It was Babar on whose foundation the Mughals ruled India for more than three hundred years.
Mughal emperor Babar must have also seen bad days, it is difficult to think today. There is an emperor, grandeur all around, courtiers, army, servants, everything. The same Babar on whose foundation the Mughals ruled India for more than three hundred years. It is another matter that the Mughal rulers who succeeded Aurangzeb also turned out to be very weak and lazy due to various reasons, as a result the British gradually weakened them and ousted them from power in India.
The birth date of the same Zaheeruddin Muhammad Babar is considered to be 14th February. Babar, born in Fargana (present-day Uzbekistan) in the year 1483 AD, later laid the foundation of the Mughal Empire in India. But behind his identity as a winner lies a long period of struggle, defeat, exile and introspection. Babar himself has given a very honest description of those difficult days in his autobiography Tuzuk-e-Babri or Baburnama.
If one asks where Babur spent his darkest days, the answer lies in the Samarkand-Fergana region of Central Asia and later in Kabul in his early years. At the same time, Babar also suffered the brunt of defeat, betrayal, poverty and homelessness. Let us understand this issue in detail on the pretext of Babar’s birth anniversary.
Throne and responsibility of Fergana
Babar was only 12 years old when his father Omar Shaikh Mirza died suddenly and Babar inherited the throne. Holding power at a playful age was a challenge in itself. In his autobiography Baburnama, Babur admits that the tussle between the chiefs of the court, the ambitions of his relatives and the eyes of the neighboring rulers were fixed on his kingdom. This was the time when Babar first experienced the fragility of power.
Dream, Triumph and Fall
Samarkand was a symbol of pride for the Timurid dynasty. Babar also had a strong desire to achieve this. In the year 1497, Babar won Samarkand after a tough struggle. But this victory did not last. During the capture of Samarkand, there was a rebellion in Fargana and Babar lost his original principality. The result was that within a few months both Samarkand and Fergana were lost from Babar’s hands. It is written in Baburnama that during this period Babar had neither a permanent residence nor resources. Many times he had to wander in the mountains, sometimes there was shortage of even food and clothes. Babar has admitted that he used to spend nights under the open sky with his companions. This decline that came after the momentary victory of Samarkand was a very painful phase of his life.
Babar kept wandering
The time between 1498 and 1504 is considered to be the most difficult for Babar. He continuously tried to regain his lost kingdom, but he could not stand it against the power of Uzbek leader Muhammad Shaybani Khan. Many times Babar had to flee through hilly routes with his limited military force. He writes in Baburnama that there came days when I did not have proper clothes to wear. This confession is not of a winner, but of a struggling youth who is struggling with the circumstances. Babar also faced betrayal during these years. Some chieftains left him in times of crisis. This mental trauma was also no less.
Babar laid the foundation of the Mughal Sultanate in India.
capture kabul
Babar captured Kabul in the year 1504. This was a turning point in his life. Kabul gave him a stable base, but the early years were not easy here either. Limited resources, challenges from local chieftains and the constant desire to return to Central Asia, all these kept Babur distressed. Yet while living in Kabul, Babur developed another side of his personality. He emerged as a nature lover, poet and sensitive writer. Babur planted gardens, described mountains and rivers, and gave literary form to his experiences. The early years spent in Kabul were difficult, but it was from here that Babur’s confidence in life was rebuilt.
Then turn towards India
Repeated defeats in Central Asia forced Babar to think in a new direction. By defeating Ibrahim Lodi in the first battle of Panipat in the year 1526, Babar laid the foundation of Mughal power in India. But it is important to understand that this victory was the result of the years of penance he spent amid the defeats he suffered in Samarkand and Fergana.
honesty of autobiography
The specialty of Baburnama is its frankness. Babar has also recorded his weaknesses, fears, disappointments and mistakes in it. He also did not forget to mention his consumption of alcohol and his subsequent abstinence from it. While he did not fail to appreciate the courage of his comrades, he also criticized those who betrayed him. Historians believe that Babar’s worst days were those when he was neither a king nor a conqueror, but wandered here and there as a homeless prince. From the streets of Samarkand to the hills of Ferghana and the difficult roads of Badakhshan, Babur faced defeat and insecurity. This experience later made Babar a practical and strategic ruler.
Contemporary and later historians Abul Fazl and Badayuni also mention Babur’s early struggles. According to modern historians, if Babar had got permanent success in Central Asia, perhaps he would not have even thought of coming towards India. From this point of view, the worst days of Babar later became the reason for changing the direction of Indian history.
Also read: Why did Shahjahan and Mumtaz have to wait 5 years to get married? Read the love story of the Mughal emperor
