In the space of only thirty years, the sound of war has resounded in the desert. At one end the Mughal army was ready. They are led by Bairam Khan, the skilled guardian of Emperor Akbar. On the other side, Emperor Hemchandra Vikramaditya Himu stood with an army stronger than the Mughals. The Mughals regrouped for a bloody battle without cutting off the remnants of the first battle of Panipat.
If you still listen, you can hear the joy of Babar's forces. The smell of gunpowder of the Mughals could not be found in the air. But their empire is lost. Inspired by the fresh memory of the First War, the Mughals reaffirmed their determination to occupy Delhi. On the other hand, the undefeated emperor Himu is determined to defend his masnad.
In the first battle of Panipat, the Mughal-occupied Delhi fell to the Afghans. Then, after going through various ups and downs, the Mughals gradually began to regain their strength. But the sudden death of the Mughal emperor Humayun stopped their victory. Emperor Akbar, who was only thirteen years old, became a symbol of their hope. The faithful Bairam Khan was appointed as the guardian of the young emperor. Fearless Bairam Khan, with a relatively weak force, engaged in a historic battle against Emperor Himu in the Panipat desert in an attempt to salvage the lost glory of the Mughals.
The topic of our discussion today is who fought around the Second Battle of that historic Panipat.
HIMU
Vikramaditya Himu is the savior of the Afghans
The rise of Emperor Himu, the Afghan ruler in the Second Battle of Panipat, is quite dramatic. Because, in his early life he was a little grocer. Under Sher Shah (also known as Ismail Shah) he was appointed as the Hat-Bazar Inspector of Delhi. Fascinated by his actions, Sher Shah appointed him governor of the Punjab. He served as the governor till the death of Sher Shah.
Sher Shah's successor, his son Firoz Shah, was a teenager of twelve years. But Sher Shah's nephew Adil Shah killed Feroz Shah and ascended the throne himself. Adil Shah was incompetent and a lover of pleasure. As a result, he rejoiced with the money of running the state. The great wall of Afghan rule is cracked. The regional governors revolted against the emperor.
The drunken emperor Adil Shah liked Himu. He appointed Himu as the vizier of the royal court. After taking office, Himu suppressed the rebellious governors one by one. Gradually Himu's power began to increase. While suppressing the Governor of Bengal Muhammad Khan, Himu received the news of the death of the Mughal Emperor Humayun. Emperor Adil Shah did not want to miss this opportunity. He sent Himu on expeditions to Delhi and Agra.
By that time, Himu had become an expert in warfare. He defeated the Mughal ruler Tardi Beg with a large force of about 50,000 warriors and captured Delhi. When the Mughal rulers fled in fear of Himu's aggression, he was able to capture Agra almost without hindrance. Himu took part in about 22 battles during that time and won each one. In 1556, Emperor Hemchandra Himu ascended the masnad of Delhi. He then took the title of ‘Vikramaditya’. About 15,000 war elephants were allotted under him. Himu, the little shopkeeper of that day, became the glorious emperor of Delhi, Hemchandra Vikramaditya, on his own merits.
Bairam Khan is the worthy guardian of Emperor Akbar
At the age of 16, Bairam Khan joined the royal court of Emperor Babar. Since then he has faithfully accompanied the emperor in adverse circumstances. After Babar's death, he served as an important official in the court of Emperor Humayun. After the defeat of Sher Shah, when Humayun was on his way to India, Bairam Khan helped him to regain the kingdom.
Later, after Humayun's death, Bairam Khan emerged as the guardian of the young emperor. He played a very important role in making Kishore Akbar later Mahamati Akbar on the throne. His name shines in the pages of history as the most important courtier of the Mughal Empire. After Humayun's death, the Mughals came under pressure when Himu captured Delhi and Agra. But at that time he kept his head down and fought with great skill to bring back the Mughal empire. The most important battle was the Second Battle of Panipat.
The background of the War
The Mughal Empire gradually disintegrated due to Himu's aggression. When Bairam Khan took charge of Akbar, there was no state under the Mughals except Kandahar, Kabul and some villages in the Punjab. Even under the Mughals there were not enough weapons, logistics and army. In this situation, going to war against Himu's powerful forces is nothing but foolishness.
Other lawmakers urged Bairam Khan to back down. But Bairam Khan remained steadfast in his decision. He issued a decree of war against Himu on behalf of Emperor Akbar. Ali Quli Khan, Sikander Khan, Hossain Quli Beg and others came and stood for Akbar in the battle of Panipat. Bairam Khan continued to gather soldiers from different regions. He formed a medium-sized army with infantry, cavalry and archers. The Mughals were not in a position to defeat Himu by force, but they could be defeated by strategy. So Bairam Khan from his experience began to draw the war table.
Himu's army on the other hand was huge. From there he formed an army of 500 war elephants and about 30,000 cavalry and archers, twice the strength and number of the Mughals. But Himu was aware of the first battle of the Panipat. He knew that any great force could be defeated by the Mughals. So he refused to take any kind of risk. On the occasion of the battle Himu sent men to supply high quality cannons for the artillery. But luck did not help Himu in this case.
A small army was returning to Delhi with a fleet of sophisticated ammunition for Himu. But on the way they were caught by Ali Quli Khan's cavalry. The ammunition was destroyed in a battle with Ali Quli Khan's troops. Himu's soldiers fled for their lives. As a result, the Mughals were able to defeat Emperor Himu before the war started.
But Himu is not easily intimidated. He formed a well-equipped army with skilled soldiers. He formed a huge elephant army with strong elephants. Then he left for Panipat. Emperor Himu set out to uproot the Mughals.
The Second Battle of the Panipat
On November 5, 1556, Emperor Himu and Bairam Khan met in the Panipat desert. Bairam Khan was about miles away from the battlefield with the baby emperor Akbar. Himu, on the other hand, continued to fight in his favorite elephant-made seat in Hawaii. Himu's body was then covered with armor.
The Mughals were divided into three groups and were on the battlefield. Bairam Khan divided the responsibilities of the right and left forces between Sikandar Khan and Abdullah Khan Uzbeks. Ali Quli Khan was in charge of infantry and archery at this center. And from behind, Bairam Khan is in charge of the war.
At the beginning of the war, the Mughals tried to surround the Himu army according to their tradition. But Himu's elephant army thwarted the Mughal invasion. As a result, the Mughals retreated. Although initially aggressive, the Mughals were forced to change their plans in the face of Emperor Himu's elephant attack. They take a defensive stance.
Although Emperor Himu was able to wreak havoc on the right and left of the Mughals, he was unable to attack the center. Because if he advanced through the center, his soldiers would enter the borders of the Mughal archers. So he slowly put everything in order and began to prepare to strike.
The Mughal army was on the verge of defeat. Their powerful cavalry is devastated by the blows of Himu's elephants. The Mughal army kept counting the mistakes. On the other hand, the irresistible Himu continued to surround the Mughals.
But Bairam Khan, the leader of the Mughals, refused to give up. Veteran Bairam Khan was aware of his opponent's weakness. He summoned the Mughal archers. He orders them to hit Himu directly. But the task was not easy at all. Because Himu's whole body was covered by armor.
The Mughal archers tried but failed. But Himu's eyes were open. However, it is impossible to put an arrow in the eye from so far. Bairam Khan then ordered Himu to attack the elephants. Ali Quli Khan proceeded in an aggressive manner. The elephants lost their prey due to the suddenness of the attack. The elephants were forced to retreat slightly.
Seeing such a situation, Himu moved forward with his elephant. Bairam Khan's strategy worked. When Himu entered the territory of the Mughal archers, they attacked Himu in full force. Suddenly an arrow came and pierced the eyes of Emperor Himu. He fell from the top of the elephant.
The mighty Himu forces were perplexed to see their emperor fall. They were never ready for the fall of the emperor. Bigger than that, no one came forward to lead the Himu forces. As a result, there was chaos among them. The soldiers kept retreating when they came to the door of victory.
In a moment, the battle turns. The Mughals jumped on the fleeing soldiers with new vigor. Emperor Himur came ashore and sank the boat. He succumbed to the united Mughal invasion. The Mughals also won the second battle of Panipat.
About five thousand lives were lost on both sides in the war. Most of Himu's army fled while fleeing. Emperor Himu was captured by the Mughals. Himu was later sentenced to death. Bairam Khan requested the teenager Akbar to behead him. But when the emperor expressed his inability, he himself beheaded Himu. Bairam Khan sent Himur's head back to Kabul as a sign of victory.
The Significance of War
The Second Battle of Panipat is very significant in the history of India. Adil Shah fell shortly after the fall of Himu. As a result, the Mughals were able to occupy the powerful provinces of India. The Mughal rule that began with the first battle of Panipat was completed with the victory of the second battle. Within a few years, there was a complete collapse of the Afghans in India.
Historians have blamed the lack of confidence among the entire Himunivar army and soldiers as the reason for Himu's defeat in the battle of Panipat. On the other hand, the extraordinary confidence and unity of the Mughals has put them on the winning seat in the Panipat desert twice in a row. Twice they had to fight against an army superior in numbers and strength. On the plains of Panipat, the Mughals proved that even the impossible can be achieved with confidence.
Through this, the Mughal Empire, which was on the verge of extinction, was revived. And the kingdom of Himu, which was burning in the bright flame, was completely extinguished by the Mughals in one fell swoop. Mughal emperor Akbar sat in the masnad of Delhi. And then began the Mughal rule over India under the leadership of Mahamati Akbar.
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