Battle of Bayana

Last updated

The Battle of Bayana or the Siege of Bayana was a military conflict between the Rajput Confederacy under Rana Sanga on one side and Afghans of Bayana under Nizam Khan and Mughal advance guard, led by Abdul Aziz on other side.

Contents

Battle of Bayana
Date21 February 1527
Location
Bayana (in present-day India)
Result Rajput victory
Territorial
changes
Bayana region captured by Rajput Forces
Belligerents

Rajput Confederation

Flag of the Mughal Empire.png Mughal Empire
Commanders and leaders
Rana Sanga
Prithviraj Singh I
Maldev Rathore
Medini Rai
Silhadi
Jagmal Kacchwaha
Ratan Singh Chundawat
Ajja Jhala
Ramdas Songara
Haridas Kesaria
Raimal Rathore
Akhairaj Devda
Udai Singh of Dungarpur
Bagh Singh
Gokaldas Parmar
Naraindas Hada
Mir Abdul Aziz
Nizam Khan
Ustad Ali Khan
Alam Khan
Mahdi Khawaja

Background

Babur's advance towards Delhi and Sanga's expansion towards Agra made war inevitable between the two kings. Babur's hostility towards Sanga is mentioned in his memoirs; in one instance, he accuses Rana Sanga of destroying Muslim control over 200 towns and displacing their ruling families. After his victory against the Lodi Empire, Babur wanted control of Bayana, which was an important fort to defend Agra against Sanga's advance. [1] The fort of Bayana was under the Afghan chieftain Nizam Khan. By Babur's order, Ustad Ali Khan was given instructions to cast a monstrous cannon to bombard Bayana and other forts. Babur sent 2,500 men along with Afghans under Nizam Khan's brother Alam Khan to take the fort of Bayana, but Nizam Khan, with a numerically superior army, sallied forth from the fort and defeated the Mugal army and routed them. Since Rana Sanga was moving towards Babur, time was of the essence, and hence Babur called for the announcement of Jihad against the Rana and asked the Afghan chieftains of Bayana, Dholpur and Gwalior to join him in the holy war. The Afghan chieftains, along with Nizam Khan of Bayana, were intimidated by the military power of Rana Sanga and hence chose to accept Babur's overlordship. [2]

Battle and aftermath

Sanga besieged the fortress of Bayana in an organized manner. Sanga divided his army in four parts and put his trusted nobles in front. An attempt by the garrison to sally forth and fight ended in the rout of the Afghans and several of their officers were killed or wounded. The besieged lost morale and surrendered the fort to Rana. [1] Babur sent an army under Abdul Aziz to prevent Rana from advancing, but the Mughals were defeated and scattered by the Rajputs under Rana Sanga. The defeat at Bayana further demoralised the Mughal forces and allowed Rana Sanga to safely march towards Khanwa (thirty-seven kilometres west of Agra), leading to the Battle of Khanwa. [3] [4]

Historian G.N. Sharma notes that: "Though Babur and the Mughal historians have not attached much importance to the battle of Bayana, it stands out as a last great triumph in the chequered career of Rana Sanga in whose hands now lay the forts of Chittor, Ranthambore, Kandar and Bayana, the key points of central Hindustan. The short and sharp encounters that the Mughals had to face at the hands of the Rajputs on this occasion, in which they had been severely handled sent a thrill of terror and discouragement in the Mughal army." [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Babur</span> Mughal emperor from 1526 to 1530

Babur was the founder of the Mughal Empire in the Indian subcontinent. He was a descendant of Timur and Genghis Khan through his father and mother respectively. He was also given the posthumous name of Firdaws Makani.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rana Sanga</span> Maharana of Mewar from 1508–1528

Rana Sangram Singh I, popularly known as Rana Sanga was the Maharana of Mewar from 1508 to 1528 CE. Belonging to the Sisodia Rajput dynasty, through his capable leadership, he transformed the Kingdom of Mewar into the most powerful state in northern India in the early 16th century. He controlled parts of present-day Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh with his capital at Chittor. His reign was admired by several of his contemporaries, including the first Mughal Emperor Babur, who described him as the "greatest Indian ruler" of that time. The Mughal historian Abd al-Qadir Badayuni called Sanga the bravest of all Rajputs..

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lodi dynasty</span> Rulers of the Delhi Sultanate in India, 1451–1526

The Lodi dynasty was a dynasty that ruled the Delhi Sultanate from 1451 to 1526. It was the fifth and final dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate, and was founded by Bahlul Khan Lodi when he replaced the Sayyid dynasty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Khanwa</span> 1527 battle between the Mughal Empire and the Rajput Confederation

The Battle of Khanwa was fought at Khanwa on March 16, 1527. It was fought between the invading Timurid forces of Babur and the Rajput Confederation led by Rana Sanga for supremacy of Northern India. The battle was a major event in Medieval Indian history although Timurids won at Panipat but at the time, the sultanate at Delhi was a spent force that was long crumbling. To the contrary Mewar kingdom, under the able rule of Rana Sanga, had turned into one of the strongest powers of northern India. Therefore, the battle was among the most decisive battles in the Mughal conquest of northern India. It was among the earliest battles in Northern India where gunpowder was used to a great extent. The battle resulted in heavy casualties for both Timurids and Rajputs. Babur is said to have created a Pyramid with the heads of the Rajputs after the triumph in the battle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maldeo Rathore</span> Rao of Marwar (1511–1562)

Rao Maldeo Rathore was a king of the Rathore dynasty, who ruled the kingdom of Marwar in present day state of Rajasthan. Maldeo ascended the throne in 1531 CE, inheriting a small ancestral principality of Rathore's but after a long period of military actions against his neighbours, Maldeo swept significant territories which included parts of present day Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Sindh. He refused to ally with either the Sur Empire or the Mughal Empire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chittor Fort</span> Historic fort in Rajasthan, India

The Chittorgarh, also known as Chittod Fort, is one of the largest living forts in India. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The fort was the capital of Mewar and is located in the present-day city of Chittorgarh. It sprawls over a hill 180 m (590.6 ft) in height spread over an area of 280 ha above the plains of the valley drained by the Berach River. The fort covers 65 historic structures, which include four palaces, 19 large temples, 20 large water bodies, 4 memorials and a few victory towers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battles involving the Maratha Empire</span>

The Maratha Conquests were a series of conquests in the Indian subcontinent which led to the building of the Maratha Empire. These conquests were started by Shivaji in 1659, from the victory at the Battle of Pratapgad against Bijapur. The expansion of the empire was limited and interrupted by the Mughal conquests of south India by Mughal ruler Aurangzeb until he eventually died in 1707 in Deccan itself. Marathas were forced to defend their territories against the overwhelmingly strong Mughal army in the 27 years long Deccan wars. They were able to defend their territories and gain an upper hand over Mughals in the sustained conflict.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Rajasthan</span> Brief history of the Indian state of Rajasthan

The history of human settlement in the western Indian state of Rajasthan dates back to about 100,000 years ago. Around 5000 to 2000 BCE many regions of Rajasthan belonged as the site of the Indus Valley Civilization. Kalibangan is the main Indus site of Rajasthan, here fire altars have been discovered, similar to those found at Lothal.

Events from the year 1527 in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hasan Khan Mewati</span> Muslim Khanzada Rajput ruler of Mewat from 1504 to 1527

Raja Hasan Khan Mewati was a Muslim Khanzada Rajput ruler of Mewat. The son of previous ruler Raja Alawal Khan, his dynasty had ruled Mewat State for nearly 200 years. He was a descendant of Raja Nahar Khan Mewati, who was the Wali of Mewat in 14th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of Chittorgarh (1567–1568)</span> Akbars conquest of Chittor (1567/1568)

The siege of Chittorgarh was the military expedition of the Mughal Empire under Akbar against the Mewar kingdom that commenced in 1567 during which the Mughals successfully captured the fort of Chittorgarh after a hard-pressed siege which lasted for several months.

Mir Abdul Aziz was a commander in the Mughal Empire.

The Mughal–Rajput wars were a series of battles between the Rajput Confederacy and the Mughal Empire. The conflicts originated with the invasion of northwestern India by the Mughal ruler Babur, to which the head of the Rajput confederacy, Rana Sanga, offered staunch resistance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Chanderi</span> 1528 battle

The Battle of Chanderi or Siege of Chanderi took place in the aftermath of the Battle of Khanwa in which the Mughal Emperor Babur had defeated the Rajput Confederacy and firmly establish Mughal rule while crushing regrowing Rajput powers as the battle was fought for supremacy of Northern India between Rajputs and Mughals. On receiving news that Rana Sanga had renewed war preparations to renew the conflict with him, Babur decided to isolate the Rana by inflicting a military defeat on one of his vassals Medini Rai who was the ruler of Malwa. Consequently, in December 1527, taking a circumlocutious route Babur marched to the fortress of Chanderi in Malwa which was the capital of the kingdom of Malwa. Upon reaching Chanderi, on 20 January 1528, Babur offered Shamsabad to Medini Rai in exchange for Chanderi as a peace overture but the offer was rejected by Rai.

The Battle of Dholpur was fought between the Kingdom of Mewar under Rana Sanga and the Lodi dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate under Ibrahim Lodi resulting in a Mewar victory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rao Ganga</span> Rao of Marwar (1484–1531)

Rao Ganga was the Rathore Rajput ruler of the Kingdom of Marwar. Rao Ganga ascended to the throne in the year 1515 through the support from his kinsmen and nobles. During his reign, the Rathores consolidated and expanded their rule in eastern Marwar.

Haridas Kesaria or Haridas Mahiyaria was a 16th-century Mewar chieftain, warrior and poet from Rajasthan. In the Battle of Gagron in 1519, he fought alongside the Mewar army led by Rana Sanga, capturing and imprisoning the Sultan Mahmud Khalji II of Malwa, thus quickly ending the war. He was a close friend of Rana Sanga, participating in many battles and campaigns of Mewar kingdom. He fought as a commander in many battles including Battle of Khatoli, Battle of Gagron, Battle of Dholpur, Rana Sanga's invasion of Gujarat, Battle of Bayana and Battle of Khanwa in which he sacrificed his life on the battlefield while defending Rana Sanga.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Sharma, G. N. (1954). Mewar and the Mughal emperors (1526-1707 A.D.). Agra. pp. 27–31.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  2. Tripathi, R. P. (1981). Rise and Fall of the Mughal Empire. Allahabad: Central Book Depot. pp. 38–40.
  3. Hooja, Rima (2006). A History of Rajasthan. Rupa. p. 454. ISBN   9788129115010. From Baburs memoirs we learn that Sanga's success against the Mughal advance guard commanded by Abdul Aziz and other forces at Bayana, severely demoralised the fighting spirit of Baburs troops encamped near Sikri.
  4. Chandra, Satish (2006). Medieval India: From Sultanat to the Mughals Part - II. Har Anand. p. 33. Hearing of Sanga's approach the commanders of Dholpur and Gwaliyar accepted the generous terms offered by Babur....in an effort the forestall the Rana, Babur sent a detachment to Bayana which was defeated and scattered by the Ranas forces. Baburs forces was already demoralised, hearing news of the valour of the Rajputs and the formidable force they had collected.