The land of five waters gave the world its first cities, its saints and its songs. Broken by every empire that crossed it, it is still ours to remember, and to make whole again.

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The LandRivers, doabs, Harappa and the first cities, seasons, numbersAgesEight ages of the Punjab, from the Soan to todayTimelineEvery dated event on one lineAtlasEvery place on one map, age by agePlacesCities, ancient sites, temples, mosques and gurdwaras, battlefieldsLanguage & scriptsPunjabi, its dialects, Gurmukhi and Shahmukhi

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PeopleSaints and teachers, poets and singers, rulers, rebels, the people of both PunjabsPeople of the landJats, Rajputs, Arains, Khatris, Dalit communities and more, across every faithFaithsHindu traditions, Islam and the Sufis, Sikhi, and the Punjab's other faiths

Kingdoms & Struggles

Kingdoms & WarsWho ruled the Punjab, the Kingdom of Lahore, and the battles fought over itWho ruled the PunjabEvery ruling power, 518 BCE to todayWars & BattlesFrom the Hydaspes to BasantarStruggles & Partitions1849, 1919, 1947, 1966, 1984, 2020

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CulturePoets, qisse, songs, music, dance, festivals, foodMuseumSculpture, coins, manuscripts, painting, arms, buildings, and where to see themChronicles & ProphecyThe poetry of the old chroniclesAboutWhat this atlas is, its sources, and every word explainedHelp maintain this siteCorrections, pictures, sources and new entries
Punjab WikiPlacesBattlefields
Panipat
Unknown · Wikimedia
Battlefield

Panipat

ਪਾਣੀਪਤپانیپت

Plain north of Delhi where three battles decided the rule of north India: 1526, 1556 and 1761.

Panipat, on the plain north of Delhi, was the battlefield of three battles that decided the rule of north India: in 1526, when Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodi; in 1556, when Akbar's army defeated Hemu; and in 1761, when Ahmad Shah Abdali crushed the Marathas.

The plain was the natural road from the Punjab to Delhi, and armies met here because it was open, flat and well-watered.

Panipat is now a textile city in Haryana.

Panipat, Haryana, India

People

Babur
Babur1483 – 1530

Timurid prince from Fergana who invaded Punjab several times before founding the Mughal empire at Panipat in 1526. Guru Nanak witnessed his sack of Saidpur.

Ahmad Shah Abdali (Durrani)
Ahmad Shah Abdali (Durrani)c. 1722 – 1772

Founder of the Afghan Durrani empire, who invaded Punjab eight or nine times between 1748 and 1767, crushed the Marathas at Panipat and twice destroyed the Harmandir Sahib.

Battles

1526PanipatFirst Battle of PanipatBaburvsIbrahim Lodi, Sultan of DelhiMughal victory; Mughal empire founded1556PanipatSecond Battle of PanipatAkbar's army under Bairam KhanvsHemu, ruler at DelhiMughal victory; Akbar's reign secured1761PanipatThird Battle of PanipatAhmad Shah Abdali and alliesvsThe Maratha EmpireAfghan victory; Maratha power in the north broken

On the timeline

January 1761 · Third Battle of Panipat

In the world's museums

6 objects
This scene from Walters manuscript W.596 depicts the battle of Panipat at which Sultan…This scene from Walters manuscript W.596 depicts the battle of Panipat at which Sultan…Walters Art Museum, Baltimore · photo Babur (Wikimedia Commons) ↗Battle of Panipat (20 April 1526)Battle of Panipat (20 April 1526)National Museum, New Delhi · photo Painters of Babur (Wikimedia Commons) ↗Model of Battle of Panipat (1526) displayed at Indian War Memorial museum, NaubatkhanaModel of Battle of Panipat (1526) displayed at Indian War Memorial museum, NaubatkhanaWikimedia Commons · Vssun · CC BY-SA ↗Humayun's army had a significant role in the battle of Panipat in CE 1526Humayun's army had a significant role in the battle of Panipat in CE 1526National Museum, New Delhi · photo SpeakingArch (Wikimedia Commons) · CC BY-SA ↗Photograph of the 14th Sikhs at Panipat, by Deen Dayal, 1886Photograph of the 14th Sikhs at Panipat, by Deen Dayal, 1886Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto · photo Wikimedia Commons (Wikimedia Commons) ↗Shishedar PhulkariShishedar Phulkaric.1881-2 · Panipat© Victoria and Albert Museum, London ↗

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