya Empire under Chandragupta Maurya and Ashoka against rivals such as the Nanda Empire and states in the Deccan Plateau, with notable engagements referenced in texts like the Arthashastra and epic narratives including the Mahabharata and Ramayana. The Satavahana dynasty and Kushan Empire clashed with Central Asian forces and regional polities, while the Gupta Empire fought frontier wars against the Hephthalites and other steppe groups. Naval and coastal warfare appear in records of the Cheras, Cholas, and Pandyas who contested trade routes in the Indian Ocean against the Srivijaya polity and Roman Empire merchants. Key battles and sieges such as campaigns of Samudragupta and the maritime expedition of Rajendra Chola I illustrate interstate rivalry and imperial projection.

Medieval and Early Modern Wars

Medieval warfare on the subcontinent was shaped by conflicts involving the Delhi Sultanate, the incursions of Mahmud of Ghazni and the campaigns of Muhammad Ghori, leading to the establishment of Muslim polities and the emergence of regional powers like the Bahmani Sultanate and the Vijayanagara Empire. The rise of the Mughal Empire under Babur and Akbar produced major engagements including the Battle of Panipat (1526), the Battle of Khanwa, and the Siege of Chittorgarh, while Mughal-Maratha rivalry culminated in confrontations between the Mughal Empire and the Maratha Empire under leaders such as Shivaji and Peshwa Bajirao I. Northern invasions by the Timurid successors and later pressures from the Sikh Empire under Ranjit Singh exemplify the era's fluid frontiers and military innovation.

Colonial Era and Resistance Movements

European involvement began with the Portuguese India foothold and expanded through the East India Company campaigns including the Battle of Plassey and the Battle of Buxar, which facilitated company dominance and conflicts with princely states like Awadh and Hyderabad. The Anglo-Mysore Wars against Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan and the Anglo-Maratha Wars reshaped sovereignty, while the Third Anglo-Burmese War extended influence into mainland Southeast Asia. Indigenous resistance included the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and peasant and tribal uprisings such as the Santhal rebellion and the Koya rebellion, alongside intellectual and political opposition mounted by organizations like the Indian National Congress and movements led by Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Lala Lajpat Rai.

Wars of Independence and Partition

The culmination of anti-colonial struggle produced the Indian independence movement and independence in 1947, accompanied by the Partition of British India and large-scale communal violence between populations identifying with Indian National Congress and the All-India Muslim League. The partition precipitated mass migration and incidents such as the Direct Action Day riots and the Noakhali riots, while princely integration disputes involved military and diplomatic actions over states like Hyderabad and Jammu and Kashmir culminating in the Instrument of Accession controversies and the first Indo-Pakistani conflict in 1947–1948.

Post-Independence Conflicts

Independent India engaged in interstate wars including the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947–1948, the Sino-Indian War of 1962 against the People's Republic of China, and the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 and Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, the latter resulting in the creation of Bangladesh after operations such as Operation Searchlight and the Battle of Longewala. The 1999 Kargil War involved forces of the Indian Army and the Pakistan Armed Forces in high-altitude combat. Internal security conflicts include long-running insurgencies: the Naga insurgency, Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir (1947–present), the Maoist insurgency in India known as the Naxalite–Maoist insurgency, and separatist movements in Punjab culminating in the Operation Blue Star and the assassination of Indira Gandhi.

Peacekeeping and International Military Engagements

India has been a major contributor to United Nations missions, deploying contingents to operations such as UNPROFOR‑era missions, the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL), the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), and the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC). Indian naval operations in the Indian Ocean include anti-piracy patrols and humanitarian assistance such as during the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami relief efforts and evacuation missions like Operation Raahat and Operation Sukoon. Bilateral and multilateral exercises with forces from the United States, United Kingdom, Russia, France, and Japan have shaped defense diplomacy, while strategic platforms like INS Vikramaditya and institutions such as the National Defense Academy and Defense Research and Development Organisation inform contemporary capability development.

Category:Military history of India