Hemu's Smadhi Sthal, is a memorial to the Hindu king

Hemu 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 of Sur Empire during a period in Indian history when Mughals and A ...

Shodapur Shodapur is a village in Panipat district of the Haryana state in India. The Second Battle of Panipat was fought on 5 November 1556 between the forces of Akbar and Hemu, a Hindu king of Delhi. In the battle, a wounded Hemu was captured b ...

village on Jind road near

Panipat Panipat () is a historic city in Haryana, India. It is 95 km north of Delhi and 169 km south of Chandigarh on NH-1. The three major battles fought in 1526, 1556 and 1761 took place near the city. The city is famous in India as the "C ...

city in

Panipat district Panipat district () is one of the 22 districts of Haryana in north India. The historical town of Panipat is the administrative headquarters of the district. The district occupies an area of , making it the nineteenth largest in the state with G ...

Haryana Haryana (; ) is an Indian state located in the northern part of the country. It was carved out of the former state of East Punjab on 1 Nov 1966 on a linguistic basis. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with less than 1.4% () of India's land ...

state in

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

. It stands at the location where he was executed.

Encroachment

As the structure was lying unattended and in a state of neglect by Haryana Govt., it has been used by the migrant

Muslims Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abra ...

who have turned it into a Durgah. This property, more than 10 Acres in revenue records, which formed the Camp of

Babur Babur ( fa, , lit= tiger, translit= Bābur; ; 14 February 148326 December 1530), born Mīrzā Zahīr ud-Dīn Muhammad, was the founder of the Mughal Empire in the Indian subcontinent. He was a descendant of Timur and Genghis Khan through his ...

in 1526 during

First Battle of Panipat The first Battle of Panipat, on 20 April 1526, was fought between the invading forces of Babur and the Lodi dynasty. It took place in North India and marked the beginning of the Mughal Empire and the end of the Delhi Sultanate. This was one ...

and Camp of

Akbar Abu'l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar (25 October 1542 – 27 October 1605), popularly known as Akbar the Great ( fa, ), and also as Akbar I (), was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, H ...

in 1556 during

Second Battle of Panipat The Second Battle of Panipat was fought on 5 November 1556, between Akbar and the king of Delhi, Hemu. Hemu had conquered Delhi and Agra a few weeks earlier by defeating Mughal forces under Tardi Beg Khan in the battle of Delhi and crowned h ...

was with Haryana ASI till 1990. Area still has a Water Tank constructed with Lakhori Bricks in dilapidated condition built during stay of Babur. The Chief Minister, Mr. OPChautala of Haryana, in 1990 released the entire area to 'Wakf Board of Haryana' whose Chairman, a Muslim MLA from Mewat area of Haryana allowed encroachments charging money from some people and allowed Pucca constructions. The Samadhi Sthal was constructed by Hemu's supporters during Akbar's rule on the spot where the dead Hem Chandra Vikramaditya was beheaded by

Bairam Khan Muhammad Bairam Khan( Persianمحمد بیرام خان) (18 January 150131 January 1561), commonly known as Bairam Khan or Bayram Khan was an important military commander, and later commander-in-chief of the Mughal army, a powerful statesman a ...

to get a title of Ghazi for Akbar. Presently a nearby small Mosque and Samadhi Sthal are with Muslim community and rest of all place is illegally encroached with the patronage of Wakf Board. The structure in revenue records is classified as 'Khanghah' in Persian, meaning a 'Serai' or a resting place for travellers. Such Serai's were often constructed by rich in memory of dead specially in Rewari area of Haryana where Hem Chandra belonged.

Architecture

It is built in Hindu architecture. Several such structures, called 'Chattries' or 'Resting Places' for travellers are found in Rewari area with similar architecture and constructed during last many centuries.

History

Hemu was a

Brahmin Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests ( purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers ( ...

caste Caste is a form of social stratification characterised by endogamy, hereditary transmission of a style of life which often includes an occupation, ritual status in a hierarchy, and customary social interaction and exclusion based on cultural ...

of Alwar Rajasthan of

Bhargav Bhargava () or Bhṛguvamsha refers to a Brahmin race or dynasty that is said to have been founded by the legendary Hinduism, Hindu sage, Bhrigu. Legend In Hinduism, the Bhargavas are the Purohita, purohitas, the family priests, of the Dait ...

Gotra In Hindu culture, the term gotra (Sanskrit: गोत्र) is considered to be equivalent to lineage. It broadly refers to people who are descendants in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor or patriline. Generally, the gotra ...

. 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 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 " Brahminical Monarchical Tradition" to a region which had been subject to Muslim rule for centuries. Hemu's army of 50,000 cavalry was made up of Afghans ,

Rajputs Rajput (from Sanskrit ''raja-putra'' 'son of a king') is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the Indian subcontinent. The term Ra ...

and

Brahmins Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests ( purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (gur ...

. Colonel H.C. Kar comments:Kar, L. Colonel H. C. "Military History of India", Calcutta (1980), p.283 "He assumed the title of Vikramaditya. He emerged as a monarch in his own right and the only Hindu to occupy the throne of Delhi during the medieval history of India. Himself a staunch Hindu, he had no disrespect for any religion, Islam or Christianity". Kar also notes that Hemu's rule was on the pattern of the

Vijayanagara Empire The Vijayanagara Empire, also called the Karnata Kingdom, was a Hindu empire based in the region of South India, which consisted the modern states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa and some parts of Telangana and Mahar ...

, a strong Hindu state prevailing in South India for more than three centuries.

John Clark Marshman John Clark Marshman (18 August 1794 – 8 July 1877) was an English journalist and historian. He was editor and publisher of the Calcutta-based ''Friend of India'', and was involved with several other Indian publications. Early life Marshman wa ...

wrote in 1873: Daniel Coetzee, Lee W. Eysturlid wrote that : ''"Hemu (full name Hem Chandra), who was a

fighting for Afghan lords, and whose life provides a glimpse into war making in 16th-century India. Hemu's family was engaged in the trade of saltpeter, one of the chief components of gunpowder, which explains Hemu's familiarity with firearms."'' The

was fought on 5 November 1556 between the forces of

and

, a Hindu king of Delhi. Hemu had a large army, and initially his forces were winning, but suddenly Hemu was struck by an arrow in the eye and he lost his senses. On not seeing him in his howdah on the back of an elephant, his army fled. The wounded Hemu was captured by Shah Quli Khan

and carried to the Mughal camp at

on Jind Road at Panipat. In this

Hemu's nephew Ramaya, a

commanded the left wing. According to

Badayuni Badayuni or Badauni is an Indian toponymic surname (nisba) for people from Budaun (formerly Badayun and Badaun) in Uttar Pradesh, India. People with this name include: * `Abd al-Qadir Bada'uni (c. 1540 – c. 1605), Grand Mufti of India during the ...

, Bairam Khan asked Akbar to behead Hemu so that he could earn the title of '' Ghazi''. Akbar replied 'He is already dead, if he had any strength for a duel, I would have killed him'. After Akbar's refusal Hemu's body was denied honour by the Mughal battle tradition and was unceremoniously beheaded by

Gallery

Hemu's smadhi encroached by Muslims, turned into a durgah and painted green
Statue_of_Hem_Chandra_Vikramaditya_at_Panipat.JPG, Statue of

(Hem Chandra Vikramaditya) at

Maharaja Hemu Bhargava - Victor of Twenty Two Pitched Battles, 1910s.jpg, Smarat

Bhargava - Victor of Twenty Two Pitched Battles Colonial architecture in Hemu's Haveli in Rewari.JPG, Portuguese colonial architecture in Hemu's Haveli in Rewari, which was renovated in 1540, when

became 'Market Superintendent' in Delhi. Agra 03-2016 16 Agra Fort.jpg,

Agra Fort The Agra Fort is a historical fort in the city of Agra in India also known as the Red Fort. Rebuilt by the Mughal emperor Akbar in 1565 and completed in 1573, it served as the main residence of the rulers of the Mughal Dynasty until 1638, when t ...

, won by Hemu in 1553, recaptured from Humayun in 1556, before capturing Delhi. Fort Gwalior.jpg,

Gwalior Fort The Gwalior Fort commonly known as the ''Gwāliiyar Qila'', is a hill fort near Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India. The fort has existed at least since the 10th century, and the inscriptions and monuments found within what is now the fort campus ind ...

, from where Hemu launched most of the attacks during 1553-56, for his 22 battle victories.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hemu Monuments and memorials in Haryana Panipat district Samadhis

Encroachment

Architecture

History

Gallery

See also

References