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Adaption - technology and tactics

Horse

Horse cavalry grants great military advantages - see horse page for details.

India simply didn’t have any answer to grand cavalry forces. Battle of Agincourt was fought in a place where archers held advantage due to topography. English were helped by topography in most places. Indian northern plains and Bengal had rarely such topographical advantages. Which is why Rajputana hill states, Orissa and Assam (with mountains and low water table + vegetation) survived better while the plains lost. Orissa finally was lost due to being weakened by Vijayanagara wars.

india-water-rables-map

Differential

Ancient and mideval sources (shAlihotra, sAyaNa) acknowledged the importance of horses in military success. [Tw]
there was a HUGE price differential for horses between the Steppe and India. i.e. You could buy a horse in the steppe for 1 moroccan dinar. That same horse would cost 25 - 125 moroccan dinars in India (depending upon circumstances).
Records show 1 lakh such horses were bought in central asia every year for resale in India, in the 16th C.

Maratha recovery

Marathas reared their own Deccani horses. Cannons and guns also made things equal. OTOH, vijayanagar had to spend mountains of gold to get good quality horses.

During bAji rAv’s famous lightening marches to Delhi and ChatrasAl were enabled by cavalry.

Caste based cavalry prestige

Some claim that jAti-prestige caused nobility to neglect infantry - but this was not a major factor. Ravi - “That could be said abt Rajputs and Jats in late 18th century when the nobility were still mostly wedded to cavalry and infantry was left to lower classes. Marathas made the most stupid mistake of trusting goras to command their well trained infantry - Sindhia lost due to that.”

Elephants

Much less reliable than horses. More stubborn. Less mobile.
Can’t do stealth invasions.
Oft attacked one’s own troops.
Pointed out one’s leader to the enemy.

Muskets and firing line

Muskets and the firing line were adapted early. [Inquiring post.]

Adaption of European advances in tactics and weaponry was only partial - Gordon 98 pdf.