11. Favouring Rajputs and Afghans
Hemu’s achievements made him a hero to the Hindus and the Afghans. He did not dismiss any Afghans after becoming a Hindu ruler. His ministry and his military involved both Rajputs and Afghans. He managed to create a cohesion between the two which made him unique.
12. Battle of Panipat
Mughals were alarmed about Hemu and were planning a tight battle against him. In the second battle of Panipat, Akbar’s army, headed by general Bairam Khan, fought with Hemu’s vast army with the aim of murdering Hemu. While Hemu was on the verge of victory, an unfortunate arrow struck his eye and led to the downfall of his army
13. Fighting till death
Even after being hit by an arrow in his eye, he did not give up. It is said that he continued fighting after pulling out the arrow and tying a cloth to his eye. His war cry ‘give and take’ was resonating throughout the battlefield until he fell unconscious and later beheaded by Bairam Khan.
14. Hemu’s army and war tactics
The Mughals captured Hemu’s army to retain the unique warfare and the efficiency of the soldiers. Hemu’s war tactic was scrutinized by the Mughals and later began to adopt the same in their army. The army of Rajputs and Afghans were forced to convert to Islam and fight for Mughals.
15. After Hemu’s death
Hemu’s head was sent back to the Afghans and was made to display among the public to instigate fear and his family was arrested by the Mughal. They were forced to convert to Islam. But soon after their refusal, they were massacred.
16. Mass slaughter
The anger and vengeance against Hemu did not subside among the Mughals. The Brahmin village, where Hemu was born, was plundered and attacked. They brutally killed the fellow Brahmin villagers and made a pyramid with the slaughtered bodies to establish their reign.
17. Historical mentions
Hemu was hated among the Mughals and henceforth, the Muslim historians wrote brutal and biased comments against him. Badayuni writes “…through treachery, deceit and fraud, Great Delhi fell into the hands of Hindu Hemu.” These mentions suppressed his heroic story among India.
18. Hemu Samadhi Sthal
The supporters of Hemu built a ‘Chattri’, a resting place as a memorial to Hemu. Over the years, the memorial was used by immigrant Muslims and was converted into a mosque. This 10-acre site is in Panipat, where he was beheaded.
19. Hemu’s role in Indian history
While textbooks and school education have taught the line of Mughal emperors, the mention of Hemu is very less. He was a man who tried to change India’s destiny. Historian A.L.Srivastava writes, “..heseized the opportunity of banishing alien rule from the capital. If foreigners like Humayun and the descendants of Sher Shah could advance claims to the sovereignty of India, Hemu who was a real native of the soil, had an equally legitimate, if not better, claim to rule over his ancestral land.”
20. The last Hindu emperor of medieval India
Hemu is believed to be the only Emporer who established Hindu rule in India after 350 years of foreign invasions. His purpose was only to overpower and fight the oppression that prevailed in India from foreign domination. With his death, a glorious yet unspoken period ended.
