First Battle of Panipat

The First Battle of Panipat took place in 1526 between the invading forces of Babur and the last of the Delhi Sultanate Empire under Ibrahim Lodi. It took place at Panipat (Haryana) and marked the beginning of the Mughal Empire.

The significance of this battle was that this was one of the earliest battles involving the use of gunpowder as firearms and field artillery in India.

Why was the Battle Fought?

Ibrahim Lodi the last king of Lodi dynasty attempted to extend the royal authority and asserted his absolute power over his citizens. He was a cruel king and the people hated him. This made the governor of the Punjab, Daulat Khan Lodi, invite the Mughal ruler Babur, to invade India.

Babur accepted the offer and inflicted a crushing defeat on Ibrahim Lodhi in the first battle of Panipat in 1526. Ibrahim was killed whereupon the loose aristocratic confederacy of the Lodis faded.

Military Tactics of the First Battle of Panipat

According to estimates, Babur had 15,000 men whereas Ibrahim Lodi's forces numbered 100,000. This means that Ibrahim forces were numerically superior to that of Babur's forces. Babur's army was a mixture of Turks, Mongols, Iranians and Afghans and consisted of cavalry and gunners with gunpowder matchlocks and cannons while Ibrahim Lodi's forces consisted predominantly of war Elephants and heavy Cavalry besides Infantry. Victory depended on the battlefield tactics.

Babur succeeded in winning the battle owing to new tactics introduced by him such as the Tulghuma and the Araba. Tulghuma is a tactic aimed at dividing the whole army into small units and placing them on the flanks. Araba meant carts that were placed in large numbers in rows facing the enemy and tied to each other with ropes.

Babur further divided the divisions on the flanks into Forward and Rear divisions. Babur knew that his army was less in number and hence the best way for him was to split his army into formations so as to encircle the enemy from all sides. Behind the carts cannons were placed, protected and supported by mantlets which could be used to easily maneuver the cannons.

These two tactics made Babur's artillery lethal. The cannons could be fired without any fear of being hit, as they were shielded by the bullock carts held in place by ropes. The heavy cannons could also change their direction for new targets, as they could be maneuvered by the mantlets which were on wheels.

Babur's tactics at Panipat showed the influence of a mix of two military traditions - The Ottoman and the Mongol-timurid traditions. The adoption of the cart-wagon line allowed them to create artificial defenses for their infantry.

On the other hand, Ibrahim Lodi's, army relied heavily on Elephants and Cavalry. Besides, he also had infantry which was not well developed. They were predominantly foot archers and Pashtun tribal foot soldiers. The battle field tactics of Ibrahim Lodhi consisted of five-fold division such as the vanguard and the units on, the right, the left, the centre and the rear. Ibrahim Lodhi tactic was to use his strike forces of Elephants and heavy Cavalry.

Babur's men used gunpowder effectively against Lodi's army, with the help of two experienced Ottoman gunners specially brought for the purpose. Then, taking Lodi by surprise, two wings of Babur's army attacked from the rear and side. It was a grim affair. Thousands died on both sides. In less than three hours, Ibrahim Lodi was killed and the Delhi Sultanate was history.

Aftermath

The victory of Babur's invading army in the First Battle of Panipat, led to the establishment of one of the great empires of medieval India - the Mughal dynasty.

Even then Babur had to encounter several other opposition to his rule and the first one came in the form of the Rajput King Rana Sanga, the ruler of Mewar who fought Babur at Khanwa.