Evaluate the First battle of Panipat in the history of India.
Answers
Answer:
Panipat is situated in the north of Delhi and is the location of three historic battles that shaped Mughal history.
In total three Battles of Panipat took place namely First Battle of Panipat in 1526, Second Battle of Panipat in 1556 and Third Battle of Panipat in 1761.
First Battle of Panipat
When: 21 April 1526
Fought between: Babur and Ibrahim Lodhi
Place: Near Panipat
On 21 April 1526, the First Battle of Panipat took place between the invading forces of Babur and the Lodhi Empire. This battle saw the emergence of Mughal rule and gave a stronger foothold on the subcontinent. According to the legends, it was the earliest battles in which gunpowder firearms and field artillery were used.
About the Battle in Detail
The Babur was the Timurid ruler of Kabulistan and in 1526 defeated the Sultan of Delhi, Ibrahim Lodhi's huge army. The battle took place near the small village of Panipat, present-day Haryana state. No doubt the area has been the site of several decisive battles for the control of Northern India since the 12th Century.
It is estimated that the forces of Babur were numbered around 15,000 men and 20 to 24 pieces of field artillery. According to the Babur estimation, Lodhi had around 100,000 men, included camp followers and the fighting force was around 30,000 to 40,000 men in total with at least 1000 war elephants.
What are the advantages of using Cannons in the Battle?
It is correctly seen that Ibrahim Lodhi had a huge army then also he was defeated by the Babur. It is due to field artillery, cannon. The sound of cannon was so loud that it frightened Ibrahim Lodhi's elephants and trampled Lodhi's men. It is also said that apart from the guns and all, it was a Babur tactic that gained him the victory. Let us tell you that the new war tactics that were introduced by Babur were the tulughma and the araba. Tulughma is dividing the whole army into several units like the Left, the Right and the Centre. The Left and Right divisions were further divided into Forward and Rear divisions. Due to this, a small army was able to surround the enemy from all sides. The Centre forward division was provided with carts (araba) which were placed in rows facing the enemy and tied to each other with animal ropes.
In the battle itself, Ibrahim Lodhi died on the field, abandoned by his feudatories and generals.