Battle of Khanwa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Khanwa |
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 A painting showing the Rajput Army (left) fighting the Mughal Army (right) |
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Mughal Empire | Rajput Confederation Kingdom of Mewar Kingdom of Marwar Kingdom of Amber Kingdom of Vagad Kingdom of Mewat |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Babur Humayun Bairam Khan Ustad Ali Quli Mustafa Rumi Chin Timur Khan Mir Khalifa Mir Abdul Aziz Mir Muhammed Ali Khan Khusrau Shah Kokultash Kasim Husein Khan Zaman Mirza Askari Mirza Hindal Mirza Sayyid Mahdi Khawaja Asad Malik Hast |
Rana Sanga (WIA) Prithviraj Kachwaha Maldev Rathore Kalyanmal rathod Uday Singh of Vagad † Bharmal Rathod Medini Rai Hasan Khan Mewati † Ratan Singh of Merta † Manik Chand Chauhan † Chandrabhan Chauhan † Ratan Singh Chundawat † Kam Dev Singh Sikarwar † Raj Rana Ajja Jhala of Bari Sadri † Rao Ramdas Gokaldas Parmar † Rajrana sajja jhala of delwara † Silhadi(Joined Mughal Army in the middle of battle) |
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| Strength | |||||||||
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40,000 to 50,000
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| Heavy | Heavy | ||||||||
The Battle of Khanwa was a big fight that happened at Khanwa on March 16, 1527. It was fought between the army of Babur, who was from the Timurid Empire, and the Rajput Confederation. The Rajput Confederation was led by Rana Sanga. Both sides wanted to control Northern India.
This battle was very important in the history of Medieval India. Even though Babur had won the First Battle of Panipat, the old Delhi Sultanate was already weak. But the Kingdom of Mewar, led by Rana Sanga, was one of the strongest powers in northern India at that time. Because of this, the Battle of Khanwa was one of the most important battles in the Mughal conquest of northern India. It was also one of the first battles in Northern India where a lot of gunpowder was used. Both sides lost many soldiers.
Contents
Why the Battle Happened
Before 1524, Babur wanted to expand his rule into the Punjab. He wanted to follow in the footsteps of his ancestor, Timur, who had ruled there. Much of northern India was under Ibrahim Lodi of the Lodi dynasty, but his empire was falling apart. Many people were leaving his side.
Babur had already attacked Punjab in 1504 and 1518. In 1519, he tried to invade Punjab again but had to go back to Kabul. In 1520–21, Babur tried to conquer Punjab once more. He easily took Bhira and Sialkot, which were like "gateways to Hindustan." Babur took towns and cities all the way to Lahore. But he had to stop again because of rebellions in Qandhar.
In 1523, Babur received invitations to invade the Delhi Sultanate. These invitations came from Alam Khan Lodi (Ibrahim's brother), Daulat Khan Lodi (Governor of Punjab), and Ala-ud-Din (Ibrahim's uncle). Babur agreed to invade India. However, there were arguments between Babur's men and the Lodi rebels. Alam Khan wanted Delhi for himself after it was conquered. Babur refused. So, Alam Khan tried to attack Delhi alone but was defeated by Ibrahim Lodi. Daulat Khan also went against Babur. He took Sialkot from Babur's soldiers and marched towards Lahore. But Daulat Khan was defeated at Lahore. This victory made Babur the ruler of Punjab. Babur then continued his conquest and defeated the Lodi sultanate's army in the First Battle of Panipat. He killed the Sultan and started the Mughal Empire.
According to Babur's own writings, called the Baburnama, Rana Sanga had offered to help Babur against Ibrahim Lodi. But when Babur attacked Lodi and took Delhi and Agra, Sanga did not do anything. Babur felt that Sanga had broken their agreement. However, Rajput stories say the opposite. They claim that Sanga was already winning against the Lodi Empire and did not need Babur's help. Instead, they say Babur asked Sanga for an alliance against the Lodi Empire. Some historians think Sanga might have believed Babur would leave India after taking its treasures, like Timur had done. But when Sanga realized Babur planned to stay, he started to gather a large army to either force Babur out or keep him only in Afghanistan. In early 1527, Babur heard that Sanga's army was moving towards Agra.
Rana Sanga believed Babur was a foreigner ruling in India. He wanted to remove Babur and expand his own lands by taking Delhi and Agra. Some Afghan leaders who felt tricked by Babur also supported Rana Sanga.
First Fights
After the First Battle of Panipat, Babur knew that his main threats were Rana Sanga and the Afghans in eastern India. Babur decided that the Afghans were a bigger threat first. So, he sent his son Humayun with an army to fight the Afghans in the east. But when Babur heard that Rana Sanga was moving towards Agra, he quickly called Humayun back.
Babur then sent groups of soldiers to take Dholpur, Gwalior, and Bayana. These were strong forts that protected Agra. The commanders of Dholpur and Gwalior gave up their forts to Babur. But Nizam Khan, the commander of Bayana, talked to both Babur and Sanga. On February 21, 1527, Rana Sanga's army defeated the soldiers Babur had sent to Bayana.
A historian named William Erskine wrote in the 1800s that the Mughals had tough fights with the Rajputs. He said the Rajputs were much stronger than the Afghans or any other Indian people they had fought before. The Rajputs were brave and ready to die for their honor.
Rana Sanga had defeated all the Mughal groups sent against him. This made Babur's army very scared. Babur wrote that the "fierceness and valor of the pagan army" made his troops "anxious and afraid." The Afghans in Babur's army started to leave. The Turks complained about fighting for a land they hated. They asked Babur to go back to Kabul with the treasures they had collected. Babur wrote that "no manly word or brave council was heard from any one soever."
Getting Ready for Battle
Rana Sanga had created a very strong military alliance against Babur. Almost all the main Rajput kings from Rajasthan joined him. These included kings from Harauti, Jalor, Sirohi, Dungarpur, and Dhundhar. Rao Ganga of Marwar did not join in person but sent his son, Maldev Rathore, with soldiers. Rao Medini Rai of Chanderi also joined.
Also, Mahmud Lodi, the younger son of Sikandar Lodi, joined the alliance. The Afghans had made him their new sultan. He brought Afghan horsemen with him. Khanzada Hasan Khan Mewati, the ruler of Mewat, also joined with his men. Babur called the Afghans who joined Sanga "traitors" to Islam. Some historians believe this alliance was a Rajput-Afghan effort to kick Babur out of India and bring back the Lodi empire.
According to Babur, Rana Sanga's army had 200,000 soldiers. However, some historians think this number is too high. Even if the number was exaggerated, it is clear that Sanga's army was much larger than Babur's. The large numbers and the reported bravery of the Rajputs made Babur's army very afraid. An astrologer made things worse by giving bad predictions.
To make his soldiers feel braver, Babur made the battle seem like a religious fight against Hindus. Babur then promised to stop drinking wine. He broke his drinking cups and poured out all his wine. He made a promise to never drink again. In his autobiography, Babur wrote that this was a good plan and helped both his friends and enemies see him in a better light.
Babur knew that if he fought the Rajputs in the open, his army would be crushed by their charge. So, he planned a defensive strategy. He built a fortified camp. He would use his muskets and cannons to weaken his enemies. Then, he would attack when their spirits were low. Babur carefully chose the battle site. Like at Panipat, he made his front line strong by using carts tied together with iron chains. He also used shields to protect his soldiers. Gaps between the carts allowed his horsemen to charge at the right moment. To make the line longer, ropes made of animal hide were placed over wooden tripods with wheels. He protected his sides by digging ditches. Foot-musketeers, small cannons, and mortars were placed behind the carts. From there, they could fire and move forward if needed. Heavy Turkic horsemen stood behind them. Two groups of elite horsemen were kept in reserve for a special flanking tactic called taulqama. This way, Babur had prepared a strong defensive and offensive formation.
The Battle
Rana Sanga fought in the traditional way, charging at the Mughal lines. His army was shot down in large numbers by the Mughal muskets. The loud noise of the muskets also scared the horses and elephants of the Rajput army. This caused them to trample their own men.
Rana Sanga found it impossible to attack the center of the Mughal army. So, he ordered his men to attack the Mughal sides. The fighting on the two sides continued for three hours. During this time, the Mughals fired muskets and arrows at the Rajput soldiers. The Rajputs could only fight back when they were very close.
Babur wrote: "Band after band of the Pagan troops followed each other to help their men, so we in our turn sent detachment after detachment to reinforce our fighters on that side."
Babur tried to use his famous taulqama (pincer movement) tactic. But his men could not complete it. Twice they pushed the Rajputs back. However, because of the constant attacks from the Rajput horsemen, they had to go back to their positions. Around this time, Silhadi of Raisen left Rana Sanga's army and joined Babur. Silhadi's betrayal forced Rana Sanga to change his plans and give new orders. Some historians say this betrayal never happened and was made up later.
During the battle, Rana Sanga was shot by a bullet and fell unconscious. This caused great confusion in the Rajput army and a short break in the fighting. Babur wrote about this event, saying "the accursed infidels remained confounded for one hour." A Rajput leader named Ajja pretended to be the Rana and led the Rajput army. Rana Sanga was hidden among his trusted men. The Rajputs kept attacking but could not break through the Mughal sides. Their center could not do anything against the strong Mughal center.
A historian named Jadunath Sarkar explained the fight: "In the centre the Rajputs continued to fall without being able to retaliate in the least or advance to close grips. They were hopelessly outclassed in weapon and their dense masses only increased their hopeless slaughter, as every bullet found its billet."
Babur saw that the Rajput center was weak. He ordered his men to attack. The Mughal attack pushed the Rajputs back. This forced the Rajput commanders to rush to the front, and many of them died. The Rajputs lost their leaders because most of their senior commanders were dead. Their unconscious king had been moved out of the battle. The Rajputs made a final desperate charge on the Mughal left and right sides. Here, their bravest soldiers were killed. The battle ended in their complete defeat. Dead bodies were found as far as Bayana, Alwar, and Mewat. The Mughals were very tired and had many casualties after the long fight. So, they did not chase the retreating Rajputs. Babur himself gave up the idea of invading Mewar.
After the battle, Babur ordered a tower to be built using the skulls of his enemies. This was a practice started by Timur. This was done not just to show a great victory, but also to scare future opponents. Babur had used this same tactic before against the Afghans of Bajaur.
What Happened Next
Sanga was carried away from the battlefield while unconscious by Prithviraj Kachwaha and Maldev Rathore of Marwar. When he woke up, he promised not to return to Chittor until he had defeated Babur and forced him out of India. He also stopped wearing a turban and instead wrapped a cloth around his head. While he was getting ready to fight Babur again, he was poisoned by his own nobles. They did not want another war with Babur. Many historians believe he was poisoned. It is often said that Mughals had a habit of poisoning powerful enemies. Babur himself praised Sanga, calling him the strongest king in India along with Krishnadeva of Vijaynagra. Rana Sanga died in Kalpi in January 1528.
Some people think that if Babur had not had cannons and some luck, Rana Sanga might have won a great victory. The use of cannons by Babur changed how wars were fought in India. After the battle, Babur made a pyramid using the heads of his enemies.
However, it would be wrong to think that the Rajput power was completely destroyed. The power vacuum left by Rana Sanga was filled by Rao Maldeo Rathore. He became the leading Rajput king and was very powerful after Sanga's death.
See also
- Battles of Rajasthan
- First Battle of Panipat
- Battle of Ghaghra
- Shahbaz Khan's invasions of Mewar
