battle of Chausa

{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2017}}

{{short description|Military engagement between Humayun and Sher Shah Suri}}

{{Infobox military conflict

| image =

| caption =

| date = 26 June 1539

| place = Chausa (in present-day Buxar, Bihar, India)

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| result = Suri victory

| combatant1 = Sur Empire
Ujjainiya dynasty

| combatant2 = Mughal Empire

| commander1 = Sher Shah Suri
Gajpati Ujjainia

| commander2 = Humayun
Bairam Khan

| strength1 = Unknown

| strength2 = 200,000{{Cite book |last=Mahajan |first=V. D. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nMWSQuf4oSIC&dq=chausa+sher+mughal&pg=RA2-PA40 |title=History of Medieval India |date=2007 |publisher=S. Chand Publishing |isbn=978-81-219-0364-6 |page=40 |language=en}}

| casualties1 = Unknown

| casualties2 = 7,000{{Cite book |last=Chandra |first=Satish |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qHnHHwAACAAJ |title=History of Medieval India: 800-1700 |date=2007 |publisher=Orient BlackSwan |isbn=978-81-250-3226-7 |language=en|page=217}}

| conflict =

}}

The Battle of Chausa was a notable military engagement between the Mughal Emperor, Humayun, and the Afghan ruler, Sher Shah Suri. It was fought on 26 June 1539 at Chausa, 10 miles southwest of Buxar in modern-day Bihar, India. Sher Shah Suri was assisted by his allies, the Ujjainiya Rajputs of Bhojpur, as well as the Lohtamia and Gautam Rajputs who were led by the commander, Gajpati Ujjainia.{{cite book |title=Popular Literature And Pre-Modern Societies In South Asia |editor1-first=Surinder |editor1-last=Singh |editor2-first=I. D. |editor2-last=Gaur |pages=80 |publisher=Pearson Education India |year=2008 |isbn=978-81-317-1358-7 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QVA0JAzQJkYC |chapter=State Formation and Consolidation under the Ujjainiya Rajputs in Medieval Bihar: Testimony of Oral Traditions as Recorded in the Tawarikh-i-Ujjainiya|first=Imtiaz |last=Ahmad |access-date=2 January 2012}} Humayun escaped from the battlefield to save his life. Sher Shah was victorious and crowned himself Farīd al-Dīn Shēr Shāh.{{cite web|title=Sher Shah of Sur: Indian emperor|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sher-Shah-of-Sur|website=Encyclopædia Britannica|accessdate=2 August 2016}}{{cite web|title=India - The Mughal Empire, 1526-1761|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/India/The-Mughal-Empire-1526-1761|website=Encyclopædia Britannica|accessdate=2 August 2016}} Babur's cousin, Mirza Haidar asserted that the armies might have numbered over 200,000 troops.{{Cite book |last=Mahajan |first=V. D. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nMWSQuf4oSIC&dq=chausa+sher+mughal&pg=RA2-PA40 |title=History of Medieval India |date=2007 |publisher=S. Chand Publishing |isbn=978-81-219-0364-6 |page=40 |language=en}}

Humayun divided the province of Bengal into Jagirs among his officers and indulged in luxuries. Meanwhile, Sher Khan established his control over various regions and cut off Humayun's contacts with Agra. To put pressure on Sher Khan, Humayun marched towards Agra through the Grand Trunk Road, but Sher Khan provoked Humayun to recross the Ganga river to its southern bank at Chausa. Both armies remained encamped for three months, during which Sher Khan cleverly indulged Humayun in negotiations for peace. With the beginning of the rains, Sher Khan attacked the Mughal forces and caused a lot of confusion among them. The Mughal camp was filled with water, and a great number of soldiers were killed by the Afghans, and about 8000 of them drowned in the flooded Ganga. Sher Khan captured the Mughal camp along with their artillery and harem. Sher Khan treated the ladies of the harem kindly and made arrangements for their safe return to Humayun.{{Cite web |last=historyforexam |title=The Battle Chausa |url=https://www.historyforexam.com/2018/09/the-battle-chausa.html |access-date=2023-03-10}}