500 years since Panipat

 Today (April 21st, 1526) marks exactly 500 years since the first Battle of Panipat fought between Babur who went on to establish the Mughal empire in India and the Afghan king Ibrahim Lodi of Delhi. This engagement had a profound impact on the history of the Indian sub continent and Islamicate Asia.

Marching from Kabul in late 1525, Babur reached Panipat with around 10,000 men, vastly outnumbered by Lodi’s forces in 1 to 10 ratio. Yet numbers matter little against innovation and discipline. Babur introduced field tactics unfamiliar to India which included fortified wagon-lines, trenches and coordinated use of artillery. Using Ottoman inspired “Rumi” method, he anchored his army defensively while forcing the enemy into a narrow front. Babur then unleashed the Tulughma tactic, a fast moving cavalry sweeping around the flanks, encircling & raining arrows on the compressed enemy.

The result was decisive. The war which began at dawn on a hot day in the dusty fields of Panipat in modern day Haryana 100 years ago lasted until noon. Ibrahim Lodi was killed, his army shattered and Delhi fell soon after. The victory laid the foundation of the Mughal Empire, shaping the political and cultural trajectory of South Asia for centuries.

But the resistance to Babur didn't end there.
He had to face Rana Sanga, the King of Mewar in modern day Rajasthan who was a much more formidable rival compared to the Afghans under Lodhi. More importantly Rana Sanga did something unthinkable in Hindustan at that time. He united various Rajput Chieftains, who were known for their internal squabbling under one umbrella. The United front concerned Babur as he had heard valiant stories of bravery about Rajputs to consider themselves as descendants of Huns and an united army of Rajputs would be of dangerous proposition.

Both the armies of Babur and Rana Sanga faced off each other at Khanwa in eastern Rajasthan. One evening when ventured out of his camping Babur saw in the horizon smoke emanating from various places on Rana Sanga's side. Unfamiliar with Indian culture, he enquired why smoke was coming from so many places. He was told that the enemy's army consists of several groups based on their caste who won't eat together and have their separate units of cooking. That's why we can see so many places of smoke oozing. The Mughal King was bit puzzled by this.

Babur's army were already tired and scared of the fierceness and the greater number of Rajputs. With fledgling moral the forces from Central Asia who hated the heat and dust of India were reluctant to fight any further, wanting to go back home with their loot. But Babur managed to convince them to carry on by giving a religious color of "Jihaad" (Islamic Holy war) to fight against the infidel Hindus.

After a long, hard fought war, Rana Sanga lost the battle of Khanwa primarily due to the use of gunpowder technology which his adversary learnt from his maternal side of ancestry from China, the country credited to have invented gun powder, a game changer in the warfare for years to come. Rana Sanga's soldiers as usual went for a frontal assault for which the Rajputs are known. That was a fatal tactics to have against a battle hardened army known for its innovation, modern approach to war those days. Though brave and gritty, the Rajputs with their frontal assault attack plan were cannon fodder for Babur's blazing cannon.

Rana Sanga was injured by bullet and died shortly after. Thus ended the final resistance to Babur whose descendants continued to rule Hindustan for centuries to come. It was followed by British who like their predecessor too hated the heat and dust of the Indian subcontinent, ruled the country for couple more centuries to come. 500 years since the day Babur won the first Battle of Panipat, India has witnessed several turning points in history and possibly more to come. In millions of years its existence, the last 500 years is arguably the most memorable time in our history.