Hemu Samrat Hem Chandra Vikramaditya ( also known as Hemu Vikramaditya , Raja Vikramaditya or simply Hemu ) ( 1501 – 5 November 1556 ) was a Hindu emperor of north India during the sixteenth century AD , a period when Mughals and Afghans were vying for power in the region . Born in a humble family , Hemu rose to become Chief of the Army and Prime Minister to Adil Shah Suri of the Suri Dynasty . He fought Afghan rebels across North India from the Punjab to Bengal and the Mughal forces of Akbar and Humayun in Agra and Delhi , winning 22 consecutive battles . Hemu acceded to the throne of Delhi on 7 October 1556 , assuming the title of " Vikramaditya " that had been adopted by many Hindu kings since Vedic times . His " rajyabhishek " ( coronation ) as Samrat was held at Purana Qila in Delhi . Hemu re - established the native Hindu rule ( albeit for a short duration ) in North India , after over 350 years of Muslim ( Turkic and Mughal ) rule . Some historians say that this rule was on the pattern of a strong Hindu state prevailing in South India for more than three centuries , known as ' Vijaynagar Empire ' . Hemu struck coins bearing his title . Early life . Hem Chandra was born in 1501 . Apart from learning Sanskrit and Hindi , Hemu was also educated in Persian , Arabic language . Hemu was brought up in a religious environment ; his father was a member of " Vallabha Sampradaya " of " Vrindavan " and visited various religious sites in 1535 A . D . as far as Sindh where he converted the then Governor of Sind , Parmanand , into " Vallabha Sampradaya " . Social environment . India was socially and politically unstable in the early sixteenth century . This was especially so in the north , where Mughals and Afghans were vying for power , whereas the south was controlled by the comparatively stable Hindu Vijayanagar Empire , ruled at that time by Krishnadevaraya . Growing up in such an atmosphere , in a devout family of Hindu priests , Hemu yearned to defeat the Mughals . His first opportunity to do so and to rule North India from Delhi came after victory over Akbar ' s forces in the Battle for Delhi in October 1556 . Rise to fame . Rewari was an important stopover in medieval times for traders from Iran and Iraq on the way to Delhi . Hemu started his career as a supplier of cereals to Sher Shah Suri ' s army , moving on to more critical supplies like saltpetre ( for gunpowder ) later . He also developed a cannon foundry in Rewari , laying the foundation of an industry in brass , copper sheets and utensils manufacture . Hemu obtained technical assistance for casting cannons , and for producing saltpetre , from the Portuguese in Goa , who were also helping the Vijayanagar Empire against the Deccan Sultanates in South India , by supplying cannons , gunpowder and Arabian horses . After Sher Shah Suri ' s death in 1545 , his son Islam Shah became ruler of North India . Islam Shah recognised the calibre , and administrative skills of Hemu and made him his personal adviser . He consulted Hemu in matters relating not only to trade and commerce , but also pertaining to statesmanship , diplomacy and general politics . Islam Shah initially appointed Hemu " Shahang - i - Bazar " , meaning ' Market superintendent ' in Persian , to manage commerce throughout the empire . This post gave Hemu the opportunity to frequently interact with the king , having to apprise him of the trade and commercial situation of the kingdom . Abul Fazal says that Islam Shah held Hemu in great esteem . In 1550 , Hemu accompanied Islam Shah to the Punjab where he was deputed along with other high officers to receive Mirza Kamran in the fort of Rohtas . Islam Shah consulted Hemu on a variety of matters . After serving as " Shahang - i - Bazar " for some time , Hemu rose to become Chief of Intelligence or " Daroga - i - Chowki " ( Superintendent of Post ) . Islam Shah ' s health deteriorated in 1552 and he shifted his base from Delhi to Gwalior , which was considered safer . Hemu was deputed as Governor to the Punjab to safeguard the region against a Mughal invasion . Hemu held this position until 30 October 1553 , when Islam Shah died . Islam Shah was succeeded by his 12 year old son Firoz Khan who was killed within three days by Adil Shah Suri . The new king Adil was an indolent pleasure - seeker and a drunkard who faced revolts all around . Adil Shah took Hemu as his Chief Advisor and entrusted all his work to him . appointing him the prime minister and chief of his army . After some time , Adil Shah became insane and Hemu became the " de facto " king . Many Afghan governors rebelled against the weak King Adil Shah and refused to pay the taxes , but Hemu quelled them . Ibrahim Khan , Sultan Muhhamad Khan , Taj Karrani , Rukh Khan Nurani and several other Afghan rebels were defeated and killed . At the battle of Chhapparghatta in December 1555 , Hemu routed the Bengal forces under Muhammad Shah , who was killed in the battle . At the time the Afghans considered themselves natives of the country ( and were considered as such by the Hindus ) , while the Mughals , writes Vincent Arthur Smith , were considered foreigners . Writer K . K . Bhardwaj in his book " Hemu - Napoleon of medieval India " claimed that Hemu was a native ruler leading a native Afghan army to victory , in battle after battle . Thus , Hemu became popular among the Hindus as well as Afghans . Another writer , K . R . Qanungo , writes that , this indicates that the rule which Hemu established , commanding Afghan army was secular and nationalistic . Hemu ' s army . Hemu ' s army was a result of long process of military development during Sur rule in north India . Michael Bradwin states that Hemu ' s army was five times superior to the army of Akbar . However , recruitment of Hindus considerably increased during his rule . His army consisted of infantry , cavalry , artillery and large elephants . He had created a formidable force which included generals and soldiers from various castes of Hindus and Muslims which included Rajputs , Afghans , Indian Muslims , Ahirs , Gurjars , Jats , Brahmins , Baniyas etc . His infantry ran on Portuguese lines . Hemu , according to Maulana Muhammed Hussain ' Azad ' , was very proud of his artillery . The superiority of artillery which the grandfather of Akbar enjoyed over the former ' s campaigns against the Lodhi ruler , was not seen there in this case . General Ram Chandra ( Rammaya ) and Shadi Khan Kakkar , the Afghan governor from Sambhal were two of his most noted generals who commanded large forces in the Second Battle of Panipat . Victories against the Mughals . After the victory of the Mughal ruler Humayun over Adil Shah ' s brother Sikander Suri , on 23 July 1555 the Mughals regained the Punjab , Delhi and Agra after a gap of 15 years . Hemu was in Bengal when Humayun died on 26 January 1556 . Humayun ' s death gave Hemu an ideal opportunity to defeat the Mughals . He started a rapid march from Bengal through present day Bihar , Eastern UP and Madhya Pradesh . The Mughal " fauzdars " abandoned their positions and fled in panic before him . In Agra , an important Mughal stronghold , the commander of Mughal forces Iskander Khan Uzbeg fled after hearing about Hemu ' s invasion , without a fight . Etawah , Kalpi and Bayana , all in present day central and western UP , fell to Hemu . In the words of K . K . Bhardwaj , his triumphant march from Bihar to Dilli ( Delhi ) can be equated to the Italian campaign of Napoleon : " He came , he saw , he conquered " . Hemu never saw defeat in battle and went from victory to victory throughout his life ( he died in the only battle he lost ) . Hemu won the loyalty of his soldiers by his ready distribution of the spoils of war among his soldiers . After winning Agra , Hemu moved for the final assault on Delhi . Tardi Beg Khan , who was Governor of Delhi , for Akbar , wrote to Akbar and his regent , Bairam Khan , that Hemu had captured Agra and intended to attack the capital Delhi , which could not be defended without reinforcements . Bairam Khan , realising the gravity of the situation , sent his ablest lieutenant , Pir Muhammad Sharwani , to Tardi Beg . Tardi Beg Khan summoned all the Mughal commanders in the vicinity to a war council for the defence of Delhi . It was decided to stand and fight Hemu and plans were made accordingly . Sir Jadunath Sarkar writes in detail about the Battle for Delhi at Tughlaqabad : Confusion ensued , resulting in a defeat for the Mughals . Hemu was helped by reinforcements from Alwar with a contingent commanded by Hazi Khan . The desertion of various Mughal commanders with Pir Muhhammad Khan , who fled the battlefield , to Tardi Beg ' s chagrin and surprise , forced the Mughal commander to withdraw . Hem Chandra won Delhi after a day ' s battle on 6 October 1556 . Some 3000 soldiers died in this battle . However , Mughal forces led by Tardi Beg Khan vacated Delhi after a day ' s fight and Hemu Chandra entered Delhi , victorious under a royal canopy . Coronation . Sir Wolsey Haig writes , " Hemu was so elated by the capture of Delhi as to believe that he had already reached the goal of his ambition . " Smith , who names Hemu the third claimant to the sovereignty of Hindustan at the time ( the other two being the Suris and Akbar ) , asserts that Hemu after his occupation of Delhi came to the conclusion that he had a better claim to the throne for himself rather than on behalf of Adil Shah and ventured to assume the royal state under the style of Raja Vikramaditya or Vikramaditya , a title borne by several renowned Hindu Kings in ancient times . Hemu assumed the royal robes and declared himself the Emperor of India under the title of Vikramaditya . His Afghan officers were reconciled to the ascendancy of an infidel by a liberal distribution of plunder , and probably also by the fact that Hem Chandra had proved to be a successful general . Hemu had his formal Hindu " Rajyabhishek " or coronation at Purana Qila in Delhi on 7 October 1556 in the presence of all the Afghan Sardars and Hindu Senapatis ( military commanders ) . K . K . Bhardwaj says that thousands of guests were invited , along with various Rajput chiefs and Afghan governors and numerous scholars and Pandits . The festivities continued for three or four days . " Essential parts of a Hindu King ' s coronation are " , writes Sir Jadunath Sarkar , " washing him ( " abbhishake " ) and holding the royal umbrella over his head ( " Chhatra - Dharam " ) " and Hemu must have followed these ancient traditions , accompanied by costly gifts and robes to priests . He made various appointments on the occasion , appointing his brother Jujharu Rai , governor of Ajmer and his nephew Rammayya , a general in his army . He also appointed his various supporters as " Chhaudhuris " and " Muqqudams " based on their merit so that they continued to maintain their respective positions in the reign of Akbar . Thus Hemu became the first Hindu emperor of North India in 350 years . According to Abul Fazl , in the " Akbarnama " , after winning Delhi Hemu had planned to attack and win Kabul . He made several changes in his army , including the recruitment of many Hindus , but without the dismissal of any Afghan . Administration . Because of long association with the Sur administration since the 1540s , first as a supplier of various items to Sher Shah Suri , then as Superintendent of Markets , Minister of Internal security and Governor of Punjab with Islam Shah , Prime Minister - cum - Chief of Army with Adil Shah , Hemu had great experience of administration and sound knowledge of how system works . Although he did not have much time to rule , Hemu revitalised the administration that had flagged after the demise of Sher Shah Suri . With his knowledge of trade and commerce he gave fresh impetus to commerce throughout the country . He spared no - one , indulging in black - marketing , hoarding , overcharging and under - weighing of goods . After his conquest of Agra and Delhi , he replaced all corrupt officers . He also introduced coinage bearing his image . Second Battle of Panipat . On hearing of Hemu ' s serial victories and the fall of large territories like Agra and Delhi , the Mughal army at Kalanaur lost heart and many commanders refused to fight Hemu . Most of his commanders advised Akbar to retreat to Kabul , which would serve better as a strong - hold . However , Bairam Khan , Akbar ' s guardian and chief strategist , insisted on fighting Hemu in an effort to gain control of Delhi . On 5 November 1556 , the Mughal army met Hemu ' s army at the historic battlefield of Panipat . Bairam Khan exhorted his army in a speech with religious overtones and ordered them into battle . Akbar and Bairam Khan stayed in the rear , eight miles from the battleground , with the instructions to leave India in case of defeat . The Mughal army was led by Ali Kuli Khan , Sikandar Khan and Abdulla Khan Uzbeg . Hemu led his army himself into battle , atop an elephant . His left was led by his sister ' s son General Ramiya and the right by Shadi Khan Kakkar . He was on the cusp of victory , when he was wounded in the eye by an arrow , and collapsed unconscious . This led to confusion amongst the soldiers , with no supreme commander to coordinate decisions . According to Abul Fazl , 5000 soldiers of Hemu were slain . Death . Unconscious and at death ' s door , Hemu was captured by Shah Qulin Khan and carried to the Mughal camp for execution . According to Badayuni Bairam Khan asked Akbar to behead Hemu so that he could earn the title of Ghazi . Akbar replied ' He is already dead , if he had any movement or breathing , I would have killed him ' . However , on the insistence of Bairam Khan , Hemu was first struck by Akbar , to earn the title of " Ghazi " , then he was beheaded by Bairam Khan . Hemu ' s head was sent to Kabul in Afghanistan , where it was hanged outside the Delhi Darwaza , to be shown to Afghans to prove that the great Hindu warrior is dead , while his body was placed in a gibbet outside Purana Quila in Delhi to terrorise the Hindus . Aftermath . After Hemu ' s death , a massacre of Hemu ' s community and followers was ordered by Bairam Khan . Thousands were beheaded and towers of skulls built with their heads , to instil terror among the Hindus . At least one painting of such minarets is displayed in the " Panipat Wars Museum " at Panipat in Haryana . These towers were still in existence about 60 years later as described by Peter Mundy , a British traveler who visited India during the time of Jahangir . His attempts to drive the Mughals out of Hindustan and establish the Hindu Raj was a continuation of various Hindu efforts to regain control from Muslim invaders . As most of the Muslims were intolerant to their religion , they never reconciled to their rule . Romilla Thapar says that " although the Muslims ruled the infidels , the infidels called them barbarians . " Nirod Bhushan Roy considers Hemu to be " the harbinger of a new era in which the Hindus were to share equally with the Muhammadans the burdens of the state " .