Thread by @SadaaShree

Rana Sanga one of the great Ranas of Mewar, who battled against all odds to expand Mewar to it's largest extent, formed a confederacy of Rajput clans.
Thread on one of the great Hindu rulers on his Jayanti today.

Rana Sanga's life was a battle against all odds, had to fight his brothers for the throne, blinded in one eye, lost an arm, injured in a leg, yet united all the Rajput clans, routed the Sultans of Malwa, Gujarat, and the Lodhis in Delhi.

Sadly historians judge Rana Sanga on his loss to Babur at the Battle of Khanwa, though it was under him that Mewar reached it's largest extent, and he was one of the greatest warriors in battle.

Sanga was the son of Raimal, and had constant fights with his brothers Prithviraj and Jaimal for the throne. In fact as per one version, it is said that Raimal’s own nephew Surajmal, son of Udai Singh I, was the one who instigated the fights.

It’s believed that this was Surajmal’s way of getting back at Raimal, after  he overthrew his father.  One such conflict turned serious, with Sanga having to flee, Chittorgarh to save himself, and this is where he lost an eye when an arrow hit him.

Though Jaimal was declared the next successor, he was killed in a skirmish, and Prithviraj, was allegedly poisoned by his own brother in law.

Having known that Sanga was still in exile, Raimal recalled him back and soon he ascended the throne as Maharana Sangram Singh, or Rana Sanga in 1508 and united all the Rajput clans, forming a powerful confederacy after 300 years.

One of Sanga’s first acts as the ruler was to attack Malwa, which was riven apart by internal dissension between its Sultan Mahmud Khilji and its Rajput Wazir Medini Rai.

Khilji requested Ibrahim Lodi of Delhi and Sultan Bahadur Shah of Gujarat to assist him, while Rai took the help of Sanga, which marked a long rivalry. While Mandu fell to the forces of Gujarat, after a long siege, Mahmud Khilji amassed a large army, and marched towards Mewar.

Sanga marshalled an equally large force with the support of the Rathors of Merta under  Rao Viramdeva. In a fierce battle at Gagron( now located in Jhalawar dt) in 1519, Sanga led the Mewari cavalry through a charge in the ranks of Malwa and Gujarat, routing them.

Khilji himself was taken prisoner, though he was freed, but his sons continued to remain as hostages at Chittoor.  Soon Malwa was under Rana Sanga’s control, as he ordered the removal of the hated Jiziya tax.

Sanga turned his attention to the North eastern part of Rajasthan, then under the Lodhi Sultanate of Delhi, with their Sultan Ibrahim Lodi caught up in an internal revolt. Sanga took advantage and captured key regions there, including the crucial fort of Ranthambore.

Ibrahim Lodi attacked Mewar in retaliation, and in a fierce battle at Khatoli near Gwalior in 1517, Sanga managed to defeat the Afghans under Lodi.  It was in this battle that Sanga lost one arm from a sword cut, and an arrow severely injured a leg of his.

Seething with rage against Sanga, Ibrahim Lodi once again, gathered together a large army, to attack Mewar. He felt that the Mewari army would be tired from their constant campaigns in Malwa and Gujarat, and the 2 armies met at Dholpur in 1519.

The Lodi army of 30,000 had  Said Khan Furat and Haji Khan on the right, Daulat Khan at the center, while Allahdad Khan and Yusuf Khan were placed on the left.  The Mewari army was smaller with just 5000 infantry and 10,000 cavalry.

Sanga however led the cavalry charge straight into the Lodi ranks, routing them, and chasing Ibrahim Lodi all the way up to Bayana. After Malwa he now turned his attention to Gujarat, where there was a conflict between the two princes of Idar.

Bhar Mal who was supported by the Sultan Muzaffar Shah II, while Sanga backed Rai Mal. In 1517, Sanga helped Rai Mal secure Idar, that rightfully belonged to him.

In 1520, he invaded Gujarat with a powerful army of 40,000 Rajputs supported by Rao Ganga Rathore of Marwar, Rawal Udai Singh of Vagad and Rao Viram Deva of Merta.

He routed the Sultan’s army under Nizam Khan, and built many temples demolishing mosques, and successfully annexed Northern Gujarat.

Sanga also laid siege to the fort of Mandsaur in December 1520, along with Silhadi Tomar and Medini Rai, after it was captured by the Gujarat Sultan Muzaffar Shah II, aided by the Malwa Sultan Mahmud Khilji, leading a force of 100,000 Rajputs, as the fort finally fell.

With Sanga’s empire now stretching up to Agra, his next target was the very heart of political power Delhi, from where he hoped to expand even farther. Gujarat was humbled, Malwa was conquered, and only Delhi lay in his sights to achieve supremacy over the North of India.

In the meantime Babur had defeated and killed Ibrahim Lodi at the First Battle of Panipat in  1526 AD. Sanga however  felt that like Ghazni and Ghori, Babur was more of an invader, who would attack, plunder and leave, it was a huge misjudgment.

Sanga felt that the only option was to wage a war against Babur, and this was where he miscalculated. With his numerically huge army, Sanga reckoned that victory against Babur would be a formality.

However he he had not reckoned with Babur's artillery and cannons that played a major role at Panipat. Sanga even took the help of other Muslim rulers like the fugitive Afghan prince Mehmud Lodi and the Mewati Khanzada ruler Hassan Khan Mewati.

Though Sanga had the larger army, Babur used more advanced tactics, that made the difference. Knowing that he stood no chance against the Rajputs in an open plains warfare, he formed a defensive encampment, from where he could deploy his artillery and muskets.

. The front line had a row of carts, fastened by iron chains, with gaps for the cavalry to charge. Muskeeters, falconets and mortars were placed behind the carts, to both fire in defense and even advance if needed.

Right behind were two contingents of heavy Turkic horsemen kept in reserve for flanking. On March 16, 1527, the combined forces of Rana Sangha, Hassan Khan Mewati, Mahmud Lodi and Medini Rai clashed with Babur’s forces at Khanwa, near Fatehpur Sikri.

As Sanga charged the Mughal ranks, his forces were shot down in large numbers by the artillery, while the horses and elephants scattered in confusion due to the sounds.

Finding it impossible to attack the center, Sangha led the attack on the flanks, as a bloody battle was fought for close to two hours. While the Mughals fired on the advancing Rajput forces, they attacked in waves forcing the Mughals to retreat.

However Babur had the advantage of superior fire power, using the latest cannons, and artillery, and soon the Rajput army suffered heavy reverses. Rana Sanga wounded was carried away from the battlefield by the Rathores of Marwar.

The Battle of Khanwa, was a game changer, it made Babur the undisputed ruler of Delhi, and he soon began to consolidate his hold over the North.  Sanga made a vow not to step into Chittorgarh till Babar was defeated.

He however could not live up to it, and in 1528, he died a broken hearted man, injured physically, betrayed by his own. Rana Sanga one of the greatest Rajput warriors ever, was no more.

Though Sanga's life ended on a tragic note, with the defeat at Khanwa, his legacy in uniting the Rajput clans, expanding Mewar will forever live. A hero who fought against all odds in life. #Naman on his Jayanti.

Sources
Todd's Annals of Mewar
google.co.in/books/edition/…
Guns and Glories-Rajputana Chronicles
google.co.in/books/edition/…

My article on Rana Sanga here, do check out and share.
historyunderyourfeet.wordpress.com/2015/05/13/ran…