Mewar and the three sieges of Chittor: Tales of heroism and sacrifice for Dharma through ages
22nd February 1568 AD
29, Phalguna, VS 1624
Chittorgrah, Mewar
Rani Madalasa Bai stood by the balcony, leaning against the wall. The cold stone provided little relief to her weary body draped in the finest of bridal attire. As the elder queen of the fort commander, the impending responsibility of Jauhar weighed heavily on her. She closed her eyes briefly, trying to shut out the turmoil, but memories of the past six months flooded her thoughts -
The initial panic and preparations when news spread that Akbar was fast marching towards Chittor… The pleas of Samants urging the Rana and the royal family to move to a secure place… The Mughals digging trenches and laying mines to breach the fortress walls… The incessant bombing of the fort’s wall and the Raput army’s tireless resistance and efforts to repair breaches…
Six months drifted by since Akbar’s relentless siege began. Each passing day was taking its toll on the fort’s defenses and now they had reached the inevitable — the decision for Jauhar and Saka had been made. All the inmates understood the traditions of their ancestors and their sacred duty — death over slavery, sacrifice over surrender.
Opening her eyes once more, Madalasa surveyed the moonlit courtyard beyond the haveli. She watched as men and women hurriedly scrambled, rolling large barrels of ghee and oil towards the central baori. The boari was set in flames and all sorts of firewood — Sandal, Agar, and Tulsi were being thrown into the flames as the pyre slowly grew in size. Today was the day of Holika Dahan but this year, all the Rajputanis will embrace the flames of agni to protect their honour. Their unparalleled sacrifice would immortalize their names in the annals of history.
Back in the haveli, hundreds of women shuffled about. Some arranged puja thalis, others attempted to hush restless children disturbed by the commotion.
“Ranisa,” a messenger came around.
“Yes,” she promoted.
The messenger lowered her gaze, her voice barely audible, “Rathore Haveli… It’s all over”.
Silence enveloped the room, broken only by the soft sound of tears. Madalasa gulped and closed her eyes, “May Eklingji provide Shanti to all the souls.”
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Throughout the history of India, several states and empires were known for their staunch resistance and fight against foreign invasions and their struggle for independence. Mewar is one such example. A region in the south-central parts of Rajasthan, the kingdom of Mewar is remembered by heroic stories of valour, patriotism, and dedication to ever-upholding Dharma which also earned them the title ‘Hindua Suraj’, meaning “the Sun of the Hindus.” In the early 8th century, Mewar rose to prominence under Bappa Rawal, who not only captured the fort of Chittorgarh (Chitrakuta) but also was a part of the confederacy of Indian kings which fought and successfully repulsed an Arab invasion of India by the Ummayad Caliphate. The magnificent fort of Chittorgarh, today a UNESCO World Heritage site in Rajasthan, was the capital of Mewar for several centuries.
Chittorgarh witnessed a constant struggle against the invaders — right from the early sultans of Delhi, down to the Mughal emperors. A further testament to the stubborn resistance to the Islamic invasions, Chittorgarh was also witness to three Jauhar-Sakas. The ritual of Jauhar and Saks, rooted in the concept of preservation of honour and dignity was observed in several parts of India during wars in medieval times. Jauhar involved the collective self-immolation of women, children, and the elderly within besieged forts. This would be followed by Saka, when all the men choosing a final stand in battle, would march to the battlefield with death as a certain fate. This symbolised a commitment to preserving freedom, honour and dignity which were considered superior to surrender and a life of slavery. This practice is especially significant when we consider the ruthless reputation of Turko-Persian armies, notorious for their inhumane and barbaric treatment of civilians post-war — ordinary citizens faced forced conversions or merciless executions, while young boys and girls were sold as slaves. Women, in particular, were subject to the horrifying specter of rape and exploitation.
The First siege of Chittorgarh
Ever since the beginning of the Sultanate in Delhi (the early 11th century), the sultans had always tried to annex Rājasthān. The early sultans till Balban made several incursions into Rājāsthan but none of them could make any deep or long-lasting impacts. However, things started changing upon the ascension of the Khalji dynasty to the throne of Delhi, in the late 13th century. It ushered in a new era of frequent and large-scale conquests and for the first time, an Islamic power made inroads into the remotest corners of the country.
In January of 1303, Khilji started marching towards Chittor to conquer Mewar. The siege of Cittor lasted for nearly eight months with two failed attempts of storming the fortress. As monsoon set in, the inmates seemed to have faced a famine/epidemic-like situation perhaps due to the depletion of resources. Left with no other option, the inmates resorted to the tradition of Jauhar and Saka. In August 1303, the Alaudin Khilji entered the fortress and sacked Chittorgarh. This incident would go on to become the subject of many legends and epics, featuring the famous Rajput queen Rani Padmini (or Padmavati) and Rawal Ratansimha.
The imperial army did not have an easy conquest either. The chronicler Barani talks about the heavy losses due to the siege in monsoon, “The Sultan now returned from the conquest of Chittor, where his army had suffered great loss in prosecuting the siege during the rainy season. They had not been in Delhi a month, no muster of the army had been held, and the losses had not been repaired … and had had no time to refit and recruit his army after his great losses in the siege”
In his Khaza’in ul-Futuh (Treasures of Victory), the celebrated Amir Khusrau writes exaltingly of the desecration and massacre of Chittor by Khilji post the battle — “After ordering a massacre of thirty thousand Hindus, he bestowed the Government of Chittor upon his son, Khizr Khan, and named the place Khizrabad.” Alaudin returned to Delhi and continued conquering other parts of India including southern parts which came under the sway of the sultanate for the first time.
Reemergence and rise of Mewar
Within three decades, Rana Hammir Singh, a descendant of the same family reconquered Chittor and also defeated the Delhi Sultan Muhammad bin Tughlaq. His successors continued fighting for several decades and were successful in numerous encounters with the sultans of Delhi and Gujarat. By the start of the fifteenth century, the Delhi Sultanate briefly was in a period of anarchy and chaos following Timur’s invasion in 1398. This allowed many Rajput principalities to break away from the sultanate and declare their independence. The boundaries of Mewar expanded to include large parts of today’s Rajasthan and regions of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.
In 1433, Maharana Kumbha came to the throne and he was ruler par excellence. Kumbha built on the growing prosperity of Mewar and is believed to have fought 56 battles without facing defeat. He brutally defeated the sultans of Malwa and Gujarat in multiple battles. His inscriptions record that he rescued twelve lakh cows and brahmins from the rule of Mlecchas in Malwa. He erected 32 forts, the most famous of them being Kumbalgarh — which holds the record for being the second-longest wall in the world. Much as he was a distinguished warrior and administrator, he was a great patron of arts and a scholar himself, one of his titles being ‘Abhinava Bharatacharya’ a reference to Bharata, the author of Nāṭyaśāstra). He was an accomplished Vainika and a musician, having written treatises on music and a commentary on Sangita Ratnakara. His accolades in his inscription say that it was as easy for him to write poetry as it was to go to battles. He authored four dramas in Sanskrit and commentaries on Jayadeva’s Gita Govinda and Banabhatta’s Chandisatkam. An illustrious reign was brought to an end when he was killed in 1468, in a horrific case of patricide.
Maharana Kumbha’s grandson Maharana Sanga who succeeded to the throne of Mewar in 1508, boasted of an equally illustrious military career. He continued battles against the sultans of Malwa and Gujarat. In 1517, Sanga defeated the last sultan of Delhi, Ibrahim Lodi. He pushed the boundaries of Mewar to gain control over parts of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Sindh and removed the Jizya tax on Hindus which was in place. In his autobiography Baburnama, Babur mentions that along with Krishnadevaraya, Rana Sanga was the greatest ‘infidel’ king of India, ruling a significant portion of Northern India.
In 1526, Babur established the Mughal Empire in Delhi after defeating Lodi in the first battle of Panipat. Meanwhile, Sanga had brought together a confederate of several Rajput clans and in 1527, with a huge army of over one lakh soldiers, he marched to fight Babur. This was the first time after Prithviraj Chauhan that all the Rajput clans united to face the invader. Unfortunately, good times did not last forever. In a confrontation that ensued between Babur and Sanga at the battle of Khanwa, the Rajputs faced a crushing defeat The battle of Khanwa saw the use of cannons and gunpowder by the Mughals (which was the first occurrence in northern India). Further, Babur invoked religious fervour among his army by calling for Jihad. It was the last straw when Rana Sanga was betrayed by one of his generals who switched sides during the battle. As a result, the Rajput confederacy lost and Babur consolidated his power in Northern India. Sanga soon died in 1528. It remained a ‘what if’ and ‘what may have been’ had Rana Sanga continued his streak of success to win on the battlefield of Khanwa and grasped the throne of Delhi to become the ‘Chakravartin’ like the ancient Hindu kings did.
What followed the death of Maharana Sanga was a period of frequent succession of his sons. None of them lasted for a significant period until the coronation of Rana Udai Singh II in 1550. However, in the decades to follow, Chittorgarh was sacked twice and witnessed two Jauhar-Sakas in its struggle against the invaders. The second and third sieges of Chittorgarh are once again tales of the highest patriotism, sacrifice and valour as shall be seen in part 2.
Srinidhi Balasubramanian (EC20B1042): I’m a student of Carnatic Music and a connoisseur of Indian classical art. I am also enthusiastic about anything and everything Indic and I also write about Indian Heritage. I read Indian history, Sanskrit literature, and philosophical texts in my spare time. I am currently working on technology solutions for historical heritage conservation.
