Panipat [key], town (1991 pop. 191,212), Haryana state, NW India, on the Western Yamuna Canal. It has saltpeter refining plants and manufactures electrical appliances, bricks, glass, and textiles. On a plain astride the easiest route from Afghanistan to central India, Panipat has seen several great battles. In 1526, Babur defeated the Delhi Sultanate there, thus paving the way for the formation of the Mughal empire. In 1556, Akbar defeated the Afghans at Panipat and thus secured Mughal rule. In 1761, Panipat was the site of an Afghan victory over the Marathas.
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