Battle of Panipat (1556)
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| Second Battle of Panipat | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
| Mughal dynasty | Vikramaditya dynasty | ||||||
| Commanders | |||||||
| Akbar | Hemu | ||||||
The Second Battle of Panipat was fought between the forces of Samrat Hem Chander Vikramaditya, popularly called Hemu, and the army of Mughal emperor Akbar, on November 5, 1556.
[edit] Background
On January 24, 1556, Mughal ruler Humayun died and was succeeded by his son, Akbar who was only thirteen years old. On February 14, 1556, in a garden at Kalanaur in Punjab, Akbar was enthroned as the king. At the time of his accession to the throne, the Mughal rule was confined to Kabul, Kandahar, parts of [Delhi]] and Punjab. Akbar was then campaigning in Kabul with his guardian, Bairam Khan.
Hem Chander or Hemu was the Prime minister and military chief of Adil Shah Suri, who ruled over a region east of Delhi established at Chunar and was seeking to expel the Mughals from Delhi. At the time of Humayun's death, Hemu had quelled a rebellion in Bengal. He made his intentions of winning Delhi for himself known to his commanders. He then started a campaign winning battles throughout northern India. When he attacked Agra, the commander of the Mughal forces in Agra ran away, leaving the state without a fight. A large area of Ettawah, Kalpi and Agra states had come under Hemu's control.
Hemu then moved towards Delhi and stationed his forces outside the city at Tughlaqabad. On October 6, 1556, his army encountered Mughal resistance. After a fierce fight Akbar's forces were ousted, and Tardi Beg, the commander of the Mughal forces, ran away, allowing Hemu to capture Delhi without much difficulty. Around 3000 army personnel were killed. Hemu had himself coronated at Purana Quila on October 7, 1556, and was bestowed the title of Samrat Vikramaditya.
[edit] Battle
Developments in Delhi and Agra disturbed the Mughals at Kalanaur. Many Mughal Generals advised Akbar and Bairam Khan to retreat to Kabul as Mughal forces may not face Hemu's might, but Bairam Khan decided in favour of war. Akbar's army marched towards Delhi. On November 5, both armies met at the historic battlefield of Panipat, where, thirty years earlier, Akbar's grandfather Babur had defeated Ibrahim Lodi in what is known as First battle of Panipat. Hemu's army had initial success and it seemed that they would defeat Akbar's forces; however, Hemu was accidentally struck by an arrow in the eye by an army archer. The loss of Hemu Vikramaditya caused panic among the troops and turned the tide of the battle. Shah Quli Khan captured Hemu and took him directly to Akbar and Bairam Khan who were stationed away from the battlefield.
Some historians claim that Akbar did not kill Hemu himself, but just touched his head with his sword and his associates finished Hemu off.[citation needed]
This battle resulted in establishment of the Mughal Empire in India.
[edit] See also
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