RAS question
Babur introduced which military innovation in India?
Correct answer: (D) Gunpowder artillery.
Babur introduced gunpowder artillery into Indian warfare, using it decisively in the battles of Panipat in 1526 and Khanwa in 1527.
Explanation
Babur's major military innovation in India was the effective use of gunpowder artillery. His artillery commander, Ustad Ali Quli, is linked to this battlefield change, especially in the battles of Panipat in 1526 and Khanwa in 1527. Encyclopaedia Britannica supports the key point at Panipat: Ibrahim Lodi's Afghan army had not faced new artillery, and its frontal attack could not answer Babur's superior arrangement of the battle line. That is why the answer is not just "cannons" as hardware, but artillery used as part of a battlefield system. In RAS terms, Babur matters because his victories mark the military opening of Mughal rule in north India.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Elephant warfare already existed in Indian armies, so it was not the innovation Babur brought into the battlefield.
- (B) Chariot warfare belongs to much earlier ancient warfare and is not associated with Babur's sixteenth-century campaigns.
- (C) Naval cannons do not fit Babur's land campaigns at Panipat and Khanwa and are not identified as his contribution.
Concept
This tests the medieval Indian history theme of military technology and the establishment of Mughal power. RAS repeatedly asks such questions because a single battlefield innovation helps explain wider political change.