Editing Hemu (section)

== Military career ==

[[File:Fort Gwalior.jpg|thumb|[[Gwalior Fort]], the base for many of Hemu's campaigns.]]

Hemu, besides being a competent civil administrator, was also the finest military mind on the Afghan side after the demise of Sher Shah Suri.{{sfn|Sarkar|1960|p=66}} He is reputed to have waged and won as many as 22 battles against the opponents of Adil Shah.{{sfn|Chandra|2004|p=92}} Many of these battles were against Afghans who had rebelled against Adil Shah. One of these was [[Taj Khan Karrani]], a member of Islam Shah's court who, rather than serving Adil Shah, decided to flee with his followers from [[Gwalior]] towards the east. He was overtaken by Hemu at Chibramau and defeated, but somehow managed to escape and plundered his way to [[Chunar]]. Hemu gave chase again, fought Karrani at Chunar, and was again victorious. However, just as at Chibramau, Karrani gave him the slip again. Hemu asked Adil Shah—who had accompanied him—to remain at Chunar and proceeded to chase Karrani to Bengal.{{sfn|Tripathi|1960|p=159}}

[[File:Agra 03-2016 16 Agra Fort.jpg|thumb|[[Agra Fort]], captured by Hemu before the Battle of Tughlaqabad.]]
After the victory of Humayun over Adil Shah's brother-in-law, [[Sikandar Shah Suri]], on 23 July 1555, the Mughals finally recovered Delhi and Agra. Hemu was in Bengal when Humayun died on 26 January 1556. His death gave Hemu an ideal opportunity to defeat the Mughals. He rapidly marched from Bengal and drove the Mughals out of Bayana, Etawah, Sambhal, Kalpi, and Narnaul.{{sfn|Chandra|2004|p=91}} In Agra, the governor evacuated the city and fled without a fight upon hearing of Hemu's invasion.{{sfn|Sarkar|1960|p=67}}

Hemu's most notable victory occurred shortly thereafter against the Mughals at Tughlaqabad.

=== Battle of Tughlaqabad ===
{{Main article|Battle of Tughlaqabad}}

[[Tardi Beg Khan]], who was Akbar's governor in Delhi, wrote to his masters who were camped at [[Jalandhar]], that Hemu had captured Agra and intended to attack the capital Delhi, which could not be defended without reinforcements. While the main army could not be spared due to the belligerent presence of Sikandar Shah Suri, Akbar's regent, Bairam Khan, realising the gravity of the situation, sent his most capable lieutenant, Pir Muhammad Sharwani, to Delhi. Meanwhile, Tardi Beg Khan had also ordered all the nearby Mughal nobles to muster their forces at Delhi. A council of war was convened, and it was decided that the Mughals would stand and fight Hemu. Plans were made accordingly.{{sfn|Tripathi|1960|p=174}}

After winning Agra, Hemu, who had set off in pursuit of the city's governor, reached [[Tughlaqabad]], a village just outside Delhi where he ran into Tardi Beg Khan's forces. The Mughals, while outnumbered, put up a gallant fight against Hemu's forces, which, according to Bada'uni,{{sfn|Chandra|2004|p=91}} included 1000 [[war elephants]], 50,000 cavalry, 51 cannons, and 500 [[Falconet (cannon)|falconets]].{{sfn|Sarkar|1960|p=67}} [[Jadunath Sarkar]] describes the battle thus:{{sfn|Sarkar|1960|p=67}}

{{quote|The Mughal army was thus drawn up: Abdullah Uzbeg commanded the Van, Haidar Muhammad the right wing, Iskandar Beg the left, and Tardi Beg himself the centre. The choice Turki cavalry in the van and left wing attacked and drove back the enemy forces before them, and followed far in pursuit. In this assault, the victors captured 400 elephants and slew 3,000 men from the Afghan army. Imagining victory already gained, many of Tardi Beg's followers dispersed to plunder the enemy camp, and he was left in the field very thinly guarded. All this time Hemu had been holding 300 choice elephants and a force of select horsemen as a reserve in the centre. He promptly seized the opportunity and made a sudden charge upon Tardi Beg with this reserve. At the impetuous advance of the huge beasts and the dense cavalry behind them, many of the Mughal officers fled away in terror without waiting to offer a defence. At last Tardi Beg himself took the same course.}}

Hemu's push was also bolstered by the timely arrival of fresh reinforcements from Alwar under the command of Haji Khan.{{sfn|Tripathi|1960|p=174}} When the previously victorious Mughal vanguard and left wing returned from their pursuit, they realised the day was lost and dispersed without offering a fight. Hemu took possession of Delhi after a day's battle on 7 October 1556.{{sfn|Sarkar|1960|p=67}}

=== As Raja Vikramaditya ===

[[File:Maharaja Hemu Bhargava - Victor of Twenty Two Pitched Battles, 1910s.jpg|{{Circa|1910s}} portrayal of Hemu Vikramaditya|thumb]]
After taking control of Delhi, Hemu claimed royal status.{{sfn|Richards|1995}} He assumed the title of [[Vikramaditya]] (or ''Bikramjit''), an appellation used by several Hindu kings in India's ancient past. What this signifies is, however, a subject of speculation among historians.

Historians such as [[Satish Chandra (historian)|Satish Chandra]] do not believe that this implies that Hemu had declared himself an ''independent'' king. He reasons that, for one, none of the Mughal authors of the time explicitly say so in their histories. In the Akbarnama, Abu'l-Fazl writes that after Hemu's victory at Tughlaqabad, "the ambition of sovereignty" was stirring within him. According to Bada'uni, Hemu took on the title of ''Bikramjit'' like a great Raja of Hindustan. Another contemporary historian, [[Nizamuddin Ahmad]], states that Hemu took on said title but refrains from saying anything more. Secondly, it would have been ill-advised as Hemu's military force was composed almost entirely of Afghans. According to Bada'uni, there were also some murmurings against Hemu amongst the Afghans who were "sick of his usurpation … prayed for his downfall".{{sfn|Chandra|2004|p=92}}

Other historians describe Hemu's claim to be an attempt to set himself up as an independent ruler,{{sfn|Wink|2012}} throwing off the yoke of Adil Shah's authority.{{sfn|Roy|2004|p=73}} [[Abraham Eraly]] quotes [[Ahmad Yadgar]]{{sfn|Hadi|1994|ps=: Modern critical scholarship, however, believes Yadgar's book to be of questionable authenticity.}} who states in his history of the Afghans that Hemu "raised the [[Chatra (umbrella)|royal canopy]] over him, and ordered coin to be struck in his name". This was done in connivance with the Afghans to whom he had liberally distributed the spoils. But Eraly notes that Hemu continued to humour Adil Shah with professions of fealty.{{sfn|Eraly|2000|p=120}}

Whether he had set himself up as an independent king or not, Hemu Vikramaditya's reign would be short-lived as he would again clash with the Mughals only a month later. This time, the battlefield would be at [[Panipat]], not far from the site where Akbar's grandfather, [[Babur]], had [[First Battle of Panipat|been victorious]] against the [[Lodi Empire|Lodis]] 30 years earlier.

=== Second Battle of Panipat ===
{{Main article|Second Battle of Panipat}}

[[File:The defeat of Hemu, Akbarnama.jpg|thumb|''The defeat of Hemu'', a {{circa|1590s}} painting by Kankar from the [[Akbarnama]]. Neither Hemu nor Akbar are depicted here, suggesting this might be part of a double-page composition.<ref>{{cite web|title=Mughal Painting Under Akbar: the Melbourne Hamza-nama and Akbar-nama paintings|url=http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/essay/mughal-painting-under-akbar-the-melbourne-hamza-nama-and-akbar-nama-paintings/|website=www.ngv.vic.gov.au|access-date=18 July 2016}}</ref>]]
On hearing the disastrous news from Tughlaqabad, Akbar immediately set off for Delhi. Ali Quli Khan Shaibani, sent ahead with a 10,000-strong cavalry force, chanced upon Hemu's artillery, which was being transported under a weak guard. He was quickly able to capture the entire artillery train. This would prove to be a costly loss for Hemu.{{sfn|Sarkar|1960|p=68}}{{sfn|Tripathi|1960|p=175}}

On 5 November 1556, the [[Mughal army|Mughal Army]] met Hemu's army at the historic battlefield of Panipat. Akbar and Bairam Khan stayed in the rear, eight miles from the battleground.{{sfn|Sarkar|1960|p=69}} The Mughal Army was led by Ali Quli Khan Shaibani in the centre with Sikandar Khan Uzbak on the right and Abdulla Khan Uzbak towards the left and the vanguard led by Husain Quli Beg and Shah Quli Mahram. Hemu led his army into battle atop an elephant named ''Hawai''.{{sfn|Roy|2004|p=76}} His left was led by his sister's son, Ramya, and the right by Shadi Khan Kakkar.{{sfn|Sarkar|1960|p=68}} It was a desperately contested battle, but the advantage tilted in favour of Hemu. Both the wings of the Mughal army had been driven back, and Hemu moved his contingent of war elephants and cavalry forward to crush their centre. Hemu was on the cusp of victory when he was wounded in the eye by a Mughal arrow and collapsed unconscious. This triggered a panic in his army, which broke the formation, and he fled.{{sfn|Tripathi|1960|p=176}}{{sfn|Chandra|2004|p=93}} The battle was lost; 5000 dead lay on the field of battle, and many more were killed while fleeing.{{sfn|Sarkar|1960|p=69}}