Rani Karnavati

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This article is about the wife of Rana Sanga. For the wife of Mahipat Shah, see Rani Karnavati of Garhwal.

Rani Karnavati
Vikramaditya
Udai Singh II
FatherRao Nirbudh of Bundi
MotherRani Sa of Bundi
Mewar

Rani Karnavati, also known as Rani Karmavati (died 8 March 1534), was a

Rana Vikramaditya and Rana Udai Singh, and grandmother of Maharana Pratap. She served as regent during the minority of her son, from 1527 until 1533. She was as fierce as her husband and defended Chittor with a small contingent of soldiers until it inevitably fell to the Gujarat army which was led by Bahadur Shah of Gujarat. She refused to flee and performed Jauhar
to protect her honor.

Biography

Main article: Siege of Chittorgarh (1535)

After

Battle of Khanua he was defeated due to Babur's superior tactics,[citation needed
] cannons and artillery.

Rani Karnavati took up the regency in the name of her elder son Vikramaditya, a weak ruler. In the meantime, Mewar was attacked for the second time by Bahadur Shah of Gujarat, at whose hands Vikramaditya had earlier received a defeat. It was a matter of great concern for Rani.

The antagonized nobles were not ready to fight for Vikramaditya and the imminent battle was sure to be another blot in the history of Sisodias. Rani Karnavati wrote to the nobles to come forward for the sake of the honor of the

Mughal Emperor Humayun, calling him a brother and asking for help. Thus her name became irrevocably linked to the festival of Raksha Bandhan. However, this is not supported by any contemporary writer, and modern historians like Satish Chandra consider this to be a fable[citation needed] rather than a historical fact.[1]

Rani Karnavati agreed to send her sons to Bundi and told her trusted maid

Panna Dai to accompany them and take good care of them. Panna was reluctant, but surrendered to the wishes of the queen. The Sisodias had fought valiantly, but they were outnumbered and the war was lost.[2]
Bahadur Shah entered Chittorgarh and ransacked it for the second time.

Realizing that defeat was imminent, Karnavati and the other noble ladies of the court immolated themselves in Jauhar on March 8, 1534 AD, while all the men donned saffron clothes and went out to fight to the death and thus committed Saka. This is the occasion for the second of the three Jauhars performed at Chittor.[3][4]

Notes

  1. ^ History of Medieval India by Satish Chandra pg.212
  2. ^ Diaspora of Muslims by Everett Jenkins Jr.[1]'
  3. ^ Encyclopaedia of Indian Events & Dates
  4. ^ KARNAVATI, QUEEN OF CHITTOR

References

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