“Sending Kunwar Pratap to the foothills”
Maharajkumar Pratap Singh was sent by Maharana Udai Singh to live in the foothills. (Detailed description of this incident will be written in the part of Maharana Pratap)
“Maharana gets angry with Kunwar Shakti Singh”
One day Maharana Udai Singh was sitting in the court, that was when the seller of sword came. Maharana threw a fine cloth on the sword to see the sharpness of the sword, as a result of which cloth got cut into two pieces.
To see the edge of the sword Kunwar Shakti Singh cut his thumb and said, “Really, the sword has an edge”. Maharana Udai Singh got angry on breaking the royalty and drove Kunwar Shakti Singh out of the court. Kunwar Shakti Singh was angry with Maharana throughout his life. Kunwar Shakti Singh had no greed for the throne, his displeasure was only with Maharana Udai Singh. The descendants of Kunwar Shakti Singh are called Shaktawats.
1552-53 A.D. –“Maharana Udai Singh Supporting Jaisalmer”
In 1550 AD Jaisalmer was attacked by Amir Ali of Kandahar, along with the army, so many brave soldiers got martyred from Jaisalmer and the next year of this event Jaisalmer Maharawal Lunkaran Bhati died. Maldev, son of Lunkaran Bhati, sat on the throne of Jaisalmer, even then there were minor attacks by Afghans.
Maharawal Maldev Bhati sent a proposal of marriage to Maharana Udai Singh for his sister. Maharana Udai Singh accepted this proposal and proceeded towards Jaisalmer. There were many stops on the route. Maharana Udai Singh and Rani Dhirbai Bhatiyani got married, then Maharawal Maldev told Maharana his problem. Maharana Udai Singh helped Maharawal Maldev in defeating these Afghan troops in Jaisalmer.
1553 A.D. – “Arrival of Bharmal Kavadia in Mewar”
Maharana Udai Singh called Bharmal Kavadia from Alwar to Mewar. Bharmal Kavadia came to Mewar with his son Bhamashah, where Maharana Udai Singh gave him an estate.
1554 AD – “Birth of Jagmal” – This year Jagmal, son of Maharana Udai Singh and Rani Dhirbai Bhatiyani, was born.
1554 AD – “Sacking Rao Sultan Hada of Bundi to make Rao Surjan the ruler of Bundi” – Rao Surjan Hada, son of Arjun Hada of Bundi (who got martyred in the second saka of Chittor. Arjun Hada was maternal uncle of Maharana Udai), was injured while fighting on behalf of Maharana, when Maharana gave Surjan Hada a estate of Phuliya including 12 more villages. After some time, Maharana Udai Singh took the estate of Phuliya from Rao Surjan Hada for some reason and gave the estate of Badnore.
At this time, Bundi was ruled by Rao Sultan Hada, who teared eyes of his feudal lord Sahasmal Hada and Santal because he was angry on some issue. Angered with Rao Sultan, many of Bundi’s feudatories resided in their estates and one feudal lord went to the court of Sher Shah Suri of Delhi.
Angered by all these things, Maharana Udai Singh ordered Rao Surjan Hada that “I dismiss Rao Sultan from the throne of Bundi, you will capture Bundi”. Maharana Udai Singh crowned Rao Surjan Hada with his own hands and gave him an army and he left for Bundi.
Rao Surjan Hada went to Ranthambore after defeating Rao Sultan Hada and winning Bundi. Maharana Udai Singh also handed over the fortification of Ranthambore to Rao Surjan. Rao Surjan Hada reached Ranthambore, where Samant Singh Hada exited the fort and handed over the keys of the fort to Rao Surjan.
(Ranthambore was earlier the possession of Mewar, but in 1543 Sher Shah Suri snatched it from Mewar and appointed Samant Singh Hada as its fortress. Maharana Udai Singh wanted Ranthambore to re-establish Mewar’s dominion, so he handed over the fortification to Rao Surjan there.)
Rao Surjan Hada said to Samant Singh Hada, “For the time being we live in Bundi and you can take care of the Ranthambore fort while being under my control”. Rao Surjan Hada wrote a message to Maharana Udai Singh about the result of these actions taken by him, which pleased Maharana.
1555 – “Battle of Jaitana & Chappan”
Maharana Udai Singh sent an army under the leadership of Maharajkumar Pratap Singh against Dungarpur Rawal Aaskaran. Maharajkumar Pratap Singh conquered Vaagad (area of dungarpur-banswara)
In these days, Maharana Udai Singh sent Maharajkumar Pratap Singh along with the army and occupied the area of Chappan. (The story of these wars will be written in the part of Maharana Pratap)
1555 A.D. – “Maharana Uday Singh’s understanding”
In the same year, Rao Maldeo of Marwar sent Prince Chandrasen and Devidas Jaitawat along with army to Merta to defeat Jaimal Rathore of Merta. At the same time, Maharana Udai Singh was going to Bikaner with a wedding procession to marry, so he made a stop at Merta.
Maharana Udai Singh saw that the Rajputs of Marwar are fighting amongst themselves, so he stopped the fight and called everyone to his camp. Maharana explained Kunwar Chandrasen and Devidas Jaitawat and sent them to Jodhpur again. Maharana thought that there would be a fight again after I left, so he took Jaimal Rathore to Bikaner by joining him in the procession.
1556 AD – “Birth of Sagar Singh” – Sagar Singh, the second son of Maharana Udai Singh and Rani Dhirbai Bhatiyani, was born.
* Mewar-Marwar clash and Rao Maldeo Rathore’s march to Kumbhalgarh will be described in the next part.
Post Author :- Tanveer Singh Sarangdevot (Laxmanpura – Mewar)
Translated by :- Tanisha Gupta