The First Battle of Panipat is a decisive military clash (act/event) fought on April 21, 1526, that fundamentally altered the political landscape of North India. It was fought near Panipat, in present-day Haryana, between the invading forces of Zahir-ud-din Babur, the Timurid ruler of Kabulistan, and the army of Ibrahim Lodi, the Sultan of Delhi and the last ruler of the Lodi Dynasty. The battle was created as a result of Babur's ambition to establish a permanent rule in Hindustan after losing his Central Asian territories, and it solved the problem of the weakening Delhi Sultanate's control over the region.
Babur's victory, despite his forces being significantly outnumbered (approximately 15,000 men against Lodi's 30,000 to 40,000 fighting men and over 1,000 war elephants), was due to superior military technology and tactics. The battle is historically significant as one of the earliest engagements in the Indian subcontinent to involve gunpowder firearms and field artillery. Babur employed the innovative tactics of Tulughma, a flanking maneuver to surround the enemy, and Araba, which involved using carts tied together to create a defensive shield for his cannons.
The battle resulted in the death of Ibrahim Lodi on the battlefield and marked the end of the Delhi Sultanate. Its primary connection is to the foundation of the Mughal Empire in India, which would rule for over three centuries. The strategic location of the battle connects it to the later Second Battle of Panipat (1556) and the Third Battle of Panipat (1761). The concept itself has not changed, but it permanently introduced modern methods of warfare, such as artillery, to the subcontinent.