महाराणा कुम्भा (हरविलास सारदा - मेवाड़ साम्राज्य के अद्वितीय विजेता, निर्माता व विद्वान्)

Maharana Kumbha. and came upon the Sultan's army near Mandalgarh. A battle was fought here in which the Sultan was defeated, but the defeat was not decisive.¹ A few days later the Maharana made a night attack on the Sultan who was utterly defeated and fled towards Mandu.² Ferishta says: "The Sultan returned without molestation to Mandu."— Vol. IV, p. 210. This is Ferishta's way of describing a defeat. To retrieve this fresh disaster, Mahmud set about preparing another army, and four years later, on 20th Rajab, H. 850 (Kartik Bad 6th, S. 1503), 11 October 1446 A.D., he went towards Mandalgarh with a large army. Reaching Rampura (now in Indore State) he appointed Malik Saifuddin as governor there in place of Bahadur and moved further. The Maharana's army attacked him while he was crossing the river Banas,³ and having ¹ Ferishta (Vol. IV, page 210) says that the Maharana attacked the Sultan on 26th April 1443 A.D. with an army of 12 thousand horse and 6000 infantry but was unsuccessful. The next day, the Sultan obtained some loot and returned to Mandu with the intention of attacking Chitor the following year. The historians of Rajputana say that the Sultan was defeated, but the defeat was not decisive. ² Vir Vinod of Mahamahopadhyaya Kaviraj Shamaldas Vol. I, p. 325. ³ Vir Vinod, Vol. I, page 325. 87

Maharana Kumbha. defeated him, drove him back to Mandu. For about 10 years after this defeat, Mahmud Khilji did not venture to take the offensive against the Maharana. Ferishta, in conformity with the practice of Persian historians, who ignore or try to whitewash defeats and unfavourable issues, says (Vol. IV, p. 210) that the Sultan returned after taking Nazrana. This is obviously far from true. For, had the Sultan obtained a victory and concluded peace after receiving Nazrana, why should he have, as stated by Ferishta himself (Vol. IV, p. 215) sent Taj Khan with eight thousand cavalry and 20 elephants to attack Chitor without any cause whatever from Bayana, where he had gone immediately after his return to Mandu. Had the Sultan achieved a victory, we should not have found him (as will be seen later) asking the King of Gujrat for help, and proposing to him when that Sultan too had been defeated by the Maharana, an offensive alliance against the Maharana. In 1454 A.D., however, Sultan Mahmud Khilji made another attempt to attack Chitor, but the Maharana attacked him before he 88

Maharana Kumbha. came near Chitor and inflicted a severe defeat on him which compelled him to return to Mandu. Ferishta says (Vol. IV, page 222) that the Sultan sent Prince Gayasuddin to take Ranthambhor and himself started to attack Chitor, and that leaving Mansur-ul-Mulk to lay waste the district of Mandsaur, himself advanced and threatened to appoint his own governor there and found a town and named it Khiljipur. Thereupon the'Maharana tendered submission, and the Sultan seeing the approach of the rainy weather, returned to Mandu with some gold. Instead of saying that the Sultan returned discomfited and defeated, Ferishta puts it nicely and says that Sultan owing to the approach of the rains returned after taking some gold! About this time (1454 A.D.) the state of affairs at Ajmer drew the Sultan's attention to it. This important city—"the heart of Raj- putana"—is a place of the greatest strategical importance in Upper India. It stands at the summit of the plateau which marks the highest elevation on the plains of Hindustan. Its politi- cal importance is proved by the fact that every 89

Maharana Kumbha. power aspiring to dominate the country has first taken possession of it and used it as a ladder to mount to political supremacy in India. Its religious importance is due to the existence of Pushkar, the King of Hindu places of pilgrimage in its environs, and the mausoleum of Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti in the town. The death of Swami Dayanand Saraswati at Ajmer, invests the place with peculiar importance in the eyes of Reformed Hinduism.¹ During the reign of Maharana Mokal, Ráo Ran Mal of Mandor had wrested this stronghold from the Sultans of Delhi and restored it to Mewar. Acting on the advice of pancholi Khemsi, Ran Mal sent him with a picked force of Rathods to take Ajmer. Under the pretence of conveying a daughter to the Viceroy of Ajmer, he introduced his men into that renowned fortress, the ancient stronghold of the Chauháns, putting the Delhi garrison to the sword. Salim Shah, the King of Multan, who had gone on pilgrimage to Ajmer after killing Chondá, father of Rao Ran Mal at ¹ See my "Ajmer: Historical and Descriptive" p. 23 90

Maharana Kumbha. Nagor was also killed by the Rájputs. Khemsi was rewarded with the grant of the township of Khatoo, then lately captured from the Káimkhanees.¹ In A. D. 1454, Mahmud Khilji having received representations that all Muhammadan religious practices had been forbidden in Ajmer² by the Hindu governor of the place, and receiving promises of help from its Mussalman residents, undertook an expedition against that city. Ajmer was in the posses- sion of the Maharana and the Sultan did not venture openly to invade it. He had recourse to a ruse. Sending the bulk of his army against Mandsaur to keep the Maharana's forces engaged, he advanced and attacked Ajmer. Gajádhar Singh, the governor of the fort of Ajmer, defended the fort for four days, and then, despising the foe's forces, he came out and attacked the Sultan's army. He was killed after performing deeds of valour and slaying numbers of the enemy. As his men were retiring into the fort, the Sultan's men ¹ The Jodhpur Khyat. ² Brigg's Ferishta, Vol. IV., page 222. 91

Maharana Kumbha. mixed themselves among the Rajputs and entered it. The Sultan thus obtained posses- sion of the fort but "not without sustaining severe loss."¹ He appointed Khwaja Naimat- ullah as governor of the fort, with the title of Saif Khan, and himself went towards Mandalgarh. As he approached the river Banas, the Maharana's army came out of the fort and fell upon the Sultan, who sustained a severe defeat and fled to Mandu. Ferishta says: "Rana Kumbha, at the head of a body of Rajputs, attacked one flank of the king's army under Taj Khan and sent another body to attack that under Ali Khan. A severe engagement ensued in consequence, when the retreat was mutually sounded. On the following morning, the Malwa officers persuaded the Sultan of the necessity of his army retiring into quarters, both on account of the reduced numbers and the wretched state of the camp equipment, now rendered almost useless, which circumstances, together with the approach of the rainy season, induced ¹ Ferishta, Vol. IV, page 222. 92

Maharana Kumbha. Sultan Mahmud to return to Mandu."—Brigg's English translation of Ferishta, Vol. IV, p. 223. Mr. Briggs in a footnote says : "The drawn battle mentioned by the Malwa historians must be deemed a defeat." An attack on Mandalgarh made by the Sultan¹ in A.D. 1456 also failed and the Sultan had to return to Mandu discomfited. Altogether five attempts were made by the Sultan to wipe out his disgrace of 1437 A.D., but every time he was defeated by the Maharana. Sultan Mahmud Khilji, now convinced that it was impossible to cope with Maharana Kumbha single handed, resolved to ask the Sultan of Gujrat to combine with him and, thus united, attack the Maharana. For this purpose, he sent his prime minister Taj Khan to Gujrat. About this time, Sultan Mahmud Khilji's son Prince Umar Khan, owing to disagree- ment with his father fled to Ahmedabad, but ¹ Ferishta says that the Sultan failed to take the fort itself but after 11 months' seige was able to take the lower fort and, then retired to Mandu after receiving some money.—Brigg's Ferishta, Vol. IV, p. 223. 93

Maharana Kumbha. mixed themselves among the Rajputs and entered it. The Sultan thus obtained posses- sion of the fort but "not without sustaining severe loss."¹ He appointed Khwaja Naimat- ullah as governor of the fort, with the title of Saif Khan, and himself went towards Mandalgarh. As he approached the river Banas, the Maharana's army came out of the fort and fell upon the Sultan, who sustained a severe defeat and fled to Mandu. Ferishta says : "Rana Kumbha, at the head of a body of Rajputs, attacked one flank of the king's army under Taj Khan and sent another body to attack that under Ali Khan. A severe engagement ensued in consequence, when the retreat was mutually sounded. On the following morning, the Malwa officers persuaded the Sultan of the necessity of his army retiring into quarters, both on account of the reduced numbers and the wretched state of the camp equipment, now rendered almost useless, which circumstances, together with the approach of the rainy season, induced ¹ Ferishta, Vol. IV, page 222. 92

Maharana Kumbha. Sultan Mahmud to return to Mandu."—Brigg's English translation of Ferishta, Vol. IV, p. 223. Mr. Briggs in a footnote says: "The drawn battle mentioned by the Malwa historians must be deemed a defeat." An attack on Mandalgarh made by the Sultan¹ in A.D. 1456 also failed and the Sultan had to return to Mandu discomfited. Altogether five attempts were made by the Sultan to wipe out his disgrace of 1437 A.D., but every time he was defeated by the Maharana. Sultan Mahmud Khilji, now convinced that it was impossible to cope with Maharana Kumbha single handed, resolved to ask the Sultan of Gujrat to combine with him and, thus united, attack the Maharana. For this purpose, he sent his prime minister Taj Khan to Gujrat. About this time, Sultan Mahmud Khilji's son Prince Umar Khan, owing to disagree- ment with his father fled to Ahmedabad, but ¹ Ferishta says that the Sultan failed to take the fort itself but after 11 months' seige was able to take the lower fort and, then retired to Mandu after receiving some money.—Brigg's Ferishta, Vol. IV, p. 223. 93

Mahāraṇa Kumbha. finding no support there came to Maharana Kumbha, who gave him shelter and kept him in Chitor for a long time. Later, he was killed in an encounter with the Sultan at Chanderi.¹ The same year (Hijra 860 = A.D. 1454) Firoz Khan, Khan of Nagor, died.² He belonged to the family of the Sultans of Gujrat. His father Shams Khan had obtained from his elder brother Muzaffar Shah, the first Sultan of Gujrat, the province of Nagor. On Firoz Khan's death, his elder son, Shams Khan so named after his grand father, succeed- ed him, but Firoz Khan's younger brother, Mujahid Khan, deposed him and prepared to take his life Shams Khan fled to Maharana Kumbha for shelter and help.³ Kumbhá, who had long had designs on Nagor, gladly embraced this opportunity of carrying them out, and agreed to place Shams Khan on the throne of Nagor on the condition that he acknowledged Maharana Kumbha's supremacy by demo- lishing a part of the battlements of the fort of ¹ Vir Vinod, Vol. I, page 327. ² Ferishta, Vol. IV. p. 40 (Cal. Edition of 1910) ³ Bayley's Gujrat, page 148. 94

Maharana Kumbha. that place.¹ Shams Khan accepted the terms.² The Maharana marched with a large army to Nagor, defeated Mujahidkhan, who fled towards Gujrat, and placed Shams Khan on the gádi of Nagor, and demanded of him the fulfilment of the condition. As preparations were being made for the demolition of the battlements, one of the old Pathan officers of Shams Khan cried out: "Would that Firoz had a daughter instead of a son, for even she would not have allowed her father to be disgraced by permit- ting the dismantling of the fortifications of the fort."³ On this, Shams Khan humbly prayed to the Maharana to spare the fort just then, for otherwise his nobles would kill him after the Maharana was gone. He promised to demolish the battlements himself later on. The Maharana granted this prayer and returned to Mewar. No sooner, however, had Kumbhá reached Kumbhalgarh than Shams Khan, instead of demolishing, began to strengthen the fortifica- ¹ Ferishta, Vol. IV, page 40. Also Bayley's History of Gujrat, page 148, footnote. ² Ferishta, Vol. IV, page 41. ³ Bayley's History of Gujrat, page 148, footnote. 95

Maharana Kumbha. tions of Nagor. This brought Maharana Kumbhá on the scene again with a large army. Shams Khan was driven out of Nagor, which passed into Kumbhá's possession. The Maha- rana now demolished the fortifications of Nagor, thus carrying out his long-cherished design. The Maharana took away from the treasury of Shams Khan a large store of precious stones, jewels and other valuable things. The Eklinga Mahatmya composed during Kumbhá's lifetime, says that he "defeated the King of the Shakas (Mussalmans), put to flight Mashiti (Mujahid Khan), slew the heroes of Nágpur (Nagor), destroyed the fort, filled up the moat round the fort, captured elephants, im- prisoned large number of Shak (Muslim) women and punished countless Mussalmans. He gained a victory over the King of Gujrat, burnt the city ¹ (Nagor) with all the mosques therein, liberated twelve lakhs of cows from the Muslims, made the land a pasture for cows and gave Nagor for a time to Bráhmans."² He carried away the gates ¹ Kumbha's commentary on the Gita Govinda, verses 60-62, also reiterates these things. ²See also Chitorgarh Kirtisthambha Inscription. 96

Maharana Kumbha. of the fort, and an image of Hanumán from Nagor, which he fixed to the principal gate of the fortress of Kumbhalgarh, calling it the Hanumán Pol.¹ The Chitorgarh Kirtisthambha Inscription repeats these facts, and says that he destroyed "the great mosque built by Sultan Firoz, which showed Muslims the way to Nagor", (verse 19) and dismantled the fort and filled up the moat. "He uprooted the Mussalman tree of Nagor and destroyed it with all its mosques," Verse 22; and took away Shams Khan's treasure containing heaps of jewels (V. 23). Shams Khan fled to Ahmedabad, taking with him his daughter, whom he gave to Sultan Qutb-ud-din to wife.² The Sultan thereupon espoused his cause and sent a large army under Rái Rám Chandar and Malik Gadday to take back Nagor. The Maharana allowed the army to approach Nagor, when he came out, and after a severe engagement ¹ Vir Vinod Vol. I, p. 332, says the Maharana carried away the image of Hanuman from Nagor. The Kumbhalgarh Ins- cription, however, says that the image had been brought by Kumbha from Mandor. ² Bayley's Gujrat, page 149. Ferishta, Vol. IV, page 41. ³ Ibid. The Bombay Gazetteer, Vol. I, page 242, has Anup 'Chand Manek and Malik Gadai. 97

Maharana Kumbha. inflicted a crushing defeat on the Gujrat army, annihilating it. Only remnants of it reached Ahmedabad, to carry the news of the disaster to the Sultan.¹ Sultan Qutb-ud-din now took the field in person, determined to wrest Nagor back from the Maharana. The Maharana advanced to meet him and came to Mount Abu. When the Sultan after leaving Ahmedabad came near Abu, the Maharao of Sirohi went to him and asked him to restore Abu to him, which the Maharana had wrested from him. The Sultan sent his Commander-in-Chief, Malik Shaaban Imad-ul-Mulk, with a large army, to take the fort of Abu from the Maharana, and himself proceeded towards the fortress of Kumbhalgarh.² Kumbhá, aware of this plan, came out, attacked and "defeated Imad-ul-Mulk with great slaughter,"³ ¹ Bombay Gazetteer, page 242. Ferishta, Vol. IV, page 41. ² Ferishta says that the Sultan "despairing of reducing Chitor" went towards Abu,—Vol. IV, p. 41. ³ Bombay Gazetteer, Vol. I, page 242. Also Bayley's History of Gujrat, page 149. The Mirati Sikandari states that the enemy poured down on him on all sides and he was defeated with loss of many men. Ferishta, however, states that the Raja of Sirohi, who was a relation of the Maharana met the Sultan in battle but was defeated, and that the Sultan then went away towards Kumbhalgarh. Tarikhi Alfi says that Shaaban after suffering heavy losses, was recalled. 98

Maharana Kumbha. and by forced marches reached Kumbhalgarh before the Sultan arrived there. Imad-ul-Mulk returned discomfited to the Sultan, and both arrived at the foot of the hill on which is perched the fortress of Kumbhal- garh. The Maharana sallied out of the fortress and attacked and defeated the Sultan, who sustained a heavy loss, and losing all hope of taking this stronghold, retired to Gujrat.¹ The Kings of Malwa and Gujrat, thus completely defeated by the Maharana one after another, now resolved to combine and invade Mewar. As stated before, Sultan Mahmud Khilji of Malwa had become convinced that single handed he could never succeed against the Maharana and had resolved to form an alliance with the Sultan of Gujrat. He therefore sent his Vazir, Taj Khan, to Ahmedabad. As Sultan Qutb-ud-din of Gujrat was returning discomfited, after his defeat at the Maharana's hands, to Ahmedabad, Taj Khan met him on the way and proposed a formal offensive alliance against the Maharana, who had destroyed the Mussalman Chiefship ¹ The Bombay Gazetteer, page 242. 99

Maharana Kumbha.

of Nagor and had defeated them both. The King of Gujrat eagerly listened to the proposal and accepted the terms of the alliance, which was ratified at Chānpāner by Sheikh Nizam- ud-din and Malik-ul-Ulema on behalf of Sultan Mahmud Khilji, and by Qazi Hisam-ud-din on behalf of Sultan Qutb-ud-din, towards the close of the year A.D. 1456.¹ It was agreed between the two kings that the southern part of Mewar contiguous to Gujrat was to be attached to Gujrat; and Mewar proper, Ajmer and Ahirwara, to Malwa. In pursuance of this treaty, a simultaneous attack was made by the allied kings of Malwa and Gujrat the following year (A.D. 1457). Qutb-ud-din advanced towards Kumbhalgarh, while Mahmud Khilji advanced towards Chitor and reached Mandsaur. The Maharana wanted to dispose of Mahmud first; but finding that Qutb-ud-din had come near Kumbhal- garh, advanced to meet him first. Qutb-ud-din had chosen a strong position and the Maha- rana, after an indecisive action, fell back on a better position flanked by his native hills. ¹ Brigg's Ferishta, Vol. IV, page 42. Bayley's Gujrat, page 150, footnote. Vir Vinod, Vol. I, p. 328. 100

Maharana Kumbha. Qutb-ud-din encouraged, advanced and an engagement took place which lasted for two days. After the first day's engagement, both armies retired to their camps for the night: the dead bodies were cremated or buried, and the wounded were tended. With the break of day the battle was renewed, and as the Maharana's army had the support of the hills behind them, while the Sultan's army was in the open, the latter suffered severely and was driven out of the field completely vanquished. The Sultan had to fight hard for his life and eventually retired in safety. Thus, though the Maharana suffered heavy losses, the Sultan was defeated and had to return to Gujrat. Ferishta (Vol. IV, page 42) says that the Sultan on receiving 14 mds. of gold loaded on two elephants and some other things as presents made peace with the Maharana and returned home! This is Ferishta's way of glossing over a defeat. For, Ferishta does not state what "seasonable donation" the Sultan of Malwa, the ally of the Gujrat King, received as his share of the spoils of war or offering of peace. It is hardly possible to 101

Maharana Kumbha. believe that this powerful combination of two monarchs, each burning with a desire com- pletely to crush the common foe, and having solemnly signed a treaty with the express object of dividing the Maharana's territory among themselves should invade the enemy's country from both sides and open the campaign with such confidence and pride, achieve a triumphant victory and yet the net result of it should be the gain to only one of the allies, of 14 mds. of gold, two elephants and some nondescript things ! ! ! It is conceivable that the Sultan took away with him the spoils of some of the temples destroyed by him and the plunder of Sirohi; and some annalist has described the gold and the nondescript things as nazrana or tribute. The Mirati Sikandari says that three months after this, the Maha- rana invaded Nagor, when Qutb ud-din again came to Mewar, and after plundering some villages returned to Ahmedabad. It is difficult to believe that if the Maharana had been defeated in this war, he should have dared to attack Nagor within three months of his defeat; or, that Qutb-ud-din who had been 102

Maharana Kumbha. victorious, would have retired satisfied after indulging in a little plundering freak without exacting substantial penalty, or otherwise taking severe revenge for this presumption on the part of the Maharana. The Mirati Sikandari, indeed, says that the Sultan of Mandu returned home, having receiv- ed from the Rana, the district of Mandsaur and several other pargannas adjacent to the territo- ries of Malwa. That the victor should get only a little gold and the spectator, whole districts of the country of the vanquished! Another historian, however, comes nearer the truth. “Tarikhi Alfi seems rather to intimate that Qutb-ud-din made his own terms and left Mahmud to shift for himself.”—Bayley’s Gujrat, page 151, footnote. Rasik Priya, the commentary on Gita Govind, distinctly states that the two kings were defeated and driven out of Mewar by the valiant Maharana. The Chitor Kirtisthambha inscription of A.D. 1460, verse 141, states that the Maharana completely defeated the combined armies of Gujrat and Malwa. The King of Malwa too retired to his 103

Maharana Kumbha. territory severely defeated by the Maharana's forces. Though he made several attempts, he was neither able to recover the territory previously conquered and joined to Mewar by Maharana Kumbha, nor to conquer any part of the Maharana's country.¹ He had been so often defeated that after this un- successful attempt to retrieve his fallen fortunes, he gave up all hope of success against the Maharana; and though he lived for 10 years after this defeat, he never again thought of invading Mewar.² Sultan Qutb-ud-din of Gujrat did not long survive³ this defeat. He died on the 25th of May, A.D. 1459 and was succeeded by Daud Shah in the following year. In A.D. 1458, reports reached the Maharana ¹ Ferishta says (Vol. IV, page 224) that Mahmud left for Mandalgarh on 26 Muharram, H. 861 (A. D. 1856), and took it on 25 Zilhijj H. 862 (1458 A. D)! It is further stated that Mahmud advanced towards Chitor on 5 Muharram H. 863 (1458 A. D.) and sent his son, Prince Ghayas-ud-din, towards Bhilwara, and that the Prince after a severe action took the fort of Kasundi and then returned to Mandu to join his father. Is return home without concluding a triumphant peace, a sign of victory? ² In S. 1518 (A. D. 1461) Mahmud Khilji did indeed go towards Kumbhalgarh but dared not attack it. Ferishta says that he passed on to Dungarpur, received two lakhs of rupees from the Raja, as Faujkharch and returned to Mandu.— Ferishta, Vol. IV, page 225. ³ Brigg's Ferishta, Vol. IV, page 43. 104