Maharana Sangram Singh, also known as Rana Sanga (12 April 1484–17 March 1527), was the Rajput king of Mewar, situated inside the boundaries of the contemporary Indian state of Rajasthan. He was in charge from 1509 to 1527.

Rana Raimal's son Rana Sanga, a Suryavanshi Rajput Sisodia dynasty member, succeeded him as ruler of Mewar in 1509. He participated in the Battle of Khanwa, which the Mughals won. Rana Sanga passed away soon after the war on March 17, 1527.

In this article, we shall study Rana Sanga’s Military Conquests, Death, and Succession from the perspective of UPSC.

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Who is Rana Sanga?

Maharana Sangram Singh, a well-known Rajput king who ruled in the sixteenth century, was also known as Rana Sanga. He governed the potent Hindu kingdom Mewar for 20 years with superb leadership and unwavering courage. On April 12, 1482, Rana Sanga was born to the ruling family of Mewar. Rana Sanga's father's name was Rana Raimal. Rana Sanga fought against the Lodhis of the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughal rulers.

Background of Rana Sanga

• There was a fierce struggle for the Mewar throne following the death of Rana Raimal, who reigned from 1473 to 1508. Prithviraj, the older son of Rana Raimal, first emerged as the most capable king.
• Prithviraj began to overcome any barrier that could stand in the way of him becoming the Maharana of Mewar to establish his dominion over Mewar. Rana Sanga stood in the way of Prithviraj assuming the kingdom of Mewar. His older brother Prithviraj blinded one of Rana Sanga's eyes in order to permanently remove him. Rana Sanga eventually had to flee Chittor and sought safety in Ajmer.
• After Prithviraj's death, Rana Sanga returned and became the ruler of Mewar in 1508–1509 CE. Yet after Prithviraj's passing, Ranga Sanga gained control and took the throne of Mewar in 1508. He revived the might of Mewar through military campaigns and diplomatic unity among Rajput clans.
• Babur, in his Baburnama, referred to Rana Sangha as the greatest Indian ruler of the time.
• Throughout his lengthy military career, Maharana Sanga consistently defeated several Muslim neighbors, most notably the Lodhi dynasty in Delhi.
• He assembled numerous Rajput clans and marched against the Timurid emperor Babur for the first time since the Second Battle of Tarain.

Also, read about the Battle of Saragarhi here for UPSC!

Rana Sanga’s Rule and Administration

• Time Period: 1509–1527 CE
• Capital: Chittorgarh
• Territorial Expansion: Covered modern-day Rajasthan, parts of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh
• Alliances: United 120 Rajput chieftains
• Army Strength: 80,000 horsemen, 500 elephants

🏇 Sanga Rana was hailed for defending Hindu interests and reasserting Rajput political power in the face of repeated invasions.

• The Malwa Sultanate from the south surrounded Mewar under Rana Sanga's rule. Sanga's grandfather, Rana Kumbha, had already won many battles against the Malwa sultanate. At the same time, the Sultanate of Gujarat was still in existence and much more powerful than before. Under Rana Sanga's rule, Muzaffar Shah served as Gujarat's Sultan.
• Rana Sanga moved his army against the neighboring kingdom of Malwa, which was experiencing internal strife, after first assuming the throne of his native country, Mewar, and then solidifying his position of authority there.
• In a series of fiercely contested battles, Sanga's troops from Mewar defeated Malwa's army after being joined by Rajput rebels from within Malwa. Khilji was taken prisoner before being let free after leaving his sons as hostages at Chittor, the capital of Mewar. Through these events, Rana's military force overtook Malwa.
• The Ancient Rajput Hero Rana Sanga led a massive army of the Rajput confederacy with 120 chieftains commanding 80 thousand war horses and 500 war elephants. Rana Sanga got 80 wounds on his body and lost one arm and one eye on the battlefield.
• When the Muslim kings of Delhi, Gujarat, and Malwa repeatedly invaded his kingdom, Rana Sanga of Chittor defended his nation valiantly.
• He was the most dominant Hindu king at the time.
• During Rana Sanga's tenure, Mewar reached its height of wealth.
• There were constant battles throughout Rana Sanga's rule. He fought alongside the kings of Malwa, Gujarat, and Delhi. The battle of Gagron was his most significant conflict before his encounter with Babur.

Also, read about Maharana Pratap Singh here for UPSC!

Military Conquests of Rana Sanga

Sanga expanded his empire by annexing many contemporary Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, the northern half of Gujarat, and parts of Amarkot, Sindh, and engaging in 18 combat battles with the Sultans of Delhi, Malwa, and Gujarat. He restored Rajput rule to Malwa for the first time following the fall of the Paramara kingdom in 1305 CE. He was the last independent Hindu ruler of Northern India to rule a sizable territory, and in some modern literature, he is referred to as the Hindu Emperor.

Battle of Khatoli 

• The Rajputs under Rana Sanga were able to build a powerful and unified army before Ibrahim Lodhi became the Sultan of Delhi in 1517 CE. Ibrahim Lodhi wanted to attack Mewar because he was concerned about the Rajputs' growing dominance. In 1518 CE, the armies of the expansionist Ibrahim Lodhi and the valiant Rajputs led by Rana Sangram Singh clashed in the field of Khatoli.
• The Afghani Sultanate of Delhi suffered a complete defeat as a result of the battle. Ibrahim Lodhi's army was forced to flee all the way to Agara. But, during this conflict, Rana Sanga lost both arms and legs.
• Ibrahim Lodhi decided to attack Rana Sanga's Mewar kingdom from two directions later in 1519. He reached an agreement with the Sultan of Malwa over this. Yet, this alliance between Lodhi and Malwa was fruitless. The outnumbered Rajputs soundly defeated Ibrahim Lodhi in the battle of Dholpur in 1519. The Rajputs were able to take control of Malwa's northern regions shortly after this victory.

Also, read about the Battle of Panipat here for UPSC.

Battle of Idar

• The southern borders of Rajputana were attacked in 1520 CE by Malik Hussain, the ruler of Gujarat. As a result, Rana Sanga and the Gujarat sultan engaged in the fourth battle of Idar.
• The sultan's army was routed again, forcing him to flee to Ahmedabad. He was pursued all the way to Ahmedabad by Rana Sanga and his soldiers. Rana Sanga gained possession of all of Gujarat's wealth after the sultan submitted in his presence.
• Later that year, the two sultanates of Gujarat and Malwa ravaged the southern lands of Mewar, just as they had done during Rana Kumbha's rule (Battle of Mandsaur).
• The outcome was the same: Rajputs led by Rana Sanga defeated the coalition troops of the two sultans.

Battle of Gagron

Here is a timeline of events in the Battle of Gagron: 

• Rana Sanga met Sultan Mahmud Khilji II as he proceeded from Chittor with a sizable army supported by the Rathors of Merta led by Rao Viramdeva and the Gujarat auxiliaries under the leadership of Asaf Khan. 
• As soon as the fight began, the Rajput Cavalry launched a ferocious attack that decimated the Gujarat Cavalry. 
• The few survivors fled in every direction they could find. Once the Gujarati reinforcements had been routed, the Rajput cavalry turned its attention to the Malwa army.
• Although the Sultan's soldiers battled bravely, they were comprehensively defeated by the Rajput cavalry's ferocious charge. His army was completely destroyed, and the majority of his officers were either killed or wounded. 
• After the death of Asaf Khan's son, Asaf Khan fled for his protection. On the other hand, Sultan Mahmud was captured with severe injuries.
• Sultan Hoshang Shah, the first ruler of Malwa, had left behind a jewel-encrusted crown and belt as a family relic. 
• Rana Sanga treated the Sultan with respect and returned his realm, but as a sign of submission, the Sultan gave them to the Maharana as nazrana. 
• In exchange for Sultan's future good behaviour, the Maharana held his son as a captive at Chittor.

Battle of Dholpur

Astonished by the Rajput assault, which was unprecedented in the previous three centuries, Lodi attempted to push towards Mewar once more in 1518–19 but was routed at the Battle of Dholpur. Sanga defeated Lodi repeatedly, causing him to lose all of his land in present-day Rajasthan. Meanwhile, Sanga's power reached as far as Pilia Khar in Agra. Immediately following the Siege of Mandsaur, Rana Sanga defeated Ibrahim Lodi in Ranthambore, according to the 16th-century chronicle "Parshvanath-Shravan-Sattavisi."

Know about the Battle of Chandawar for UPSC here.

Rana Sanga’s War against Mughals

Rana Sanga fought two battles against the mughals-

Battle of Bayana

• Babur won a big battle at Panipat, but he had trouble taking control of other places.
• Nizam Khan, who was in charge of Bayana, refused to recognize Babur's rule.
• Babur sent an army to Bayana to try to persuade the garrison to surrender, but they failed.
• Nizam Khan's brother, Alam Khan, offered to help Babur take Bayana if Babur would give him some soldiers.
• Alam Khan and Tardi Beg led a small army to Bayana, but they were outnumbered by Nizam Khan's forces.
• Nizam Khan's army attacked and defeated the invading force.
• Rana Sanga, a powerful ruler from Mewar, took control of Bayana shortly after the battle.
• Sanga's victory at Bayana was one of the greatest triumphs of his career.

Battle of Khanwa

• Rana Sanga wanted to unite India under his rule.
• In 1517, Sanga's influence grew significantly, which alarmed the Lodi rulers of Delhi.
• The Lodi ruler, Ibrahim Lodi, tried to attack Mewar, but he was defeated by Sanga at the Battle of Ghatoli.
• Sanga's influence continued to expand, and he became a threat to Babur, who had recently established the Mughal Empire in India.
• Sanga began preparing to expel Babur from India or to confine him to Punjab.
• Babur accused Sanga of breaking an agreement to join forces against Ibrahim Lodi.
• Babur claimed that Sanga had invited him to India and promised to support him in the fight against Lodi, but Sanga did not keep his word.
• Historian Satish Chandra suggests that Sanga may have envisioned a long conflict between Babur and Lodi, after which Sanga could seize the territories he desired.
• Chandra also suggests that Sanga may have believed that Babur would leave India after plundering Delhi and Agra, similar to Timur's invasion. 

Also, read about the Battle of Buxar here for UPSC.

Death and Succession Of Rana Sanga

• Rana Sanga had to flee after being shot by an arrow during his final conflict with Babur.
• Maldeo Rathore of Marwar and Prithviraj Singh I Kachwaha carried Sanga from the battlefield unconscious.
• After he regained consciousness, he signed an oath not to return to Chittor until he defeated Babur and took control of Delhi.
• With the loss of life and destruction the Rajputana had already experienced, the Rajputana kingdom was engaged in an unwinnable conflict. Rana Sanga was poisoned and died on January 30, 1528. 
• Rana Sanga's death proved to be a watershed moment in Medieval Indian history as it gave the Mughals an opportunity to completely dominate the northern and central parts of India.
• The Mughal Empire was encouraged to expand its dominance in the subcontinent as a result of its defeat at the Battle of Khanwa and the death that followed.
• He was succeeded by Ratan Singh II after his death in 1528 at Kalpi.

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