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On 21 April 1526, the first battle
was fought in Panipat between Babur and Ibrahim Lodi,
the Sultan of Delhi. Babur had entered India with about
12,000 men. By the time he reached Panipat his forces
had gone to 25,000 men. Ibrahim’s army had 100,000 men
and 1000 elephants. Babur dug himself in using a
formation, which Babur claimed to have adapted from
Turkish practice. As many as 700 carts were gathered
together and strung together with ropes of rawhide, thus
creating a barricade similar to those used in North
America. From behind this, the matchlock men would fire
on the advancing enemy. It took several days before
Ibrahim could be provoked into attacking but when he did
his army came to a grinding halt before the fusillade of
musket fire. In the meantime, Babur’s cavalry attacked
on both flanks in a pincer movement, raining arrows on
the Indian army caught on three sides and too cumbersome
to about turn and retreat. When the battle ceased, about
20,000 of the Sultan’s army were dead, including their
leader. The second battle of Panipat took place on 5
Nov, 1556 between Akbar, Biaram Khan and Hemu, the
general of the Afghan Sher Shah. The battle was going
badly for Akbar until Hemu was hit in the eye by an
arrow, and although it did not kill him outright, it
made him unconscious. The sight of the tiny Hemu slumped
in the howdah of his elephant caused his troops to flee.
Hemu was brought unconscious before Akbar and Bairam
Khan and beheaded. The head was sent to Kabul and the
body was hung on a gibbet at Delhi. There was a mass
slaughter of those unfortunate enough to have been
caught, and in the gruesome tradition of Genghis Khan
and Timur a victory pillar was built and their heads
plastered in. The third battle took place on 13 January,
1761 between the Marathas and Afghans. The remnants of
the once great Mughal Empire was threatened from the
west by the Rajputs and from the north-west by Afghans,
who sacked Delhi in 1756-57. The distracted Mughal
minister called the Marathas and according to Percival
Spear, the triangular power struggle between the Mughals,
Marathas and Afghans became a duel between the Marathas
and the Afghan. The Maratha army includes 15000
infantry, 55,000 cavalry and 200 guns. These were
supported by 200,000 Pindaris and camp followers. The
Afghan army comprised of 38000 infantry, 42,000 cavalry
and 70 guns, besides numerous irregulars. The Marathas
lost the battle and their soldiers fled. However, the
Afghan leader Ahmad Shah Durrani was unable to take
advantage of his victory as his followers were mutinied
for the two years arrears of pay he owed them. Thus, the
former Mughal empire was denied to both the Afghans and
Marathas, leaving North India in a political vacuum
which adventurers tried to fill during the next 40
years.
Tourist
Attractions in Panipat
The main old building in Panipat is a shrine of the
Muslim saint Abu Ali Kalandhar. One of the story about
him reminds of the Old Testament story of Moses in
Egypt, as he was said to have banished all flies from
Panipat. The people complained about it and so, he
ordered 1000 times to come back. Panipat is not the only
small town in India where this story might seen to have
the ring of truth. The other tourist attraction in
Panipat are the battle filelds where the three famous
battles of Panipat was fought.
Excursions
from Panipat |
