Ibrahim Lodi



Ibrahim Lodi (ابراهیم لودي, इब्राहिम लोधी; born ? – April 21, 1526) was the Sultan of Delhi in 1526 after the death of his father Sikandar. He became the last ruler of the Lodi dynasty, reigning for nine years between 1517 until being defeated and killed by Babur's invading army in 1526.

Biography
Ibrahim was an ethnic Afghan through his father's side. He attained the throne upon the death of his father, Sikandar, but was not blessed with the same ruling capability. He faced a number of rebellions. The Mewar ruler Rana Sangram Singh extended his empire right up to western Uttar Pradesh and threatened to attack Agra. There was rebellion in the East also. Ibrahim Lodi also displeased the nobility when he replaced old and senior commanders by younger ones who were loyal to him. He was feared and loathed by his subjects. His Afghan nobility eventually invited Babur to invade India. In 1526, the Mughal forces of Babur, the king of Kabulistan, defeated the much larger ruling army of Ibrahim Lodi, Sultan of Delhi. Ibrahim died in the battle of Panipat It is estimated that Babur's forces numbered around 15,000 men and had between 20 to 24 pieces of field artillery. Babur estimated Lodi had around 100,000 men along with at least 1000 war elephants.

Tomb
His tomb is often mistaken to be the Sheesh Gumbad within Lodhi Gardens Delhi, though is actually situated in near the tehsil office in Panipat, close to the Dargah of Sufi saint Bu Ali Shah Qalandar. It is a simple rectangular structure on a high platform approached by a flight of steps. In 1866, the British relocated the tomb during construction of the Grand Trunk Road and renovated it with an inscription highlighting Ibrahim Lodhi’s death in the Battle of Panipat.