Warmatrix

The area around Panipat was the scene of several important battles for India, because it was on the route from the Khyber Pass in the northwest through the Punjab to Delhi, the linchpin of north India. The first battle at Panipat that was named after the city took place in 1526 CE and paved the way for the Mughal dynasty, which changed Indian history.
Muslim conquerors from the west had been making inroads to India since the early 12th century CE. They established the sultanate of Delhi, the power of which waxed and waned but never really affected the hindu south much. That changed when Babur, a descendant of Tamerlane, made his move and established the Moghul dynasty. In the decade after Panipat, the Moghuls extended their power over the whole of north India. Persian and Indian cultures merged to a high degree.
Sultan Ibrahim Lodi of Delhi opposed Babur's invasion with an army that was numerically stronger. He is reported to have fielded 30,000 - 40,000 soldiers plus many more camp followers. The pride of his army was his war elephant corps, possibly numbering several hundred animals. But many Indians despised Lodi and in fact several nobles had invited Babur to invade. Babur, coming from central Asia, brought mostly cavalry with him. His army was about 13,000 - 15,000 strong and hardened by many campaigns. It included a novelty: cannons and musketeers. He established a fortified position with the city of Panipat on his right, a trench and stakes on his left and a string of 700 carts in the center. These were roped together and acted as a shield for the artillery, handgunners and archers - a tactic in the Persian / Ottoman tradition.
Both armies were wary of each others strength and did not engage for a week, despite Babur's horse archers harassing the enemy. A night attack put an advance party in a badly exposed position, yet this too did not lure Lodi out immediately. Only at daybreak did he order a general attack.
The Indian army was met by a hail of arrows and also gunfire which panicked the elephants, so that only a few were used in the battle. The number of guns was quite low, either two batteries or just two pieces, and their rate of fire even lower, so it seems that most damage was inflicted by Babur's archers. Nonetheless keeping the vast majority of the elephants out the the fight was a significant boon. Lodi reacted by sending his heavy cavalry forward, who swept the enemy vanguard aside but could not break through the carts. The cavalry overstretched themselves and drew the rest of the army in after them. Missile fire caused more damage and made several elephants panic. They stampeded back through their own lines, disorganizing them. Despite being outnumbered, Babur reinforced his flanks and surrounded the enemy on all sides. Lodi's forces could not make use of their numerical advantage. Knowing that Babur had no reserves left and that he had to make his own numbers count, he personally led a desperate charge to create an opening, but it failed and he was killed. During the battle, a steady stream of Indian fighters defected to the enemy. The rest were pressed from all sides and fought a hopeless battle. The heavy fighting lasted three hours and then the Indian army collapsed.
Lodi's army lost half its men, while Babur suffered 4,000 casualties. He went on to take Delhi and establish the Mughal empire, which ruled north India for almost two centuries.