Vaughan, playing military straight, was particularly strong on the drive as he reached a Test-best 130 not out at tea on the third afternoon as the sun broke out for the first time.
The Yorkshireman, one of those rare animals who score better in Tests than at domestic level, got within reach with a back-foot square drive for four off medium-pacer Ajit Agarkar.
He almost got himself out by edging a Saurav Ganguly loosener past gully but, on 99, he calmly flicked away a leg-stump delivery as the Trent Bridge crowd rose to him.
Vaughan hit 14 fours and faced 123 balls to get to three figures. It was his fourth Test century and his third of the season.
He scored a hundred in the second innings of England’s first Test win at Lord’s — after being dismissed for a duck in his first outing.
There was one blemish. Having just passed 30, he had leg-glanced Harbhajan Singh only for the ball to brush 17-year-old wicket-keeper Parthiv Patel’s gloves.
Mark Butcher was at the other end on 43 after helping put on 145 for the second wicket.
The left-handed Butcher survived a torrid early examination from Harbhajan’s off-spin — including a looping caught-and-bowled chance — before gradually playing himself in.
England’s only casualty Saturday was stocky debutant Robert Key, who had made an unconvincing 17 out of 56 before attempting to hook left-armer Ashish Nehra and edging the ball via his pads on to the stumps.
The equivalent of a day’s play was lost to bad light and rain on the first two days at Trent Bridge. England are seeking a fourth successive Test win on home soil for the first time since 1978-79.
The morning was dominated by Harbhajan the batsman.
“The Turbanator” — a nickname he relishes — struck a wonderfully entertaining 33-ball half-century as he put on a run-a-ball 61 with number 10 Zaheer Khan.
Only Kapil Dev, with a 30-ball knock against Pakistan in Karachi in 1982-83, has reached the mark quicker for India.
Harbhajan’s delight was such that he leapt into the air and almost decapitated wicket-keeper Alec Stewart with his swinging bat.
India had resumed on 302 for eight, built around Virender Sehwag’s first-day century, but English hopes of a quick end evaporated in a flurry of boundaries.
Faced with some mediocre bowling, Harbhajan drove and cut powerfully at anything within range.
Fast bowler Steve Harmison, in his first Test and majoring on pace rather than control, finally produced a rearing delivery which ballooned off Harbhajan’s splice to Nasser Hussain at cover. He made 54.
Hoggard took the final wicket, Ashish Nehra caught behind one run later, to finish with four for 105. Harmison was flattered by his three for 57.
INDIA (1st Innings, overnight 210-4):
Wasim Jaffer b Hoggard 0
V. Sehwag b White 106
R.S. Dravid c Key b Hoggard 13
S.R. Tendulkar b Cork 34
S.C. Ganguly c Stewart b Hoggard 68
V.V.S. Laxman c Key b Flintoff 22
A.B. Agarkar c Butcher b Harmison 34
P.A. Patel c Flintoff b Harmison 0
Harbhajan Singh c Hussain b Harmison 54
Zaheer Khan not out 14
A. Nehra c Stewart b Hoggard 0
EXTRAS (B-1, LB-8, W-2, NB-1) 12
TOTAL (all out, 101.1 overs) 357
FALL OF WKTS: 1-6, 2-34, 3-108, 4-179, 5-218, 6-285, 7-287, 8-295, 9-356.
BOWLING: Hoggard 35.1-10-105-4 (2w); Cork 11-3-45-1; Harmison 20-7-57-3; Flintoff 27-6-85-1; White 8-0-56-1 (1nb).
ENGLAND (1st Innings):
R.W.T. Key b Nehra 17
M.P. Vaughan not out 130
M.A. Butcher not out 43
EXTRAS (W-2, NB-9) 11
TOTAL (for no wkt, 51 overs) 201
FALL OF WKT: 1-56.
TO BAT: N. Hussain, J.P. Crawley, A.J. Stewart, A. Flintoff, C. White, D.G. Cork, S.J. Harmison, M.J. Hoggard.
BOWLING: Nehra 11-0-47-1 (5nb, 1w); Zaheer Khan 8-2-31-0; Agarkar 6-0-30-0 (1w); Harbhajan Singh 18-2-56-0; Ganguly 2-0-23-0 (4nb); Tendulkar 4-0-8-0; Sehwag 2-0-6-0.—Reuters