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Q115 (IAS/2003) History & Culture › Modern India (Pre-1857) › Regional successor states Answer Verified

Assertion (A) : Marathas emerged as the strongest native power in India after the decline of Mughal empire. Reason (R) : Marathas were the first to have clear concept of a united Indian nation.

Result
Your answer: —  Â·  Correct: C
Explanation

Assertion (A) is correct: in the 17th–18th centuries the Marathas seriously challenged and displaced Mughal authority in central India and expanded northward (even briefly controlling Delhi and reaching areas like Lahore and Peshawar), becoming the principal native power by mid‑18th century [2]. Reason (R) is incorrect: the Maratha polity of the 18th century was a decentralized confederacy of semi‑autonomous chiefs (Peshwas, Scindias, Holkars, Gaekwads, Bhonsles) that often quarrelled internally; it lacked a coherent ideology or institutional drive for a modern, pan‑Indian nationhood [3]. The loose confederate structure and defeats like Panipat undermined any single, unitary political project despite their pan‑Indian reach.

Sources

  1. [1] History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 15: The Marathas > Introduction > p. 225
  2. [2] Exploring Society:India and Beyond ,Social Science, Class VIII . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 3: The Rise of the Marathas > The Marathas after Shivaji > p. 70
  3. [3] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 5: Expansion and Consolidation of British Power in India > Rise of the Marathas > p. 101
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