Rana Sanga

Sangram Singh I, known as Rana Sanga, ruled Mewar from 24 May 1509 until his death on 30 January 1528. A Sisodia king, he governed a vast territory that included parts of present‑day Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Sindh and Uttar Pradesh, with Chittorgarh as his capital.

During his reign he defeated several neighbouring sultanates. After the 1519 Battle of Gagron he captured much of eastern Malwa, and he humbled the Sultan of Gujarat on several occasions. He also brought the Khanzadas of Mewat into his fold, allowing them to extend their influence into modern‑day Haryana. Victories against the Lodi dynasty of Delhi at Khatoli, Dholpur and Ranthambore enabled him to seize large portions of the Lodi domain in southern Malwa and western Uttar Pradesh.

At its height in 1521, his empire stretched from Mandu in the south to a small rivulet near Bayana and Agra in the northeast, and reached the Indus River in the northwest. Nearly all Rajput chiefs were under his allegiance. He confronted the invading forces of Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire, winning an initial success at the Battle of Bayana but suffering a decisive defeat at Khanwa, largely because of Babur’s use of gunpowder.

Sanga is regarded as the greatest ruler of his era. He is said to have won 18 battles against the sultans of Delhi, Malwa and Gujarat, and he earned a reputation for heroism and leadership. He sustained more than 80 wounds in battle, losing an eye, an arm and one leg was crippled. He is considered the last independent Hindu sovereign of northern India to command extensive territory. Babur praised him as the "greatest Indian ruler" of the time, while Mughal historian Abd al‑Qadir Badayuni called him the bravest of all Rajputs, alongside Prithviraj Chauhan.

Sanga was born to King Raimal and Queen Ratan Kunwar, a Jhala princess from Halvad. Contemporary texts do not mention the year of his birth, but they recorded the astrological planetary positions at the time of his birth and described them as auspicious. Using these positions, along with other planetary data and the Kumbhalgarh inscription, historian Gaurishankar Hirachand Ojha calculated his birth year as 1482.

Sanga was the third son of Raimal. He had a rivalry with his brothers Prithviraj and Jagmal, a conflict in which he lost an eye. After this struggle, he ascended the throne of Mewar in 1509.

Sanga was born to King Raimal and Queen Ratan Kunwar, a Jhala princess from Halvad. Contemporary texts did not record his birth year, but astrological positions and the Kumbhalgarh inscription allowed historian Gaurishankar Hirachand Ojha to calculate it as 1482. He was Raimal’s third son and, after a struggle with his brothers Prithviraj and Jagmal in which he lost an eye, ascended the throne of Mewar in 1509.

During his reign Sanga defeated the sultans of Delhi, Malwa and Gujarat in eighteen battles, conquering much of present‑day Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and northern Gujarat. He also controlled portions of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Amarkot. After becoming king he reunited the warring Rajput clans through diplomacy and marriage. According to legend he fought 100 battles, losing only one, and was wounded eighty times, with a crippled leg and a permanently lame arm.

Sanga’s campaigns against the Lodis began after he had conquered Malwa. In 1517 he met Ibrahim Lodi at Khatoli on the border of Hadoti; the Lodi army suffered serious reverses and fled, with one prince captured. In 1518‑19 Lodi again marched against Mewar but was defeated at Dholpur, and later at Ranthambore after the Siege of Mandsaur. Sanga’s influence extended to near Pila Khar in Agra.

The Mughal invasion of 1526 brought Sanga into conflict with Babur. After Babur defeated Lodi at Panipat, Sanga united Rajput clans, built an army of 100,000 soldiers and advanced to Agra. He defeated Babur’s forces at Bayana in February 1527, but was defeated at the Battle of Khanwa on 3 March 1527. An arrow struck him in mid‑battle; he was removed unconscious by his brother‑in‑law Prithviraj Kachwaha of Amber and prince Maldev Rathore. Babur then ordered a tower of enemy skulls, a practice used by Timur, and Sanga was betrayed by Silhadi who joined Babur.

The defeat at Khanwa marked a landmark event in the Mughal conquest of North India, establishing Agra as the centre of Mughal power. Sanga’s use of traditional warfare was overwhelmed by the Mughals’ cannons and firearms, and after the battle he began preparations for another war against Babur, though Babur stopped further invasions of Rajasthan. The source does not provide further details of his later life and work.

Sanga’s death in January 1528 marked the end of an era for the Rajput confederacy. After he was removed from the battlefield by Prithviraj Singh of Amber and Maldeo Rathore of Marwar, he was poisoned by nobles who feared further conflict with Babur. He died in Kalpi, and his son Ratan Singh II succeeded him.

The vacuum left by Sanga’s demise was quickly filled by Rao Maldeo Rathore, who assumed the role of leading Rajput king. Maldeo’s reign was characterized by an increased use of cavalry, allowing him to dominate the region during the subsequent period.

Sanga’s legacy also lives on in popular culture. In the late 1980s, the television series *Bharat Ek Khoj* featured him, portrayed by Ravi Jhankal. More recently, the 2013–2015 series *Bharat Ka Veer Putra – Maharana Pratap* included him, with Aarav Chowdhary in the role.

These portrayals reflect a continued interest in Sanga’s life and the broader Rajput resistance against the Mughal expansion. While the historical record focuses on his military campaigns and the immediate political shifts after his death, his memory endures through both historical succession and cultural representation.