Second Battle of Panipat

The Second Battle of Panipat was fought on November 5, 1556, near the same plain where Babur had triumphed three decades earlier. After Babur's son, the emperor Humayun, had been driven into exile and the throne of Delhi seized by Afghan and Hindu rivals, the Mughal cause seemed nearly lost. Humayun briefly recovered his throne but died soon afterward, leaving his young son as emperor.

That son, Jalal-ud-din Muhammad, who ruled as Akbar, was only a boy, and the empire was effectively guided by his regent and general Bairam Khan. The principal threat came from Hemu, a capable Hindu general who had won a series of victories and had occupied Delhi, proclaiming his own authority. The two armies met at Panipat, where Hemu's larger force, supported by war elephants, initially pressed the Mughals hard.

The battle turned when Hemu was struck and incapacitated, throwing his army into confusion and handing the Mughals a decisive victory. The triumph secured the young Akbar's throne and reestablished Mughal rule over Hindustan. Akbar went on to reign for nearly half a century, expanding the empire and consolidating it into a stable and prosperous state through administrative reform and a policy of religious tolerance.