Rana Sanga facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sangram Singh I |
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| Maharana Hindupati |
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Depiction of Rana Sanga in the Udaipur Museum
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| Rana of Mewar | |||||||||||||
| Reign | c. 1508 – c. 30 January 1528 | ||||||||||||
| Coronation | 1508 CE | ||||||||||||
| Predecessor | Raimal Singh | ||||||||||||
| Successor | Ratan Singh II | ||||||||||||
| Born | 12 April 1482 Chittor, Mewar, Rajputana |
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| Died | 30 January 1528 (aged 45) | ||||||||||||
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| House | Sisodia | ||||||||||||
| Father | Rana Raimal | ||||||||||||
| Mother | Jhaliji Ratan Deiji d.of Rana Raj Vanvir Sinhji of Halvad | ||||||||||||
| Religion | Hinduism | ||||||||||||
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Sangram Singh I (born April 12, 1482 – died January 30, 1528), often called Rana Sanga, was a powerful ruler of Mewar. He was the Maharana (King) of Mewar from 1508 to 1528 CE. He belonged to the Sisodia dynasty, a famous group of Rajput kings. Many people consider him one of the greatest Rajput kings ever.
When he became king, Mewar was already a strong state in Northern India. Rana Sanga made it even stronger by fighting many wars with his neighbors. At its most powerful, his kingdom included large parts of today's Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh. His capital city was Chittor. People at the time even called him the Emperor of northern India.
Sangram was the youngest son of Maharana Raimal. From a young age, he had disagreements with his two older brothers, Prithviraj and Jaimal, over who would become king. This struggle led to his brothers' deaths, and Sanga became the Maharana of Mewar.
Rana Sanga continued the expansion policy of his grandfather, Kumbha. He led many successful military campaigns across parts of present-day Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh. He defeated the rulers of Delhi, Malwa, and Gujarat in 18 major battles. He conquered much of Malwa after the important Battle of Gagron. He also took over the northern part of Gujarat. He defeated the Sultan of Delhi in the Battles of Khatoli and Dholpur. He even defeated the combined armies of Malwa and Gujarat at the Siege of Mandsaur. Later, he fought against the Mughal Empire. He won against the Mughal forces at the Battle of Bayana but was defeated at the Battle of Khanwa. This was because the Mughals had better weapons, like gunpowder and cannons. He died later in Irich.
Rana Sanga is remembered as the last Hindu ruler who controlled such a large area. During his time, the Kingdom of Mewar reached its highest point of power and wealth. His kingdom covered much of present-day Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and northern Gujarat. It also controlled parts of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Amarkot in Sindh. His rule was admired by many, including the first Mughal Emperor Babur. Babur called him the "greatest Indian ruler" of that time. The Mughal historian Abd al-Qadir Badayuni said Sanga was one of the bravest Rajputs, like Prithviraj Chauhan.
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Early Life and Becoming King
Sanga was born to King Raimal and Queen Ratan Kunwar. His mother was a princess from the Jhala family of Halvad. Old texts don't say his exact birth year, but they describe the positions of stars and planets, saying they were very good. Based on these details, a historian named Gaurishankar Hirachand Ojha figured out Sanga was born in 1482.
Sanga was the youngest of Raimal's four sons. However, after a tough fight with his brothers Prithviraj and Jagmal, he became the king of Mewar in 1508. During these struggles, he lost one of his eyes.
Rana Sanga's Military Achievements
Rana Sanga was known for fighting many battles, some say as many as 100. It is believed he only lost once. He defeated the rulers of Delhi, Malwa, and Gujarat in 18 major battles. His invasions of Malwa and Gujarat led to him taking control of large areas. He defeated the Sultan of Malwa and captured him in the Battle of Gagron. This battle also helped him take over much of the Sultanate.
He also attacked the Gujarat Sultanate and chased its armies away, capturing the northern part of their land. Even when the armies of Malwa and Gujarat joined forces, they couldn't beat him at the Siege of Mandsaur. He defeated the Sultan of Delhi, Ibrahim Lodi, several times. These victories happened at the battles of Khatoli, Dholpur, and Ranthambore. He also defeated the Mughal army at the Battle of Bayana. Even the first Mughal Emperor Babur was hesitant to fight him.
Because of all his battles, Rana Sanga had 80 wounds on his body. He was injured in one leg, was blind in one eye, and had lost one arm. At its strongest, his kingdom included much of present-day Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and northern Gujarat. It also controlled parts of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Amarkot in Sindh.
Conquering Malwa
Medini Rai was a minister in the Malwa Sultanate who was rebelling against his ruler. Rana Sanga promised to help him. As a result, the combined armies of Gujarat and Malwa fought against Sanga's forces at Gagron. Sanga's Rajput army won a complete victory, defeating the Sultanate forces.
After this victory and other smaller fights, Sanga conquered Malwa and the city of Chanderi. Medini Rai made Chanderi his capital and became the king of Malwa. Another leader, Silhaditya Tomar, took control of the Raisen and Sarangpur regions. These events happened between 1518 and 1519.
After winning and bringing back Hindu rule to Malwa, Sanga ordered Medini Rai to remove a tax called Jizya tax that was collected from Hindus in the area.
Wars Against the Lodis
After conquering Malwa, Sanga focused on northeastern Rajasthan. This area was controlled by Ibrahim Lodi, the Sultan of Delhi. When Lodi heard that Sanga was taking over his land, he gathered an army. He marched against Mewar in 1517. Rana Sanga and his army met Lodi at Khatoli. In the Battle at Khatoli, Lodi's army was badly defeated and ran away. One of Lodi's princes was captured. In this battle, Sanga lost an arm from a sword cut, and an arrow made him limp for the rest of his life.
Lodi was surprised by this strong Rajput attack, which was much bigger than anything seen in the past three centuries. He tried to fight Mewar again in 1518-19 but was defeated once more at the Battle of Dholpur. Lodi fought Sanga many times, but Sanga always won. Lodi lost all his land in present-day Rajasthan. Sanga's influence reached very close to Agra.
According to an old text from the 16th century, Rana Sanga also defeated Ibrahim Lodi at Ranthambore after the Siege of Mandsaur.
Campaign in Gujarat
The battles of Idar were three important fights in the area of Idar. They were between two princes of Idar: Bhar Mal, who was supported by the Gujarat Sultanate under Muzaffar Shah II, and Rai Mal, who was supported by the Rajputs under Rana Sanga. Sanga got involved to help Rai Mal get his rightful throne back and to make the Gujarat Sultanate weaker. In 1517, Rai Mal, with Rana Sanga's help, defeated Muzaffar Shah II and took back his kingdom.
In 1520, Sanga invaded Gujarat because of the dispute over who should rule Idar. He had a strong army of 40,000 Rajputs and was joined by three of his allies. Rao Ganga Rathore of Marwar also joined him with 8,000 Rajputs. Other allies were Rawal Udai Singh of Vagad and Rao Viram deva of Merta. Sanga defeated the Muslim army of Nizam Khan and chased them towards Ahmedabad. Sanga stopped his invasion about 20 miles before the capital city of Ahmedabad. He took treasures from Gujarat and destroyed some mosques, building temples in their place. After many wins, Sanga successfully took control of Northern Gujarat and put one of his allies in charge there.
War Against the Mughals
On April 21, 1526, the Timurid king Babur invaded India for the fifth time. He defeated Ibrahim Lodi in the First Battle of Panipat and had him executed. After this battle, Sanga brought together several Rajput groups. This was the first time they had united since Prithviraj Chauhan. He built an army of 100,000 Rajput soldiers and marched towards Agra.
The Mughals captured Bayana fort, which was part of Sanga's empire. So, a big fight happened at Bayana in February 1527. In this battle, Babur's Mughal forces, led by Abdul Aziz, were defeated by Rana Sanga. This defeat of the Mughals was Rana Sanga's last victory. Facing a large Hindu army, Babur then used religious reasons to encourage his soldiers. He called the battle a Jihad (holy war) against the "Kaffirs" (non-believers).
The main battle was fought at Khanwa, about 37 miles (60 km) west of Agra, on March 16. The Mughals won because they had cannons, matchlocks, and other firearms. Sanga was hit by an arrow during the battle and was carried away unconscious by his brother-in-law Prithviraj Kachwaha of Amber and Prince Maldev Rathore. After his victory, Babur ordered a tower to be built from the skulls of his enemies. This was a practice used by Timur to scare his opponents.
Sanga was also betrayed by Silhadi during the battle. Silhadi changed sides and joined Babur.
The Mughal victory at Khanwa was a very important event in their conquest of North India. This battle was even more historic than the Battle of Panipat. It made Babur the undisputed ruler of North India and crushed the strong and rising Rajput powers. Historians say that if Babur hadn't had cannons, Sanga might have won a great victory against him. Babur's cannons changed how wars were fought in India.
However, it's not true that the Rajput power was completely destroyed forever. Babur stopped his further invasion into Rajasthan. The Rajput forces camped at Baswa near Dausa for Sanga's treatment. Soon after getting better, Sanga started preparing for another war against Babur.
Death and Who Ruled Next
Sanga was taken away from the battlefield unconscious by Prithviraj Singh I Kachwaha and Maldeo Rathore of Marwar. When he woke up, he promised not to return to Chittor until he had defeated Babur and conquered Delhi. He also stopped wearing a Turban and just wrapped a cloth around his head. While he was getting ready to fight Babur again, some of his own nobles poisoned him. They didn't want another war with Babur. He died in Kalpi in January 1528. His son Ratan Singh II became the next ruler.
After Sanga's defeat, his ally Medini Rai was defeated by Babur at the Siege of Chanderi. Babur captured Chanderi, which was the capital of Rai's kingdom. Medini was offered another city, Shamsabad, instead of Chanderi. But Rai refused and chose to die fighting. Babur then took Chanderi.
The strong position left empty by Rana Sanga was filled by Rao Maldeo Rathore. He became the leading Rajput king and was known for using many horsemen in his army.
See also
- Other prominent Mewar Rulers
- Bappa Rawal
- Maharana Hammir Singh
- Maharana Kumbha
- Maharana Pratap
- Maharana Amar Singh
- Maharana Raj Singh
- Related to Rana Sanga
- History of Rajasthan
- Kingdom of Mewar
- List of battles in Rajasthan
