SECOND BATTLE OF PANIPAT

Above: Map of Mughal Empire, 1605 (click map to enlarge)

After Babur’s encounter with Ibrahim Lodhi at Panipat which established the Mughal empire, the town of Panipat was witness to one more encounter but this time between the Delhi ruler and prime minister of Delhi. Akbar was crowned the King at a tender age of 13 due to untimely accidental death of his father.

Above: Painting of Akbar, The Great

Hemu (the Prime Minister) thought this was his best chance as Akbar was then fighting in Punjab along with his cheif minister Bairam Khan. Hemu invaded agra and Delhi and easily captured it due to absence of Akbar and untimely death of his father Humayun. Hemu also had Afgan war lord Adil Shah Suri as his ally who had dreams to ruling India and ousting the Mughals. Bairam Khan along with Akbar on hearing the news of Hemu crowinging himself as King marched towards Delhi and Hemu in turn sent forces to stop him.

Above: An art illustrating the incedent of the battle of Panipat

It was again on the barren stretch of Panipat that the two forces met. Hemu had sent in a huge army and a big battalion of war elephants. After the inital success it seemed that Hemu would be victorious but destiny had other ideas. An arrow pierced Hemu’s eye and and fell down. Watching this the army got discouraged and demotivated. The loss of their commander on the battle field was a big blow to the forces and it made task of Bairam Khan easy. He ploughed through the enemy rank and file. Though no where documented or authenticated it is said that Akbar then beheaded Hemu as a final winning jesture. Some historians say he just representatively touched the sword and hemu was beheaded by his commanders. But whatever had been the way, Hemu was killed and Akbar truiphed in the battle. Hemu’s wife , as per the historians, escaped from Delhi and even though search parties were sent after her no trace ever could be found of her or the family. She supposedly carried with her a large treasure from Delhi. Hemu’s head was sent to Afghanistan and his body brought to Delhi. The death of Hemu also ended the reign of Afgan war lords in the Indian history. It also marked a new begining for the Mughal empire

Above: Pictures of Ancient Edifices still existing in India

The second battle of Panipat can be said to be start ot the golden era of Mughal Empire in India. The illustrious and magnificiant rule of the great ruler Akbar started after this battle. A learned man of arts and literature he had in his court the 9 gems from various fields of science and arts. The names of the likes of Tansen, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Birbal and Raja Mansingh invoke a nostalgic pride in the rule. He signed strategic treaties with poweful kings of Western and Central India consolidating his gains and spreding the empire far away towars South of the country.

Finally, Mughal Empire was strongly established and the Indian subcontinent slowly gathered under the flag of this empire instead of the gathering of small princely states forever at war with each other, that it was.

Below: Flag of Mughal Emprire

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