Battles of Khanwa, Chanderi, and Ghagra| All Important Facts For UPSC Notes!

Battles of Khanwa, Chanderi, and Ghagra are a series of battles that took place in the year 1527, 1528, and 1529, respectively. The Battle of Ghaghra was fought in the year 1529 and was a major battle for the conquest of India by the Mughal Empire. It was fought between Mughal forces under Babur against the Sultanate of Bengal under Sultan Nusrat Shah. The Battle of Ghagra took place after the first Battle of Panipat in 1526 and the Battle of Khanwa in 1527. The battle of Khanwa was fought between the Timurid forces of Babur and the Rajput confederacy led by Rana Sanga for supremacy in Northern India. The battle of Chanderi was fought in 1528 between the Mughal Emperor Babur and the Rajput Confederacy.

The Battles of Khanwa, Chanderi, and Ghagra are one of the most important topics for the UPSC IAS exam. It covers a significant part of the Medieval History subject in the Mains General Studies Paper-1 syllabus and General Studies Paper-1 of the UPSC Prelims Syllabus.

In this article, we shall study in detail the background, series of events, and aftermath of the Battles of Khanwa, Chanderi, and Ghagra for the UPSC exam.

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Battles of Khanwa, Chanderi, and Ghagra| All Important Facts For UPSC: Download PDF Here!

Battles of Khanwa, Chanderi, and Ghagra: Important Facts & Figures for UPSC

The table below shows the important facts about the Battles of Khanwa, Chanderi, and Ghagra.

Events	Battle of Khanwa	Battle of Chanderi	Battle of Ghagra
Date	March 17, 1527	20 January 1528	May 6, 1529
Location	Khanwa, Rajasthan, Agra	Chanderi, ‎Madhya Pradesh‎	Ghaghara River, near ‎Chhapra‎, ‎Bihar
Forces Involved	Rana Sanga of Mewar and Mughal Emperor Babur	Rajput Ruler, Medini Rai and Mughal Emperor Babur	Mahmud Lodhi, Afghan Ruler and Mughal Emperor Babur
Result	Victory of Mughal Empire	Victory of Mughal Empire	Victory of Mughal Empire

Check out the video to learn about the Battles of Khanwa, Chanderi, and Ghagra in detail.

Battle of Khanwa: Historical Background

• The battle of Khanwa was fought on March 17, 1527, between Rana Sanga of Mewar and Mughal Emperor Babur. Rana Sangha wanted to establish his kingdom by taking over entire India. In 1517, the Eastern Malwa confederacy came under the rule of Rana Sangha, this development alarmed the Lodi rulers of Delhi.
• As a result, The Lodi ruler tried to stop Sanga, and Ibrahim Lodi tried to attack Mewar but Ibrahim Lodi was defeated in the Battle of Ghatoli by Sanga.
• On the other hand, Medini Rao of Chanderi was ruling Malwa along with Chanderi under Rana Sanga.
• Thus, the influence of Rana Sangha gradually spread up to Pilia Khar, a small river in the neighbourhood of Agra. But, the establishment of the Mughal Empire in India by Babur in the Indo-Gangetic Valley was becoming a threat to Rana Sanga.
• Sanga started preparations to expel Babur or to keep him confined to Punjab in any way. On the other hand, Babur accused Rana Sang of a breach of the agreement.
  • Babur used to say that Sanga had extended an invitation to him to come to India and promised to join his side in the struggle against Ibrahim Lodi, but Sanga did not keep his word even when Babur was occupying Delhi and Agra.
• Furthermore, according to historian Satish Chandra, Sanga may have envisioned a long, drawn-out battle between Babur and Lodi, after which Sanga would be able to take control of the districts he desired.
• According to Chandra, Sanga may have assumed that, like Timur, Babur would leave India after confiscating the treasures from Delhi and Agra.

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Events during the Battle of Khanwa

• After understanding that Babur wanted to remain in India, Sanga set out to form a powerful alliance that would either drive Babur from India or imprisons him in Afghanistan.
• Babur began hearing stories of Sanga’s approach towards Agra in the early months of 1527.
• The conflict between Rana Sanga and Babur took place on March 17, 1527 AD. Along with Rana Sanga, Hasan Khan Mewati, Basin Chanderi, and Ibrahim Lodi’s brother Mahmud Lodi participated in this conflict.
• Babur and his army arrived at Khanwa’s location close to Fatehpur Sikri to confront Rana Sanga’s army.
• Babur selected Agra for the battle of Khanwa and the most intriguing fact is that Babur used the same Tulughma strategy against Ibrahim Lodi in the Battle of Khanwa that he used in the battle of Panipat.
• Many rulers supported Rana Sangha including Ibrahim Lodi, his younger brother Mahmud Lodi and other Rajput rulers supported Rana Sanga by sending their regiments.
• In the end the forces of Rana Sangha were defeated in the battle of Khanwa.

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Battle of Khanwa: Aftermath

In many Indian subcontinental armies, whether Mughal or not, artillery became the mainstay of battle as a result of the Battle of Khanwa. Soon, other Indian states started employing mercenaries to instruct their forces in the use of gunpowder, and some even started building their own cannons. Additionally, this conflict put a stop to the subcontinental forces’ previous military strategies. After getting victorious in the Khanwa battle, Mughal emperor Babur further strengthened his position by capturing Gwalior, Dholpur, Delhi-Agra Region, and Alwar from Mewat ruler Hasan Khan Mewati. After defeating Rana Sanga, Mughal emperor Babur targeted Medini Rai, ruler of Chanderi which resulted in the Battle of Chanderi.

Also, check out the article on the Second Battle of Panipat and Third Battle of Panipat with this link!

Battle of Chanderi: Historical Background

Babur had a stronghold in India by this time, and his capital had moved from Kabul to Delhi. On the boundary of Malwa and Bundelkhand, Chanderi was a significant political and commercial center. Additionally, Medini Rai, the king of the Rajput kingdom, held control of it. Although Medini Rai was Rana Sanga’s closest ally and fought alongside him at the Battle of Khanwa, Medini Rai managed to escape the conflict and escape Rana Sanga’s rule.

Babur made the decision to take the kingdom, and in exchange for Shamsabad, one of the forts of Babur, he wanted the Chanderi region. The Battle of Chanderi was fought on 20 January 1528 between Rajput forces and Mughal forces under Babur. Medini Rai declined the fort offer, and on January 29, 1528, Babur captured Chanderi.

Events During the Battle of Chanderi

• Babur’s troops conquered Chanderi’s lower fort during the night, while the top fort was taken the following morning. Babur himself expressed surprise at the quick collapse of the higher fort after the final assault.
• Medini Rao planned the Jauhar ceremony, which resulted in the massacre of women and children inside the fortress.
• A small group of soldiers also gathered in Medini Rao’s residence and started killing each other one by one.
  • This sacrifice does not appear to have moved Babur, who in his autobiography mentions nothing to show admiration for the opponent.
  • Instead, he gave the order to build a tower of skulls, as he had done after Khanwa. Timur invented this tactic.

• According to Bipin Chandra, building a tower of skulls was a common way to both commemorate a significant victory and frighten adversaries. The Afghans of Bajaur had previously been the target of this strategy by Babur.

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Battle of Chanderi: Aftermath

• Although the Afghans of Eastern UP had been defeated by Babur even before, they had not yet completely accepted the Mughal rule.
• The Afghan leaders, who had sworn allegiance to Babur but were ready to withdraw if he did, still prevailed over Eastern UP. The Afghan nobles were supported by Nusrat Shah, the ruler of Bengal, who had married Ibrahim Lodi’s daughter.
• Earlier in eastern UP the Afghans had ousted the Mughal officers and reached Kannauj. After some time, Mahmud Lodi, a brother of Ibrahim Lodi, who was fighting against Babur at Khanwa, reached Bihar.
• The Afghans honoured him as their ruler, further increasing their strength under his rule. Due to all these developments, it became a threat to the Mughal emperor Babur.
• Therefore, in 1529 Babur left Agra and invaded towards East. Crossing the Ganges near Banaras, he encountered the combined forces of the Afghans and Nusrat Shah of Bengal across the Ghaghra River which gave rise to the battle of Ghagra in 1529.

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Battle of Ghagra: Historical Background

The battle of Ghagra was fought on 6th May 1529 between Mughal emperor Babur and Afghans, on the confluence of the Ganga and its tributary, the Ghagra.

• Sultan Mahmud Lodi and Sultan Nusrat Shah led the Afghans in battle (Sultan of Bengal). The Babur army prevailed in this conflict against the Afghans.
• After Rana Sanga’s defeat, Sultan Mahmud Lodi, who had fled Khanua, settled in Bihar and gathered a strong army.
  • He led this army’s march on Banaras and carried it all the way to Chunar.
  • Sultan Mahmud Lodi put Chunar’s castle under siege, but as Babur attacked him, the Afghans became alarmed, raised the siege, and withdrew. They were followed and driven to Bengal by Babur.
• Babur made the decision to engage them in combat because he wanted to permanently end the Afghan menace. However, he was at peace with Bengal’s Nusrat Shah, where the Afghan chiefs, led by Mahmud Lodi, had taken shelter. He began talks with Nusrat Shah as a result, but nothing transpired.
• Therefore, he was forced to issue an ultimatum demanding a passage and, in the event of a rejection, holding him accountable for the results.

Also check out the article on the Battle of Haldighati 1576 with this link!

Events During the Battle of Ghagra

On May 6, 1529, Babur and the Afghans engage in combat at the meeting point of the Ganga and its tributary, the Ghagara. However, both sides in the war utilized watercraft/ boats and artillery. The Afghans lost the battle. Now that a pact had been reached, Babur and Nusrat Shah agreed to refrain from sheltering Babur’s enemies. It was Babur’s final conflict or battle in India. He won this battle, and the Afghan chiefs joined him with their men as the new ruler of Bihar. From the Indus to Bihar, and from the Himalayas to Gwalior and Chanderi, he now controlled the entire nation.

Multan had been taken over by the Mughals, leaving Singh as the sole person in the northwest of the kingdom who was not under Mughal control.

Battles of Ghagra: Aftermath

An autonomous Afghan monarchy was effectively ended by the conflicts between the Lodi and Lohani tribes. The last conflict Babur engaged in was the Battle of Ghaghra. He continued to establish his power and establish an administrative structure in his new Empire by giving jagirs (Estates) to obedient nobles and supporters. His eldest son, Humayun, succeeded him after he passed away on December 26, 1530, at the age of 47, from an unknown illness.

Conclusion

The battles of Khanwa, Chanderi, and Ghagra are a sequence of conflicts that highlight Mughal power, particularly Babur’s reign and the conflicts he engaged in. In order to gain dominance over Asia, he employed military intricate strategies, winning every conflict from the Battle of Panipat in 1526 to the Battle of Ghagra in 1529.

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