Dil Shah (also known as Adil Shah) tried to win over the nobles and the army by giving them large sums of money and titles. However, his act of killing the rightful ruler led to serious consequences and marked the beginning of the end for the Sur dynasty. Although he was weak and ineffective as a ruler, he appointed a very capable minister named
Hemu—a Hindu from a modest background who had risen through important positions under the previous ruler, Islam Shah. Despite Hemu's abilities, Dil Shah's weak leadership allowed different parts of the empire to break apart. Ibrahim Khan Sur, who was in charge of Agra, rebelled by defeating the army sent against him and took over Delhi for himself. At the same time, Ahmad Khan Sur, the governor of Lahore, declared independence under the title Sikandar Shah, and Muhammad Khan Sur in Bengal also revolted, calling himself Shams-ud-din Muhammad Shah Ghazi. The once-unified empire split into four main regions,
Delhi and
Agra under
Ibrahim Shah Suri,
Panjab under
Sikandar Shah Suri, Bengal under Shams-ud-din Muhammad Shah, and the area from Agra to Bihar under Muhammad Adil Shah.
Sikandar Shah Suri went on to fight Ibrahim near Agra in 1555 and won, capturing both Delhi and Agra. As the internal conflicts continued,
Humayun seized the opportunity to return from
Kabul in November 1554. His forces quickly took over important areas like
Lahore,
Jalandhar, and
Sirhind. In the process, Mughal troops, led by Akbar’s generals, defeated their Afghan opponents and captured
Delhi. Meanwhile, the fighting among the Afghan rulers did not stop.
Hemu, acting as Dil Shah’s prime minister, won two battles against one of the rebel leaders near Kalpi and Khanua, forcing him to hide in the fort of
Bayana. Later, after Humayun’s death in January 1556 and the accession of young Akbar, Hemu advanced with a large force from Gwalior, capturing Agra when its governor fled, and then took Delhi after defeating its governor. Feeling strong after these victories,
Hemu declared himself independent with the title Raja Vikramaditya and distributed wealth generously among his officers to secure their loyalty. He prepared to resist the Mughal forces, and a large battle took place on November 5, 1556, at Panipat. Although his army was larger, an arrow struck Hemu in the eye, and he fell unconscious. Believing their leader was dead, his troops lost heart and fled. Hemu was captured and later killed by Mughal forces under Akbar and his general Bairam Khan. After this decisive battle, Mughal rule was firmly established in
Delhi and
Agra. == In the
Panjab ==