Not many people have heard the name of Samrat Hem Chandra Vikramaditya, popularly called Hemu. But he is one man who did the Hindus proud and many writers refer to him as the Napoleon of India for his qualities of generalship. Though he was defeated in the end it does not detract from his ability as a great General. Napoleon was also defeated at Waterloo and exiled to St Helena, but that does not detract from the fact that he was one of the greatest generals in the Military history of the world.

Like Napoleon he was also a man with humble beginnings. His father was a purohit (priest) but his earnings were meager with the Mughals and other Muslim rulers throttling Hindu customs and ceremonies. Thus Hem Chandra who was born in 1501 took up another profession and joined the Court of Sher Shah Suri. His rise in the court was meteoric and like Napoleon he soon rose in power and prestige.

Sher Shah appointed him governor of the Punjab and Hem Chandra popularly called Hemu was a success there as well as he blunted the nose of the invaders from the West.

The Rise of Hemu

The death of Sher Shah Suri led to a further rise in the power of Hemu as the son of Sher Shah; Islam Shah began to rely more and more on Hemu. He was now made the commander of the Army and became the most powerful man in the court at Delhi.

Islam Shah died in 1553 and the new man who wore the crown at Delhi was Adil Shah. He was a drunkard and many Afghan nobles revolted against him, but all of them were defeated by Hemu. This was the first occasion that a Hindu general had defeated a Muslim force. After sometime Adil shah became insane and Hemu became the ruler in real terms. Many Afghans flocked to the banner of Hemu and recognized him as their ruler. This is a rare case when a large number of Muslims joined the Army of Hemu and accepted him as their leader. It must be understood that at that period the Afghans considered themselves as local Indians versus the Turks and Mughals from central Asia who were regarded as aliens.

Battle of Chapparghata

In December 1555 Hemu moved against the Muslim rulers of Bengal. At the famous battle of Chapparghata Hemu defeated the combined forces under Muhammad Shah. Hemu led the army brilliantly and Muhammad Shah was killed. This battle marked the flowering of Hemu as a general. It is reminiscent of the earlier battles of napoleon when he seized the crown in Paris. The famous historian HK Bhardwaj has thus rightly referred to Hemu as the Napoleon of India.

Now Hemu began a triumphant march to Delhi. In 22 battles on the trot Hemu routed the opposing forces of Nawab and the Mughals. He now began to be regarded as invincible. This campaign across the breadth of North India is a similar to the Italian campaign of Napoleon. Hemu marshaled his forces admirably and though not a professional soldier showed rare qualities of leadership.

It appeared he had full knowledge of the principles of war as battle after battle the Muslim forces had to bite the dust.

The Battle for Delhi

Hemu now captured Agra and served notice for a march on Delhi. The Moghul governor of Delhi Tardi Beg Khan petitioned Akbar for help. Realizing the gravity of the situation the advisor of Akbar, Bairam Khan sent reinforcements as well as redoubtable fighters to save Delhi. A war council was held at Delhi and it was resolved to face Hemu. The Moghul army decided to face Hemu at Tughlakabad. Accordingly plans were drawn up to fight Hemu there. The battle at Tughlakabad bad (6 Sept 1556) was another example of the skill of Hemu on the battlefield. Hemu adopted the tactics of reserve and thrust and as the battle progressed the Moghul force suffered heavy casualties and 3000 of them were killed. Pir Muhammad khan the general sent by Akbar fled from the battlefield and there was wide spread desertion as the Moghul army was decimated and the remnants of the force retreated northwards to the Punjab. Hemu now triumphantly entered Delhi.

This battle is similar to the famous battle of Austerlitz that made Napoleon the master of the continent.

A Poignant Moment in Indian History

This defeat of the Mughals and the entry of Hemu into Delhi is a poignant moment in Indian history. After a lapse of 350 years a Hindu king had entered Delhi as a victor. On The next day on 7 Sept 1556 Hemu had himself crowned in the Purana Quila as the emperor of Hindustan. He assumed the title of Vikramaditya. He took this title to emphasize his continuity with ancient Hindu lineage. It is on record that all the Muslim noblemen accepted an ‘infidel’ as their ruler and vowed allegiance to him. As per the historian of that period Abul Fazal Hemu made plans to attack Kabul and accordingly started recruitment of more soldiers for this purpose.

Battle of Panipat

Akbar was alarmed at this news and he decided to make a last-ditch stand against Hemu at Panipat which has come to be known as the Second battle of Panipat. Hemu advanced with a large force against the Mughals and the battle commenced. But within a few hours the Moghul army was in disarray as the Hindu-Muslim force of Hemu repeatedly charged the Moghul force. At that time Akbar and Bairam khan considered withdrawing to Kabul as the elephant corps of Hemu took a heavy toll of the Moghul force with repeated charges.

Conclusion

Then as in the case of Napoleon at Waterloo providence took a hand and a stray arrow hit Hemu in the eye and he was rendered unconscious. The army of Hemu now without a commander failed to press home their advantage and the Moguls sensing chance to win came back with force and the army of Hemu disintegrated. It is a fact that this man who had won 22 battles on the trot lost this one battle by an act of providence. Hemu was captured and beheaded by Akbar. His body was hung outside the Purana Quila while his head was displayed in Kabul. Such barbarism is hard to reconcile, but it took place.

Despite this one defeat Hemu like Napoleon is recognized as a great warrior and general. Historians like HK Bhardwaj, Jadunath Sarkar and De Laet all agree that Hemu was a general par excellence. It’s about time Indians remembered their greats, who welded the sword for the glory of Hindustan. Hem Chandra Vikramaditya was one of them and he deserves our respect and adoration.