Battle of Panipat ( 1556 ) The Second Battle of Panipat was fought between the forces of Samrat Hem Chandra Vikramaditya , popularly called Hemu , the Hindu ruler North India from Delhi , and the army of Akbar , on November 5 , 1556 . It was a decisive victory for Akbar ' s generals Khan Zaman I and Bairam Khan . Background . On January 24 , 1556 , the Mughal ruler Humanyun died in Delhi and was succeeded by his son , Akbar at Kalanaur , located in present day Punjab in India . Akbar was only thirteen years old . On February 14 , 1556 , Akbar was enthroned as the king . At the time of his accession to the throne , the Mughal rule was confined to Kabul , Kandahar , parts of Delhi and Punjab . Akbar was then campaigning in Kabul with his guardian , Bahram Khan . Samrat Hem Chandra Vikramaditya or Hemu was a Hindu emperor in Delhi by virtue of defeating Akbar / Humanyun ' s army in Battle for Delhi . Hemu belonged to Rewari in present day Haryana , . Hemu had won 22 battles , as Prime Minister and At the time of Humayun ' s death in January 1556 , Hemu had just quelled a rebellion in Bengal , killing the Bengal ruler Muhammad Shah in the war . He made his intentions of winning Delhi for himself known to his commanders . He then started a campaign , winning battles throughout northern India . When he attacked Agra , the commander of Akbar ' s forces in Agra , fled without fighting . A large area of Etawah , Kalpi , and Agra provinces comprising present day Bihar and UP came under Hemu ' s control . In the Gwalior Fort Hemu consolidated his army by recruiting more Hindus . Hemu then moved towards Delhi and stationed his forces outside the city at Tughlaqabad . On October 6 , 1556 , Hemu ' s army encountered Mughal resistance . After a fierce fight Akbar ' s forces were ousted in what is known as Battle for Delhi , and Tardi Beg , the commander of the Mughal forces , escaped , allowing Hemu to capture Delhi . Around 3 , 000 Mughals were killed . Hemu was crowned at Purana Qila on October 7 , 1556 , and established Hindu rule in North India , after 350 years of Muslim rule , and was bestowed the title of Samrat Hem Chandra Vikramaditya . According to Abul Fazl in Akbarnama , Hemu was preparing for an attack on Kabul and made several changes in his army . Battle . Developments in Delhi and Agra disturbed the Mughals at Kalanaur , Punjab . Many Mughal Generals advised Akbar to retreat to Kabul as Mughal forces may not face Hemu ' s might , but Bairam Khan decided in favor of war . Akbar ' s army marched towards Delhi . On November 5 , both armies met at the historic battlefield of Panipat , where , thirty years earlier , Akbar ' s grandfather Babur had defeated Ibrahim Lodi in what is now known as the First Battle of Panipat . H . G . Keen writes ; " Akbar and his guardian Bairam Khan did not participate in the battle and were stationed 5 Kos ( 8 miles ) away from the war zone . Bairam Khan did not permit the 13 year old child King to be present in battle field in person , instead he was provided with a special guard of 5000 well trained and most faithful troops and was stationed at a safe distance far behind the battle lines . He was instructed by Bairam Khan to flee towards Kabul for life in case the Mughal Army was routed in the battlefield . " Hemu led his army himself . Hemu ' s army consisted of 1500 war elephants and a vanguard of artillery park . Hemu marched in excellent order with 30 , 000 practiced horsemen composed of Rajput s and Afghans who on many occasions , had by their exploits increased the pride and arrogance . Aftermath . After beheading of Hemu , his skull was sent to Kabul to display outside the ' Delhi Darwaza ' . His torso was sent to Delhi and hanged outside Purana Quila on a ' gibbet ' to terrorise Hindus . Hemu ' s wife escaped from Purana Quila taking the booty along with and remained untraceble . A genocide of Hindu civilians was ordered by Bairam Khan of which continued for many years . Hemu ' s relatives and close Afghan supporters were caught and many of them beheaded . Minaretts were made of the beheaded skulls at different places . Hemu ' s 82 years father who had escaped to Alwar was traced after 6 months and was beheaded for refusing to convert to Islam . Akbar took Agra and Delhi without much resistance . But soon after he took possession of his capital , he had to return to Punjab when intelligence informed him of Sikandar Shah Suri ’ s ( Adil Shah Suri ’ s brother ) advancing campaign in Punjab . Sikandar Shah was , however , defeated and taken captive after the siege of Fort Mankot by Mughal forces and exiled to Bengal . The victory of Akbar at the Battle of Panipat in 1556 was the real restoration of the Mughal Power in India . It took Akbar eight years to capture the territory which was occupied by Hemu Vikramaditya up to Bengal .