RAS question
Babur won the First Battle of Panipat (1526) against Ibrahim Lodi primarily due to:
Correct answer: (D) Superior military tactics including the use of artillery and tulughma formation.
Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodi in the First Battle of Panipat mainly because his smaller army used superior tactics, especially artillery protected by araba carts and the tulughma flanking formation.
Explanation
The NIOS Military History text describes the First Battle of Panipat as a 1526 battle between Babur and Ibrahim Lodi, where Lodi's army was numerically superior: about 100,000 men against Babur's estimated 15,000. Numbers did not decide the battle. Babur used cavalry and gunners with matchlocks and cannons, while Lodi relied heavily on war elephants and heavy cavalry. Babur's tulughma divided his army into smaller flank units, helping it encircle the enemy. His araba system placed carts in rows facing the enemy and tied them with ropes; cannons were positioned behind these carts and protected by mantlets. This made Babur's artillery effective and allowed attacks from the rear and side, leading to Lodi's defeat.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Ibrahim Lodi faced political discontent, but the battle outcome turned on Babur's battlefield tactics and effective use of gunpowder, not treachery by Lodi's generals.
- (B) Babur did not have numerical superiority; the NIOS Military History text estimates about 15,000 men for Babur against 100,000 for Ibrahim Lodi.
- (C) National Institute of Open Schooling, Military History Book 1 does not describe support from all Rajput kingdoms at Panipat; it says Babur faced Rana Sanga of Mewar after this victory.
Concept
This tests medieval Indian military history, especially how gunpowder, field artillery and Central Asian battle formations changed warfare. RAS repeatedly asks Panipat because it links the fall of the Delhi Sultanate with the foundation of Mughal rule.