History of First Battle of Panipat.
                     HISTORY OF THE 
FIRST BATTLE OF 
PANIPAT
FIRST BATTLE OF PANIPAT
The First Battle of Panipat was fought on 21 April 
1526 between the invading forces of Babur and the 
Lodi dynasty. It took place in north India and marked 
the beginning of the Mughal Empire and the end of 
the Delhi Sultanate.
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REASONS
After losing Samarkand for the second time, Babur 
gave attention to conquer India, though initially his 
aim was to only expand his rule to Punjab, mainly to 
fulfi ll his ancestor Timur's legacy. At that time, parts 
of north India were under the rule of Ibrahim Lodi of 
the Lodi dynasty, but the empire was crumbling and 
there were many defectors.
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BABUR
A descendant of Timur, Babur became a refugee at 
the age of twelve when the Uzbeks seized Samarkand 
in 1494. At age fi fteen he was back with his own 
warband. He laid siege to his home city, but without 
success. Soon, he found himself tempted by the 
unimaginable wealth of India. 
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SULTAN IBRAHIM LODI
The Sultanate of Delhi was under the control of an 
Afghan elite, a capricious and divisive ruler, Sultan 
Ibrahim Lodi, who had alienated many of his nobles. It 
was local lord in Hindustan who, in 1523, invited 
Babur to undertake a full-scale invasion.
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BABUR’S TACTICS
Although he clearly was attracted by the idea of 
invasion, Babur was in no hurry. His army numbered 
only 10,000 men, so he made sure that they were well 
equipped and superbly trained before committing to 
his assault on Hindustan. He took the time to train 
them in the use of gunpowder weapons.
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BABUR BEGINS THE CONQUEST
His army swept aside the Afghan force that marched 
out to meet it, so Sultan Ibrahim himself led a second 
army into the field, taking up a position at Panipat, to 
the north of Delhi. On 12 April 1526, Babur found 
himself confronted with an enormous multitude: 
100,000 men and 1,000 elephants.
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MORE TACTICS
Unfazed by the might of the Lodi army, Babur set about 
constructing an impromptu fortress on the open plain, 
tying 700 carts together and fronting them with 
earthen ramparts as protection for his cannon and for 
his musketeers. Babur was able to consolidate his 
position still further. He dug trenches and felled trees, 
constructing barriers to the left and right, while leaving 
gaps through which his cavalry could charge.
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THE BATTLE
On 21 April, Ibrahim finally made his move. His troops 
surged forward, only to be brought up short by Babur’s 
fortifications. The Mughal cavalry came wheeling in 
from the wings and the sultan’s force was effectively 
surrounded and Babur’s gunners opened up their 
bombardment from behind their barrier, fi ring at point-
blank range into the close-packed mass. Unable either 
to advance or retreat, the Afghan army was cut down 
cruelly.
THE MUGHAL EMPIRE
Babur was now the undisputed ruler of Hindustan. On 
the basis of this victory, he was able to establish a 
glorious new ruling line, in honor of its founder’s 
Timurid origins and of the Mongol antecedents of 
Timur himself. This was to be known as the Mughal 
dynasty and this victory marked the beginning of the 
Mughal Empire in India.