The Last Vikramaditya !!

History, which can never be correct for sure. Reason? Its written or told by a person and a person, by nature tend to add adjectives, be biased, say stories, make interesting, and many a times forget. Also since humans are build to be ruled and to praise in order to gain something, be it his reputation, financial gains or for that matter power or just safeguard his own current position. These all factors act like catalyst in distortion of history. Many a time just to popularize a personality in order to gain political advantages, other personalities around it are shown in low light, sometimes making them villain.

Recently I was reading about Akbar, only second emperor after Asoka, to be called ‘The Great’. How He rose to become all in all of Delhi sultanate after second battle of Panipat. At the end something interesting came up. Fourteen year old Akbar, who was almost eight mile away from the battle ground, in protection of Bairam khan, killed Hemu and then Bairam Khan beheaded Hemu. His head was sent to Kabul, hanged outside Delhi darwaza. I remember reading a chapter maybe in eighth or ninth standard, titled ‘Akabar the great’. Hemu acted like a villain in that story and Akbar after killing him earned the title of ‘Ghazi’ the one who has killed a kafir. We all hated Hemu and why not? Soon after the death of father of our hero, a guy from nowhere comes and captures the throne and leaves our hero on mercy of the fate. But our hero Akbar fights back and captures the throne back and becomes hero. Interesting story, considering it was written by Mughals themselves. There was no way we could read or know a different perspective.

But now its different, just a matter of clicking one more link titled ‘Hemu’ and we can explore a new personality, still not much information on him, but enough to change ones perspective .

We all have a villainish image of a person called Hemu, thanks to our incomplete, misinterpreted, biased, fact hiding and fact twisting historians. A Hindu Jat, who ruled Delhi, albeit for a short period of a month, after 350 years of Muslim rule.

Real name, Basant Rai, He was born in a very humble Jat family in Alwar, Haryana and used to sell saltpeter, which was used in making gun powder, this gave him frequent opportunities to meet Shershah Suri’s son Islam Shah, king of Sur Empire. Soon gained his trust and became a superintendent. After Islam Shah’s death, new king AdilShah completely trusted Hemu and made him prime minister and chief of Army, it took no time and Hemu became king of the Sur Empire and routed his forces to Bengal. Here notable point is he was way to popular in Hindu clan and also in Afgans, leading an Afgan Army, also because Mughal’s, in whole India, were considered as outsiders. This Made Hemu their own choice as king.

He won more than 22 battles he fought and only battle he lost was the second battle of Panipat, in which he was leading from front and died fighting. Himayun’s death gave Hemu a golden opportunity capture the throne and soon he was ruling Delhi. On 7^th October 1556, he adopted the title vikramaditya, now called Hemchandra vikramaditya, he wrote his name in Indian history as ‘The Last Vikramaditya’

As per very few historians, his triumphant march from Bihar to 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. Hemu won the loyalty of his soldiers by his ready distribution of the spoils of war among his soldiers. The last battle he almost won when an unfortunate event happened, an arrow wonded his eye and he felt unconscious, which caused confusion in soldiers and he got captured and in same unconscious state he was taken to Mughal camp and was struck by Akbar who was comfortably sitting in his camp in protection of Bairam Khan. This perspective definitely does not give him an image of villain if not a hero. For many Indians, he was a hero.

After Hemu's death, a massacre of Hemu's 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". 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.

Though not read and known by many now, Hemchandra is still and always be ‘The Last Vikramaditya’.