Babur's victory at Panipat owed much to the effective use of which military technology, new to the battlefields of north India?

Babur's victory at Panipat owed much to his effective use of field artillery (cannon) and matchlock guns, which were new to the battlefields of north India on that scale.

Babur's use of gunpowder weapons:

• Babur's army had cannons (field guns) and matchlock muskets (tufang), which had come to Central Asia from the Ottoman Turks and Persians.
• His gunners, Ustad Ali Quli and Mustafa, were skilled in using artillery.
• The guns were placed behind a line of carts tied together, which protected them from the enemy's cavalry and elephants.
• The loud noise and destructive power of the guns frightened the enemy's elephants, which ran back into their own lines, causing great confusion.

Gunpowder in India before Babur:

• Historians note that gunpowder and some firearms were known in India before Babur; for example, the Bahmani kingdom and some other states had used guns.
• However, Babur was the first to use artillery and muskets so effectively in a major battle in north India, combined with mobile cavalry tactics.

Effects on warfare:

• Artillery became an important part of Mughal armies.
• The Mughal state came to be called a "gunpowder empire", along with the Ottomans and the Safavids.
• Akbar and his successors set up an artillery department under an officer called the "Mir Atish".
• Large forts had to be strengthened against cannon fire.
• Indian rulers who used elephants as their main striking force were at a disadvantage.

NCERT on Babur:

NCERT mentions that Babur used firearms and new tactics, which helped him defeat larger armies.

Other military developments:

The Mughals used heavy cannons for sieges, such as those of Chittor and Ranthambore.

Why not the other options?

• ✗War elephants were used by Babur's opponents.
• ✗Iron stirrups and composite bows had been known for centuries.