Rana Sanga
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Rana Sangram Singh (commonly known as Rana Sanga) was the ruler of Mewar, a region lying within the present-day Indian state of Rajasthan, between 1509 and 1527. He was a scion of the Sisodia clan of Suryavanshi Rajputs.
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[edit] Early years
Sanga was one of the three sons of Raimal, ruler of Mewar. He and his brothers quarreled incessantly with each other, causing much grief to their father. Sanga had to go into exile following a particularly bad fracas with his brothers. He spent this period incognito, working as a shepherd in a remote village in the Aravalli hills. Meanwhile, both his brothers met their end violently. Following their deaths, Sanga returned to his father's court in order to succour his parents in their bereavement and to secure his patrimony. He succeeded his father as ruler of Mewar upon the death of the latter in 1509.
[edit] Rule
Sanga's reign was marked by a series of continual battles. He was engaged at least eighteen times in battle with Muslim forces, fighting the forces of the rulers of Delhi, Gujarat and Malwa on various occasions. In the course of these battles, he is said to have sustained eighty-four wounds on his body, losing one arm and being crippled in one leg. Despite all this, Sanga was magnanimous in victory: In 1519, after Sultan Mahmud of Mandu was trounced and taken prisoner, Rana Sanga extended traditional chivalry and benevolence to him. Sultan Mahmud is treated like a guest and his kingdom was restored to him by the Rana.
Sanga brought Mewar to the zenith of its prosperity and prominence, establishing it as the foremost Rajput state. Under Sanga, Mewar reaches its zenith, controlling (directly and indirectly) a large part of Rajputana. More importantly, he succeeded in uniting several Rajput states and motivating them to make a united big for control of northern India. This is Sanga's enduring claim to fame, and it is this that rendered the battle of Khanwa the seminal event it became in the history of north India.
[edit] Battle of Khanwa
Some noted historians aver that Sanga invited Babur to attack Ibrahim Lodi, promising his support for the undertaking. In April 1526, Babur defeated Lodi at the First Battle of Panipat. However, instead of following the expected pattern of gathering booty and than returning home, thereby leaving the field open for local warlords, Babur chose to stay in India. Negotiations between Sanga and Babur were arranged, and Sanga deputed his general Silhadi (Shiladitya) to negotiate on his behalf. Babur was able to win over the treacherous Silhada with promises of vast estates and wealth. Silhadi came back and reported that Babur does not desire peace and is spoiling for a fight.
According to some estimates, Rana Sanga led an army of over 200,000 men at the battle of Khanwa. Babur employed the same strategy he had employed against Lodhi. He was the first to introduce gun powder to the Indian battelfield. He placed his cannons behind the carts that were used to tow them and placed the infantry behind them. On either flanks he had horsemen. Rajputs led a direct charge against the cannons and managed to silence them by stuffing themselves inside the cannons. Babur was thrashed on the first day. But determined as he was he called his army and infront of them vowed never to drink again and ask them to fight the last fight of their lives. His men faught valiantly the next day and Rana Sanga go injured and had to leave the battlefield. The battle of Khanwa was thus lost by Sanga. Mewar was never to regain the glory it had briefly enjoyed under his rule. Babur went on to entrench his rule (and his dynasty) in India. Sanga sustained serious injuries in the battle and died shortly afterwards.
