Atlas of Battles

battle, landmark, early modern

Battle of Panipat

Battle of Panipat was a battle fought on 1 May 1526 at Panipat, in what is now India. It was part of Mughal Empire. The recorded result: Mughal victory. Recorded strength: 12,000; 15–20 cannon against 50,000–70,000; 1,000 war elephants.

See it on the globe Read the article

Battle of Panipat (20 April 1526). Baburnama of 1598
Battle of Panipat (20 April 1526). Baburnama of 1598. 1598 artist, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought1 May 1526
WherePanipat, India29.402N, 76.973E
OutcomeMughal victory
BelligerentsEmirate of KabulagainstDelhi Sultanate
Part ofMughal Empire

Where it sits in Mughal Empire

Siege of Sambhal, 1526Battle of Panipat, 1526Battle of Ghaghra, 1529Battle of Tukaroi, 1575Battle of Sinhagad, 167015261670Battle of Panipat, 1526
5 placed engagements of Mughal Empire in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date1 May 1526
PlacePanipat, India
29.402N, 76.973E
KindBattle, early modern
Territorial changeDelhi Sultanate annexed by the Mughal dynasty
Strength12,000; 15–20 cannon50,000–70,000; 1,000 war elephants
Casualties and losses20,000 killed
Commanders
  • Ibrahim Khan Lodi
Battle of PanipatBattle of PanipatThird Battle of PanipatBattle of PanipatBattle of KarnalSecond Battle of TarainBattle of Badli-ki-SeraiThird Battle of PanipatBattle of KarnalSecond Battle of TarainBattle of Badli-ki-SeraiNew DelhiMeerutFaridabadSaharanpurDehra DunPatialaKarnalHisar100 km29.402N, 76.973E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of Panipat
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 25 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Panipat today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2024-10-15. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2024.

The recorded site stands at about 239 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 0 to 260 m, 260 m of relief, hilly country and today it is 76% built-up, 16% cropland, 4% grassland.

built-up: 76%cropland: 16%grassland: 4%tree cover: 2%built-up 76%cropland 16%grassland 4%tree cover 2%
west to east, 10.0 km0 to 240 mnorth to south, 10.0 km233 to 247 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 3 times between 1526 and 1761.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1526

Battle of Panipat is one of 1,390 engagements of the 16th century in the atlas and one of 354 in present-day India.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q605321, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article First Battle of Panipat, revision 1384658228, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.