Describe the political condition of India on the eve of Babur's invasion.

Ans. Whenever central power declined in India and independent states were established, foreign invaders took advantage of the divided circumstances to establish new states. The establishment of Turk-Afghan rule was a product of divided circumstances. The condition of India during the Mughal invasion was almost similar to that during the Afghan rule. The Turk-Afghan empire had become hollow in the last days of the rule of Muhammad Tughlaq. Many independent states had been established by taking advantage of the rebellion and weakness of the rule. The invasion of Timur had destroyed the prestige of the Delhi Sultanate. Political unity of India had ended during the Sayyid and Lodi dynasties. The whole country was divided into small states and there was continuous conflict among the rulers of these states. Due to mutual differences, jealousy, rivalry, internecine warfare, anarchy and disorder, they were unable to face external enemies. There was no central power in the country that could face any external invader. 

Describing the divided condition of India, Babur wrote in Tuzuk-e-Babri that there were states of five Muslim and two infidel kings in India. The Muslim states were Delhi, Gujarat, Bahmani, Malwa and Bengal and the Hindu states were Mewar and Vijayanagar. Being hostile to each other and devoid of political unity or nationalist spirit, all these states were divided.

"The political condition of India at that time has been described by Dr. Ishwari Prasad in the following words - "In the beginning of the sixteenth century, India was a group of states which could easily become prey to any invader who had the power and will to conquer it." 

The historian Lanepool has also written that "The victors had become a mob of claimants fighting among themselves for the throne."

According to Rashbrook Williams, "In the fifteenth century, India had no history because the country was divided into separate states." 

"It is evident that the political unity of our country was completely destroyed. Such a situation always invites foreign invaders because this had been happening earlier as well. This foreign power was of the Mughals. Taking advantage of the situation, the Mughals established an empire that survived united India for centuries. The founder of this empire was Babur."

The pitiable condition of the Indian states on the eve of Babur's invasion is described below:  

Delhi:

The condition of the Delhi Sultanate was extremely pathetic. The Lodi dynasty ruled Delhi at the time of Babur's invasion. Its ruler Ibrahim Lodi was an incompetent, incapable, oppressive and cruel ruler. The amirs and nobles were dissatisfied with his cruel behavior and were plotting against him. Discontent against Ibrahim Lodi grew. As a result, he was preoccupied with internal problems and was not in a position to face foreign invasion.

Punjab:

Punjab was a part of the Delhi Sultanate. Daulat Khan ruled there at that time. He wanted to become an independent ruler. He had invited Babur to invade India to protect his independence. Ibrahim Lodi's uncle Alam Khan also lived in Punjab. He wanted to gain control over Agra and hence opposed Ibrahim Lodi. Thus Punjab, close to Delhi, was a hostile state ready to support Ibrahim’s enemies.

Sindh: 

The state of Sindh was on the western border of India. This province had become a center of anarchy in the sixteenth century. Taking advantage of the disorder, Shah Beg captured Sindh. His son Shah Husain also became the ruler of Multan besides Sindh.

Kashmir:

The state of Kashmir was in the north-west of Punjab. An independent state was established here by Shah Mirza in 1339. The best ruler among its kings was Zain-ul-abidin. But after the death of Zain-ul-abidin, Kashmir became a victim of unrest and disorder. Thus the state of Kashmir had also become weak due to disorder. 

Gujarat:

In 1401, Zafar Khan established an independent state in Gujarat. He later assumed the title of Muzaffar Shah. There were many capable rulers among his descendants, most notable being Mahmud Begarha. He conquered Champaner, Baroda, Junagarh and Kutch, making Gujarat a prosperous state. After the death of Mahmud Begarha, Muzaffar Shah II became the ruler of Gujarat. He had to struggle against the rulers of Malwa and Mewar. He was badly defeated by Rana Sanga. After his death, his son Bahadur Shah became the ruler of Gujarat.

Khandesh:

Malik Faruki established an independent state in Khandesh in 1388. After the death of Sultan Dawood, the ruler of Khandesh in 1508, a struggle started there over succession. The rulers of Khandesh and Gujarat were hostile to each other. In the fight over succession, the ruler of Gujarat Mahmud Begarha supported Adil Shah III who became the new ruler of Khandesh. After the death of Adil Shah III, his son Mahmud I became the ruler of Khandesh.

Malwa: 

The state of Malwa was north of Khandesh. Mahmud Shah II ruled Malwa at the time of Babur's invasion. He was an incompetent ruler and was a puppet in the hands of Medini Rai, a Rajput chieftain. Medini Rai appointed Hindus to high positions in the Malwa kingdom. The Muslim chieftains of Malwa started opposing Medini Rai. Mahmud Shah II was taken prisoner. Later Malwa also fell into disorder and eventually in 1531 Bahadur Shah of Gujarat conquered Malwa.

Jaunpur:

The Sharki Sultans had established an independent state in Jaunpur. Jaunpur was a rival state of the Delhi Sultanate. Its ruler Nusrat Khan was an enemy of Ibrahim Lodi and was waiting for a suitable opportunity to gain control over Delhi.

Bihar:

Darya Khan Lohani had established an independent state in Bihar. His son Wahar Khan Lohani completely broke away from the Delhi Sultanate and became fully independent. 

Bengal:

Bengal had become independent since the time of Firuz Tughlaq. The ruler of Bengal, Alauddin Husain Shah, had extended the boundary of Bengal up to Assam. The ruler of Bengal at the time of Babur’s invasion was Nusrat Shah. He was a capable ruler and patron of arts and culture. He had captured Tirhut. Considerable development of Bengali literature had taken place during his time.

Rajputana: 

Among those who established independent states over the remnants of the Turk Sultanate, the Rajput chieftains of Rajputana were foremost. There were many small and big states in Rajputana. Among these, the state of Mewar was the most powerful. Mewar’s ruler Rana Sanga wanted to organize the scattered Hindu power and establish a powerful state. He was a warrior and his whole life was spent on the battlefield. He compelled the rulers of Jaipur, Jodhpur, Gwalior, Ajmer, Chittor, Raisin, Kalinjar, Bundi, Rampur and Abu to accept his suzerainty. He did not have good relations with Ibrahim Lodi. He had also invited Babur to invade India against Ibrahim Lodi. Rana Sanga hoped that like other invaders, Babur would also go back and then he would get a chance to gain control over Delhi. But Rana Sanga’s dream remained unfulfilled and ultimately he also had to face defeat at the hands of Babur.  

Orissa:

An independent Hindu state had been established in Orissa. The rulers of Orissa did not take interest in Indian politics.

Thus independent states had been established in the north-west and north-east that had rejected the sovereignty of the Muslim rulers.

South India  

Bahmani: 

At that time there was mutual conflict among the states in South India as well. The Bahmani kingdom was established in 1347. It was the major state in South India. After 1481, the condition of the Bahmani empire started deteriorating. Continuous conflict with the Hindu rulers of Vijayanagar had weakened the power of the Bahmani empire and it had broken up into five states. There was mutual hostility among these states. The differences among the Muslims had stopped their expansion in South India and taking advantage of their disunity Vijayanagar succeeded in expanding its power.

Vijayanagar:

Vijayanagar was a Hindu state. Two brothers Harihar and Bukka established the Vijayanagar empire in 1336. At the time of Babur’s invasion, Krishnadev Raya ruled Vijayanagar. During the reign of Krishnadev Raya, the Vijayanagar empire underwent all-round development. He conquered Udaygiri and the Sultan of Bijapur, Ismail Adil Shah had seized Raichur Doab from him. After defeating Prataparudra, the ruler of Orissa, Krishnadev Raya gained control over the region up to Vijayapattam. But after Krishnadev Raya, Vijayanagar had also become dilapidated and the constant conflict with the Bahmani state had weakened it.

The above description makes it clear that in the sixteenth century, India was merely a group of states. These states had become victims of mutual differences and conflicts. Due to lack of political unity and decline of central power, the political condition of our country was chaotic. The differences between the Hindu and Muslim states had increased so much that they were never ready to think in terms of national interests. The divided circumstances were inviting the invaders. Babur took advantage of the situation and invaded India, defeating all the disintegrating forces and laying the foundation of the Mughal rule in India. The Mughal empire established by Babur dashed the hopes of the Hindus and Afghans. Akbar made the foundations of the Mughal empire firm and in the coming centuries, Mughal rule was gradually established over most parts of India.