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Hemu (; also known as Hemu Vikramaditya and Hemchandra Vikramaditya; died 5 November 1556) was an Indian emperor who previously served as a general and Wazir of
Adil Shah Suri Adil Shah Suri was the seventh and final ruler of the Sur Empire. He was the brother in law of Sikandar Shah Suri, who ruled over a region east of Delhi after Sikandar Shah Suri was defeated by Humayun in 1555. He and Sikandar Shah Suri were c ...
of
Sur Empire The Sur Empire ( ps, د سرو امپراتورۍ, dë sru amparāturəi; fa, امپراطوری سور, emperâturi sur) was an Afghan dynasty which ruled a large territory in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent for nearly 16 year ...
during a period in Indian history when
Mughals The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...
and Afghans were vying for power across North India. He fought Afghan rebels across North India from
Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising a ...
to
Bengal Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...
and Mughal forces of
Humayun Nasir-ud-Din Muhammad ( fa, ) (; 6 March 1508 – 27 January 1556), better known by his regnal name, Humāyūn; (), was the second emperor of the Mughal Empire, who ruled over territory in what is now Eastern Afghanistan, Pakistan, Northe ...
and Akbar in
Agra Agra (, ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital New Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra i ...
and
Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders ...
, winning 22 battles for Adil Shah. Hemu claimed royal status after defeating Akbar's Mughal forces on 7 October 1556 in the Battle of Delhi and assumed the title of Vikramaditya that had been adopted by many Indian kings in the past. A month later, Hemu was wounded by a chance arrow and captured unconscious during the Second Battle of Panipat and was subsequently beheaded by Akbar, who took the title of Ghazi.


Early life

Contemporary accounts of Hemu's early life are fragmentary, due to his humble background, and often biased, because they were written by Mughal historians such as Bada'uni and
Abu'l-Fazl Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak, also known as Abul sharma, Abu'l Fadl and Abu'l-Fadl 'Allami (14 January 1551 – 22 August 1602), was the grand vizier of the Mughal emperor Akbar, from his appointment in 1579 until his death in 1602. He was the aut ...
who served in the court of Akbar. Modern historians differ on his family's ancestral home and caste, and the place and year of his birth. What is generally accepted is that he was born in a Hindu family of limited means, and that he spent his childhood in the town of Rewari, in the Mewat region, south-west of Delhi. Modern research confirms that Hemu was born to Rai Puran bhargav who become puran das after becoming saint in present day village Maccheri in the Alwar district of Rajasthan. Due to his family's financial condition, Hemu at a young age started working as a tradesman, either as a green-grocer or selling
saltpetre Potassium nitrate is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . This alkali metal nitrate salt is also known as Indian saltpetre (large deposits of which were historically mined in India). It is an ionic salt of potassium ions K+ and nitra ...
.


Rise to prominence

Details of Hemu's early career are vague and involve much speculation. Following his start as a seller of saltpetre, he is said to have been a trader or a weighman in the market. After
Sher Shah Suri Sher Shah Suri ( ps, شیرشاه سوری) (1472, or 1486 – 22 May 1545), born Farīd Khān ( ps, فرید خان) , was the founder of the Sur Empire in India, with its capital in Sasaram in modern-day Bihar. He standardized the silver coin ...
's death in 1545, his son
Islam Shah Islam Shah Suri (reigned: 1545–1554) was the second ruler of the Suri dynasty which ruled the part of India in the mid-16th century. His original name was Jalal Khan and he was the second son of Sher Shah Suri. History On his father's de ...
became the ruler of the
Sur Empire The Sur Empire ( ps, د سرو امپراتورۍ, dë sru amparāturəi; fa, امپراطوری سور, emperâturi sur) was an Afghan dynasty which ruled a large territory in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent for nearly 16 year ...
and during his rule, Hemu rose to become the superintendent of the market in Delhi with some military experience under his belt. Hemu is subsequently said to have been appointed the Chief of Intelligence and Superintendent of Posts. Other sources also place him as a surveyor of the imperial kitchens. Islam Shah, who liked to place Hindus in command alongside Afghan officers so that they could spy on each other, recognised Hemu's soldierly qualities and assigned him responsibilities equivalent to those of a high-ranking officer. Hemu was then dispatched to monitor the movements of Humayun's half-brother,
Kamran Mirza Kamran Mirza ( fa, ) (1512 – 5 October 1557) was the second son of Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire and the first Mughal Emperor. Kamran Mirza was born in Kabul to Babur's wife Gulrukh Begum. He was half-brother to Babur's eldest ...
, in the neighbourhood of
Mankot Mankot is a Village situated in Bageshwar district in the State of Uttarakhand, India. It is located at a distance of from Bageshwar on the National Highway 309A. Mankot is a medium-sized village with total 118 families residing. History Mank ...
. Islam Shah died on 30 October 1553 and was succeeded by his 12-year-old son,
Firoz Khan Arjun Firoz Khan is an Indian actor, best known for playing the character of warrior prince Arjuna in B. R. Chopra's epic television series ''Mahabharat''. He has also acted in negative roles in several Hindi language movies and television se ...
, who was killed within three days of his accession by his uncle,
Adil Shah Suri Adil Shah Suri was the seventh and final ruler of the Sur Empire. He was the brother in law of Sikandar Shah Suri, who ruled over a region east of Delhi after Sikandar Shah Suri was defeated by Humayun in 1555. He and Sikandar Shah Suri were c ...
. The new ruler was however more interested in the pursuit of pleasure than affairs of the state. But Hemu threw in his lot with Adil Shah and his military successes led him to being elevated to the position of Chief Minister and the general supervisor of the state. According to Abu'l-Fazl, Hemu "undertook all appointments and dismissals, and the distribution of justice" in the Shah's court.


Hemu's battles

Hemu, besides being a highly capable civil administrator, was also the finest military mind on the Afghan side after the demise of Sher Shah Suri. He is reputed to have waged and won as many as 22 battles against the opponents of Adil Shah. Many of these battles were against Afghans who had rebelled against Adil Shah. One of these was
Taj Khan Karrani Taj Khan Karrani (reigned 1564-1565) was the founder of the Karrani dynasty, a Pashtun dynasty of Karlan-Pashtun origin that ruled Bengal, Orissa and parts of Bihar. History Taj was a former employee of the Pashtun emperor Sher Shah Suri. at the ti ...
, a member of Islam Shah's court who, rather than serving Adil Shah, decided to flee with his followers from
Gwalior Gwalior() is a major city in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh; it lies in northern part of Madhya Pradesh and is one of the Counter-magnet cities. Located south of Delhi, the capital city of India, from Agra and from Bhopal, the s ...
towards the east. He was overtaken by Hemu at Chibramau and defeated, but somehow managed to escape and plundered and robbed his way to
Chunar Chunar is a city located in Mirzapur district of Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is nearby Mirzapur city. The railway tracks passing through Chunar Junction railway station leads to major destinations of India, including Howrah, Delhi, T ...
. Hemu gave chase again and fought Karrani at Chunar and was victorious once more. However, just as at Chibramau, Karrani gave him the slip again. Hemu asked Adil Shah—who had accompanied him—to remain at Chunar and proceeded to chase Karrani all the way to Bengal. After the victory of Humayun over Adil Shah's brother-in-law,
Sikandar Shah Suri Sikandar Shah Suri (died 1559) was the sixth ruler of the Sur dynasty, a late medieval Pashtun dynasty of northern India. He became the sultan of Delhi after overthrowing Ibrahim Shah Suri. Early life Sikandar Shah Suri's actual name was Ahm ...
, on 23 July 1555, the Mughals finally recovered Delhi and Agra. Hemu was in Bengal when Humayun died on 26 January 1556. His death gave Hemu an ideal opportunity to defeat the Mughals. He started a rapid march from Bengal and drove the Mughals out of Bayana, Etawah, Sambhal, Kalpi, and Narnaul. In Agra, the governor evacuated the city and fled without a fight upon hearing of Hemu's invasion. Hemu's most notable victory took place shortly thereafter against the Mughals at Tughlaqabad.


Battle of Tughlaqabad

Tardi Beg Khan Tardi Beg was a military commander in the 16th century in Mughal Empire. He served under the Mughal Emperors Humayun and Akbar. Beg was part of Humayun's forces when they retreated from India after the siege by Sher Shah. He remained with his lea ...
, who was Akbar's governor in Delhi, wrote to his masters who were camped at
Jalandhar Jalandhar is the third most-populous city in the Indian state of Punjab and the largest city in Doaba region. Jalandhar lies alongside the Grand Trunk Road and is a well-connected rail and road junction. Jalandhar is northwest of the state ...
, that Hemu had captured Agra and intended to attack the capital Delhi which could not be defended without reinforcements. While the main army could not be spared due to the belligerent presence of Sikandar Shah Suri, Akbar's regent, Bairam Khan, realising the gravity of the situation, sent his most capable lieutenant, Pir Muhammad Sharwani, to Delhi. Meanwhile, Tardi Beg Khan had also ordered all the Mughal nobles in the vicinity to muster their forces at Delhi. A council of war was convened where it was decided that the Mughals would stand and fight Hemu, and plans were made accordingly. After winning Agra, Hemu, who had set off in pursuit of the city's governor, reached
Tughlaqabad Tughluqabad Fort is a ruined fort in Delhi, built by Ghiyasuddin Tughluq, the founder of the Tughlaq dynasty, of the Delhi Sultanate of India in 1321, as he established the third historic city of Delhi, which was later abandoned in 1327. I ...
, a village just outside Delhi where he ran into Tardi Beg Khan's forces. The Mughals while outnumbered, put up a gallant fight against Hemu's forces which, according to Bada'uni, included 1000 elephants, 50,000 horses, 51 cannon and 500 falconets.
Jadunath Sarkar Sir Jadunath Sarkar (10 December 1870 – 19 May 1958) was a prominent Indian historian and a specialist on the Mughal dynasty. Academic career Sarkar was born in Karachmaria village in Natore, Bengal to Rajkumar Sarkar, the local Zamindar ...
describes the battle thus: Hemu's push was also bolstered by the timely arrival of fresh reinforcements from Alwar under the command of Haji Khan. When the previously victorious Mughal vanguard and left wing returned from their pursuit, they realised that the day was lost and dispersed without offering a fight. Hemu took possession of Delhi after a day's battle on 7 October 1556.


As Raja Vikramaditya

After taking control of Delhi, Hemu claimed royal status and assumed the title of
Vikramaditya Vikramaditya (IAST: ') was a legendary king who has been featured in hundreds of traditional stories including those in ''Baital Pachisi'' and '' Singhasan Battisi''. Many describe him as ruler with his capital at Ujjain (Pataliputra or Prati ...
(or ''Bikramjit''), an appellation used by a number of Hindu kings in India's ancient past. What this signifies is, however, a subject of speculation among historians. Historians such as
Satish Chandra Satish Chandra is a given name of Hindu origin, and may refer to, * Satish Chandra (politician), Indian National Congress leader * Satish Chandra (historian), Indian academic * Satish Chandra Agarwal, Indian politician * Satish Chandra Basumatary, ...
do not believe that this implies that Hemu had declared himself to be an ''independent'' king. He reasons that, for one, none of the Mughal authors of the time explicitly say so in their histories. In the Akbarnama, Abu'l-Fazl writes that after Hemu's victory at Tughlaqabad, "the ambition of sovereignty" was stirring within him. According to Bada'uni, Hemu took on the title of ''Bikramjit'' like a great Raja of Hindustan. Another contemporary historian named
Nizamuddin Ahmad Khwaja Nizam-ud-Din Ahmad Bakshi (also spelled as Nizam ad-Din Ahmad and Nizam al-Din Ahmad) (born 1551, died 1621/1030 AH) was a Muslim historian of late medieval India. He was son of Muhammad Muqim-i-Harawi. He was Akbar's ''Mir Bakhshi''. His w ...
merely states that Hemu took on said title, but refrains from saying anything more. Secondly, it would have been an ill-advised move as Hemu's military force was composed almost entirely of Afghans. According to Bada'uni, there were also some murmurings against Hemu amongst the Afghans who were "sick of his usurpation … prayed for his downfall". Other historians describe Hemu's claim to be an attempt to set himself up as an independent ruler, throwing off the yoke of Adil Shah's authority.
Abraham Eraly Abraham Eraly (15 August 1934 — 8 April 2015) was an Indian writer of history, a teacher, and the founder of Chennai-based magazine ''Aside''. Early life Abraham Eraly was born in the village of Ayyampalli in Ernakulam district, Kerala on 15 ...
quotes Ahmad Yadgar who states in his history of the Afghans that Hemu "raised the imperial canopy over him, and ordered coin to be struck in his name". This was done in connivance with the Afghans to whom he had liberally distributed the spoils. But Eraly notes that Hemu continued to humour Adil Shah with professions of fealty. Whether he had set himself up as an independent king or not, Hemu Vikramaditya's reign was to be short-lived as he would again clash with the Mughals only a month later. This time the battlefield would be at Panipat, not far from the site where Akbar's grandfather, Babur, had been victorious against the Lodis 30 years earlier.


Second Battle of Panipat

On hearing the disastrous news from Tughlaqabad, Akbar immediately set off for Delhi. Ali Quli Khan Shaibani who had been sent ahead with 10,000-strong cavalry force chanced upon Hemu's artillery which was being transported under a weak guard. He was easily able to capture the entire train of artillery. This would prove to be a costly loss for Hemu. On 5 November 1556, the Mughal army met Hemu's army at the historic battlefield of Panipat. Akbar and Bairam Khan stayed in the rear, eight miles from the battleground. The Mughal army was led by Ali Quli Khan Shaibani in the centre with Sikandar Khan Uzbak on the right and Abdulla Khan Uzbak towards the left and the vanguard led by Husain Quli Beg and Shah Quli Mahram. Hemu led his army himself into battle, atop an elephant named ''Hawai''. His left was led by his sister's son, Ramya, and the right by Shadi Khan Kakkar. It was a desperately contested battle but the advantage tilted in favour of Hemu. Both the wings of the Mughal army had been driven back and Hemu moved his contingent of war elephants and cavalry forward to crush their centre. Hemu was on the cusp of victory when he was wounded in the eye by a Mughal arrow and collapsed unconscious. This triggered a panic in his army which broke formation and fled. The battle was lost; 5000 dead lay on the field of battle and many more were killed while fleeing.


Death

The elephant carrying the wounded Hemu was captured and led to the Mughal camp. Bairam Khan asked the 13-year-old Akbar to behead Hemu. According to Akbar's later courtier Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak, he refused to take the sword to a dead man. However, this is not attested by contemporary chronicler Muhammad Arif Qandhari who composed the "Tarikh-i-Akbari" states that Akbar followed Bairam Khan's advice and himself beheaded Hemu and took the title of Ghazi. The account of Akbar's refusal to behead Hemu is probably a later invention of his courtiers. Hemu's head was sent to
Kabul Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...
while his body was
gibbet A gibbet is any instrument of public execution (including guillotine, executioner's block, impalement stake, hanging gallows, or related scaffold). Gibbeting is the use of a gallows-type structure from which the dead or dying bodies of cri ...
ed on a gate in Delhi. A minaret was subsequently constructed of the heads of the other dead.


Aftermath

Hemu's family who lived in Machari (near
Alwar Alwar (Pronunciation: lʋəɾ is a city located in India's National Capital Region and the administrative headquarters of Alwar District in the state of Rajasthan. It is located 150 km south of Delhi and 150 km north of Jaipur. ...
) was captured by Pir Muhammad, a Mughal officer who had fought at Panipat. Pir Muhammad offered to spare the life of Hemu's elderly father if he converted to Islam. When the old man refused, he was executed. However, Hemu's wife did manage to escape. With the passing of Hemu, Adil Shah's fortunes also took a turn for the worse. He was defeated and killed by
Khizr Khan Khizr Khan (reigned 28 May 1414 – 20 May 1421) was the founder of the Sayyid dynasty, the ruling dynasty of the Delhi sultanate, in northern India soon after the invasion of Timur and the fall of the Tughlaq dynasty. Khan was Governor of Mult ...
, son of Muhammad Shah of Bengal, in April 1557. The spoils from the battle at Panipat included 120 of Hemu's war elephants whose destructive rampages so impressed the Mughals that the animals soon became an integral part of their military strategies.


Legacy

Hemu's rise from his humble beginnings in Rewari to the assumption of the royal title of ''Raja Vikramaditya'' is considered a notable turning point in history. But if not for the stray arrow in a battle where he was in a position of strength, Hemu Vikramaditya could well have brought about a restoration of a "Sanskritic monarchical tradition" to a region which had been subject to Muslim rule for centuries. However, Given the Hemu's army and administrative base consisted of ethnic afghans loyal to 'Sur Dynasty', the feasibility of him retaining the royal status is questioned. it would have been an ill-advised move as Hemu's military force was composed almost entirely of Afghans. According to Bada'uni, there were also some murmurings against Hemu amongst the Afghans who were "sick of his usurpation … prayed for his downfall". Even Hemu's enemies were in grudging admiration of him. Abu'l-Fazl praises his lofty spirit, courage, and enterprise, wishing that young Akbar or perhaps a wise member of his court had deigned to keep Hemu prisoner rather than executing him, in the hope that he could have been persuaded to join royal service where he would surely have distinguished himself. Hemu's supporters erected a memorial for him at Panipat now known as
Hemu's Samadhi Sthal Hemu's Smadhi Sthal, is a memorial to the Hindu king Hemu at Shodapur village on Jind road near Panipat city in Panipat district of Haryana state in India. It stands at the location where he was executed. Encroachment As the structure was lyi ...
.


See also

* Chunar Fort * Third Battle of Panipat


Notes


References

* * * * * * * * * * * * *


External links

;Mughal-era historians on Hemu
Akbarnama
by Abu'l-Fazl
The Muntakhabu-’rūkh
by Bada'uni
Tabaqat-i-Akbari
by Nizamuddin Ahmad
Tārikh-i-Salātin-i-Afghāniyah
by Ahmad Yadgar
Táríkh-i Dáúdí
by Abdullah {{DEFAULTSORT:Hemu 1556 deaths Indian military leaders Sur Empire People executed by India by decapitation Indian monarchs Hindu monarchs People from Alwar People from Rewari Executed Indian people People executed by the Mughal Empire 16th-century executions by India Medieval India 16th-century Indian monarchs History of Rajasthan History of Delhi History of Haryana