Battle of Khanwa

The Battle of Khanwa was fought near the village of Khanwa, about 60 km west of Agra, on March 17, 1527. It was the second major battle fought in modern day India, by the first Mughal Emperor Babur after the Battle of Panipat. The victory in the battle consolidated the new Mughal dynasty in India.

Background

The Rajput ruler Rana Sanga had sent an embassy to Babur at Kabul, offering to join in Babur's attack on Sultan Ibrahim Lodi of Delhi. Sanga had offered to attack Agra while Babur would be attacking Delhi. However, while Babur did attack Sultan Ibrahim Lodi, and took 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 breach of agreement The historian Satish Chandra speculates that Sanga may have imagined a long drawn struggle taking place between Babur and Sultan Ibrahim Lodi following which he would be able to take control over 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 which would either force Babur out of India or else confine him to Punjab. In early 1527, Babur started receiving reports of Sanga's advance towards Agra.

Khanwa

Khanwa (also spelt Khanua) is the name of a village lying about 60 km west of the city of Agra in India. It was the scene of a famous battle in the history of north India, and a few miles from Fatehpur Sikri.

History

The Battle of Khanua was fought on March 16, (1527), between Babur, founder of the Mughal empire in India on the one hand and a combined Rajput army led by Rana Sanga, ruler of Mewar, on the other. It was the second of the series of three major battles, victories in which gave Babur overlordship over north India. The First Battle of Panipat was the first of the series, the Battle of Ghaghra was the last.

References