| Hemu | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maharaja Hemchandra Vikramaditya | |||||
 A posthumous portrait of Hemu | |||||
| Rule | 7 October – 5 November 1556 | ||||
| Coronation | 7 October 1556 | ||||
| Predecessor | Adil Shah Suri | ||||
| Successor | Akbar | ||||
| Born | 1501 Alwar, Rajasthan | ||||
| Died | 5 November 1556 (aged 54–55) Panipat, Mughal Empire | ||||
| |||||
| Father | Rai Puran Das | ||||
| Religion | Hinduism | ||||
Hemu (/ˈheɪˌmuː/; also known as Hemu Vikramaditya and Hemchandra Vikramaditya; 1501 – 5 November 1556) was an Indian emperor who previously served as a general and Wazir of Adil Shah Suri of Sur Empire during a period in Indian history when Mughals and Afghans were vying for power across North India. He fought Afghan rebels across North India from Punjab to Bengal and Mughal forces of Humayun and Akbar in Agra and Delhi, winning 22 battles for Adil Shah Suri.
Hemu claimed royal status after defeating Akbar's Mughal forces on 7 October 1556 in the Battle of Delhi and assumed the title of Vikramaditya that many Indian kings and emperors had adopted in the past. A month later, Hemu was wounded by a chance arrow and captured unconscious during the Second Battle of Panipat and was subsequently beheaded by Akbar, who took the title of Ghazi.