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{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2016}}
{{Use Indian English|date=January 2016}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| partof = Expansion of the [[Mughal Empire]]
| image = Babur’s army in battle against the army of Rana Sanga at.jpg
| caption = Mughal painting depicting the [[Rajput|Rajput Army]] (Left) battling the [[Mughal Army]] (Right)
| date = 16 March 1527
| place = [[Khanwa]], [[Rajasthan]] (near [[Fatehpur Sikri]])
| coordinates = {{coord|27|2|7|N|77|32|35|E|display=inline,title}}
| result = {{plainlist|* Decisive [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] victory<ref>[[An Advanced History of India]], Dr K. K. Datta, p. 429.</ref>
* Consolidation of [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] power in [[North India|Northern India]]
* Dissolution of the [[Rajput|Rajput Confederation]]
}}
| territory = * Khanwa remains under the control of the [[Rajputs]]
* [[Mughal Empire|Mughal imperial power]] consolidated in [[North India]] by [[Babur]]
| combatant1 = [[File:Fictional flag of the Mughal Empire.svg|25px]][[Mughal Empire]]
| combatant2 = [[File:Mewar.svg|25px]] [[Rajput|Rajput Confederation]] [[File:Delhi Sultanate Flag.svg|25px]] [[Lodi dynasty|Lodi dynasty loyalists]]
| commander1 = [[File:Fictional flag of the Mughal Empire.svg|25px]] '''[[Babur]]''' [[File:Fictional flag of the Mughal Empire.svg|15px]] [[Humayun]] [[File:Fictional flag of the Mughal Empire.svg|15px]] [[Ustad Ali Quli]] [[File:Fictional flag of the Mughal Empire.svg|15px]] [[Mustafa Rumi]] [[File:Fictional flag of the Mughal Empire.svg|15px]] [[Chin Timur Khan]] [[File:Fictional flag of the Mughal Empire.svg|15px]] Mir Mohib Ali Khalifa [[File:Fictional flag of the Mughal Empire.svg|15px]] [[Mir Abdul Aziz]] [[File:Fictional flag of the Mughal Empire.svg|15px]] [[Mir Muhammed Ali Khan]] [[File:Fictional flag of the Mughal Empire.svg|15px]] [[Khusrau Shah Kokultash]] [[File:Fictional flag of the Mughal Empire.svg|15px]] Kasim Hussain Khan [[File:Fictional flag of the Mughal Empire.svg|15px]] [[Muhammad Zaman Mirza|Zaman Mirza]] [[File:Fictional flag of the Mughal Empire.svg|15px]] [[Askari Mirza]] [[File:Fictional flag of the Mughal Empire.svg|15px]] [[Hindal Mirza]] [[File:Fictional flag of the Mughal Empire.svg|15px]] Sayyed Mehdi Khawaja [[File:Fictional flag of the Mughal Empire.svg|15px]] Asad Malik Hast [[File:Fictional flag of the Mughal Empire.svg|15px]] [[Raja Ali Khan]] [[File:Fictional flag of the Mughal Empire.svg|15px]] [[Silhadi]] (Switched sides) <ref>{{harvnb|Sarkar|1960|p=57}} "A treacherous desertion at outset upset Rana Sanga pre-arranged plan of combat. Silhadi, who had made himself a master of raisen and sarangpur and often changed side during troubled time had ultimately turned Muslim to save himself but ultimately joined Rana with his army, He went over to Babur's side from his post in the vanguard of the Hindu army.</ref>
| commander2 = [[File:Mewar.svg|25px]] '''[[Rana Sanga]]'''{{WIA}} [[File:Mewar.svg|25px]] [[Medini Rai]] [[File:Delhi Sultanate Flag.svg|25px]] [[Hasan Khan Mewati]]{{KIA}} [[File:Delhi Sultanate Flag.svg|25px]] [[Lodi dynasty#Mahmud Lodi|Mahmud Lodi]] [[File:Flag of Jodhpur.svg|15px]] [[Maldeo Rathore]] [[File:Flag of Dungarp.svg|15px]] Uday Singh of [[Vagad]] [[File:Flag of Jodhpur.svg|15px]] Raimal Rathore of [[Idar]] [[File:Flag of Jaipur.svg|15px]] [[Prithviraj Singh I]]<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bhatnagar |first1=V. S. |title=Life and Times of Sawai Jai Singh, 1688–1743 |publisher=Impex India |year=1974 |page=6 }}</ref> Ratan Singh of Merta Manik Chand Chauhan Chandrabhan Chauhan Ratan Singh Chundawat Raja Rana Ajja Rao Ramdas Gokaldas Parmar [[Silhadi]] (betrayed the Rajput Confederacy)
| strength1 = 50,000{{efn|1=T.G. Percival Spear puts the Rana's army at 100,000 while Sarkar considers the Rana's army to be double the amount of Mughals. Therefore considering the two estimates the Mughals numbered around 50,000.}}<ref>Military history of india by Jadunath Sarkar pg.56 — "Facing him was an enemy more than double his own number".</ref> horsemen, foot musketeers, Swivel guns, mortars and Indian allies<ref>Military history of india by Jadunath Sarkar pg.58 — "Cavalry was formed in divisions, 5,000 under Humayun, 3,000 under Mahdi Khwaja, 10,000 under Babur and 2,000 elite horsemen in reserve for Taulqama"</ref><ref>Military history of india by Jadunath Sarkar pg.59 — "The Indian allies of Babur were posted in his left wing"</ref>
| strength2 = 100,000 horsemen<ref name=KJ>[https://www.britannica.com/biography/Babur Babur, Mughal Emperor, by T.G. Percival Spear]</ref>{{sfn|Chandra|2006|pp=24}} 500 [[War Elephant]]s<ref name=KJ/>
| casualties1= Heavy<ref name=XK>{{Cite book|first=Abrahim|last=Eraly|title=Emperors Of The Peacock Throne: The Saga of the Great Moghuls|publisher=Penguin UK|year=2007|url=https://books.google.co.in/books?id=h7kPQs8llvkC&pg=PT323&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=khanua&f=false|quote=The battle of Khanua was a virtual replay of the battle of Panipat, except that it lasted nearly double the time and was far more fiercely contested, resulting in heavy casualties on both sides}}</ref>

| casualties2= Heavy<ref name=XK/>
| conflict = Battle of Khanwa
}}

The '''Battle of Khanwa''' was fought near the village of Khanwa, in [[Bharatpur district|Bharatpur]] District of [[Rajasthan]], on March 16, 1527. It was fought between the invading forces of the first [[Mughal Emperor]] [[Babur]] and the [[Rajput|Rajput forces]] led by [[Rana Sanga]] of [[Mewar]], after the [[Battle of Panipat (1526)|Battle of Panipat]]. The victory in the battle consolidated the new Mughal dynasty in India.<ref>An Advanced History of India, Dr K.K.Datta, p. 429.</ref>

==Background==
Until 1524, [[Babur]]'s aim was to expand his rule to [[Punjab region|Punjab]], primarily to fulfil the legacy of his ancestor Timur, since it used to be part of his empire.{{sfn|Eraly|2007|pp=27–29}} Large 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. Babur had already raided Punjab in 1504 and 1518. In 1519 he tried to invade Punjab but had to return to Kabul due to complications there.<ref name=MV/> In 1520-21 Babur again ventured to conquer Punjab, he easily captured Bhira and Sialkot which were known as the "twin gateways to hindustan". Babur was able to annex towns and cities till Lahore but was again forced to stop due to rebellions in Qandhar.{{sfn|Chandra|2006|p=203}} In 1523 he received invitations from Daulat Khan Lodi, Governor of [[Punjab]] and Ala-ud-Din, Ibrahim's uncle, to invade the Delhi Sultanate. Daulat Khan later betrayed Babur and with a force of 40,000 he captured Sialkot from the Mughal garrison and marched towards Lahore. Daulat Khan was soundly defeated at Lahore and through this victory Babur became the unopposed lord of Punjab.,{{sfn|Chandra|2006|p=204}}<ref name=MV/> Babur continued his conquest and annihilated the Lodi sultanate's army in the [[First Battle of Panipat]], where he killed the Sultan and founded the Mughal Empire.<ref name="RSCHMI">{{cite book|last=Chaurasia|first=Radhey Shyam|title=History of medieval India : from 1000 A.D. to 1707 A.D.|year=2002|publisher=Atlantic Publ.|location=New Delhi|isbn=81-269-0123-3|pages=89–90|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8XnaL7zPXPUC&q=babur%20receiving%20invitations%20from%20Daulat%20Khan%20Lodi&pg=PA89}}</ref>

However, while Babur did attack Lodi and take over Delhi and Agra, Sanga made no move, apparently having changed his mind. Babur had resented this backsliding; in his autobiography, Babur accuses Rana Sanga of breaching their agreement. Historian [[Satish Chandra (historian)|Satish Chandra]] speculates that Sanga may have imagined a long, drawn-out struggle taking place between Babur and Lodi, following which he would be able to take control of the regions he coveted. Alternatively, writes Chandra, Sanga may have thought that in the event of a Mughal victory, Babur would withdraw from [[Delhi]] and [[Agra]], like [[Timur]], once he had seized the treasures of these cities. Once he realized that Babur intended to stay on in India, Sanga proceeded to build a grand coalition that would either force Babur out of India or confine him to Afghanistan. In early 1527, Babur started receiving reports of Sanga's advance towards Agra.{{sfn|Chandra|2006|pp=32–33}}

==Initial Skirmishes==
After the [[First Battle of Panipat]], Babur had recognized that his primary threat came from two allied quarters: Rana Sanga and the Afghans ruling eastern India at the time. In a council that Babur called, it was decided that the Afghans represented the bigger threat, and consequently [[Humayun]] was sent at the head of an army to fight the Afghans in the east. However, upon hearing of Rana Sanga's advancement on Agra, Humayun was hastily recalled. Military detachments were then sent by Babur to conquer Dholpur, Gwaliar, and Bayana, strong forts forming the outer boundaries of Agra. The commanders of Dholpur and Gwalior surrendered their forts to Babur, accepting his generous terms. However, Nizam Khan, the commander of Bayana, opened negotiations with both Babur and Sanga. The force sent by Babur to Bayana was defeated and dispersed by Rana Sanga on 21 February 1527.{{sfn|Chandra|2006|p=33}}

In one of the earliest western scholarly account<ref>{{Cite book|last=Erskine|first=William|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PXzW-XS9TQMC&q=A%20History%20of%20India%20By%20William%20Erskine&pg=PP2|title=A History of India Under the Two First Sovereigns of the House of Taimur, Báber and Humáyun|date=2012-05-24|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1-108-04620-6|language=en}}</ref> of the [[Mughal emperors|Mughal rulers]], 'A History of India Under the Two First Sovereigns of the House of Taimur Baber and Humayun', [[William Erskine (historian)|William Erskine]], a 19th-century Scottish historian, quotes:<ref>{{Cite web|title=A history of India under the two first sovereigns of the house of Taimur, Báber and Humáyun|url=http://www.indianculture.gov.in/history-india-under-two-first-sovereigns-house-taimur-baber-and-humayun-0|access-date=2020-07-11|website=INDIAN CULTURE|language=en}}</ref>

{{Quote|text=They (Mughals) had some sharp encounters with the Rajputs, ... found that they had now to contend with a foe more formidable than the Afghans or any of the natives of India to whom they had yet been opposed. The Rajputs, ... were ready to meet, face to face,... all times prepared to lay down their lives for their honour.|author=[[William Erskine (historian)|William Erskine]]|title="[[Rana Sanga]]"|source='A History of India Under the Two First Sovereigns of the House of Taimur Baber and Humayun' P. 464}}

Rana Sanga had destroyed all the Mughal contingents that were sent against him, this caused great fear in Babur's army as he has written "the fierceness and valour of the pagan army" made the troops "anxious and afraid". The Afghans in Baburs army started to leave and the Turks started complaining about defending a land that they hated, they requested Babur to leave to Kabul with the rich spoils that they had collected. Babur writes "no manly word or brave council was heard from any one soever".<ref name=XK/>

==Rajput-Afghan alliance against Babur==
Rana Sanga had built a formidable military alliance against Babur. He was joined by virtually all the leading Rajput kings from Rajasthan, including those from Harauti, Jalor, Sirohi, Dungarpur, and Dhundhar. [[Ganga Rathore of Marwar|Rao Ganga]] of Marwar did not join personally but sent a contingent on his behalf led by his son Maldev Rathore. Rao Medini Rai of Chanderi in Malwa also joined the alliance. Further, Mahmud Lodi, the younger son of Sikandar Lodi, whom the Afghans had proclaimed their new sultan also joined the alliance with a contingent of Afghan horsemen with him. Khanzada Hasan Khan Mewati, the ruler of Mewat, also joined the alliance with his men. Babur denounced the Afghans who joined the alliance against him as ''kafirs'' and ''murtads'' (those who had apostatized from Islam). Chandra also argues that the alliance weaved together by Sanga represented a Rajput-Afghan alliance with the proclaimed mission of expelling Babur and restoring the Lodi empire.{{sfn|Chandra|2006|p=34}}

According to K.V Krishna Rao, [[Rana Sanga]] wanted to overthrow [[Babur]], because he considered him to be a foreigner ruling in India and also to extend his territories by annexing [[Delhi]] and [[Agra]], the Rana was supported by some Afghan chieftains who felt that Babur had been deceptive towards them.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Rao|first=K. V. Krishna|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G7xPaJomYsEC|title=Prepare Or Perish: A Study of National Security|date=1991|publisher=Lancer Publishers|page=453|isbn=978-81-7212-001-6|language=en}}</ref>

==Babur rallies his troops==
According to Babur, Rana Sanga's army consisted of 200,000 soldiers. However, according to Alexander Kinloch, this is an exaggeration as the Rajput army did not exceed 40,000 men during the campaign in Gujarat.<ref>8 Chaturkula Charitra, p. 25</ref> Even if this figure is exaggerated, Chandra comments that it is indisputable that Sanga's army greatly outnumbered Babur's forces.{{sfn|Chandra|2006}} The greater numbers and reported courage of the Rajputs served to instil fear in Babur's army. An astrologer added to the general unease by his foolish predictions. To raise the flagging morale of his soldiers, Babur gave a religious colour to the battle against Hindus. Babur proceeded to renounce future consumption of wine, broke his drinking cups, poured out all the stores of liquor on the ground and promulgated a pledge of total abstinence.{{sfn|Chandra|2006|p=34}} In his autobiography, Babur writes that: {{quote|It was a really good plan, and it had a favourable propagandistic effect on friend and foe.}}<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Damrosch|first1=David|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kB_uAAAAMAAJ&q=It+was+a+really+good+plan,+and+it+had+a+favourable+propagandistic+effect+on+friend+and+foe.|title=The Longman Anthology of World Literature|last2=Alliston|first2=April|date=2004|publisher=Longman|isbn=978-0-321-16980-8|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Shahane|first=Girish|title=Babur in India: An emperor who loved the monsoon breeze but wasn't impressed by the melons or grapes|url=https://scroll.in/article/943126/babur-in-india-an-emperor-who-loved-the-monsoon-breezes-but-wasnt-impressed-by-the-melons-or-grape|access-date=2021-01-17|website=Scroll.in|language=en-US}}</ref>

==Preparation==
Babur knew that his army would have been swept by the Rajput charge if he tried to fight them in the open, he therefore planned a defensive strategy to form a fortified encampment where he would use his muskets and artillery to weaken his foes and then strike when their morale had shattered.<ref name=DV>Military history of India by Jadunath Sarkar pg.56-61</ref> Babur had carefully inspected the site. Like in Panipat, he strengthened his front by procuring carts that were fastened by iron chains (not leather straps, as at Panipat) and reinforced by [[mantlet]]s. Gaps between the carts were used for horsemen to charge at the opponent at an opportune time. To lengthen the line, ropes made of rawhide were placed over wheeled wooden tripods. The flanks were given protection by digging ditches.<ref name =CV>Militory History of India by Jadunath sarkar pg.57</ref> Foot-musketeers, falconets and mortars were placed behind the carts, from where they could fire and, if required, advance. The heavy Turkic horsemen stood behind them, two contingents of elite horsemen were kept in the reserve for the ''taulqama'' (flanking) tactic. Thus, a strong offensive-defensive formation had been prepared by Babur.<ref name=DV/>

==The battle==
Rana Sanga, fighting in a traditional manner, charged the Mughal ranks. His army was shot down in great numbers by the Mughal muskets, the noise of the muskets further caused fear amongst the horses and elephants of the Rajput army, causing them to trample their own men.<ref name=DV/> Rana Sanga finding it impossible to attack the Mughal centre, ordered his men to attack the Mughal flanks, the fighting continued on the two flanks for three hours, during which the Mughals fired at the Rajput ranks with muskets and arrows while the Rajputs could only retaliate in close quarters.<ref name=DV/>
Babur writes:
{{Quote|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 did make attempts to use his famous taulqama or pincer movement, however his men were unable to complete it, twice they pushed the Rajputs back however due to the relentless attacks of the Rajput horsemen they were forced to retreat to their positions.<ref name=DV/> At about this time [[Silhadi]] of Raisen deserted the Ranas army and went over to [[Babur]]s.<ref name=DV/> The betrayal of Silhadi forced the Rana to change his plans and issue new orders. During this time the Rana was shot by a bullet and fell unconscious, causing great confusion in the Rajput army and a lull in the fighting for a short period. Babur has written this event in his memoirs by saying "the accursed infidels remained confounded for one hour".<ref name=DV/> A Jhala chieftain called Ajja acted as the Rana and led the Rajput army, while the Rana was hidden within a circle of his trusted men. Jhala Ajja proved to be a poor general, as he continued the attacks on the Mughal flanks while ignoring his weak centre.<ref name=MV>[https://books.google.co.in/books?id=Y7fUHMEDAyEC&pg=PA107&dq=rana+sanga+battles&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjh-4nt-PbqAhVF6XMBHdVGCTcQ6AEINjAC#v=onepage&q&f=false A Comprehensive History of India: Comprehensive history of medieval India] p107.</ref> The Rajputs continued their attacks but failed to break the Mughal flanks <ref name=CV/> and their centre was unable to do anything against the fortified Mughal centre, Jadunath Sarkar has explained the struggle in the following words:
{{Quote|In the centre the Rajputs continued to fall without being able to retaliate in the least or advance to close grips. They were hopelessly outlclassed in weapon and their dense masses only increased their hopeless slaughter, as every bullet found its billet.}}
Babur after noticing the weak Rajput centre ordered his men to take the offensive, the Mughal attack pushed the Rajputs back and forced the Rajput commanders to rush to the front, resulting in the death of many.<ref name=DV/> The Rajputs were now leaderless as most of their senior commanders were dead and their unconscious king had been moved out of the battle. The Rajputs made a desperate charge on the Mughal left and right flanks like before, "here their bravest were mown down and the battle ended in their irretrievable defeat".<ref name=DV/> The Rajputs and their allies had been defeated, dead bodies could be found as far as Bayana, Alwar and Mewat. The Mughals were too exhausted after the long fight to give chase and Babur himself gave up the idea of invading Mewar.<ref name=DV/>

Following his victory, Babur ordered a tower of enemy skulls to be erected, a practice formulated by [[Timur]] against his adversaries, irrespective of their religious beliefs. According to Chandra, the objective of constructing a tower of skulls was not just to record a great victory, but also to terrorize opponents. Earlier, the same tactic had been used by Babur against the Afghans of Bajaur.{{sfn|Chandra|2006}}{{page needed|date=April 2017}}

==Aftermath==
The Battle of Khanwa demonstrated that Rajput bravery was not enough to counter Babur's superior generalship and organizational skills. Babur himself commented{{sfn|Chandra|2006|p=35}}: {{Quote|Swordsmen though some Hindustanis maybe, most of them are ignorant and unskilled in military move and stand, in soldierly counsel and procedure.}}

Abrahim Eraly has noted that<ref name=XK/>:{{Quote|The battle of Khanua was a virtual replay of the battle of Panipat, except that it lasted nearly double the time and was far more fiercely contested, resulting in heavy casualties on both sides.}}

Rana Sanga managed to evade capture and escape to Chittor, but the grand alliance he had built collapsed. Quoting [[L. F. Rushbrook Williams|Rushbrook Williams]], Chandra writes: {{Quote|The powerful confederacy which depended so largely for its unity upon the strength and reputation of Mewar, was shattered by a single defeat and ceased henceforth to be a dominant factor in the politics of Hindustan.}}{{sfn|Chandra|2006}}

On 30 January 1528 Rana Sanga died in Chittor, apparently poisoned by his own chiefs, who held his plans of renewing the fight with Babur to be suicidal.{{sfn|Chandra|2006}}

It is suggested that had it not been for the cannon of Babur, Rana Sanga might have achieved a Historic victory against Babur.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Barua|first=Pradeep|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FIIQhuAOGaIC&pg=PA33|title=The State at War in South Asia|date=2005-01-01|publisher=U of Nebraska Press|isbn=978-0-8032-1344-9|language=en}}</ref> Pradeep Barua notes that Babur's cannon put an end to outdated trends in Indian warfare.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FIIQhuAOGaIC&pg=PA33 |pages=33–34 |title=The State at War in South Asia |first=Pradeep |last=Barua |publisher=University of Nebraska Press |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-80321-344-9}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Historical battles of Rajasthan|Battles of Rajasthan]]
* [[First Battle of Panipat]]
* [[Battle of Ghaghra]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book |first=Satish |last=Chandra |title=Medieval India: From Sultanat to the Mughals (1206–1526) |volume=2 |publisher=Har-Anand Publications |year=2006 |isbn=9788124110669 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0Rm9MC4DDrcC }}
* {{cite book |first=Abraham |last=Eraly |author-link=Abraham Eraly |title=Emperors Of The Peacock Throne: The Saga of the Great Moghuls |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h7kPQs8llvkC|year=2007 |publisher=Penguin Books Limited |isbn=978-93-5118-093-7}}
* {{cite book |last1=Sarkar |first1=Jadunath |title=Military History of India |date=1960 |publisher=Orient Longmans |isbn=978-0-86125-155-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qoRDAAAAYAAJ |language=en}}

{{Commons category|Battle of Khanwa}}

{{Mughal Empire|state=expanded}}

[[Category:Conflicts in 1527]]
[[Category:Battles involving the Indian kingdoms|Khanwa]]
[[Category:Battles involving the Mughal Empire|Khanwa]]
[[Category:Mewar]]
[[Category:History of Rajasthan]]
[[Category:Battles involving the Rajputs]]
[[Category:1527 in India]]

Battle of Khanwa - Revision history

>Elemimele at 08:03, 5 July 2021