First Battle of Panipat

First Battle of Panipat

Battle of Panipat

Held on April 21 A.D. 1526

Between Babur & Ibrahim Lodi

Besides the greed for gold and lust for power there were some specific causes which motivated Babur to invade India:

Babur being an ambitious ruler wanted to establish an extensive empire in Central Asia but he failed to get success against the Uzbegs, so he directed his attention towards India.
An old lady, related to him, told the story of attack of Timur on India. It fired enthusiasm in him. The contemporary politics of West Asia supported his plan.
Babur was a great fighter and even failures failed to check him from the path of progress. He has himself written in his Memoirs, “Filled as I was by the ambition of conquest and broad sway, one or two reverses could not make me sit down doing nothing.” His wars tactics and strong artillery inspired him to try his luck in India.
India was politically divided into two rival independent groups. No doubt the supreme power was in the hands of Afghans but they themselves were divided. Ibrahim Lodi, the sultan of Delhi and Agra, was not the master of entire northern India. The nobles of Bihar were powerful enough to oppose his authority. His uncle Alam Khan and Daulat Khan Lodi, the governor of Punjab were planning to capture the throne of Delhi and Agra.
Ibrahim Lodi was not a popular Sultan. His arrogant behavior and suspicious nature created a rift among the Afghans and they were unable to face their common enemy jointly. It inspired Babur to invade India.
Independent Kingdoms of Sindh, Kashmir and Orissa were not so powerful as could be able to face the Mughal invader. Mewar wasa powerful Rajput kingdom but there was lack of unity among the Rajputs. The ruler wanted to snatch Delhi and Agra from Ibrahim Lodi, hence he sought the help of Babur. The invitations from the Lodi chiefs and Rajput rulers fired a flame of enthusiasm in Babur and he led an expedition against India.
Vijaynagar was a powerful kingdom of South India and Krishnadeva Rai was ruling over it. The other states of the south were Bidar, Berar, Ahmadnagar, Bijapur and Golkunda. All these states were not having cordial relations with one another and their mutual conflicts weakened their own existence, hence they paid no attention to the politics of Northern India.

Prior to his march against Ibrahim Lodi, Babur made five expeditions on India and consolidated his position. In April A.D. 1526 Babur reached Panipat by way of Sirhind and Ambala. He posted his army in such a way that the town of Panipat guarded his extreme right while his left was sheltered by a ditch. He made his centre secure and safe by a row of some seven hundred mobile carts. They were tied together with ropes of hide and match-lock men and artillery men were posted behind them. There were some gaps between these carts from which the soldiers could came out and invade the enemy.

Sultan Ibrahim also marched from Delhi to face the invader with a large army. Babur opines that the troops of Ibrahim Lodi were not less than one lakh but they were not well trained and nicely equipped. Hence they could not prove to be a match against Babur’s efficient war tactics.

Both armies remained stationed face to face for eight days from 12^th of April to 19^th April A.D. 1526. At last Babur started the war and sent a small contingent of about five thousand soldiers and made a night attack on 20^th April but if failed. As a result, the army of Ibrahim Lodi also moved in battle array but reaching very close to Babur’s army, to his surprise, Ibrahim Lodi found the army entrenched. There was no sign of movement in the army of Babur so he ordered for halt which created confusion in the army. As his army had reached quite near the army of Babur, they failed to escape from the reach of their guns. The army of Babur within no time wheeled round and attacked the enemy from the sides and rear simultaneously. No doubt the velour of Afghan soldiers was worth praise but Babur was master of war strategy and his artillery was quite superior. He also used his Tulughma in the nick of time. Within a few hours Ibrahim Lodi was slain along with a large number of his soldiers and Babur won the battle. Babur writes in his memoirs about the end of this battle:

“The sun had mounted spear high when the onset began and the battle lasted till mid day, when the enemy were completely broken and routed and my people victorious and triumphant. By the grace of almighty God this difficult affair was made easy to me, in the course of half a day, the enemy was laid in the dust.”

Result of the Battle of Panipat

Lane-poole writes, “To the Afghans of Delhi the battle of Panipat was their Canne. It was the ruin of their dominions, the end of their power.”
Ibrahim Lodi, the Sultan of Delhi was slain on the battlefield along with Bikram, the Hindu Raja of Gwalior, who joined the Muslim Sultan in defense of their country.
Dr R.P. Tripathi remarks that the “Battle of Panipat sealed the fate of Lodi dynasty as effectively as his ancestor Timur had done of the Tughluqs.” Keene observes, “The land simply changed masters after supreme efforts.”
The battle of Panipat marks the end of the second stage in Babur’s conquests of Hindustan. It also laid the foundation of the Mughal Empire and led to dissolution of Lodi dynasty.
It shattered the aspirations of Hindu kings and chiefs who wanted to establish political supremacy of Hindus in India on national basis.

Cause of Success of Babur

Babur was an efficient and resourceful commander and he had several seasoned and disciplined warriors with him who made his task easy in India.
Babur’s war strategies, his Tulughma and his efficient artillery paved the way to his success in India.
Ibrahim Lodi was quite brave and his army, was large but in Babur’s estimation, “he was an inexperienced young man, careless in the movements who marched without order, halted or retired without methods and engaged without foresight.”
Ibrahim’s war elephants and vast numbers were more a source of weakness than strength against Babur’s scientific strength of cavalry and artillery.
The utter neglect of the defense of North-West Frontier and the dissatisfaction of the Afghan nobles also added to the misery of Ibrahim. He not only had to give up his territory but his life also as a result of his carelessness and unpopularity among his subjects.

Milan Tomic

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