Question

When did the Battle of Koregaon, part of the Third Anglo-Maratha War, take place?
A. 1812
B. 1814
C. 1816
D. 1818

Answer 1

Hint: It was also called the Battle of Koregaon Bhima, because river Bhima flows close to it. There is a ‘victory pilla’ in Koregaon commemorating the battle.

Complete Answer: The Battle of Koregaon took place on 1st January 1818 between the British East India Company and the Peshwas of Maratha. It resulted in the victory of the British East India Company.

The East India Company was led by Captain Francis F. Staunton. The Marathas were led by Peshwa Baji Rao II, other leaders in the Maratha side were Bapu Gokhale, Appa Desai and Trimbakji Dengle.

Out of the 834 company troops, 275 were killed, wounded or missing. According to the British estimates, around 500 to 600 of Peshwa’s soldiers were killed or wounded.

The East India Company government praised the bravery of its troops as they could not be overpowered despite being outnumbered.

Therefore the correct answer is option D.

Note: The Koregaon pillar inscription has names of 49 company soldiers. 22 of these names end with the suffix -nac. This was exclusively used by the people of the Mahar caste. The Mahars were considered as untouchables in the contemporary caste-based society.