Panipat

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Panipat pronunciation (help·info) (Hindi:पानीपत) is a historic as well as an ancient city in the Panipat District in Haryana state, India, The city has a population of 216,000.

Panipat was one of the five cities (prasthas) founded by the Pandava brothers during the times of Mahabharata; its historic name being Paneprastha.

Panipat was the scene of three pivotal battles in Indian history.

The First battle of Panipat was fought in 1526 between Sultan Ibrahim Lodi and Zaheeruddin Babur. The fight was won by twelve thousand soldiers of Babur over one lakh soldiers of Lodhi because of cannons and better organization of force. Babur laid the foundation of Mughal Empire in India.

Grave of Ibrahim Lodhi.

The Second battle of Panipat was fought in 1556 between Hemu and Akbar. Hemu fell unconscious when an arrow hit his eye and his army ran away. He was beheaded by Akbar.

The Third battle of Panipat was fought in 1761 between Ahmad Shah Abdali and Marathas under Sadashivraobhau, the cousin of Peshwa Nanasaheb, who were protecting the Mughal emperor Shah Alam II. This battle marked the beginning of fall of Mughals and rise of British in India.

Panipat is the city of textiles and carpets. It is also known for its world famous pickle 'Pachranga International'. This city is also famous for its handloom industry. It is also home to many industries such as Indian Oil Co. Ltd. (IOCL) Refinery, NTPC Thermal Power Plant and National Fertilizers Limited. It is the biggest centre for cheap blankets and carpets in India.

Tomb of Bu Ali Shah Kalandar

The main places of attraction are the Graves of Ibrahim Lodhi, Kabuli Bagh, Devi Mandir, Kala Amb, Salar Gunj Gate, and Tomb of Bu-Ali Shah Kalandar.

'Kala Amb' is a memorial built in memory of the soldiers who died in the battlefield of panipat. It is said that blood of the died soldiers was mixed with the soil and the fruit of a mango tree became black in color due to that and hence the name "Kala Amb" meaning 'Black Mango'.

Famous Urdu shayar "Maulana Haali" was also born in panipat.

It is 90 km from Delhi on NH-1 and comes under the National Capital Territory, Delhi, India.