Battle of Ghaghra
Ghaghara River near Revelganj, Bihar, India
What happened
The Mughal emperor Babur fought an alliance of Afghan nobles under Sultan Mahmud Lodi and the Sultanate of Bengal under Nusrat Shah. The Bengal army held the far bank of the Ghaghara River with a fleet of boats. Babur sent one force to cross upstream and distract them, then crossed himself under cover of artillery, with soldiers using boats, swimming and reed rafts. Surrounded on three sides, the Bengal army withdrew.
Why it matters
Why it matters: It was Babur's last big battle and effectively ended organised Afghan resistance in the east. Bengal quickly agreed to peace.
What came next
Babur spent his last months organising his new empire and died in Agra in December 1530. His son Humayun succeeded him.
Did you know?
Babur wrote his own memoir, the Baburnama, one of the earliest true autobiographies in Islamic literature.
Timeline
- 20 April 1526Babur reaches Panipat and defeats Ibrahim Lodi.
- 16 March 1527Babur wins at Khanwa.
- 6 May 1529Babur wins at Ghaghra.
- 26 December 1530Babur dies in Agra.