Battle of Panipat
On
20th April, 1526 Babur reached the famous historical field of Panipat alongwith
his army with a view to conquer India.
Causes
of Battle of Panipat
There
were so many causes for the Battle of Panipat, some important causes were as
under:
1. Ambition of Babur:
Like
other Contemporary Brave Rulers Babur was very ambitious. He himself says that
“I had never ceased to think of the conquest of Hindustan.” But he had never
found a suitable opportunity for undertaking it, “Hindered as I was sometimes
by the apprehensions of my Begs, sometimes by the disagreement between my
brothers and myself.” He was involved incessantly in struggle for the conquest
of Samarquand. When he was finally unsuccessful there, he tried to fulfil his
ambition by conquering India.
2. Miserable political condition:
The
political situation in North West India was suitable for Babur’s entry into
India. Babur knew that India is divided into several petty principalities and
the rulers of these states could never unite together. It was within his
knowledge that they often used to quarrel amongst themselves. Babur considered
this anarchical political situation as the appropriate opportunity to invade
India.
3. Immense riches of India and legal right to occupy some
areas:
Like
countless earlier invaders from Central Asia, Babur was drawn to India by the
lure of its fabulous wealth. India was
famous as the land of gold and riches. Babur’s ancestor’s Timur, had not only
carried away a vast treasure and many skilful artisans, who helped him to consolidate
his Asian Empire and beautify his capital, but also annexed some areas in the
Punjab. These areas remained in the possession of Timur’s successor for many
years. When Babur conquered Kabul, he felt that he had a legitimate right to
these areas.
4. Geographical Reasons:
Moreover,
India being very near to Kabul, where Babur was ruling it was natural for an
ambitious ruler to invade India.
5. Meagre Income from Kabul:
Another
reason of Babur’s invasion of India was the meagre income of Kabul. The Historian
Abul Fazal remarks. ‘‘Babur ruled over Badakhshan, Kandhar and Kabul which did
not yield sufficient income for the requirement of the army, in fact, some of
the boarder territories the expense on controlling the armies and administration was greater than the income.”
In this way the meagre income of Kabul also promoted Babur to invade India.
Babur knew very well that after capturing the fertile province of Punjab he
would have no financial problems and he could strengthen his position very easily.
6. Fear of the Uzbeks:
Babur
was also apprehensive of an Uzbek attack on Kabul, and considered India to be a
good place of refuge, and a suitable base for operations against the
Uzbeks.
7. Invitations:
Some
of the Historians opines that Babur had been invited to attack Delhi Sultanate
by Daulat Khan Lodi and Rana Sanga. According to them in 1524 Babur received an
Embassy from Daulat Khan Lodi, led by his son, Dilawar Khan. They invited Babur
to invade India, and suggested that he should displace Ibrahim Lodi since he
was a tyrant and enjoyed no support from his courtiers and nobles. According to
some of the Historians, it is probable that a messenger from Rana Sangram Singh
arrived at the same time, inviting Babur to invade India. These Embassies
convinced Babur that the time was ripe for his conquest of the whole of the
Punjab, if not of India itself.
In
brief we can say many factors inspired Babur to the Battle of Panipat. His
ambitions, immense wealth of India, weak political condition of India and some
invitations extended by enemies of Ibrahim Lodi were major of them.
AFGHAN VS MUGHAL ARMY AND
TACTICS
AFGHAN
ARMY:
The
Delhi sultanate armies had traditionally been based around cavalry. To this the
addition was made of the Indian war elephant. The Elephant and horse formed the
2 pillars of sultanate military strength. The army would be based on a
quasi-feudal structure. A small central force under the Sultan’s direct control
at Delhi supplemented by large number of contingents brought by the different
afghan chiefs or Jagirdars, plus Jagirdars and indian feudal levies and
mercenaries (largely infantry). There was no gunpowder artillery and infantry
was very much a cannon-fodder force. Ibrahim Lodi was at this time involved in
attempts at centralization which was unpopular amongst his chieftains. Ibrahim
Lodi’s army at Panipat may be estimated at 50,000 men and 400 war elephants.
Perhaps 25,000 of these were heavy cavalry predominantly afghan, rest being
feudal levies or mercenaries of less value.
AFGHAN
TACTICS:
The
battle formation consisted of the traditional five-fold divisions — the
vanguard, the right, the left, the centre and the rear. Sultan stood at the
centre with a picked body of cavalry. Skirmishing and night raids were common. The
Afghans based their battle tactics around the shock strike forces of their
elephants and heavy cavalry. Brute force in massed frontal assaults on the flat
plains were therefore key elements of Ibrahim lodi’s plan. A considerable part
of this army was feudal contingents from the various nobles,they were thus not
drilled nor trained to work in co-operation with the whole body, and suffered
from lack of maneuverability. They were however well equipped and courageous,if
lacking the discipline of the veteran baburids. They also had no understanding
of the Tulughma tactics of Central Asia.
THE
MUGHUL ARMY:
Babur’s
army consisted of turks, mongols, iranians and afghans. It was built as a
veteran core which had been campaigning alongside him for over a decade and
thus the troops and commanders were confident, and familiar with each other. It
also had an element of equality where any trooper could dine with babur or give
his opinion on tactics in contrast with the tiered hierarchy in the sultanate
army. And they were campaigning far away from home, where defeat would mean
annihilation with nowhere to retreat. All these factors contributed to better
morale. The army was organized along timurid lines -units of 10, 50, 100, 500, 1000.
Babur’s army at Panipat numbered 15,000–20,000 men. The bulk of them timurid
cavalry, supplemented by turkish gunners with gunpowder matchlocks and
cannons-till now an unknown feature on the indian battlefield.
MUGHUL
TACTICS:
Babur
used tulughma, the Uzbeg's method of warfare in this war. The
method of attacking the enemy party from right, left and back is called
Tulugama. The tulughma implied dividing a smaller force into
subordinate divisions within the traditional divisions for better
maneuverability and flexibility. The highly mobile right and left divisions
peeled out and surrounded the larger enemy force,especially through employment
of flanking parties.The standard Central Asian battle array, or yasal, was
divided into four basic parts—the irawul (Harawal) or vanguard, the ghol(Kol) or
center, the chadavul or rear guard, and the jaranghar and baranghar — the left
and right flanks. During the early expansion of the Turkic and Mongol empires
these units were composed almost exclusively of cavalry, but as these states
and their rulers became increasingly sedentary, larger numbers of infantry
began to appear.
Babur used the
Osmani or Rumi method of decorating the cannons. The method of
leaving an arranged space between two carts and keeping cannons in
it is called Osmani. In this war Babur also took the service
of two artillerymen named Ustad Ali and Mustafa. The use of carts in battle is called Araba.
Events
of The First Battle of Panipat
Babur’s
plan is to hold the afghan mass in front, and roll its wings onto the centre
where the whole body would become a concentrated target for his
matchlocks,archers and artillery and suffer devastating losses. Humayun leads
the right flank, Chin Timur the vanguard and Sultan mirza the left flank. His
ottoman gunner Ustad Ali Quli is in charge of the atillery. It is also he who
shows babur how to employ the cart-line field fortifications.
Lodi
deploys his force in 4 divisions. Two flanks, a large vanguard and a centre containing much of the
inferior infantry. He places himself at the very centre of the battle line with
a body of 5000 picked mailed lancers.In front of his army stands the massive
phalanx of 400 armoured war elephants.
First stage
1.
As the afghan War elephants move up, they are greeted by the utterly unfamiliar
noise of mughul cannons which terrifies them and
they refuse to advance further.
2.
The Afghan Vanguard clashes with the horse archer screen and sweeps it
away,sensing success- the pathans surge forward. The vanguard of the afghans
has advanced too quickly,thus creating a gap with the centre which is still far
away .
3.
The light cavalry of the former qarawal screen withdraw back through the
passages and merge with the mughul vanguard.
4.
Lodi aims his attack where the mughul right flank meets panipat,and the Afghan
right moves forward in columns to try and outflank the mughal right. Babur
observes the afghan body inclined to its left advancing on his right flank and
immediately reinforces the flank with its illtimish mobile reserve.
Second
stage
1.
As the leading elements of the afghan left wing approaches the mughul
right,they are taken aback by the wagon line fortifications and hesitate on
seeing the mughals reinforcing their right flank. As a result the front ranks
halt,throwing the rear ranks already in a cramped space into some disorder.The
tulughma flanking parties now wheel and hit them with showers of arrows from
the rear.
2.
The centre of lodi’s vanguard is held up by the concentrated fire from the cart
line as the mughul cannons and matchlocks open fire,supported by archers and
unable to advance due to the cart line-defenses.The noise and smoke terrifies
the afghans.
3.
The elephants now under artillery attack and totally unnerved by the sound turn
and trample back through the advancing rear ranks of the afghan army,
disorganizing and demoralizing it.
4.
The mughals begin their celebrated tulughma wheeling manuevre. The right flank
reserves move to outflank the Pathan left wing.The afghans now get a taste of
the real weapon of the mughals-the deadly turco-mongol composite bow.The afghan
heavy cavalry is unable to cope with the mobile timurid horse archers.
5.
Babur Piles on the pressure. He dispatches his right centre to join the assault
on the afghan left wing.(See how each new reserve takes the place of the
preceding formation,as that goes to flank the enemy as if turning a wheel)The
afghan left wing is packed into a dense mass,due to the disorder caused by
friction between front and rear ranks and becomes a massive target for concentrated
mughul firepower from arrows,matchlocks and cannons.They take devastating
losses.
6.
Similarly on the afghan right wing,the mongol flanking parties bombard the
pathans from the rear by wheeling in. Simultaneously the mughul left wing moves
in and joins the fray,even as the mughal gunpowder weapons take a toll on the
front.
7.
Babur senses a growing panic in the afghan ranks,and orders his left centre and
left mobile reserve to sally out through the gaps and join the assault on the
afghan right wing.
Third
stage
1.
Bombarded from all sides, unit cohesion breaks down in the sultanate forces- as
the aggressively wheeling mughal flanks compress the afghans into a central
mass-a perfect killzone for the mughul artillery and gunners.
2.
See the mughul taulaghma wheeling manuevre complete on both sides,as the
battalions have wheeled almost in synchronization and surrounded the afghan
flanks.This exceptional performance was made possible in part by the drilling
and combat experience of babur’s cavalry.
3.
Lodi makes a desperate charge,cutting down quite a few mughals before he is
killed. This was perhaps a premature move as he still had many reserves left
and babur had nearly none.
4.
Lodis’ death triggers general collapse and afghans rout.
5.
The second line now disintegrate on hearing of lodi’s demise.
Losses — Afghans suffered 15,000 killed or wounded. The
mughuls 4,000
Effects
of First Battle of Panipat:
The
main effects of First Battle of Panipat were as under:
1. End of the Rule of Lodi Dynasty:
The
Battle of Panipat is regarded as one of the decisive Battle of Indian History.
It broke the back of Lodi Power and brought under Babur’s control the entire
area upto Delhi and Agra. As Babur’s predecessor Timur had brought to an end
the rule of the Tughlaq’s, similarly Babur’s success led to an end of the Lodi
Rule.
2. Foundation of the Mughal Empire:
Bubur’s
victory at Panipat led to the foundation of Mughal Empire in India. Soon after
the victory Babur occupied Delhi and Agra, seated himself on the throne of the
Lodi’s and laid the foundation of Mughal Rule in India. Of course, the Empire
founded by Babur was soon lost by his son, Humayun and its was Akbar who
actually re-created the Mughal Empire. Nevertheless it cannot be denied that
the actual foundation of the empire was laid with the victory of the Battle of
Panipat. This empire continued for more than two centuries.
3. End of Babur’s Bad Days:
The
treasures stored up by Ibrahim Lodi in Agra relieved Babur from his financial
difficulties. The rich territory upto Jaunpur also lay open to Babur. Rushbrook
Williams writes, “After being successful in this battle, the bad days of
Babur came to an end. Now he need not
bother about his personal safety or his throne.”
4. Re-establishment of the prestige of ‘Crown’:
After
the Battle of Panipat, Babur laid the Foundation of a New Dynasty and called
himself “monarch”. Unlike the Sultans of Delhi Sultanate Period he never used
to call himself the Deputy of the Caliph but used to call himself Emperor. Thus
he revived the sovereignty of the Monarch as it used to be in ancient times in
India and thus re-established the prestige of the “Crown”.
5. Use of Artillery in India:
The
Battle of Panipat led to the initiation of Artillery in India. Up till now Indian were not familiar with the
gun-powder. For the first time, it was used
in a battle on Indian plains and since then the artillery has been used
in many important battles.
6. Birth of new struggles:
However,
Babur had to wage three hard-fought battles, one against Rana Sanga of Mewar,
another against Medini Rao at Chanderi and the third against the Eastern
Afghans, before he could consolidate his hold on this area (Delhi, Agra etc.). Viewed from this angle, the
Battle of Panipat was not as decissive in the political field as has been made
out. According to R.B. Williams. ‘‘The victory of Panipat was excellent which
was actually a part of the beginning.” Same views have been expressed by
Renowed Historian Dr. Satish Chandra, when he says about the battle in the
following words, “Its real importance lies in the fact that it opened a new
face in the struggle for domination in North India.”
7. Tulugama Became Popular in India:
One
of the important causes of Babur’s victory in First Battle of Panipat was the
adoption of a scientific war strategy Tulugama (an Ottoman or Rumi device) by
him. Gradually Indian Rulers also adopted this very system. Almost all Indian
Rulers later on started adopting the policy of keeping a reserve army. The
Indian Rulers were greatly impressed by the swiftness and movability of horses
and gradually the place of elephants was taken by horses in the army.
8. A Shift in the Political Interest.
After
this battle the centre of Babur’s political activities and ambitions was
shifted from Kabul and Central Asia to Agra and India. No doubt the
difficulties of Babur after his victory at Panipat were manifold. Many of his
begs were not prepared for a long campaign in India. With the onset of the hot
weather, their misgivings had increased. They were far away from homes in a
strange and hostile land. Babur tells us that the people of India displayed,
“remarkable hostility,” abandoning their villages at the approach of the Mughal
Armies. Obviously, the Memoirs of Timur’s sacking and plundering of the towns
and villages were still fresh in their minds. Babur knew that the resources in
India alone would enable him to found a strong empire and satisfy his
begs. “Not for us the poverty of Kabul
again”, he records in his diary. He thus took a firm stand, proclaiming his
intention to stay on in India, and granting leave to a number of his begs, who
wanted to go back to Kabul. This immediately cleared the air. But it also
invited the hostility of Rana Sanga who began his preparations for a showdown
with Babur. Thus, just as Plassey being
the first decisive victory of Clive is significant in British Indian History,
similarly Panipat being the first decisive victory of Babur is significant in
Mughal Indian History. Both these victories like Khanwa and Buxar and
eventually led to the establishment of Mughal Rule in India in case of the
former, and British Rule in India in the case of the later.
Causes
of Babur’s Victory:
Babur
was victorious at the Battle of Panipat because of a number of factors. The
main factors are as follows:-
1. Scientific Combination of Cavalry and Artillery:
Firstly,
the victory of Babur was due to the Scientific Combination of cavalry and
artillery. The effective use of mobile cavalry and the skill with which Ustad
Ali and Mustafa, two great Turkish gunners, fought in the field of Panipat were
also important factors which contributed towards Babur’s victory. Rushbrook
Williams writes. “If it could be possible to emphasize any one of the factors
as being the most important cause of his (Babur’s) victory, one would surely
have to assign the first place to his artillery.”
2. Disunity:
The
Indian Rulers did not visualize any eventuality beyond the borders of their
kingdoms and could not stand unitedly to face a threat on India from outside.
Babur defeated them one by one, captured their kingdoms, and became their overlord.
3. Babur’s Personality:
One
of the biggest cause of Babur’s victory was also his impressive personality. He
did not lose heart even in most critical times. He had the capacity to infuse
spirit in the dead bodies with his lively speech. He was a born general and was
fully conversant with all the tactcs of war.
4. Ill-treatment of Ibrahim Lodi Towards His Amirs:
Sultan
Ibrahim’s treatment towards his Amirs was most discourteous and insulting. The
proud Afghan Nobles, who used to share the carpet with Ibrahim’s father and
grandfather, were made to stand in his Durbar in an humble posture and with
their arms folded to their breasts. He also declared that kingship knew no
kinship. Hence the Amirs went against him.
5. Disciplined Army:
Babur’s
Army was better disciplined than the Indian Army. His soldiers knew how to
stand in battle arrary and when to charge and when to retreat. On the other
hand the Indian Soldiers moved more or less like a crowd and a little charge
from the enemy side was enough to cause confusion among them. Their vast
numbers were more a source of weakness than a source of strength. They were
ill-organised, illtrained and ill-disciplined.
6. Inefficiency of Ibrahim as a General
Fortunately
for Babur, the revival he had to ontend with was an inefficient Military
Genegal, who lacked the qualities of Generalship. Neither could he properly
organize his forces nor could he plan the battle well. Babur himself remarks
that, “Ibrahim was an inexperienced youngman, careless in his movements who marched without order, halted
or retired without plan and engaged in
the battle without foresight.” It was not difficult for a brilliant
general like Babur to defeat such an inefficient rival.
7. Use of Elephants by the Lodis:
Ibrahim
Lodi, made a big use of elephants in his army.
As compared to this, horses of Mughal Cavalry were more active. Very
often elephants wounded in battle used to run back trampling their own armymen
under their feet.
8. Babur’s Formations or Tulugama:
Babur
took strategic positions as soon as he reached Panipat. He strengthened his
position by resting one wing of his army in the city of Panipat which had a
large number of houses, and protected the other by means of ditch filled with
branches of trees. In front, he lashed together a large number of carts, to
act as a defending wall. Between two
carts, breastworks were erected on which soldiers could rest their guns and fire. Babur calls
his device an Ottoman (Rumi) Device for it has
been used by the Ottomans in their famous battle against Shah Ismile of
Iran. This device of Tulugama surrounded the Ibrahim Lodi’s army and disturbed
its formation, Historians praise Babur’s for his formation which were offensive
as well as defensive. In brief we can say that one of the causes of Babur’s
victory at Panipat was Tulugama Strategy of
war.
Battle
of Kanwah, 1527
The
victory at Panipat did not make Babur the Ruler of India. He met a stronger foe
in Rana Sanga of Mewar. The latter had the ambition of occupy the throne of
Delhi itself. Such a formidable foe had to be disposed of if Babur was to have
an unchargeable position.
In
1527, Rana Sanga advanced with a large army to Biana. Babur also advanced to
Fatehpur Sikri. The advance-guard of Babur was defeated by the Rajputs and the
result was that his followers, got disheartened. At this time, Babur showed his
qualities of leadership. He ordered the breaking of the cups of wine. He
repented of his past sins and promised to give up wine for the rest of his
life. He addressed his soldiers in these words: “Noble men and soldiers! Every
man that comes into the world is subject to dissolution. When we are passed away
and gone, God only survives, unchangeable. Whoever comes to life must, before
it is over, drink from the cup of death. He who arrives at the inn of mortality
must one day inevitably take his departure from that house of sorrow-the world.
How much better is it to die with honour than to live with infamy.
With
fame, even if I die, I am contented;
Let
fame be mine, since my body is death’s.
‘‘The
Most High God has been propitious to us, and has now placed us in such a crisis
if we fall in the field, we die the death of martyrs; if we survive, we rise
victorious, avengers of the cause of God. Let us, then, with one accord swear
on God’s holy word, that none of us will even think of turning his face from
his warfare nor desert from the battle and slaughter that ensures, till his
soul is separated from his body.” The
appeal of Babur had the desired effect and he started the attack with heavy
artillery fire. Then, according to Ferishta,
“Babur himself, charged like a lion rushing from his lair.” After an obstinate
battle, the Rajputs were defeated and Babur became the Victor of Kanwah.
Importance
of Battle of Kanwah:
Prof.
Rushbrook Williams has observed
thus: “In the first place the menace of Rajput supremacy which had loomed large
before the eyes of Mohammadans in India for the last few years, was removed
once for all. The powerful confederacy which depended so largely for its unity
upon the strength and reputation of Mewar, was shattered by a single great
defeat and ceased henceforth to be a dominant factor in the politics of
Hindustan. Secondly, the Mughal Empire of India was soon firmly established.
Babur had definitely seated himself upon the throne of Sultan Ibrahim, and the
sign and seal of his achievement had been the annihilation of Sultan Ibrahim’s
most formidable antagonists. Hitherto the occupation of Hindustan might have
been looked upon as a mere episode in Babur’s career of adventure, but from
henceforth it became the keynote of his activities for the remainder of his
life. His days of wandering in search of fortune are now passed away. The
fortune is his, and he has to show himself worthy of it. And it is significant
of the new stage in his career which this battle marks that never afterwards does
he have to stake his throne and life upon the issue of a striken field.
Fighting there is, and fighting in plenty to be done; but it is fighting for
the extension of his power, for the reduction of rebels, for the ordering of
his Kingdom. It is never fighting for his throne. And from it is also
significant of Babur’s grasp of vital issues that from henceforth the centre of
gravity of his power is shifted from Kabul to Hindustan.”
Dr.
R.P. Tripathi says: “The consequences
of the battle were indeed far-reaching. It broke the Rajput confederacy which
depended for its existence not any enlightened conception of race, community,
religion or civilization, but on the prestige of the Udaipur House, the
military and diplomatic victories of its warlike leaders, who had now lost
their moral prestige. With the breakup of the confederacy vanished the
nightmare of Hindu supremacy which had kept the Muslim states in northern India in anxious suspense.
The destruction of many of the most redoubtable
Rajput chiefs and the disintegration which set in after Rana Sanga
became helpless, once more laid open
Rajputana to the ravages of the neighbouring powers, which were only too ready
to step in Kanwah removed the most
formidable obstacle in the way of the foundation of the Mughal empire. Babur assumed the title of Ghazi and
his throne in India was now quite secure. The centre of gravity of his power
now definitely shifted from Kabul to Hindustan. Finally, the defeat of the Rajputs weakened the hands of the Afghans.
With the help of the powerful and independent chiefs of Rajputana, they would
have been certainly far more formidable rivals to the Mughals than when
single-handed.”
Causes
of Battle of Kanwah.
The
Battle of Kanwah was fought between Rana Sangram Singh of Mewar and the Founder
of Mughal Dynasty, Babur, in 1527 A.D. at a
place Kanwah, about forty kilometres away from Agra. There were so many causes of war of Kanwah.
Some important causes were as under:
1. Ambitions of Rana Sanga:
Rana
Sanga was an Ambitious Ruler. He had been conflicting with Ibrahim Lodi for the
domination of Eastern Rajasthan and Malwa. After defeating Mahmood Khalji of
Malwa, the influence of Rana Sanga had gradually extended upto Piliya Khar—a small river in the
neighbourhood of Agra. The establishment of an Empire in the Indo-Gangetic
Valley by Babur was a threat to Rana Sanga. Rana Sanga set preparations a foot
to expel Babur or, at any rate, to confine him to the Punjab. There were so many causes of was of Kanwah.
Some important causes were as under:
2. Rana Sanga being accused of treachery by Babur:
Babur
accuses Rana Sanga of breach of agreement. He says that Rana Sanga had invited
him to India, and promised to join him against Ibrahim Lodhi, but made no move
while he (Babur) conquered Delhi and Agra.
We do not know what were the exact terms and conditions of the agreement
between Babur and Rana Sanga but it is certain that after the First Battle of
Panipat Babur had captured only Delhi and Agra. He had not become the Emperor
of India. He was also brave and ambitious like Rana Sanga. It was not possible
form him to become the Emperor of India without breaking the power of
Rajputs.
3. Charges of Rana Sanga against Babur:
Rana
Sanga, on the other hand, had claim on
Kalpi, Daulpur and Agra and be blamed Babur for not fulfilling his
promise. We cannot say definitely whether the charges of Rana Sanga against
Babur are correct or not but it is definite that he might have hope that like
Taimur, Babur would withdraw after saking Delhi and wakening the Lodis. Babur’s
decision to stay on in India completely changed
the situation. This made a war between Babur and Rana Sanga inevitable.
4. Inciting of Rana Sanga by the Afghans:
Many
Afghans, including Mahmud Lodi, a younger brother of Ibrahim Lodi, rallied to
Rana Sanga, in the hope of regaining the throne
of Delhi in case Sanga won. Hassan Khan Mewati, the ruler of Mewar, also
casts in lot with Sanga. Almost all the Rajputs rulers of North sent
contingents to serve under Rana
Sanga.
Events
of the Battle of Kanwah:
Some
important events of the Battle of Kanwah were as under: The Armies of Babur and Rana Sanga met at
Kanwah on March 10, 1527. Babur arranged his army almost in the same fashion as
he had done in Panipat. This time again, he had to face an army which was
numerous. According to Lanepoole, “Whatever the exact number might have been, a
more gallant army could not be brought into the field.” A bloody war followed
which lasted for about 12 hours. Dr. R.P. Tripathi writes, “The ruthless
slaughter closed the bloody episode.” Rana Sanga’s forces were thus hemmed in
and were defeated after a great slaughter. Rana Sanga escaped and wanted to
renew the conflict with Babur. But he was poisoned by his own nobles who
considered such a course dangerous and suicidal.
Consequences of the Battle of Kanwah:
1.
This battle was more decisive than that of the First Battle of Panipat. After
that Babur definitely became the Ruler of India. The Battle of Kanwah secured
Babur’s position in The Delhi-Agra Region. Babur strengthened his position
further by conquering the chain of forts–Gwalior, Dholpur, etc., in East of
Agra. He also annexed large parts of Alwar from Hasan Khan Mewati. He then led
a campaign against Medini Rai of Chanderi in Malwa. Chanderi was captured after the Rajput
defenders had died fighting to the last man and
their women performed Jauhar. In brief we can say the Battle of Kanwah
consolidated the Foundation of Mughal
Empire by bringing the Rajput power to an end. The centre of activity of Babur had shifted from Kabul to
Hindustan and, thus the work of defeating
the rest of the unimportant local chiefs and the Afghans became
easier.
2.
With Rana Sanga’s death the dream of United Rajasthan extending upto Agra
received a serious setback. The strength
of Rajput was broken and the Kingdoms of Hindustan passed from the hands of Rajputs to the
Mughals. The Foundation of Mughal Empire in
India was now laid more deeper than ever. For the Rajputs the result of
this battle brought a sad day, because hardly a plan of the Rajputs was there
that had not lost the flower of his
princely blood. The Famous Historian S.R. Sharma writes, “Defeat of the
Rajputs, at Kanwah ended the superiority of the Rajputs which they had
established successfully in the last ten years and which was an eye sore to the
Muslim ended for ever. ” In contrast to this
Dr. A.L. Srivastava writes that, “Rajput military power was no doubt crushed in
the battle of Kanwah but it was not totally crushed within a few years they
again raised their heads.’’ According to
Dr. Lunia, ‘‘After the defeat and death of Rana Sangram Singh. Mewar lost its
prestige. Mewar began lossing its power and in place of it Marwar under Maldev
started gaining the power”. Slowly and
gradually Marwar in place of Mewar got the leadership of Rajputs.
Battle
of Chanderi (1528)
As
a result of the Battle of Kanwah, the power of the Rajputs was crippled, but no
crushed. Babur marched against Chanderi
which was a stronghold of the Rajputs under Medini Rai. This Rajput Chief was
very powerful and had made his position felt in Malwa. Babur reached
Chanderi on 20th January, 1528. The
Mughals besieged the Fort where Medini Rai had taken shelter with his 5,000 followers. Medini Rai refused to
enter into any treaty with Babur and also did not accept Babur’s offer of a Jagir in lieu of Chanderi.
Consequently, Babur pressed the siege of Chanderi with full vigour and attacked the Fort of
Chanderi from all sides. The Rajputs were determined to fight to the finish and their women burnt
themselves by performing Jauhar. Almost all the Rajputs lost their lives. On 29th January, 1528, the
Fort of Chanderi was captured. After this no other Rajput chief could challenge the authority of
Babur.
Causes
of Defeat of Rajputs or Causes the Victory of Babur:
There
were so many causes of defeat of Rajput or the victory of Babur. But some
important causes were as under:
1. Treachery of Siladi of Raisin:
He
was the Rajput ally of Rana Sanga and he had promised to fight for the common
Rajput cause. In the thick of the light he deserted Rana Sanga and went over to Babur for the latter is said
to have influenced him his own favour. This
treacherous behaviour on the part of Siladi of Raisin broke the heart of
the Rajputs and adversely affected their
lot in the battle.
2. Use of Cannons by Babur:
Babur
used cannons in the Battle of Kanwah. On the other hand, Rajputs were fully
unaware of this device. Horses of Rajputs could not face the cannons and so the army of Rana Sanga was
shattered.
3. Babur as a Commander:
Babur
was a very capable commander. His techniques of warfare brought him success once more. In the face
stringent contingencies he exhibited rare
patience and courage which made him an outstanding leader of his time.
He promised that after victory he would
allow leave to every one who wanted to go home.
4. Declaration of holy war (Jihad):
Babur
had declared a holy war against the Rana Sanga and he reminded his men that he
was fighting for the glorification of his religion. The response was
instantaneous and enthusiastic. Everyone swore of the Holy Quran and by the
divorce of his wife that he would fight to the end and stand by Babur. The
spirit of his troops was thus completely restored, and he won the Battle
against the Rajputs.
5. Disunity of Rajputs:
The
Rajputs were not united. There were great dissensions between them, and due to the victory of Babur in this
battle, whatever unity was left in them also
ended.
6. Role of Ustad Ali:
Ustad
Ali, the Captain of Babur’s Artillery must also share the credit of this victory. It were his huge balls which
threw the Rajputs into confusion.
7. Responsibility of Rana Sanga:
Some
historians are of the opinion that though Rana Sanga was a brave soldier but he
was not a statesmen of high order. According to Dr. Sharma in his relation with
Babur he showed vacillation and want of decisions and firmness..... He failed to proceed and capture Agra which
he owe to have done immediately after Babur
had moved South of the Punjab to fight against Ibrahim Lodi. Had he done
so, he would not have acquired the immense treasures and resources that lay
stored in that town but also the support of the entire race of the Indian
Afghans. Moreover luck did not favour Rana Sanga. He was wounded during the
course of the battle and failed to provide leadership to his soldiers at the
critical moment. It also demoralized his soldiers. However, these can be
counted only as subsidiary causes of the defeat of the Rajputs.
8.Disciplined Army:
Babur’s
army was small, disciplined and experienced, but the Rajput army was a large
crowd of indisciplined, inexperienced mercenaries.
Battle
of Ghagra (1529)
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Although
the Rajput menace was removed, there were still the Afghans who had to be subdued.
Mahmud Lodi, a brother of Ibrahim Lodi, had fled and taken refuge in Bihar
and established his position there. He
had a large army estimated at about one lakh strong. Supported by this army, he went to Banaras and from
there to Chunar. When he laid siege to Chunar, Babur sent his own son Askari
against Mahmud Lodi and later on himself marched against him. When the Afghans
came to know of the movements of Babur, they raised the siege of the Chunar and withdrew. On his way to Buxar through
Allahabad, Chunar and Banaras, a number of Afghan Chiefs offered their submission to Babur. Mahmud
Lodi had taken refuge in Bengal. Although its Ruler Nusrat Shah had assured Babur of his
friendship, Babur decided to put an end to the Afghan menace, even at the risk of a war and marched
towards Bengal. The Battle of Ghagra was fought
on 6 May, 1529 and the Afghans were completely defeated. Babur’s
artillery rendered him great service in his action against the Afghans. The defeat
of Ghagra was final so far as the Lodis were
concerned. Babur entered into a Treaty with Nusrat Shah by which both
the parties agreed to respect each
other’s sovereignty and Nusrat Shah agreed not to give shelter to the enemies
of Babur in future. It was in this way that “in three battles
Babur had reduced Northern India to submission.” The rest of his life was spent in organizing
the administration of the provinces which formed his new kingdom. His system was purely feudal. He
divided his territory into a large number of Jagirs and those were distributed
among his officers. Those officers were responsible not only for the collection
of land revenue on those Jagirs but were also in charge of the civil
administration of those areas. Much of
the territory remained in the hands of the native land-holders whether
they were Hindus or Muslims. We are told
that from the provinces “West to East from Bhera and Lahore to Bahraich and
Bihar and North to South from Sialkot to Ranthambhor”, Babur got an equivalent
of 2,600,000 as land revenue.
Babur could not prove himself as a successful
conqueror in Central Asia but he could prove himself a great conqueror in India.
In fact he was a man of very strong determination. Whatever he decided, he used
to follow. He never bent down before sorrow and failure. In 1526 he defeated
Ibrahim Lodi in the First Battle of Panipat. After the Battle of Panipat Babur had
to wage a war against Rana Sanga of Mewar Khanwa in 1527 and defeated him.
Babur encircled the fort of Chanderi and defeated Medini Rai. After this
victory Babur turned his attention
towards the Afghans. He defeated Nusrat Shah, the Ruler of Bengal at Ghaghra in 1529. Thus Babur proved himself to
be a great conqueror.
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