First Battle of Panipat

The Panipat's First Battle took place on April 21, 1526, between Babur's invading army and the Lodi dynasty. It occurred in North India and marked the start of the Mughal Empire and the end of the Delhi Sultanate. This was one of the first fights in the Indian Subcontinent to use gunpowder rifles and field artillery, introduced by the Mughals.

Babur turned his attention to conquering Hindustan after losing Samarkand for the second time in 1519 when he reached the Chenab's banks. Until 1524, his only goal was to expand his dominion to Panjb, mostly to honour his ancestor Timur's heritage, as it had previously been a part of his empire. The empire of Ibrahim Lodi of the Lodi dynasty ruled most of North India at the time, but the empire was decaying, and there were many defectors. He was invited by Daulat Khan Lodi, the Governor of Punjab, and Ala-ud-Din, Ibrahim's uncle. He dispatched an embassy to Ibrahim, claiming to be the country's lawful successor, but the ambassador was imprisoned in Lahore and freed months later. In 1524, Babur set out towards Lahore, Punjab, but discovered that Ibrahim Lodi's men had forced Daulat Khan Lodi. The Lodi army marched out and was routed when Babur arrived in Lahore. Babur retaliated by burning Lahore for two days before marching to Dipalpur and appointing Alam Khan, another Lodi rebel relative, as governor. Alam Khan was deposed quickly and escaped to Kabul. In retaliation, Babur supplied Alam Khan with troops, who eventually joined forces with Daulat Khan Lodi and besieged Ibrahim Lodi at Delhi with a force of roughly 30,000 men. Babur realized Lodi would not let him occupy Punjab after fighting them and forcing Alam's army out.

First Battle of Panipat

Babur protected his right flank against the city of Panipat while creating a trench covered in tree branches to secure his left flanks after learning of Ibrahim's army's size. He arranged 700 carts in the Centre by tying them together with the help of ropes. There were breastworks essentially for his matchlock person in between every two (2) carts. Babur additionally made a guarantee that his soldiers had adequate room to rest and shoot their weapons. Due to the Ottomans' prior employment of this approach during the Battle of Chaldiran, Babur referred to it as the "Ottoman device." Ibrahim's army arrived and discovered that the access to Babur's army was too narrow to attack. While Ibrahim repositioned his men to accommodate the smaller front, Babur used the opportunity to flank (tulghuma) the Lodi army. When the conflict turned against them, many Ibrahim's forces could not go into action and flee. Ibrahim Lodi was decapitated after being killed while attempting to flee. In the fight, 20,000 Lodi soldiers were slaughtered.

Forces

Babur, the Timurid ruler of Kabulistan, beat the much bigger governing army of Ibrahim Lodi, Sultan of Delhi, in 1526. The battle took place on April 21 at Panipat, a small village in the present-day Indian state of Haryana, which had seen a series of critical clashes for control of Northern India from the twelfth century. Babur's forces were reported to roughly 15,000 men and had between 20 and 24 field artillery pieces. Babur stated that Lodi had roughly 100,000 soldiers, including camp followers, and that the fighting force numbered between Thirty thousand (30,000) and Forty thousand (40,000) men in total, including at least 1000 war elephants.

Advantage of Cannons

Babur's cannons were vital in combat, not only because Ibrahim lacked field artillery but also because the huge sound created as cannon scared Ibrahim's elephants, prompting them to crush his men. Babur's guns are thought to have been decisive in battle because Ibrahim Lodi lacked field artillery and because the sound of the cannon scared Lodi's elephants, forcing them to trample Lodi's men. However, a review of contemporary sources reveals that the tactics, not the rifle, contributed to winning the day. The tulughma and araba were two new war strategies established by Babur. Tulughma referred to the division of the entire army into three units: the Left, the Right, and the Centre. The Forward and Rear divisions were subdivided from the Left and Right divisions. A tiny army might be employed to surround the adversary from all sides in this manner. Carts (araba) were then handed to the Centre Forward division, lined up facing the enemy and lashed together with animal skin ropes. Cannons were placed behind them, sheltered and supported by mantelets that could easily manoeuvre the canons. Babur's artillery became lethal as a result of these two strategies. The guns and cannons could be shot without the risk of being struck since they were shielded by the bullock carts, which were bound together by hiding ropes. The nozzles of the big cannons could also be easily changed because they were manoeuvrable thanks to the mantelets with wheels. Ibrahim Lodi was betrayed by his feudatories and generals and perished on the battlefield (many mercenaries). The majority of them switched their allegiance to Delhi's new ruler. On the other hand, Sultan Ibrahim would have won if he had lasted another hour of combat because Babur had no reserves and his forces were rapidly weary.

Tactics

Babur's tactics included the tulguhma and araba. Tulguhma referred to the division of the entire army into three units: the Left, the Right, and the Center. The Forward and Rear divisions were subdivided from the Left and Right divisions. A tiny army might be employed to surround the adversary from all sides in this manner. Carts (araba) were then handed to the Centre Forward division, lined up facing the enemy and lashed together with animal skin ropes. Behind them were cannons protected and supported by mantlets that could easily manoeuvre the cannons. Babur's artillery became lethal as a result of these two strategies. Because the bullock carts were held in place by hiding ropes, the cannons could be fired without fear of being injured. The large guns could also be quickly manoeuvred onto new targets, thanks to the mantlets on wheels.

Babur, the Timurid king of Kabulistan, beat Ibrahim Lodi, Sultan of Delhi, and his considerably superior Mughal forces. Babur's success allowed him to set the foundations for the Mughal Empire in India. Ibrahim Lodi, along with 20,000 of his troops, died on the battlefield. The battle of Panipat was an important military victory for the Timurids. It gave Babur different but new areas and kicked off a new era in the long-running Mughal Empire in the Centre of the Indian Subcontinent.