- Date:
- 1556
- Participants:
- Delhi sultanate
- Mughal dynasty
- Context:
- Battles of Panipat
- Key People:
- Akbar
Second Battle of Panipat (1556)
When and between whom was the Second Battle of Panipat fought?
Why was the Second Battle of Panipat important?
What events led to the Second Battle of Panipat?
How did the Mughal army defeat Hemu’s larger force in the Second Battle of Panipat?
What happened after the Second Battle of Panipat?
Second Battle of Panipat (1556), one of three conflicts that took place between 1526 and 1761 at Panipat (now in Haryana, India), about 50 miles (80 km) north of Delhi. The Second Battle of Panipat is believed to have occurred on November 5, 1556, and was fought between Mughal ruler Akbar and Hindu minister Hemu. This battle was a key contest that determined whether Mughal restoration would succeed and whether Sur (an Afghan dynasty) power would be destroyed. This battle took place close to where the first Mughal ruler, Babur, had fought the First Battle of Panipat.
The Second Battle of Panipat is discussed in detail below the following chart, which provides a quick comparison of the three battles.
| battle | year | fought between | victor and consequences |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Battle of Panipat | 1526 | the Mughal ruler Babur and Ibrahim Lodi, the last ruler of the Lodi dynasty | Babur won, and the base for Mughal rule in India was set. |
| Second Battle of Panipat | 1556 | the Mughal ruler Akbar and the Hindu minister Hemu | Akbar won, and Mughal rule was reinstated in northern India. |
| Third Battle of Panipat | 1761 | the Afghan Durrani chief Ahmad Shah Durrani and Sadashiv Rao Bhau of the Maratha army | Ahmad Shah Durrani won, and the rule of the Marathas started to diminish. |
Background
Babur’s decisive victory in the First Battle of Panipat against Ibrahim Lodi, the Afghan sultan of Delhi, did not put an end to Afghan opposition to Mughal rule. The Second Battle of Panipat proved to be a trial of the stability and authority of the Mughal Empire. After the brief rule of Babur (1526–30), his son Humayun came to power. On June 26, 1539, only nine years into his rule, Humayun was defeated by Sher Shah of Sur (Afghan soldier of fortune) in the Battle of Chausa. Shortly after, in Kannauj, Humayun faced another defeat against Sher Shah of Sur in May 1540. Humayun fled, and Sher Shah of Sur, who had previously captured Bengal, Bihar, and northern India, established the Sur dynasty. His regime lasted only five years, as he died on May 22, 1545. Instability, chaos, and issues of succession followed his death.
The last Sur ruler, Adil Shah, lost the Bengal and Malwa regions during internal conflicts with Sher Shah’s nephews. The continuous infighting escalated into a civil war, which allowed Humayun to take advantage and recover lost territory. In February 1555 he succeeded in taking over Lahore, which was followed by the capture of Delhi on July 23, 1555. The success, however, was short-lived, as he died in January 1556, leaving the Mughal throne to his 13-year-old son Akbar. The Sur dynasty still held power over much of India, and Hemu, a Hindu chief, appointed head of the Sur army by Adil Shah, seized the opportunity to retake Sur territory from Akbar.
The battle
Hemu had fought and won 22 wars for the Afghans. Soon after Humayun captured Delhi and Agra, Hemu marched with a large army from the eastern provinces to recover them. After Humayun’s death, Hemu posed a grave threat to Mughal authority. As Hemu advanced toward northern India, the Mughal governor of Agra fled to Delhi. Hemu then moved toward Delhi, where the Mughal commander Tardi Beg engaged him near Tughlaqabad on October 7, 1556. After a fierce fight, Hemu captured Delhi. The news of the crushing defeat at Tughlaqabad reached Akbar, who was in Jalandhar at the time, and he began marching toward Delhi. The battle that ensued on November 5, 1556, is called the Second Battle of Panipat.
Akbar was supported by his guardian, the seasoned general Bairam Khan. Akbar himself did not participate in the battle and was stationed several miles away with Bairam Khan. The Mughal army of 10,000 cavalry faced Hemu’s army of 30,000 cavalry and 500 war elephants. On November 5, 1556, Hemu’s army advanced with elephants, attacking the right and left wings of the Mughal army. To avoid the elephants, the Mughal cavalry moved around the flanks and rear, shooting arrows at the elephants, targeting their drivers, and creating confusion among the animals. The Mughals were heavily outnumbered by the Afghans but had penetrated the opposing army from the side and rear, causing great losses in Hemu’s army. Hemu was struck by an arrow in his eye during the continuous fighting. This demoralized his troops, who promptly fled or surrendered. According to some accounts, Hemu pulled out the arrow and ordered the fighting to continue, but fell soon after. A Mughal captain led Hemu and his elephant to Akbar’s camp, where he was beheaded by Bairam Khan.
Akbar captured both Agra and Delhi and ruled for the next 49 years, during which he greatly expanded the Mughal Empire.
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An estimated 5,000 soldiers died in this battle.
Forces and military strategy
The Second Battle of Panipat demonstrated the contrast between Hemu’s reliance on war elephants and mass offensive action and the Mughal preference for mobile cavalry tactics and coordinated battlefield maneuvers. Hemu’s army included approximately 500 war elephants and a cavalry of 30,000. The Mughal army, on the other hand, included 10,000 cavalry. The military strategies of both forces were different. Hemu, on his war elephant, led his horsemen in formation from the front, while Akbar was stationed with 5,000 soldiers away from the actual battle, with generals leading the main Mughal troops on the battlefield. Hemu’s troops relied more on war elephants, which broke the Mughal forces’ defense and allowed Hemu’s forces to attack. This strategy worked well initially, but the Mughal forces disrupted the attack from the rear and sides.
During the battle Mughal troops allowed portions of Hemu’s force to advance while some cavalrymen moved against the opposition’s flanks. The Mughal right wing avoided direct confrontation with the elephants and instead attacked Hemu’s troops on the sides. A striking feature of Mughal fighting strategy was the use of archers and cavalry around the enemy lines. Mughal cavalry rode behind Hemu’s elephants and targeted their drivers or attacked the animals’ legs. These tactics reduced the effectiveness of the elephants and disrupted the cohesion of Hemu’s attack. Once the elephants began to lose momentum, Mughal cavalry emerged from protected positions and launched counterattacks against the advancing Afghan and Rajput troops.
The collapse of Hemu’s attacking line paved the way for a decisive Mughal victory and removed the most immediate challenge to Akbar’s throne. The Second Battle of Panipat played a crucial role in consolidating Mughal power in India.
