Battle for Delhi
Encyclopedia
Battle for Hindu Raj at Delhi(1556)
Battle for Hindu Raj at Delhi
had taken place at Tughlaqabad on 5-6 October between Hindu king known as Hemu
or Samrat Hem Chandra Vikramaditya and forces of Emperor Akbar, who were led by the governor of Delhi, Tardi Baig Khan. According to Vincent A. Smith, this was the period when Mughals, Afghans and Hindu King Hemu were vying for power in North India.
Humanyun, the then emperor of Delhi had recaptured Delhi and Agra
in February 1555, after he had run away to Kabul
experiencing a defeat by Afghan king Sher Shah Suri
at Kannauj in 1540. He was ruling Delhi and Agra from Purana Quila, Delhi. As ill-luck would have it, he fell from the stairs of his library building and died after a few days on 26 January 1556. A courier was sent immediately to Punjab where his son Akbar was en-camped along with his guardian, Bairam Khan. At Delhi, Humanyun's death was kept a secret for seventeen days and it was made public only on 11th Feb. 1556 at the capital and Khutba was read in the name of Akbar in the mosques of Delhi. Three days after reading Khutba, Akbar was formally crowned on Friday, the 14th Feberuary, 1556 at Kalanur in Punjab. According to J.M.Shelat, the formal ceremony was held at noon in a garden on a plain brick structure 18 feet long and 3 feet high and young emperor was sovereign and king of India only in name. The news soon travelled far and wide in every nook and corner of India.
According to Sir Jadunath Sarkar, "when Humanyun returned from his exile in Persia and recovered Delhi and Agra (23rd July,1555), Hemu marched from the eastern provinces with a large army to recover these royal cities." Hemu was in Bengal where he quelled a rebellion by defeating and killing, Governor of Bengal, Muhhamad Shah at Chhaparghata. I.H.Quereshi also writes that "Hemu watched for an opportunity after Humanyun's capture of Delhi which came in the shape of his death." According to K.K.Bhardwaj in "Hemu, Nepolean of Medieval India" It is thus manifest that Hemu was determined to drive the Mughals out of India and restore the Hindu Raj, and death of Humanyun was thus a God sent opportunity to him to accomplish this task. This determination was akin to that of Chandragupta Maurya who drove out Yavanas (the Greek invaders) from India and librated the country from the foreign yoke. For this Hemu started from Chunar and reached Delhi via Etawah, Kalpi, Agra and Bayana and the brave Mughal Fauzdars evacuated their positions and fled in panic of the mighty Hemu. Only Iskandar Khan Uzbeg offered feeble resistance, but Hemu soon occupied Agra and got an enormous treasure and equipment. K.K.Bhardwaj describes Hemu's march from Chunar to Delhi akin to Napolean's march in Europe, where "He came, he saw, he conquered". Before entering Delhi, like Napolean, Hemu had won 21 battles, without losing any.
From Agra, Hemu marched upon Delhi following close upon the heels of the retreating Army. Tardi Khan who was the governor of Delhi immediately sent a despatch to Akbar and Bairam Khan that Hemu had captured Agra and was intending to attack the capital Delhi, which could not be defended until adequate reinforcements were sent in time. Bairam Khan who visualised the gravity of the situation, sent his ablest lieutenant Pir Muhhamad Sherwani with other brave commanders to Tardi Beg to hearten him advising to do his utmost for the time being.Tardi Beg Khan at his own also called all Mughal commanders of the neighbourhood to the rescue of Delhi and many marched soon. Arrival of Ali Quli Khan Shaibani was eagerly awaited but without result. A war council was held. It was decided after an animated debate to give battle to Hemu and plans were made on how to do it best.
Sir Jadunath Sarkar writes in detail about the battle at Tughlaqabad as follows:
"The Mughal army was thus drawn up. Abdullah Uzbeg commanded the van, Haider Muhammad the right wing, Iskander Beg the left and Tardi Beg himself the centre. The choice Turki Cavalry in the Van and left wing attacked and drove back the enemy forces before them and followed far in pursuit. In this assault the Victors captured 400 elephants and slew 3000 men of the Afghan army. Imagining victory already gained, many of Tardi Beg's followers dispersed to plunder the enemy camp and he was left in the field thinnly guarded. All this time Hemu was holding 300 choice elephants and a force of select horsemen as a reserve in the centre. He promptly seized the opportunity and made a sudden charge upon Tardi Beg with this reserve."
The result was obvious. The confusion and defeat for the Mughals ( TO BE COMPLETED)
Battle for Hindu Raj at Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
had taken place at Tughlaqabad on 5-6 October between Hindu king known as Hemu
Hemu
Samrat Hem Chandra Vikramaditya, Hemu Vikramaditya or simply Hemu was a Hindu Emperor of India during the sixteenth century, in medieval times...
or Samrat Hem Chandra Vikramaditya and forces of Emperor Akbar, who were led by the governor of Delhi, Tardi Baig Khan. According to Vincent A. Smith, this was the period when Mughals, Afghans and Hindu King Hemu were vying for power in North India.
Humanyun, the then emperor of Delhi had recaptured Delhi and Agra
Agra
Agra a.k.a. Akbarabad is a city on the banks of the river Yamuna in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India, west of state capital, Lucknow and south from national capital New Delhi. With a population of 1,686,976 , it is one of the most populous cities in Uttar Pradesh and the 19th most...
in February 1555, after he had run away to Kabul
Kabul
Kabul , spelt Caubul in some classic literatures, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan...
experiencing a defeat by Afghan king Sher Shah Suri
Sher Shah Suri
Sher Shah Suri , birth name Farid Khan, also known as Sher Khan , was the founder of the short-lived Sur Empire in northern India, with its capital at Delhi, before its demise in the hands of the resurgent Mughal Empire...
at Kannauj in 1540. He was ruling Delhi and Agra from Purana Quila, Delhi. As ill-luck would have it, he fell from the stairs of his library building and died after a few days on 26 January 1556. A courier was sent immediately to Punjab where his son Akbar was en-camped along with his guardian, Bairam Khan. At Delhi, Humanyun's death was kept a secret for seventeen days and it was made public only on 11th Feb. 1556 at the capital and Khutba was read in the name of Akbar in the mosques of Delhi. Three days after reading Khutba, Akbar was formally crowned on Friday, the 14th Feberuary, 1556 at Kalanur in Punjab. According to J.M.Shelat, the formal ceremony was held at noon in a garden on a plain brick structure 18 feet long and 3 feet high and young emperor was sovereign and king of India only in name. The news soon travelled far and wide in every nook and corner of India.
According to Sir Jadunath Sarkar, "when Humanyun returned from his exile in Persia and recovered Delhi and Agra (23rd July,1555), Hemu marched from the eastern provinces with a large army to recover these royal cities." Hemu was in Bengal where he quelled a rebellion by defeating and killing, Governor of Bengal, Muhhamad Shah at Chhaparghata. I.H.Quereshi also writes that "Hemu watched for an opportunity after Humanyun's capture of Delhi which came in the shape of his death." According to K.K.Bhardwaj in "Hemu, Nepolean of Medieval India" It is thus manifest that Hemu was determined to drive the Mughals out of India and restore the Hindu Raj, and death of Humanyun was thus a God sent opportunity to him to accomplish this task. This determination was akin to that of Chandragupta Maurya who drove out Yavanas (the Greek invaders) from India and librated the country from the foreign yoke. For this Hemu started from Chunar and reached Delhi via Etawah, Kalpi, Agra and Bayana and the brave Mughal Fauzdars evacuated their positions and fled in panic of the mighty Hemu. Only Iskandar Khan Uzbeg offered feeble resistance, but Hemu soon occupied Agra and got an enormous treasure and equipment. K.K.Bhardwaj describes Hemu's march from Chunar to Delhi akin to Napolean's march in Europe, where "He came, he saw, he conquered". Before entering Delhi, like Napolean, Hemu had won 21 battles, without losing any.
From Agra, Hemu marched upon Delhi following close upon the heels of the retreating Army. Tardi Khan who was the governor of Delhi immediately sent a despatch to Akbar and Bairam Khan that Hemu had captured Agra and was intending to attack the capital Delhi, which could not be defended until adequate reinforcements were sent in time. Bairam Khan who visualised the gravity of the situation, sent his ablest lieutenant Pir Muhhamad Sherwani with other brave commanders to Tardi Beg to hearten him advising to do his utmost for the time being.Tardi Beg Khan at his own also called all Mughal commanders of the neighbourhood to the rescue of Delhi and many marched soon. Arrival of Ali Quli Khan Shaibani was eagerly awaited but without result. A war council was held. It was decided after an animated debate to give battle to Hemu and plans were made on how to do it best.
Sir Jadunath Sarkar writes in detail about the battle at Tughlaqabad as follows:
"The Mughal army was thus drawn up. Abdullah Uzbeg commanded the van, Haider Muhammad the right wing, Iskander Beg the left and Tardi Beg himself the centre. The choice Turki Cavalry in the Van and left wing attacked and drove back the enemy forces before them and followed far in pursuit. In this assault the Victors captured 400 elephants and slew 3000 men of the Afghan army. Imagining victory already gained, many of Tardi Beg's followers dispersed to plunder the enemy camp and he was left in the field thinnly guarded. All this time Hemu was holding 300 choice elephants and a force of select horsemen as a reserve in the centre. He promptly seized the opportunity and made a sudden charge upon Tardi Beg with this reserve."
The result was obvious. The confusion and defeat for the Mughals ( TO BE COMPLETED)