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Battles of Mughal Army Module - II

Military History of
7.1.2 Military Tactics of the First Battle of Panipat
Medieval India
According to estimates, Babur had 15,000 men whereas Ibrahim Lodi's forces
numbered 100,000. This means that Ibrahim forces were numerically superior to that
of Babur's forces. Babur's army was a mixture of Turks, Mongols, Iranians and
Afghans and consisted of cavalry and gunners with gunpowder matchlocks and cannons
while Ibrahim Lodi's forces consisted predominantly of war Elephants and heavy Cavalry
besides Infantry. Victory depended on the battlefield tactics. Note

What is a matchlock?

It is a device that is used for igniting gunpow-
der. It was during the 15th century A.D. that
this mechanism was used. The Mughals brought
this technology to India and used it in the first
battle of Panipat.

Fig. 7.1 Matchlock
Babur succeeded in winning the battle owing to new tactics introduced by him such as
the Tulghuma and the Araba. Tulghuma is a tactic aimed at dividing the whole army
into small units and placing them on the flanks. Araba meant carts that were placed in
large numbers in rows facing the enemy and tied to each other with ropes.

Babur further divided the divisions on the flanks into Forward and Rear divisions.
Babur knew that his army was less in number and hence the best way for him was to
split his army into formations so as to encircle the enemy from all sides. Behind the
carts cannons were placed, protected and supported by mantlets which could be used
to easily maneuver the cannons.

These two tactics made Babur's artillery lethal. The cannons could be fired without
any fear of being hit, as they were shielded by the bullock carts held in place by ropes.
The heavy cannons could also change their direction for new targets, as they could be
maneuvered by the mantlets which were on wheels.

Babur's tactics at Panipat showed the influence of a mix of two military traditions - The
Ottoman and the Mongol-timurid traditions. The adoption of the cart-wagon line allowed
them to create artificial defenses for their infantry.
On the other hand, Ibrahim Lodi's, army relied heavily on Elephants and Cavalry.
Besides, he also had infantry which was not well developed. They were predominantly
foot archers and Pashtun tribal foot soldiers. The battle field tactics of Ibrahim Lodhi
consisted of five-fold division such as the vanguard and the units on, the right, the left,
the centre and the rear. Ibrahim Lodhi tactic was to use his strike forces of Elephants
and heavy Cavalry.

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