Hello Readers!!

It is very hard to rank all the warriors because each of them had to face different scenarios during their time. But I can indeed state all the distinguished warriors on whom you can place your bet as ‘the one ruler who could fight against any invader of his time.’

# These warriors have not been ranked. They have been arranged according to the timeline.

1] Mauryan dynasty:

A true example of power, strength and effective administration, it was the largest empire to have ever existed in India. Yet, despite the sheer vastness of the kingdom, the rulers of this dynasty were as spiritual and humane as they were aggressive and autocratic. Chandragupta Maurya and his grandson Ashoka were probably the most powerful kings of their time as Chandragupta had successfully defeated the most powerful of the successor states of Alexander.

2] Gautamiputra Satakarni:

After the demise of the Mauryan empire, many new tribes from Northwestern India had settled in India. This included the Shakas (Western Kshatrapas), the Pahlavas (Indo-Parthians), and the Yavanas (Indo-Greeks). Their unchecked advance was finally stopped by a warrior of the Satavahana dynasty. Known as the ‘Dakshinapatha-Pati’ or the Lord of Southern India, Gautamiputra Satakarni defeated the confederacy of Shakas, Pahlavas, and Yavanas several times.

3] Gupta Dynasty:

If the Mauryan Age was the Golden age of India, then Guptas represented the Classical Age of India. The kings of this dynasty were not just formidable warriors, but they were also great patrons of arts and science. Samadragupta and his son Chandragupta II were the ones who finally eliminated the Northwestern tribes that had settled in India and revived Hinduism. They were the commanders of the biggest army of the world at that time. Even the succeeding rulers like Kumaragupta and Skandagupta were powerful enough to ward off the invasions of the brutal Huns who had successfully ravaged the contemporary Roman empire.

Read more of Guptas:

Ankit Pandey (अंकित पांडे)'s answer to What's your favorite historical period in Indian history?

Ankit Pandey's answer to who’s greater Napoleon vs Samadragupta?

4] Lalitaditya Muktapida:

This underrated ‘Alexander of Kashmir’ was the most powerful Indian king of his time. He successfully defeated the coalition of Arabs and the Tibetans. Read about this forgotten warrior: Ankit Pandey (अंकित पांडे)'s answer to Which were some great rulers of India about which our history says nothing?

5] Rashtrakuta dynasty:

The Rashtrakutas were the most dominant power in the entire subcontinent between 8th and 10th century AD. With a great line of succession like Krishna- I, Dhruva Dharavarsha, Govinda-III, Amoghavarsha I, Indra-III, and Krishna-III, they asserted their supremacy over the entire India which is why this age is also referred to as the Imperial Age of Karnataka. They were the first Southern empire to cross the river Ganga.

6] Gurjara Pratiharas:

The second most powerful Indian empire of its time after the Rashtrakutas was the Gurjara Pratiharas (predecessor of the Rajput states). It was the power of the Gurjara-Pratihara army that effectively barred the progress of the Muslims beyond the confines of Sindh, their first conquest for nearly three hundred years. With a great line of succession which included Nagabhata I, Vatsaraja, Nagabhata II, Bhoja I, Mahendrapala I and Mahipala I, it became the most powerful empire of North India.

Read about the defeat of Arabs:

Ankit Pandey (अंकित पांडे)'s answer to What is the contribution of Rajput in India?

7] Cholas:

One of the longest surviving dynasties of India were the Cholas. When the barbarians were knocking the gates of Delhi in 1000 AD, South India was prospering under the reign of Rajaraja Chola and his son Rajendra Chola.

Rajendra Chola was not only successful in curbing all the regional powers of South but he also successfully defeated the powerful kingdom of Palas to assume the title of Gangaikondachola (Chola who conquered the kingdoms near Ganga). Even the kingdoms of Southeast Asia paid tribute to this great king.

8] Ranas of Mewar:

Regarded as ‘Hindupats’, they led the Rajput coalition forces from their ancestral seat of Chittor. With the Aravallis as the bastion, Rana Kumbha defeated all the advancing Muslim coalition forces of North India while Rana Pratap successfully defended his freedom from the mighty Mughal Akbar who commanded the most powerful army of the subcontinent.

9] Krishnadeva Raya:

He was the most powerful king of the Indian peninsula before the Mughals. He inflicted several defeats on the Bahamani Sultans and the Gajapatis of Odisha and earned the title of ‘The destroyer of Turks’.

10] Marathas:

My personal favorite of all the kings, Shivaji does not need any introduction (Ankit Pandey's answer to What is so special about Shivaji?). With his famous guerilla tactics and legendary escapes, he successfully carved the Maratha empire in spite of the presence of numerous powerful enemies like Sultan of Bijapur, Mughals, Portuguese etc. This empire was successfully defended by his successors like Sambhaji, Tarabai etc. and finally, it became the most powerful empire of India during the time of Peshwa Bajirao Ballal.

Note:

The sustenance of Hinduism in India despite a number of invasions throughout our history is a proof of the great resistance put forward by the numerous Hindu warriors of India. But these are the ones who I think, deserve a special mention!!

Edit 1: For someone wondering why I have missed Ranjit Singh, Kharavela etc. I wished to include them. I have missed Sikh, Jain and Buddhist warriors because even though I personally consider them as offshoots of Sanatana Dharma, they might get offended by that.

Edit 2: On the recommendation of Chetanya, I am including two more examples of successful resistance:

Warriors of Kerala:

1. Pazhassi Raja: Known as Kerala Simham (Lion of Kerala), he was the one who successfully liberated Malabar from Hyder Ali and his son Tipu Sultan. Not just that, he even defeated the Duke of Wellington, Wellesley (who later defeated Napoleon). Shame that we don’t know about such a brilliant commander!!
2. Marthanda Verma: A legendary warrior who founded the wealthy Travancore State by defeating the Dutch East India company, which was at the zenith of its power and was regarded as the most powerful force of its time. It was because of him that the Dutch were never able to set up their base in Kerela.

Edit 3: On the recommendation of Pratyush, I am including two more (This one I knew but forgot to write, Thank you Pratyush!!)

Warriors of Odisha:

1. King Anangabhima III and his son Narasinmha Deva I of the Eastern Ganga dynasty who changed the course of war against the Turks from defensive to offensive. (Read this: Ankit Pandey's answer to Who are the most important warriors in Indian history who've been forgotten by our textbooks?)
2. Kapilendra Deva: Founder of the Gajapati dynasty. Rajendra Chola (mentioned in this answer) extended his empire from Kaveri to Ganga, while Kapilendra Deva did the exact opposite. He extended his empire from Ganga to Kaveri!!

Suhaldev Pasi: The mighty warrior who crushed the successor of Mahmud of Ghazni and prevented the early Islamization of India. Read: Ankit Pandey (अंकित पांडे)'s answer to Which is the unheard Indian battle that took place in history?

Ahoms also need a honorable mention for preserving their independence from Mughals.

Read:

Ankit Pandey's answer to Which ruler is considered as Shivaji of Northeastern India?

Ankit Pandey's answer to How did the mighty and barbaric Mughals never defeat the Ahom kingdom in Assam?

Let’s revive our warriors!! Many such Bravehearts are still missing!!