Editing Hemu (section)

=== 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.