The First Battle
Situated on the ancient banks of the Yamuna on a high mound, this is where three battles were fought, although there’s nothing much to see except the barren field! (See History). and, of course, the town. The first battle of Panipat, fought in AD 1526 between the invader Babur and Ibrahim Lodhi on April 26, witnessed the birth of the Mughal empire in India. Delhi was being ruled by Lodhi, the Sultan, and at the end of the battle he had lost 20,000 of his men as well as his own life.
The Second Battle
The second battle on November 5, 1556, established the Mughals as the sole rulers of the Delhi Sultanate once again. Akbar, 13 at that time, went to war with the Hindu ruler Hemchandra (or Hemu), the nephew of Sher Shah. Victory was the Mughals’, and in true Turkish style, the heads of the captives were plastered in a pillar specially constructed for this purpose.
The Third Battle
The third battle took place on 13 January, 1761. This time it was Ahmad Shah Abdali, the Afghan ruler versus the combined forces of the Marathas. The Marathas were routed, but Abdali was unable to consolidate his empire which eventually disintegrated in a few years time.