The Battle of Panipat in 1526 changed the course of Indian history. It marked the end of the
Lodhi Empire and beginning of the
Mughal era. This battle was fought between the Mughal prince
Babur and
Ibrahim Lodhi, the then emperor of
Delhi. The battle, which lasted for just 3 hours, resulted in the death of the emperor and the subsequent capture of the Delhi throne by the Mughals.
Babur, who was the ruler of Afghanistan, captured Punjab. He proceeded towards Panipat with an army of about 12,000 soldiers and 5 to 20 pieces of field artillery. Although the Delhi emperor’s army outnumbered the Mughals by a huge margin, it lacked the artillery support of its opponents. The use of artillery proved decisive in this battle. The deafening sound of the cannons created a panic among Ibrahim Lodhi’s elephants, which ran about helter-skelter trampling his own men. Another major reason for Lodhi’s sudden defeat was the lack of any loyalty among his men. Following the heavy bombardment, his army quickly disintegrated. The battle ended with the death of Ibrahim Lodhi.
The victorious Babur entered Agra two weeks later and occupied the city and the Delhi throne. He was gifted with the Kohinoor Diamond. His ascending of the throne saw the establishment of the Mughal Empire, which ruled most parts of India for the next three centuries. The battle of Panipat marked the beginning of the wide scale use of artillery in a war.
