THE MUGHALS Intro: The Mughals were a remarkable dynasty who represented the last golden age of India.They had a meteoric rise from low fortunes and were able to built a great empire and culture,which still forms part of Indian culture,an example being the cuisine which they gave their names to,Mughalai.Under the Mughals there was a cultural infusion of Timurid,Persian and Indian culture which would enrichen India and to this day ,a "Mogul" is a metaphor for a powerful man.In order to understand their beginnings we have to look at its great founder Zahiruddin Muhammed,better known as Babur. Babur The King on a chessboard Babur was born Zahiruddin Mohammed on 14th February 1483.Zahiruddin Muhammed proved to be too much of a tongue twister for the rustics of the Ferghana valley that he was given the name "Babur",which meant tiger and it was to prove fitting.Babur had impressive ancestry,his father, Umar Shaikh Mirza was a descendant of Amir Temur Gurgan,his mother ,Qutlugh Nigar Khanum was a descendant of Genghis Khan through her father, Yunus Khan of Tashkent.However Babur prefered to be called a Turk since he once said of the Mongols: Were the Mongols a race of angels,it would still be a vile nation However sadly,Babur's father died on Tuesday 9th June 1494 when his fort in Ferghana collapsed into a ravine.Babur recounted the event: Umar Sheikh flew,with his pigeons and their house, and became a falcon. When the news reached Babur,he was in a garden outside Andizhan in Ferghana.Babur's immediate concern was to seize a throne for himself,however that would prove to be a difficult task due to the fratricidal conflicts between Timurid princes and the rising power of the Uzbeks.During this chaotic period,Babur was able to capture Samarkand for a mere hundred days,however even in later life he would often remember this bitter-sweet memory of conquering Samarkand.However it was to prove futile since even after it had been recaptured for a second time,it was to be lost along with Ferghana to the leader of the Uzbeks,Shaibani Khan,a descendant of Genghis Khan.Babur lamented these losses: Is there one cruel turn of Fortune's wheel unseen by me? Is there a pang,a grief my wounded heart has missed? A Change of fortunes Babur had to seek refuge with his Mongol uncle in Tashkent,however he soon saw an opportunity in seizing Kabul which had collapsed in turmoil.Babur seized the city in 1504,this was to become his most beloved city,where he would build a splendid garden: Spoiler Alert, click show to read: In 1505,Babur led his first raid on Hindustan,however it was only little more than a border raid across the Khyber Pass.This was to be the first of numerous raids that would finally culminate in conquest.At this time the conflict and rivalry between the Timurids and Shaibani was growing which culminated in the fall of Herat,that left Babur as the only reigning prince of the House of Timur.Many Timurid princes sought refuge in Kabul,now Babur was able to stylise himself as Padshah,emperor. Now after some years,Babur was faced with a choice due to the approaching Uzbeks.Babur had to choose between taking Badakshan in modern day Afghanistan or to seize Hindustan.Babur chose Hindustan and began raids from 1519 onwards which only went as far as Punjab.Finally in 1525 Babur set out on his final invasion of Hindustan,having received an invitation to invade two years earlier from Dawlat Khan in Punjab.Babur set out to confront Ibrahim Lodhi,the ruler of the Delhi Sultanate and conquer Hindustan for the House of Timur,he felt it to be his birthright since Temur had invaded Hindustan in 1398. Babur wrote: We placed our feet in the stirrup of resolve,grabbed the reins of trust in God,and directed ourselves against Sultan Ibrahim Conquest of Hindustan By the time Babur reached Panipat,north of Delhi,he only had 20,000 men.Ibrahim Lodhi had an army estimated to be 100,000 strong with 1000 elephants.This numerical advantage was partially offset by Babur's train of artillery and a contingent of 4000 musketeers.Babur needed to eliminate the numerical advantage of Lodhi's army.Babur achieved this by creating a narrow battlefront,which consisted of a barrier of gun carriages and carts.Babur placed his musketeers and archers who were protected by breastworks. However on 19th April,Babur launched a failed night attack on the Afghans.Two days later the Afghans walked into Babur's trap and were slaughtered.Babur estimated that between 15,000 and 16,000 Afghans died,Ibrahim Lodhi was among the dead.After Panipat,Babur went to Delhi and had the khutbah read out in his name.However Babur didn't seem to like Hindustan much: Hindustan is a country of few charms,Its people have no good looks; of social intercourse,paying and receiving visits,there is none,of genius and capacity none;of manners none;in handicraft and works there is no form of symmetry,method or quality;there are no good horses,no good dogs,no grapes,musk melons or first-rate fruits,no ice or cold water,no good bread or cooked food in bazaars,no hot baths,no colleges,no candles,torches or candlesticks. Babur built palaces and gardens in Agra during a few months rest.On 11th Fenruary 1527,Babur marched to Kanua in order to confront a 200,000 strong Rajput army led by Rana Sanga,who was also supported by Mahmud Lodhi.In a replay of his tactics used at Panipat,Babur was able to defeat the army and he built a tower of heads to commemorate his victory(an act reminiscent of his Mongol and Timurid ancestors).In 1527,Babur took the Rajput fort of Chanderi.In 1529,Babur launched a campaign against Bihar which culminated in the Battle of Patna,this was to prove Babur's last major military campaign.In 1530 Babur's son,Humayun fell ill and rather than have him die,Babur offered his own life to Allah and begged to spare the life of his son.Then rather strangely,Babur himself fell seriously ill and Humayun recovered,which seemed to confirm his prayer.These were some of Babur's last words to Humayun: Do nothing against your brothers even though they may deserve it On Monday 26th December 1530,Babur died.Babur was first buried in the Aram Bagh in Agra.In the 1540s,Babur was laid to rest in his beloved city,Kabul. This is his epitaph: Agar firdaus bar ru-yi zamin ast Hamin ast, u hamin ast u hamin ast! If there be a paradise on earth, It's this,It's this,It's this!
Once the conflict in Afghanistan slows down, i hope to visit his tomb one day
I hope to do that as well
It is also clearly stated in the above article, Babur was not a descendant of Mongols, and he was despising Mongols... So why the state is called Mughals, instead of Baburids ?
It is also clearly stated in the above article, Babur was not a descendant of Mongols, and he was despising Mongols... So why the state is called Mughals, instead of Baburids ? well his mother was a Mongol apparently, and to the Indians he was viewed as yet another Mongol invader like his ancestor Amir Timur
