| Samrat Hem Chandra Vikramaditya |
 |
| Hemu Vikramaditya |
| Father |
Rai Puran Das |
| Born |
1501
Alwar, Rajasthan |
| Died |
5 November 1556
Panipat, Haryana |
| Occupation |
Emperor of Northern India |
| Religion |
Hinduism |
Samrat Hem Chandra Vikramaditya, Hemu Vikramaditya, Raja Vikramaditya or simply Hemu (Hindi: सम्राट हेम चंद्र विक्रमादित्य) (1501–5 November 1556) was a Hindu emperor of India during the sixteenth century AD. This was one of the crucial periods in Indian history, when the Mughals and Afghans were desperately vying for power.
The son of a Hindu priest, who later became a food seller, and a vendor of saltpetre at Rewari,[1] Hemu rose to become Chief of Army and Prime Minister[2][3] of Adil Shah Suri of the Suri Dynasty. He fought Afghan rebels[4][5] across North India from the Punjab to Bengal[6] and the Mughal forces of Akbar and Humayun in Agra and Delhi,[7] winning 22 battles continuously, without a single setback.[8][9][10][11]
Hem Chandra acceded to the throne of Delhi on 7 October 1556, assuming the title of "Vikramaditya" that had been earlier adopted by many Hindu kings since the Vedic times.[12][13] His Rajyabhishek (coronation) as Samrat was held at Purana Quila in Delhi.[12] Hemu re-established the Hindu rule (albeit for a short duration) in North India, after over 350 years of Muslim rule. Some historians say that this rule was on the pattern of a strong Hindu state prevailing in South India for more than three centuries, known as 'Vijaynagar Empire'.[13] Hemu struck coins bearing his title.[14]
Hem Chandra was born at Deviti-Machheri village of Alwar District in Rajasthan in the year 1501.[15] His father Rai Puran Das, a Brahmin, was involved in the profession of Purohiti,[15] the performing of Hindu religious ceremonies as a profession. However due to persecution of Hindus who performed religious ceremonies, by Mughals, Rai Puran Das could not make both ends meet as a Purohit (priest). Therefore he gave up Purohiti (priesthood) and moved to Qutabpur village near Rewari city (now Qutabpur village lies within Rewari city). Hemu's father started trading in various types of salts in Qutabpur, and Hemu was brought up and educated there.[16]
Apart from learning Sanskrit and Hindi, he was educated in Persian, Arabic and Arithmetic.[17] During his childhood, he was fond of exercise and wrestling and while crushing salt in an iron pot, he would monitor his strength.[16] He trained in horse-riding at his friend Sehdev's village. His friend Sehdev was a Rajput[16] and he participated in all the battles that Hemu later fought[16] except the Second Battle of Panipat. Hemu was brought up in a religious environment; his father was a member of Vallabh Sampradai of Vrindavan and visited various Teerth (religious sites)[17] as far as Sindh where he converted the then Governor of Sind, Parmanand in to Vallabh Sampradai.
Hem Chandra was born to a priest Purandas, formerly Rai Puranmal, and belonged to Dhusar Bhargava community,[18] on Ashwin Shukla Vijaidashmi, 1558 Vikrami Era or 1501 CE.
Hemu's sister was married into a clan of Rajpurohits, to Gun Chandra Bhargava. Gun Chandra and his ancestors had lived at Qutabpur, Rewari, in present day Haryana[19] and his children were: Ram Chandra (known as 'General Rammaiya' in Panipat war), Shyam Chandra, Krishna Chandra, Mohan Chandra, Hanu Chandra and Ravi Chandra – most of whom died in the Second Battle of Panipat in the year 1556 .
Gun Chandra was a descendant of Sri Chandra (grandson of Indra Chandra), who was Rajpurohit (Chief Priest) for Tomara King Kumarpala in 970 A.D.,[20] Sri Chandra's descendants continued to be the Rajpurhohits of the state of Indraprastha (Delhi) – Budh Chandra, Mahi Chandra, Arvind Chandra, Dheen Chandra all were Rajpurohits till the times of Prithviraj Chauhan, and the year 1192 A.D.. Because of this influential family, Hemu's family migrated to Qutabpur in Rewari.
The social and political environment in India (North India especially) in early sixteenth century was very unstable. In North India, Mughals and Afghans were vying for power, though South India had a comparatively stable Hindu kingdom known as the Vijayanagar Empire, ruled at that time by Krishnadevaraya. The Mughals were then, still considered a foreign force. Babur's barbaric invasion of North India in 1526, resulted in the destruction, looting and demolition of most important Hindu temples in North India, like the 'Ram Temple' at Ayodhya, the Krishna Temple at Mathura and the Kashi Vishwanath Temple at Benares. Not only were these revered Hindu temples destroyed by the invaders, but mosques (the Babri Masjid at Ayodhya, the Jama Masjid at Mathura and the Gyanvapi Mosque at Benares) constructed over the ruins leading to widespread disaffection among local people. For instance, Guru Nanak, a contemporary and an eye witness to Babur's invasion in the Punjab has given vivid accounts of Babur's vandalism, terming him a butcher.
Growing up in a devout family of Hindu priests in such an atmosphere, Hem Chandra yearned to annihilate the foreigners. He got his first opportunity to crush the ruling invaders of that time and rule North India from Delhi after victory over Akbar's forces, in the Battle for Delhi in October 1556.
Hem Chandra was based at Rewari, an important stopover in mediaeval times for traders from Iran and Iraq on the way to Delhi. He started his career as a supplier of cereals to Sher Shah Suri's army, moving on to more critical supplies like saltpetre (for gunpowder) later.[15] Sher Shah had defeated Humayun in the year 1540 and had forced him to withdraw to Kabul. He also developed a cannon foundry in Rewari, laying the foundation of an industry in brass, copper sheets and utensils manufacture.[21] Hemu obtained technical assistance for casting cannons, and for producing saltpetre, from the Portuguese in Goa, who were also helping the Hindu Vijayanagar Empire against the Deccan Sultanates in South India, by supplying cannons, gun-powder and Arabian horses.[citation needed]
After Sher Shah Suri's death in 1545, his son Islam Shah became ruler of North India. Islam Shah recognised the calibre, and administrative skills of Hem Chandra and made him his personal adviser.[17] He consulted Hem Chandra in matters relating not only to trade and commerce, but also pertaining to statesmanship, diplomacy and general politics.[22] Islam Shah initially appointed Hem Chandra Shahang-i-Bazar, meaning 'Market superintendent' in Persian, to manage commerce throughout the empire.[23] This post gave Hem Chandra the opportunity to frequently interact with the king, having to apprise him of the trade and commercial situation of the kingdom.[24] Abul Fazal says that Islam Shah held Hemu in great esteem.[25] In 1550, Hemu accompanied Islam Shah to the Punjab where he was deputed along with other high officers to receive Mirza Kamran in the fort of Rohtas. Islam Shah consulted Hemu on a variety of matters.[26] After serving as Shahang-i-Bazar,for some time, Hemu rose to become Chief of Intelligence or Daroga-i-Chowki (Superintendent of Post).[27] Islam Shah's health deteriorated in 1552 and he shifted his base from Delhi to Gwalior, which was considered safer. Hem Chandra was deputed as Governor to the Punjab to safeguard the region against a Mughal invasion. Hem Chandra held this position till October 30, 1553, when Islam Shah died.
Islam Shah was succeeded by his 12 year old son Firoz Khan who was killed within three days by Adil Shah Suri. The new king Adil was an indolent pleasure-seeker and a drunkard [5] who faced revolts all around.[28] Adil Shah took Hem Chandra as his Chief Advisor and entrusted all his work to him.[17] appointing him the prime minister and chief of his army.[2][3] After some time, Adil Shah went mad and Hem Chandra became the de facto king.[2][5][10][17][28][29][30]
Many Afghan governors rebelled against the weak King Adil Shah and refused to pay the taxes, but Hem Chandra quelled them. Ibrahim Khan, Sultan Muhhamad Khan, Taj Karrani, Rukh Khan Nurani and several other Afghan rebels were defeated and killed.[15] At the battle of Chhapparghatta in December 1555, Hemu routed the Bengal forces under Muhammad Shah, who was killed in the battle.
At the time the Afghans considered themselves natives of the country (and were considered as such by the Hindus), while the Mughals, writes Vincent Arthur Smith,[30] were considered foreigners. Writer K.K.Bhardwaj in his book "Hemu-Napoleon of medieval India" claimed that Hemu was a native ruler leading a native Afghan army to victory, in battle after battle.[8] Thus, Hem Chandra became popular among the Hindus as well as Afghans. Another writer, K.R.Qanungo, writes that, this indicates that the rule which Hemu established, commanding Afghan army was secular and nationalistic.
After the victory of the Mughal ruler Humayun over Adil Shah's brother Sikander Suri, on 23 July 1555 the Mughals regained the Punjab, Delhi and Agra after a gap of 15 years. Hemu was in Bengal when Humayun died on 26 January 1556. Humayun's death gave Hemu an ideal opportunity to defeat the Mughals. He started a rapid march from Bengal through present day Bihar, Eastern UP and Madhya Pradesh. The Mughal fauzdars abandoned their positions and fled in panic before him. In Agra, an important Mughal stronghold, the commander of Mughal forces Iskander Khan Uzbeg fled after hearing about Hemu's invasion, without a fight. Etawah, Kalpi and Bayana all in present day central and western UP, fell to Hemu.
In the words of K.K.Bhardwaj, his triumphant march from Bihar to Dilli (Delhi) can be equated to the Italian campaign of Napoleon: "He came, he saw, he conquered".[31] Hemu never saw defeat in battle and went from victory to victory throughout his life (he died in the only battle he lost). Hemu won the loyalty of his soldiers by his ready distribution of the spoils of war among his soldiers.[12]
After winning Agra, Hemu moved for the final assault on Delhi. Tardi Beg Khan, who was Governor of Delhi, for Akbar, wrote to Akbar and, his regent, Bairam Khan that Hemu had captured Agra and intended to attack the capital Delhi, which could not be defended without reinforcements.[8] Bairam Khan realising the gravity of the situation, sent his ablest lieutenant Pir Muhammad Sharwani to Tardi Beg. Tardi Beg Khan summoned all the Mughal commanders in the vicinity to a war council for the defence of Delhi. It was decided to stand and fight Hemu and plans were made accordingly.
Sir Jadunath Sarkar writes in detail about the Battle for Delhi at Tughlaqabad:
- "The Mughal army was thus drawn up. Abdullah Uzbeg commanded the Van, Haider Muhammad the right wing, Iskander Beg the left and Tardi Beg himself the centre. The choice Turki Cavalry in the van and left wing attacked and drove back the enemy forces before them and followed far in pursuit. In this assault the victors captured 400 elephants and slew 3000 men of the Afghan army. Imagining victory already gained, many of Tardi Beg followers dispersed to plunder the enemy camp and he was left in the field thinly guarded. All this time Hemu had been holding 300 choice elephants and a force of select horsemen as a reserve in the centre. He promptly seized the opportunity and made a sudden charge upon Tardi Beg with this reserve."
Confusion ensued resulting in a defeat for the Mughals. Hemu was helped by reinforcements from Alwar with a contingent commanded by Hazi Khan. The desertion of various Mughal commanders with Pir Muhhammad Khan who fled the battle field, to Tardi Beg chagrin and surprise, forced the Mughal commander to withdraw.
Hem Chandra won Delhi after a day's battle on 6 October 1556. Some 3000 soldiers died in this battle. However, Mughal forces led by Tardi Beg Khan vacated Delhi after a day's fight and Hemu Chandra entered Delhi victorious under a royal canopy.
Sir Wolsey Haig[14] writes, "Hemu was so elated by the capture of Delhi as to believe that he had already reached the goal of his ambition."
Smith, who names Hem Chandra the third claimant to the sovereignty of Hindustan at the time (the other two being the Suris and Akbar), asserts that Hemu after his occupation[32] of Delhi came to the conclusion that he had a better claim to the throne for himself rather than on behalf of Adil Shah and ventured to assume the royal state under the style of Raja Vikramaditya or Vikramaditya, a title borne by several renowned Hindu Kings in ancient times. Hemu assumed the royal robes and declared himself the Emperor of India under the title of Vikramaditya.
His Afghan officers were reconciled to the ascendancy of an infidel by a liberal distribution of plunder,[8][28] and probably also by the fact that Hem Chandra had proved to be a successful general.
Hem Chandra had his formal Rajyabhishek or coronation following all Hindu religious ceremonies in Delhi and became the ruler under the title 'Raja Vikramaditya'. Hem Chandra was crowned at Purana Qila, on 7 October 1556, in the presence of all the Afghan Sardars and Hindu Senapatis (military commanders). The picture above shows a painting of the occasion of Hem Chandra's coronation, where he is flanked by his Afghan and Hindu military commanders. K.K.Bhardwaj writes,[8] thousands of guests were invited, along with various Rajput chiefs and Afghan governors and numerous scholars and Pandits. The festivities continued for three or four days. "Essential parts of a Hindu King's coronation are" writes, Sir Jadunath Sarkar,[33] "washing him (abbhishake) and holding the royal umbrella over his head (Chhatra-Dharam)" and Hem Chandra must have followed these ancient traditions, accompanied by costly gifts and robes to priests. He made various[34] appointments on the occasion, appointing his brother Jujharu Rai, governor of Ajmer and his nephew Rammayya, a general in his army. He also appointed his various supporters as Chhaudhuris and Muqqudams based on their merit so that they continued to maintain their respective positions in the reign of Akbar.
Thus Hem Chandra became the last Hindu Emperor of North India after 350 years of rule by various Muslim invaders and rulers. According to Abul Fazl, in the Akbarnama, Hem Chandra after winning Delhi planned to attack and win Kabul. He made several changes in his Army, including the recruitment of many Hindus, but without the dismissal of any Afghan.
On hearing of Hem Chandra's serial victories and the fall of large territories like Agra and Delhi, the Mughal army at Kalanaur lost heart and many commanders refused to fight Hemu.[5] Most of his commanders advised Akbar to retreat to Kabul which would serve better as a strong-hold. However, Bairam Khan, Akbar's guardian and chief strategist, insisted on fighting Hemu in an effort to gain control of Delhi.
On 5 November 1556, the Mughal army met Hem Chandra's army at the historic battle field of Panipat. Bairam Khan exhorted his army in a speech with religious overtones and ordered them into battle. Akbar and Bairam Khan stayed in the rear, eight miles from the battle ground, while Hemu led his army himself into battle, atop an elephant. He was on the cusp of victory, when he was wounded in the eye by an arrow, and collapsed unconscious. This led to confusion amongst the soldiers, with no supreme commander to coordinate decisions.
Unconscious and at death's door, Hemu was captured by Shah Qulin Khan and carried to the Mughal camp for execution. He was first struck by Akbar himself, so that Akbar could earn the title of "Ghazi" (holy warrior). He was then beheaded by Bairam Khan.[35] His head was sent to Kabul, where it was hanged outside the Delhi Darwaza, while his body was placed in a gibbet outside Purana Quila in Delhi.
After Hemu's death, a massacre of Hemu's followers was ordered by Bairam Khan. Thousands were beheaded and towers of skulls built with their heads, to instil terror among the Hindus. At least one painting of such minarets is displayed in the "Panipat Wars Museum" at Panipat in Haryana. These towers were still in existence about 60 years later as described by Peter Mundy, a British traveler who visited India during the time of Jahangir.[36]
Although he did not have much time to rule, Hem Chandra revitalised the administrative set-up which had flagged after the demise of Sher Shah Suri. With his knowledge of trade and commerce he gave fresh impetus to commerce throughout the country. He spared none indulging in black-marketing, hoarding, overcharging and under-weighing of goods.[28] After his conquest of Agra and Delhi, he replaced all corrupt officers.[37] He also introduced coinage bearing his image.
- ^ Tripathi, R. P. "Rise and Fall of Mughal Empire", Allahabad (1960), p,.158
- ^ a b c De Laet, "The Empire of the Great Mogul", pp.140–41
- ^ a b Ahmed, Nizamuddin. "Tahaqat-i-Akbari", Vol.II, p.114
- ^ Tripathi, Dr. Ram Prasad. "Bhartiya Itihas", Hindustani Book Depot, Lucknow, p.325
- ^ a b c d Fazal, Sheikh Abul (trans. by Dr. Mathura Lal Sharma) "Akbar Nama", Kailash Pustak Sadan, p.155
- ^ Bhardwaj, K. K. "Hemu-Napoleon of Medieval India", Mittal Publications, New Delhi, pp.59–60
- ^ Smith, Vincent A. "Akbar: The Great Mogul", Oxford, (1926), pp.36–37
- ^ a b c d e Bhardwaj, K. K. "Hemu-Napoleon of Medieval India", Mittal Publications, New Delhi, p.25
- ^ Marshman, John Clark. "The History of India from the Earliest Period to the Present Time", London (1873) p.50
- ^ a b Srivastva, A. L. "Akbar the Great, Vol.I", pp. 24–26
- ^ Sarkar, J. N. "Military History of India", p.67
- ^ a b c "Himu – A forgotten Hindu Hero", Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan, p.100
- ^ a b Kar, L. Colonel H. C. "Military History of India", Calcutta (1980), p.283
- ^ a b "The Cambridge History of India, Volume IV: The Mughal Period", Delhi (1965), p.72
- ^ a b c d Samrat Hem Chandra Vikramaditya By Samrat Hem Chandra Vikramaditya Dhusar (Bhargava) Memorial Charitable Trust (Regd.),Rekmo Press, New Delhi page 5
- ^ a b c d Anokha Aarohi By Kranti Trivedi pages 1,3, published by Sulabh Prakashan, Lucknow
- ^ a b c d e HEMU Life and Times of Hemchandra Vikramaditya By R.K.Bhardwaj, page 24, publishers Hope India Publications, Gurgaon
- ^ M.L. Bhargava, Hemu and his times, page 15
- ^ M.L. Bhargava, Hemu and His times, page 3
- ^ M.L. Bhargava, Hemu and his times, page 3
- ^ www.rewari.nic.in
- ^ Tabaqat-I-Akbari written by Nizamuddin Ahmed(trans.B.De),Vol.II,p198
- ^ AKI Ahirwal Ka Itihas By Dr. K.C. Yadav pages 30
- ^ History of the Afghans in India, by Rahim, page 94
- ^ Muntkhab-ul-Tawarikh,By Badauni, Vol. I page 384,
- ^ History of Afghans in India, by Rahim.page 94
- ^ Sher Shah and his Times, by K.R.Quanungo, page 448
- ^ a b c d Ahirwal By Dr.K.C.Yadav, page 35
- ^ Rise and fall of Mughal Empire, By Tripathi, page 158,
- ^ a b Akbar the Great Mogul, By Dr Vincent Arthur Smith, page 26
- ^ Modern Europe, By C.D.Hazen, (Reprint), Delhi(1956), p.156
- ^ The Emperor Akbar (Vol.1),Patna (1973), page 72,
- ^ Shivaji and His Times, Calcutta (1929),page 216-17,
- ^ Hemu and His Times, M.L.Bhargava, New Delhi,(1991), p.91
- ^ Dalpat Vilas
- ^ Islamictrivia.html http;//ibloga.blogspot.com/2009/02
- ^ Tarikh-i-Salatin-i-Afghana,page 62
| Persondata |
| Name |
Hemu |
| Alternative names |
|
| Short description |
|
| Date of birth |
1501 |
| Place of birth |
Alwar, Rajasthan |
| Date of death |
1556 |
| Place of death |
Panipat, Haryana |
