Rani Karnavati was a princess and temporary ruler from Bundi, India. She was married to Rana Sangram Singh (Rana Sanga) of Chittorgarh, the capital of Mewar Kingdom. She was the mother of the next two Ranas, Rana Vikramaditya and Rana Uday Singh, and grandmother of the legendary Rana Pratap.
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After Babur had captured the throne of Delhi in 1526 AD, Rana Sangram Singh or Rana Sanga of Mewar lead a confederation of Rajput Kings against Babur to capture the throne of Delhi. But in The Battle of Khanua in 1527, the combined Hindu forces were defeated, and Rana Sanga died shortly afterwards, from his wounds as well as a broken heart.
Rani Karnavati took up the regency in the name of her elder son Vikramjeet, who was not only a weak ruler but a weak human being as well. In the meantime, Mewar was attacked for the second time by Bahadur Shah of Gujarat, at whose hands Vikramjeet had earlier received an ignominious defeat. It was a matter of great concern for Rani.
The antagonized nobles were not ready to fight for Vikramjeet 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 honour of the Sisodias, and was able to persuade the nobles to fight for Mewar, if not for Vikramjeet. Their sole condition was that Vikramjeet and Uday Singh should go to Bundi during the war for their personal safety. Rani also sent a Rakhi to the Mughal Emperor Humayun, calling him a brother and asking for help. Humayun abandoned an ongoing military campaign to ride to her rescue, thus her name became irrevocably linked to the festival of Raksha Bandhan.[1][2]
Rani Karnavati agreed to send her sons to Bundi and told her trusted maid Panna to accompany them and take good care of them. Panna was reluctant, but surrendered to the wishes of the queen, when she assured her that with the renewed support of the nobles and the expected help from Humayun, all would be well. However, tidings from Chittor were not good and the Sisodias had fought valiantly, but they were outnumbered and the war was lost. Humayun’s help did not come in time and Rani Karnavati had to commit Jauhar, a ritual of self-immolation on March 8, 1535. Bahadur Shah had to, however, flee from Chittor when Mughal military reinforcements arrived.
There is also a mention of Rani Karnavati of Garhwal Kingdom, who was the wife of Mahipat Shah who ascended to throne in 1622, though died young in 1631,[3] after his death his Rani Karnavati, ruled the kingdom of the behalf of her young son, Prithvi Pat Shah. She even fought with the Mughals in 1640 AD, and defeated their troops, over time she earned the nickname 'Nakti Rani' (Nak-Kati-Rani) as she had the habit of cutting the noses of the invaders.[4] Monuments erected by her still exist in Dehradun district at Nawada,[5] she is also credited with the construction of the Rajpur Canal, the earliest of all the Dun canals, which starts from the Rispana river and brings its waters till the city of Dehradun.[6]
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