| First Battle of Panipat | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part ofMughal conquests | |||||||||
 The battle of Panipat and the death of Sultan Ibrāhīm | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Mughal domains | Delhi Sultanate | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Babur | Ibrahim Khan Lodi † | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| 12,000 15–20cannon | 50,000–70,000 1,000war elephants | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| 20,000 killed | |||||||||
  Battle of Panipat Battle of Panipat (Haryana) Show map of Haryana | |||||||||
TheFirst Battle of Panipat, on 21 April 1526[1] was fought between the invading forces ofBabur againstIbrahim Khan Lodi, theSultan of Delhi, inNorth India. Babur's forces, employinggunpowder firearms andcannons, defeated Ibrahim. This was one of the earliest battles involving gunpowder arms on theIndian subcontinent. The victory marked the beginning of Mughal rule in India.
_by_Deo_Gujarati.jpg)
In 1504, Babur succeeded his late uncleUlugh Beg II by force of arms, taking control of the latter's kingdom based aroundKabul andGhazni. Opposed byMuhammad Shaybani to the northwest, Babur sought to expand his kingdom to the southeast, intoPunjab, the land of the five rivers. By 1519, he had reach theChenab River.[3]
At that time, most ofNorth India was part of theDelhi Sultanate, under rule ofIbrahim Lodi of theLodi dynasty. However, Ibrahim was locked in a power struggle with his relatives and ministers.Daulat Khan Lodi, Governor ofPunjab, offered to defect to Babur.[4] Babur started forLahore, in 1524 but found that Daulat had been driven out by forces sent by Ibrahim.[5] The Lodi army marched out to engage Babur and was routed.[5] Babur also took control ofJhelum,Sialkot,Kalanaur andDipalpur before returning to Kabul. He placed Dipalpur under control of Alam Khan, a rebel uncle of Ibrahim.[6]
At the end of 1525, Babur was to return to northern India, crossing theIndus in December. After securing his conquest ofPunjab, Babur advanced towardsDelhi. It was atPanipat he was to meet and engage a much larger army assembled by Ibrahim.[7]
Ibrahim's army is reported to have had an effective strength of between 50,000 and 70,000 with 1,000war elephants but lacked gunpowder arms.[8][9][10] Babur's army was 12,000 strong. At least part of the force were equipped withmatchlock muskets. His cavalry fought ashorse archers. He also had between 15 and 20cannon.[11]
Babur defended his position with 700 wagons tied together in a line. Between every second wagon was abreastwork for his musketeers to fire from. At several places in the line, he left sally points 150 riders wide for his cavalry to advance through. Babur secured his right flank against the city ofPanipat. On the left, he dug a trench filled with branches as an obstacle against cavalry.[12]
When Ibrahim attacked, the frontage presented by Babur was too narrow for him to effectively employ his force. Musket and cannon pinned Ibrahim's centre while horse archers harried the flanks and rear. The noise of cannon panicked the elephants, adding to the casualties. Ibrahim and 20,000 of his men were killed in the battle. Thousands more died as the army retreated.[8]
The battle of Panipat was militarily a decisive victory for Babur. However, to secure his position, Babur was still to fight theMewar rulerRana Sanga atKhanwa in 1527 and, the eastern Afghans at theGhaghra River in 1529. Politically it gained Babur new lands and initiated a new phase of his establishment of theMughal Empire in the heart of theIndian subcontinent – an empire that lasted for over 200 years.[13]
| Emperors | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Administration |
| ||||||||
| Conflicts |
| ||||||||
| Architecture |
| ||||||||
| See also | |||||||||
| Successor states | |||||||||
