Babur murdered a son of Sultan Ibrahim Lodi

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‘Afsana-i-Shahan’ [1] records Babur’s Timurid instinct of shedding innocent blood, he killed Sultan Ibrahim Lodi’s seven-year-old son.

‘When Ibrahim was slain, his son, who was seven years old, was taken prisoner. As he was brought before Babur Badshah, the king asked for an ewer [2]. He gave it into his hand (and said), Help me in performing ablutions. He was the son of a king (and) had never observed how it was done. He could not help him in performing ablutions. The king flew into a rage, struck the same ewer on his head and the child died on the spot. [Hikayat thirty-eight]

 

However, in his diary Babur says that he consigned Ibrahim Lodi’s son to Kamran Mirza (Babur’s son) who was in Kandahar. (See Babur-nama, eng.trans by A.S.Beveridge, p-544).

It appears that since Ibrahim Lodi’s son disappeared from Indian scene, a rumour spread among Indo-Afghans that he was murdered by Mughals. Or it might be that Babur really did murder one of the sons of Ibrahim Lodi and another son was sent to the charge of Kamran Mirza in Afghanistan. This would explain attempt of Ibrahim Lodi’s mother on life of Babur as a revenge for murder of her innocent grandson.
Babur and Humayun

Notes and References

1-  Afsana-i-Shahan, as title indicates, contains stories of kings, chiefly the rulers of Lodi and Sur dynasty with brief reference to Mughal sovereigns up to Akbar and Sultan Muzaffar of Gujarat. It was written by Muhammad Kabir Batani. The work appears to be completed towards the close of Akbar’s reign.

2-  Ewer is large jug that is shaped like a vase and that was used in the past for holding water.

Ewer of Mughal period

3-  Baburnama, English translation, A.S.Beveridge , II, 543-544

4-  “Afsana-i-Shahan, a critique”, Hussain Khan

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