The Early Mughal Empire – Babur
THE EVE OF BABUR’S INVASION
At the onset of the sixteenth century, India presented a picture of political disunity and
fragmentation. The mighty Delhi Sultanate was beset with problems. It had limited power
which was restricted to in and around Delhi. The Vijayanagar and Bahmani kingdoms had
disintegrated into several small kingdoms. The absence of any central authority and the
constant war among the small kingdoms offered a perfect opportunity for Zahiruddin
Muhammad Babur to invade and consolidate the whole of India. He thus began his journey
to lay the foundations of the Mughal Empire in India.
Conditions in India:
• Political Conditions: - There were innumerable small Independent Kingdoms, no powerful
central Authority, political condition of southern India was also weak, no feeling of Modern
Nationalism.
• Social Conditions: –
i.) Division- The society was divided into two groups i.e. Hindu and Muslim.
ii.) Category- The categories were three (feudal, middle group and lower group)
iii.) Social and Religious Practices - Sati system, child marriage, Jauhar etc. prevailed.
• Economic Conditions: - India was prosperous at the time of Mughal invasion. There was
ample gold and silver, the things of daily use were cheap. It seems that poor and rich both
groups were present at that time. The richness of the country was enough to attract any
invader.
Foundation of Mughal Dynasty
The Mughals established a mighty empire in the subcontinent that lasted for over three
hundred years. Under their rule, a centralised administration commanding a massive
standing army was established. At the height of its glory, the empire extended from
Afghanistan in the northwest to the Deccan in the south. The Mughals ruled over people
diverse in culture, religion, and geography, and united them under the same political rule for
a long time.
The Mughals were people of great martial lineage. They were descendants of Chenghiz Khan
and Amir Timur, of the Timurid clan. The term ‘Mughal’ is the Persian word for ‘Mongol’.
The most notable rulers of the Mughal Dynasty are:
BABUR (1526-1530 CE)
Zahir-ud-din Muhammad Babur also known as Babur was
born in 1483. He became the king of Farghana (a city in
Uzbekistan) at the early age of 12 after the death of his
father Sultan Umar Sheikh Mirza. Babur was a descendant
of Mongol conqueror Chenghiz Khan from his mother’s
side and Turkish conqueror Amir Timur from his father’s
side. Despite being a ruthless military general, Babur was
also a great poet, writer, musician, and a scholar. He
patronised art and literature.
He later occupied Samarkand (a city in Uzbekistan).
However, in three years, Babur lost both Samarkand and
Farghana, and became a landless ruler for a brief period.
He did not lose hopes of regaining power. Babur’s courage and determination, paired with
his engaging qualities and strong leadership skills, helped him to become the ruler of Kabul
in Afghanistan in 1504 CE. Babur, in his autobiography “Baburnama” has stated that he
always wanted to invade the land of Hindustan after conquering Kabul.
Babur was a keen observer and a lover of nature, hills, and valleys. He is best remembered
for having commissioned the laying of gardens (Charbagh), a practice unknown to the
subcontinent till then. He was buried in a garden in Kabul, in accordance with his will.
Babur’s Memoirs
Babur’s memoirs, called the Tuzuk-i-Baburi, was written
in flawless Turkish. His detailed accounts and keen
observations paint a graphic and fascinating picture of
not only his own personality, adventures, and
achievements, but also of the habits, customs,
appearances, manners, and occupations of his
countrymen.
His description of Hindustan includes a detailed and
accurate account of its boundaries, population,
resources, revenues, etc. It also has observations about
the fruits, flowers, birds and animals, Babur’s memoirs
are an invaluable source of information of India during
his times. During the reign of Babur’s grandson Akbar,
the Tuzuk-i- Baburi was translated into Persian. The
translation was titled the Baburnama.
Invitation from India
In 1522 CE, Babur received an opportune invitation from Daulat Khan Lodi, a rebel of the
Lodi Dynasty, to invade north India and help him defeat Ibrahim Lodi, the oppressive Sultan
of Delhi. Foreseeing a golden opportunity, Babur accepted his invitation. He first raided the
prosperous state of Punjab in 1524 CE, then returned to Kabul to prepare for his conquest of
Delhi. Meanwhile, Daulat Khan became wary of Babur’s power and prepared to attack him.
In the following year, Babur invaded India and defeated Daulat Khan. He then proceeded
towards Delhi to fight Ibrahim Lodi.
First Battle of Panipat
First Battle of Panipat was fought between Babur and Ibrahim Lodi on 21st April, 1526. This
battle plays a significant role in the establishment of Mughal rule in India.
a) Causes –
Ambition of Babur,
Miserable political condition of India,
Immense riches of India,
Fear of the Uzbeks,
Invitations extended by Daulat Khan Lodi (Governor of Punjab)
b) Events –
On 20th April 1526 Babur reached the famous historical field of Panipat with a
numerically inferior army than that of Ibrahim Lodi.
Babur’s forces numbered around 15,000 men with 20 to 24 pieces of field
artillery. The fighting force of Ibrahim Lodi was around 30,000 to 40,000 men in
total, along with at least 1000 war elephants.
Babur’s army used guns which proved to be decisive in the battlefield, but the
Sultan lacked any field artillery. Moreover, the sound of the cannons used by
Babur’s army frightened Lodi’s elephants, causing them to trample Lodi’s own
men.
On the morning of 21st April 1526, they fought a pitched battle. Babur with the
tactical use of Tulughma and artillery destroyed Lodi army. Ibrahim Lodi lost his
life along with his 15,000 soldiers in the Battle of Panipat.
c) Effects –
End of the Rule of Lodi Dynasty,
Foundation of the Mughal Empire,
End of Babur’s bad days,
Use of Artillery in India,
Popularity of Tulughma
Tulughma Strategy
It meant dividing the whole army into various units, viz. the Left, the Right, and
the Centre.
The Left and Right divisions were further subdivided into Forward and Rear
divisions.
Through this a small army could be used to surround the enemy from all the sides.
The centre forward division was then provided with carts (araba) which were
placed in rows facing the enemy and tied to each other with animal hide ropes.
Behind the Araba, cannons were placed which could be fired without any fear of
being hit as they were shielded by the bullock carts which were held in place due
to the hide ropes holding them together.
Battle of Khanwa
The most formidable threat to Babur was Rana
Sanga, the mighty ruler of Mewar. Rana Sanga
dreamt of restoring the great empire of Prithviraj
Chauhan. As soon as he realised that Babur
intended to stay in India and establish a new
empire, Sanga made efforts to gather a coalition
force.
The Battle was fought in 1527 CE between the
Rajput forces under Rana Sanga and Babur, at
Khanwa near Agra. Despite the valour of the
mighty Rajputana, they were no match to
Barbur’s artillery which comprised muskets and
Rana Sangha
canons.
The Mughals won the war and entrenched their rule over the vast expanse of Central
India. By defeating the Rajputs, Babur eradicated the greatest threat to the rule of
the Mughals.
However, it was the Battle of Chanderi which resulted in the complete submission of
the mighty Rajputs.
Battle of Chanderi
Medini Rai, a powerful Rajput chief of Malwa refused to enter any treaty with Babur
and didn’t accept Babur’s offer of a Jagir in lieu of Chanderi.
Consequently, Babur pressed the seige of Chanderi with full vigour and attacked the
Fort of Chanderi from all sides.
On 29th January 1528, the Fort was captured. The Rajputs lost their lives and their
women burnt themselves by performing Jauhar. After this no other Rajput chief
could challenge the authority of Babur.
This battle destroyed the remnants of the Rajput power in India. Since then, the
Rajputs became subjugated allies of the Mughal Dynasty in India.
Battle of Ghagra
The threat of the Rajputs was successfully diminished by Babur, however the
problem of the Afghans persisted, especially in Bengal and Bihar. He decided to put
an end to the Afghan menace, even at the risk of a war and marched towards Bengal
to defeat Mahmud Lodi (brother of Ibrahim Lodi) who had taken refuge in Bengal.
On 6th May 1529 Battle of Ghagra was fought and the Afghans were completely
defeated.
When Babur died in 1530 CE, he was the ruler in the lands of Punjab, Delhi, and the
entire Gangetic as far as Bihar. However, his short-lived reign did not permit him to
establish a central authority in his vast kingdom. Thus, after his death, Humayun, his
son and successor, was left with a kingdom that was held together only by force and
fear and not loyalty.
