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Babur

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   CAPTION: Babur

                Babur portrait
   Birth name:   Zāhir ud-Dīn Mohammad
   Family name:  Timurid
   Title:        Emperor of Mughal Empire
   Birth:        February 14, 1483
   Death:        December 26, 1530
   Succeeded by: Humayun
   Marriage:
                   * Ayisheh Sultan Begum
                   * Bibi Mubarika Yusufzay
                   * Dildar Begum
                   * Gulnar Agacheh
                   * Gulrukh Begum
                   * Maham Begum
                   * Masumeh Begum
                   * Nargul Agacheh
                   * Sayyida Afaq
                   * Zainab Sultan Begum

   Children:
                   * Humayun, son
                   * Kamran Mirza, son
                   * Askari Mirza, son
                   * Hindal Mirza, son
                   * Gulbadan Begum, daughter
                   * Fakhr-un-nisa, daughter

   Zāhir ud-Dīn Mohammad, commonly known as Bābur ( February 14, 1483 –
   December 26, 1530) ( Chaghatay/ Persian: ظﮩیرالدین محمد بابر گوركاني‎,
   also spelled Zahiruddin, Zahiriddin, Muhammad, Bobur, Baber, Babar,
   etc.), was a Muslim Emperor from Central Asia who founded the Mughal
   dynasty of India. He was a direct descendant of Timur, and believed
   himself to be a descendant also of Genghis Khan through his mother.
   Following a series of set-backs he succeeded in laying the basis for
   one of the most important empires in Indian history, the Mughal
   dynasty.

Background

   Zahiruddin Muhammad was born on February 14, 1483 in the town of
   Andijan, in the Fergana Valley which is in modern Uzbekistan. He was
   the eldest son of Omar Sheikh Mirza, ruler of the Fergana Valley, who
   he described as "short and stout, round-bearded and fleshy faced", and
   his wife Qutlugh Nigar Khanum. Although Babur hailed from the Barlas
   tribe which was of Mongol origin, his tribe had embraced Turkic and
   Persian culture (see Turco-Mongol, Turco-Persian), converted to Islam
   and resided in Turkestan and Khorasan. His mother tongue was the
   Chaghatai language (known to Babur as Tōrkī, "Turkish") and he was
   equally at home in Persian, the lingua franca of the Timurid elite; he
   wrote his famous memoirs, the Baburnama, in the former language, that
   of his birthplace.


   Babur

     Andijanis are all Turks; everyone in town or bazar knows Turki. The
       speech of the people resembles the literary language; hence the
   writings of Mir 'Ali-sher Nawa'i, though he was bred and grew up in Hin
     (Herat), are one with their dialect. Good looks are common amongst
          them. The famous musician, Khwaja Yusuf, was an Andijani.


   Babur

   Hence Babur, though nominally a Mongol (or Mughal in Persian), drew
   much of his support from the Turkic and Iranian peoples of Central
   Asia, and his army was diverse in its ethnic makeup, including Persians
   ( Tajiks or Sarts, as they were called by Babur), Pashtuns, and Arabs
   as well as Barlas and Chaghatayid Turco-Mongols from Central Asia.
   Babur's army also included Kizilbash fighters, a militant religious
   order of Shi'a Sufis from Persia who later became one of the most
   influential groups in the Mughal court.

   Babur is said to have been extremely strong and physically fit.
   Allegedly, he could carry two men, one on each of his shoulders, and
   then climb slopes on the run, just for exercise. Legend holds that
   Babur swam across every major river he encountered, including twice
   across the Ganges River in North India.
   A scene from the Baburnama The image above is a candidate for speedy
   deletion. It will be deleted on 2006-11-21.
   Enlarge
   A scene from the Baburnama
     __________________________________________________________________

   The image above is a candidate for speedy deletion. It will be deleted
   on 2006- 11-21.

Babur's name

   The name "Babur" is a nickname, derived from the Indo-European word for
   beaver. Babur's cousin, Mirza Muhammad Haydar, wrote:


   Babur

   At that time the Chaghatai (Mongol tribes descended from Genghis Khan's
      second son, Chagatai Khan) were very rude and uncultured, and not
   refined as they are now; thus they found (his given name) Zahir-ud-din
   Muhammad difficult to pronounce, and for this reason gave him the name
                                 of (Babur).


   Babur

Military career

   In 1494, with only twelve years of age, Babur obtained his first power
   position, succeeding his father as ruler of Fergana, in present-day
   Uzbekistan. His uncles were relentless in their attempts to dislodge
   him from this position as well as many of his other territorial
   possessions to come. Thus, Babur spent a large portion of his life
   shelterless and in exile, aided only by friends and peasants. In 1497,
   Babur attacked the Uzbek city of Samarkand and after seven months
   succeeded in capturing the city. Meanwhile, a rebellion amongst nobles
   back home approximately 350 kilometers (200 miles) away robbed him of
   Fergana. As he was marching to recover it, Babur's troops deserted in
   Samarkand, leaving him with neither Samarkand nor Fergana.
   Portrait of Muhammad Shaybani, who defeated Babur in Samarkand in 1501
   Enlarge
   Portrait of Muhammad Shaybani, who defeated Babur in Samarkand in 1501

   By 1501, he was again to regain control of Samarkand, but was shortly
   thereafter defeated by his most formidable enemy, Muhammad Shaybani,
   khan of the Uzbeks. Samarkand, his lifelong obsession, was lost again.
   Escaping with a small band of followers from Fergana, for three years
   Babur concentrated on building up a strong army, recruiting widely
   amongst the Tajiks of Badakhshan in particular. In 1504, he was able to
   cross the snowy Hindu Kush mountains and capture Kabul. With this move,
   he gained a wealthy new kingdom and re-established his fortunes and
   assumed the title of padshah. In the following year, Babur united with
   Husayn Bayqarah of Herat, a fellow Timurid and distant relative,
   against the usurper Muhammad Shaybani. However, the death of Husayn
   Bayqarah in 1506 delayed that venture. Babur instead occupied his
   allies' city of Herat, spending just two months there befor being
   forced to leave due to diminishing resources. Nevertheless, he
   marvelled at the intellectual abundance in Herat, which he stated was
   "filled with learned and matched men.", and became acquainted with the
   work of the Uyghur poet Mir Ali Shir Nava'i, who encouraged the use of
   Chagatai as a literary language. Nava'i's profiency with the language,
   which he is credited with founding, may have influenced Babur in his
   decision to use it for his memoirs, The Baburnama.

   A brewing rebellion finally induced him to return to Kabul from Herat.
   He prevailed on that occasion, but two years later a revolt among some
   of his leading generals drove him out of Kabul. Escaping with very few
   companions, Babur soon returned to the city, capturing Kabul again and
   regaining the allegiance of the rebels. Muhammad Shaybani was defeated
   and killed by Ismail I, Safavid ruler of Persia, in 1510, and Babur
   used this opportunity to attempt to reconquer his ancestral Timurid
   territories. Over the following few years, Babur and Shah Ismail I
   would form a partnership in an attempt to take over parts of Central
   Asia. In return for Ismail's assistance, Babur permitted the Safavids
   to act as a suzerain over him and his followers. Conversely, Shah
   Ismail reunited Babur with his sister Khānzāda, who had been imprisoned
   by and forced to marry the recently-deceased Shaybani. Ismail also
   provided Babur with a large wealth of luxury goods and military
   assistance, for which Babur reciprocated by adopting the dress and
   outward customs of the Shi'a Muslims. The Shah's Persia had become the
   bastion of Shia Islam, and he claimed descent from Imam Musa al-kazim,
   the seventh Shia Imam. Coins were to be struck in Ismail's name, and
   the Khutba at the Mosque was also to be read in his name. In effect,
   Babur was supposed to be holding Samarkand as a vassal territority for
   the Persian Shah, though in Kabul, coins and the Khutba would remain in
   Babur's name.

   With this assistance, Babur marched on Bukhara, where his army were
   apparently treated as liberators, Babur having greater legitimacy as a
   Timurid, unlike the Uzbegs. Towns and villages are said to have emptied
   in order to greet him, and aid and feed his army. At this point Babur
   dismissed his Persian aide, believing them no longer required. In
   October 1511 Babur made a triumphant re-entry into Samarkand, his ten
   year absence ended. Bazaars were drapped in gold, and again villages
   and towns emptied to greet the liberator. Dressed as a Shia, Babur
   stood out starkly amongst the masses of Sunnis who had thronged to
   greet him. The original belief was that this show of Shi'ism was a ploy
   to garner Persian help which would soon be dropped. While it was indeed
   a ploy, Babur did not think it wise to drop the charade. His cousin,
   Haidar, wrote that Babur was still too fearful of the Uzbegs to dismiss
   the Persian aid. Though Babur did not persecute the Sunni community, to
   please the Persian Shah, he did not drop the show of collaboration with
   the Shia either, resulting in popular disapproval and the re-conquering
   of the city by the Uzbegs eight months later.

Conquest of northern India

   Writing in retrospect, Babur suggested his failure in attaining
   Samarkand was the greatest gift Allah bestowed him. Babur had now
   resigned all hopes of recovering Fergana, and although he dreaded an
   invasion from the Uzbeks to his West, his attention increasingly turned
   towards India and its lands in the east.

   Babur claimed to be the true and rightful Monarch of the lands of the
   Sayyid dynasty. Babur believed himself the rightful heir to the throne
   of Timur, and it was Timur who had originally left Khizr Khan in charge
   of his vassal in the Punjab, who became the leader, or Sultan, of the
   Delhi Sultanate, founding the Sayyid dynasty. The Sayyid dynasty,
   however, had been ousted by Ibrahim Lodhi, a Ghilzai Afghan, and Babur
   wanted it returned to the Timurids. Indeed, while actively building up
   the troop numbers for an invasion of the Punjab he sent a request to
   Ibrahim; "I sent him a goshawk and asked for the countries which from
   old had depended on the Turk," the 'countries' referred to were the
   lands of the Delhi Sultanate.

   Following the unsurprising reluctance of Ibrahim to accept the terms of
   this "offer," and though in no hurry to launch an actual invasion,
   Babur made several preliminary incursions and also seized Kandahar - an
   essential strategic city if he was to fight off attacks on Kabul from
   the West while he was occupied in India. The siege of Kandahar,
   however, lasted far longer than anticipated, and it was only almost
   three years later that Kandahar, and its Citadel (backed by enormous
   natural features) were taken, and that minor assaults in India
   recommenced. However, during this series of skirmishes and battles an
   opportunity for a more extended expedition presented itself. It was an
   attack on the Gakhar stronghold of Pharwala in 1521 that led to the
   beginning of the end for Ibrahim Lodhi.

   The section of Babur's memiors covering the period between 1508 and
   1519 is missing; during these years Shah Ismail I suffered a reasonably
   large defeat when his large cavalry-based army was obliterated at the
   Battle of Chaldiran by the Ottoman Empire's new weapon, the matchlock
   musket. Both Shah Ismail and Babur, it appears, were swift in acquiring
   this new technology for themselves. Somewhere during these years Babur
   introduced matchlocks into his army, and allowed an Ottoman, Ustad Ali,
   to train his troops, who were then known as Matchlockmen, in their use.
   Babur's memoirs give accounts of battles where the opposition forces
   mocked his troops, never having seen a gun before, because of the noise
   they made and the way no arrows, spears, etc appeared to come from the
   weapon when fired.

   These guns allowed small armies to make large gains on enemy territory.
   Small parties of skirmishers who had been dispatched simply to test
   enemy positions and tactics were making inroads into India. Babur,
   however, had survived two revolts, one in Kandahar and another in
   Kabul, and was careful to pacify the local population after victories,
   following local traditions and aiding widows and orphans.

The battle with Ibrahim Lodhi

   However, while the Timurids were united, the Lodhi armies were far from
   unified.

   Ibrahim was widely detested, even amongst his nobles, and indeed it was
   several of his Afghan nobles who were to invite Babur's intervention.
   Babur assembled a 12,000-man army, and advanced into India. This number
   actually increased as Babur advanced as members of the local population
   joined the invading army. The first major clash between the two sides
   was fought in late February 1526. Babur's son, Humayun (then aged 17),
   led the Timurid army into battle against the first of Ibrahim's advance
   parties. Humayun's victory was harder fought than the previous
   skirmishes, but it was still a decisive victory. Over one hundred
   prisoners of war were captured along with around eight war elephants.
   However, unlike after previous battles, these prisoners were not bonded
   or freed; by decree from Humayun, they were shot. In His memoirs Babur
   recorded the incident thusly: "Ustad Ali-quli and the matchlockmen were
   ordered to shoot all the prisoners, by way of example; this had been
   Humayun's first affair, his first experience of battle; it was an
   excellent omen!". This is, perhaps, the earliest example of execution
   by firing squad.

   Ibrahim Lodhi advanced against him with 100,000 soldiers and 100
   elephants; and though Babur's army had grown, it was still less than
   half the size of his opponents, possibly as few as 25,000 men. This was
   to be their main engagement, the First battle of Panipat, and was
   fought on April 21, 1526. Ibrahim Lodhi was slain and his army was
   routed; Babur quickly took possession of both Delhi and Agra - That
   very day Babur ordered Humayun to ride forward to Agra (Ibrahim's
   former capital) and secure its national treasures and resources from
   looting. Here Humayun found the family of the Raja of Gwalior, the Raja
   himself having died at Panipat, sheltering from the invaders, fearing
   the dreadful nature of the 'Mongols' from the stories that preceded
   their arrival. After guaranteeing their safety they gave their new
   ruler a famous jewel, then the largest known diamond in the world - the
   Koh-i-Noor or 'Mountain of Light'. This was presented in hopes that the
   family would remain a part of Indian nobility, and whether it was
   because of the gift or not, the family did remain a noble family,
   though now serving the Timurids.

   Babur, meanwhile, marched onward to Delhi itself, reaching it three
   days after the battle. He celebrated his arrival with a festival on the
   river Jumna, and remained there at least until Friday ( Jum'ah), when
   Muslim congregational prayers were said and he heard the Khutba,
   (sermon), read in his name in the Jama Masjid of that time, a sign of
   the assumption of sovereignty. He then marched on to Agra to rejoin
   Humayun. Upon arrival Babur was presented with the Koh-i-Noor, and
   Babur reports that "I just gave it back to him", adding, "its value
   would provide two and a half days' food for the whole world".

Battles with Rajputs

   Babur as Emperor, receiving a courtier
   Enlarge
   Babur as Emperor, receiving a courtier

   Although master of Delhi and Agra, Babur records in his memoirs that he
   had sleepless nights because of continuing worries over Rana Sanga, the
   Rajput ruler of Mewar. The Rajputs had, prior to Babur's intervention,
   succeeded in conquering some of the Sultanate's territory. They ruled
   an area directly to the southwest of Babur's new dominions, commonly
   known as " Rajputana". It was not a unified kingdom, but rather a
   confederacy of principalities, under the informal suzerainty of Rana
   Sanga, head of the senior Rajput dynasty.

   The Rajputs had possibly heard word of the heavy casualties inflicted
   by Lodhi on Babur's forces, and believed that they could capture Delhi,
   and possibly all Hindustan, bringing it back into Hindu Rajput hands
   for the first time in almost three hundred and fifty years when
   Muhammad of Ghor defeated the Rajput Chauhan King Prithviraj III in
   1192.

   Furthermore, the Rajputs were well aware that there was dissent within
   the ranks of Babur's army. The hot Indian summer was upon them, and
   many troops wanted to return home to the cooler climes of Central Asia.
   The Rajputs' reputation for valour preceded them, and their superior
   numbers no doubt further contributed to the desire of Babur's army to
   retreat. Babur resolved to make this an extended battle, and decided to
   push further into India, into lands never previously claimed by the
   Timurids. He needed his troops to take the battle to the Rajputs.

   Despite the unwillingness of his troops to engage in further warfare,
   Babur was convinced he could overcome the Rajputs and gain complete
   control over Hindustan. He made great propaganda of the fact that for
   the first time he was to battle non-Muslims, the Kafir. He had his men
   line up and swear on the Qur'an that none would "think of turning his
   face from his foe, or withdraw from this deadly encounter so long as
   life is not rent from his body". He also began to refer to himself as a
   Ghazi, or "Holy Warrior," a title used by Timur when he fought in
   India.

   The two armies fought each other forty miles west of Agra at Khanwa. In
   a possibly apocryphal tale referred to in Tod's Annals and Antiquities
   of Rajasthan, Babur is supposed to have sent about 1,500 choice cavalry
   as an advance guard to attack Sanga. These were heavily defeated by
   Sanga's Rajputs. Babur then wanted to discuss peace terms. Sanga sent
   his general Silhadi (Shiladitya) to the parley. Babur is said to have
   won over this general by promising him an independent kingdom. Silhadi
   came back and reported that Babur did not want peace and preferred to
   fight. The Battle of Khanwa began on March 17, 1527 and, as Tod puts
   it, "While the issue was still doubtful" Silhadi and his army left the
   field. Whatever the truth of this tale, it seems plausible that a
   treacherous Tomara who led the vanguard of Sanga's army at Khanwa went
   over to Babur, causing Sanga to retreat and costing him a likely
   victory. Within a year he was dead, probably poisoned by one of his own
   ministers, and a major rival to Babur had been removed . In return for
   the payment of regular tribute Babur allowed the Rajput princes to
   remain in control over their principalities, and maintain their customs
   and traditions.

Consolidation

   Babur was now the undisputed ruler of Hindustan (a term which at that
   time referred to northwestern India and the Gangetic Plain), and he
   began a period of further expansion. Each of the nobles or Umarah whom
   he appointed was granted leave to set up his own army, or militia, and,
   to facilitate Babur's expansionist aims, many were granted lands yet to
   be conquered as jaghirs, freeing Babur from many of the problems
   involved in raising troops. Meanwhile he granted his own sons the
   provinces furthest away from his new centre of operations: Kamran was
   given control over Kandahar, Askari was to control Bengal and Humayun
   was to govern Badakhshan, perhaps the most remote province of Babur's
   expanding empire.

   Babur also continuously used new technology to improve his army, with
   the help of Ustad Ali. In addition to guns, Babur and Ali tested new
   types of Siege weaponry, such as cannons, which Babur recalls as being
   capable of firing a large rock almost a mile (although, he records, its
   initial test did leave eight innocent bystanders dead). Alongside this,
   they developed Shells which exploded on impact. The army's organisation
   was also maintained with great discipline, and according to Babur it
   received regular inspections.

Impact on Architecture

   A view of the Babri Mosque, pre-1992. The Mosque is believed to have
   been commissioned by Babur
   Enlarge
   A view of the Babri Mosque, pre-1992. The Mosque is believed to have
   been commissioned by Babur

   Babur travelled the country, taking in much of the land and its
   scenery, and began building a series of structures which mixed the
   pre-existing Hindu intricacies of carved detail with the traditional
   Muslim designs used by Persians and Turks. He described with awe the
   buildings in Chanderi, a village carved from rock, and the palace of
   Raja Man Singh in Gwalior describing them as "wonderful buildings,
   entirely hewn from stone". He, was, however, digusted by the Jain
   "idols" carved into the rock face below the fortress at Gwalior. "These
   idols are shown quite naked without even covering for the privities...
   I ordered them to be destroyed". Fortunately, the statues were not
   destroyed entirely, rather the faces and genitalia of the offending
   pieces were removed. (Modern sculptors have restored the faces).

   To remind himself of the lands he had left behind Babur began a process
   of creating exquisite gardens in every palace and province, where he
   would often sit shaded from the fierce Indian sun. He tried as far as
   was possible to recreate the gardens of Kabul, which he believed were
   the most beautiful in the world, and in one of which he would
   eventually be buried. "In that charmless and disorderly Hindustan,
   plots of garden were laid out with order and symmetry." Almost thirty
   pages of Babur's memoirs are taken up describing the Fauna and Flora of
   his Hindustan.

Lavish lifestyle and final major battle

   Late in 1528 Babur celebrated a great festival, or tamasha. All nobles
   from the different regions of his empire were gathered, along with any
   noble who claimed descent from Timur or Genghis Khan. This was a
   celebration of his Khanal, Chingissid lineage, and when guests were sat
   in a semi-circle the farthest from Babur (who was, naturally, at the
   centre) was seated over 100 metres from him. The huge banquet involved
   giving presents and watching animal fights, wrestling, dancing and
   acrobatics. Guests presented Babur with tribute of gold and silver, and
   were in turn presented with sword-Belts and cloaks of honour (
   khalats). The guests even included Uzbegs, (who under Shaybani Khan had
   ousted the Timurids from Central Asia and were now the occupiers of
   Samarkand), and a group of peasants from Transoxiana who were now being
   rewarded for befriending and aiding Babur before he was a leader.

   After the Festival, many of the other gifts given to Babur were sent to
   Kabul, "to adorn the ladies" of his family. Babur was far too generous
   concerning wealth, and by the time of his death the Empire's coffers
   were almost empty; troops were even ordered to return a third of their
   income back to the treasury. Baburs extravagance did not go unnoticed.
   He was a heavy drinker and took hashish, perhaps as a means of
   alleviating the various illnesses he suffered from; he was known to
   cough up blood, he had numerous boils on his person, suffered from
   Sciatica and also bled fluid from his ears. These substances were
   supposedly strictly forbidden by the orthodox doctrines of Islam,
   although in the Babur-nama Babur does write without censure of
   relatives in Ferghana who indulged in strong liquor. Nevertheless,
   Babur, who had fought as a warrior for Islam was now indulging in the
   forbidden ( Haraam).

   On May 6, 1529, Babur defeated Mahmud Lodhi, Ibrahim's brother, who led
   an army of those disaffected with his rule, at the Battle of Ghagra,
   thus crushing the last remnant of resistance in North India.

Last days

   After Babur fell seriously ill, Humayun was told of a plot by the
   senior nobles of Babur's court to bypass the leader's sons and appoint
   Mahdi Khwaja, Babur's sister's husband, as his successor. He rushed to
   Agra and arrived there to see his father was well enough again,
   although Mahdi Khwaja had lost all hope of becoming ruler after
   arrogantly exceeding his authority during Babur's illness. Upon his
   arrival in Agra it was Humayun himself who fell ill, and was close to
   dying.

   Babur is said to have circled the sick-bed, crying to God to take his
   life and not his son's. The traditions that follow this tell that Babur
   soon fell ill with a fever and Humayun began to get better again. This
   is not accurate, as there are months separating the recovery of Humayun
   and the death of Babur, and Babur's final illness was a rather sudden
   affair. His last words apparently being to his Humayun; "Do nothing
   against your brothers, even though they may deserve it."

   He died at the age of 48, and was succeeded by his eldest son, Humayun.
   Though he wished to be buried in his favourite garden in Kabul, a city
   he had always loved, he was first buried in a Mausoleum in his capital
   of Agra. Roughly nine years later his wishes were fulfilled by Sher
   Shah and Babur was buried in a beautiful garden Bagh-e Babur in Kabul,
   now in Afghanistan. The inscription on his tomb reads (in Persian):


 Babur

      If there is a paradise on earth, it is this, it is this, it is this!


                                                                           Babur

   Babur's legacy was a mixed one. The Sikh Guru, Nanak, wrote a series of
   complaints against Babur in the Guru Granth Sahib, claiming Babur
   "terrified Hindustan" and was a "messenger of death". He also claimed
   that women with braided hair "were shaved with scissors, and their
   throats were choked with dust" and that "the order was given to the
   soldiers, who dishonored them, and carried them away." However, by
   contemporary standards he was particularly liberal, allowing freedom of
   religion and not interfering with local customs. Indeed further Sikh
   texts mention that Babur was blessed by Guru Nanak Dev Ji. His
   conciliation of enemies instead of outright destruction may have
   allowed them to regroup and re-attack, but it was far-sighted and
   allowed him to rule a large empire without too much social upheaval. He
   also wrote or dicated his extraordinary memoirs, one of the great
   monuments of Chaghatai literature, and oversaw the beginnings of an
   artistic and architectural legacy which fused indigenous traditions
   with those from Iran and Central Asia (such as the domed tomb, the
   original model for which was the Gur-e Amir in Samarkand). Ultimately
   this would result in the Mughal empire leaving India with some of the
   most breathtaking architecture in the world, including Humayun's Tomb,
   the Taj Mahal, the Pearl Mosque, and many other buildings.
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