Previous Year Question

Pair (d) is not correctly matched because the Third Anglo-Maratha War took place during the administration of Lord Hastings, not Lord Cornwallis.

Pair (a) is correct. The Battle of Buxar was fought in 1764 CE between the forces of the East India Company and the combined forces of Mir Qasim, Shuja-ud-Daula, the Nawab of Awadh, and Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II. The Company's army was commanded by Hector Munro, and the British side secured a decisive victory. This victory greatly strengthened the Company's political position in Bengal and Bihar.

After the victory at Buxar, through the Treaty of Allahabad of 1765, Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II granted the Company the Diwani of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. Thus, the Battle of Buxar was an important turning point in the Company's transformation from a commercial organisation into a territorial and revenue power.

Pair (b) is also correct. Lord Hastings was Governor-General during 1813–1823, and the Anglo-Nepal or Gurkha War of 1814–1816 occurred during his administration. Boundary disputes and Gurkha expansion formed an important background to the conflict. The war ended with the Treaty of Sugauli.

Following the Treaty of Sugauli, Nepal relinquished its claims over certain territories, including Kumaon and Garhwal, and a new political framework for British-Nepal relations emerged. Therefore, the pairing Lord Hastings–Anglo-Nepal War is correct.

Pair (c) is also correct. Lord Wellesley was Governor-General during 1798–1805, and the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War was fought in 1799 during his administration. The British attacked Seringapatam, and Tipu Sultan was killed while fighting.

After the Fourth Mysore War, large parts of Mysore were reorganised and the Wodeyar dynasty was restored over a portion of the kingdom. British political influence over Mysore consequently increased substantially.

However, pair (d) is incorrect. Lord Cornwallis's principal tenure as Governor-General was 1786–1793, and he is particularly associated with the Third Anglo-Mysore War of 1790–1792, not the Third Anglo-Maratha War.

The Third Anglo-Maratha War of 1817–1819 occurred during the administration of Lord Hastings. After the war, the office of the Peshwa was abolished, Baji Rao II was sent to Bithur, and Company supremacy over Maratha political power became decisive.