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

Maharana Kumbha. that the Mussalmans had begun to kill cows in Nagor. To punish the wrong doers, he started with fifty thousand horsemen to attack Nagor. After putting thousands of Mussalmans to the sword, he captured the fort and carried away a number of elephants, horses and other valuables as spoils of war. The Khan of Nagor fled to the Court of the Sultan of Ahmedabad.¹ After a few months, the Sultan of Gujrat invaded Sirohi with a large army. The Maharao of Sirohi retired to the hills of Kumbhalgarh. The Gujrat army after plun- dering Sirohi, went after the Maharao. The Maharana hearing of this, advanced with his Rajputs and defeated the Sultan, who fled to his capital.² Smarting under the disgrace of this fresh defeat, Sultan Qutb-ud-din collected a power- ¹ Ferishta (Vol. IV, p. 43) says that as Qutb-ud-din, Sultan of Gujrat was, at the time engaged in a course of debauchery, the prime minister Imadulmulk collecting an army made one march from Ahmedabad but had to stay there for a month to prepare equipments. Hearing, however, that the Maharana had returned to Chitor the Gujrat army too returned to Ahmedabad. ² Ferishta says that the Sultan finding Kumbhalgarh impregnable, returned to his capital—Vol. IV, p. 43. 105

Maharana Kumbha. ful army and started to attack Kumbhalgarh. He came to Sirohi and after plundering that country, advanced towards Kumbhalgarh. The Maharana came out of the fort, and attacked and defeated him.¹ The Sultan retreated towards Malwa and thence returned to his Capital. ¹ Vir Vinod, Vol. I, p. 333. 106

CHAPTER XI. ———— DEATH OF MAHARANA KUMBHA. MAHARANA KUMBHA'S death took place in A.D. 1468. Sometime before his death, Kumbha's mind showed signs of derangement, and he sometimes talked incoherently. It is said that Maharana Kumbha one day left Kumbhalgarh to visit Eklingji. As he arrived near the temple, a cow standing by began to dance, making a long loud sound, usually made when cows are happy. The Maharana said nothing at the time, but on return to Kumbhalmer, in a Durbar the next day, he suddenly raised his hand holding a sword and said कामधेनु तंडव करिय. After a little while, some one made a submission to the Maharana in connection with some business. The Maharana only repeated कामधेनु तंडव करिय. This continued for some days. The nobles and those around the Maharana, seeing this mental derangement of their monarch, became uneasy. The Maharana's younger son 107

Maharana Kumbha. Rai Mal mustered up courage and asked the Maharana as to why he repeated those words so often. The Maharana got angry with Rai Mal and ordered that he be banished from Mewar. Rai Mal went away to Idar, as he had been married to the daughter of Bhān, younger brother of Raja Naraindas of that place. No one now dared expostulate with the Maharana. It is said that an astrologer had told Maharana Kumbha that he would die by the hand of a Charan,¹ whereupon the Maharana expelled the whole of the Charan community from Mewar and confiscated their lands. One of them, however, in the guise of a Rajput had remained with a Rajput Sardar; and he now told the Sardar that he under- stood the reason why the Maharana repeated those words, and that he could make the Maharana stop repeating them. The Sardar . took him to the Maharana and introduced him as a relation of his. The Maharana, as was his habit, repeated कामधेनु तंडव करिय, ¹ A community, the members of which write poetry, are constant companions of the Rajputs, and sing their brave deeds. 108

Maharana Kumbha. when the Charan got up and confronting the Maharana, recited the following Chhappaya (short poem). जद घर पर जोवती दीठ नागोर धरंती । गायत्री संग्रहण देख मन मांहीं डरंती ॥ सुरकोटी तेतीस आण नीरंता चारो । नहिं चरंत पीवंत मनह करती हंकारो ॥ कुंभेण राण हणिया कलम, आजस उर डर उतरिय । तिण दीह द्वार शंकर तणैं, कामधेनु तंडव करिय ॥ १ ॥ "Seeing that cows were killed in Nagor, gāyatri (cow) was in great fright. Thirty three crores of gods used to bring grass and water for her, but she neither ate nor drank anything. When Rana Kumbha after killing Mussalmans (conquering Nagor) has given protection to the cows, then the cow has became delighted and dances with joy at the door of Shankar (Mahadeva)." The Maharana on hearing the recitation, said to the reciter: "You are no Rajput: you are a Charan, but we are very pleased with you." The man confessed that he was a Charan, and interceding for his brethren, begged the Maharana to permit their return 109

Maharana Kumbha.

to Mewar and to restore their lands. The Maharana granted the request.¹ The Maharana, from that day, gave up repeating those words; but his mind had been affected, and he was sometimes incoherent in his talk. While he was in this state of mind, and was one day seated on the edge of a masonry tank near the temple of Mamadeva (Kumbha- swami) to the north east of Katargarh in Kumbhalmer, which he had built ten years before, his eldest son Udai Singh, stole up to him and treacherously stabbed him to death.²

The motive for this wicked deed might be the fear that the banished prince Rai Mal might be restored to favour and possibly block the miscreant's way to the throne; or, Kumbhá's enemies, unable to overcome him by force, put up his son to do the wicked deed, promising him assistance to get the throne, as was done in the case of Maharaja Ajit Singh of Marwar in the 18th century, when his son, Abhay Singh, was persuaded to get his father mur-

¹ Vir Vinod, Vol. I, p. 333. ² Vir Vinod, Vol. I, p. 333. 110

Maharana Kumbha. dered. Udai Karan is known in history as “Udo the Hatiáro.” Maharana Kumbha left eleven¹ sons: Udai Singh, Rai Mal, Nagraj, Gopal Singh, Askarana, Amar Singh, Govin Das, Jait Singh, Mahrāwan, Khshetra Singh and Achaldas. One of his daughters, Ramābai, was married to the Yadava Raja Mandlik of Sorath.² The Kumbhalgarh Inscription, verse 251, shows that Maharana Kumbha had married several queens. Two of them, Kumbhaldevi and Apurvadevi, are mentioned in the Chitor Kirtisthambha Inscription, as well as in Rasikpriya—Kumbha’s commentary on Gita Govind. Thus, after a reign of 35 years—a reign full of glory and splendour—Kumbhá de- parted from this world, leaving behind him, a name which is honoured in history, and remembered to this day as that of one of the greatest sovereigns who ever ruled in ¹ Vir Vinod, Vol. I, p. 335. Mehta Nainsi gives the names of only five. ² Jāwar Inscription of the Temple of Ramaswami of V. S. 1554 (A.D. 1497). 111

Maharana Kumbha. India. The Kumbhalgarh Inscription says:— “He was the root of the tree of righteous- ness, home of virtue and purity, support of wealth, birthplace of truth, abode of prowess, limit of constancy and fortitude, and a represen- tative of Kalpadruma (the tree in Heaven which grants all desires). His charities were greater than those of the famous Rájá Bhoj and Kaṛan.” 112

CHAPTER XII. ———— Kumbha's Achievements. Maharana Kumbha's military achievements, of which any sovereign might be proud, have not often been surpassed in India. His high moral culture prevented him from emulating the deeds of a Timur or an Alla-ud-din Khilji, and carrying fire and sword from one end of the country to the other. The elevated spiritual plane on which he lived, made it repugnant to him to engage in aggressive wars with his neighbours. His genius was equal to achieving far greater feats of military glory than what he accomplished, but his heart, susceptible to the finer feelings of humanity, abhorred all unnecessary bloodshed, ruin and destruction, and he undertook only such military operations as were absolutely necessary for the protection of his country, or, as duty enjoined, to punish evil-doers. Fortune constantly smiled on him: he was ever victorious in war. Inscriptions found in Chitor, Kumbhalgarh, Ránpur and Abu show 113

Maharana Kumbha.

that he defeated all his enemies, reduced some of them to be his vassals and incorporated portions of the territories of others with his own. He captured Bundi,¹ Bamaodá² and conquered the whole of Haraváti³ (country of the Hara Rajputs.)

He captured and incorporated with his dominions (Mewar) the towns of Mandalgarh,⁴ Shatpur⁵ (now called Khatkar), Khatoo,⁶ Jana⁷ and Chatsoo,⁸ and wrested from its Muslim rulers, the whole of the district of Toda⁹ and Ajmer.¹⁰

¹ Ranpur Temple Inscription in the Archæological Sur- vey of India : Annual Report for 1907-08, pp. 214-17. ² Kumbhalgarh Inscription (unpublished) in the Udai- pur Museum, verse 262. ³ Kaviraj Shyamaldas' Vir Vinod, p. 335. Also Kum- bhalgarh Inscription, Verse 264. ⁴ Kumbhalgarh Inscription in the Udaipur Museum, V. 263. The inscription calls the place Mandalkar. It was taken from the Hara Rajputs of Bambaodā. ⁵ Kumbhalgarh Inscription, V. 264. ⁶ Ranpur Temple Inscription. The town of Khatoo is now in the Jaipur State. It is famous for its red stone quarries. ⁷ Ranpur Temple Inscription. Jana is unidentifiable. ⁸ Ibid. Chatsoo is also in the Jaipur State now. ⁹ Eklinga Mahatmya, Sloka 157. ¹⁰ Ranpur Temple Inscription. Ajmer was taken by the Maharana from the Sultan of Gujrat.

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Maharana Kumbha. He annexed the Sapādalaksha¹ country including Sambhar, and imposed a tax on the salt produced there. He also levied a tax on the "salt mines" at Didvāna,² and conquered the city of Naraina.³ He conquered Naradiyanagar (Narwar)⁴ and reduced to submission the ruler of Shodhyanagari,⁵ Yagnapur⁶ (Jahazpur in Mewar), Malpura, Yoginipur⁷ (Jawar) and Dungarpur, driving out from the last place, Rao Gopal.⁸ He burnt down Vrandāvatipur (Bundi)⁹ and captured the hill fort of Gargarāt.¹⁰ He "burnt down Mallaranyapur, Sinhapur and Ratnpur and destroyed several kings."¹¹ "He killed the enemy and took Mandawar (Mandor) ¹²" He conquered Amradadri¹³ ¹ Chitor Tower of Victory Inscription, Verse 5. A part of the inscription is published in Cunningham's Archæo- logical Survey Report, Vol. XXIII. Also Kumbhalgarh Inscription, V. 261. ² Ibid, V. 6. ³ Ibid, V. 6. Naraina is in Jaipur territory and is the headquarters of the Dadupanthi sect of the Hindus. ⁴ Kumbhalgarh Inscription, V. 246. ⁵ Ibid, V. 248. ⁶ Ibid, V. 253. ⁷ Kumbhalgarh Inscription, Verse 247. ⁸ Ibid, V. 266–67. ⁹ Kumbhalgarh Inscription, V. 264. ¹⁰ Ibid, V. 259. Also Ranpur Temple Inscription. ¹¹ Ibid, V. 260. ¹² Kumbhalgarh Inscription, V. 249. ¹³ Ibid, V. 262. 115

Maharana Kumbha. (Amber) and won the battle of Kotra¹ and took the city of Champāvati.² He conquered Sarangpur,³ taking “num- berless Turk women prisoners and humbled the pride of Mahmud (Khilji), its ruler, who had slain his master and become king of the place.” He conquered Hammirpur, captured its king, Randhir Vicrama,⁴ and married his daughter. He captured the hilly country of Vardhaman⁵ (Badnor) from the Mers; took Amrdachal and conquered the Jankachal⁶ hill from the king of Malwa and built a fort on it. He captured and occupied a part of the territory of the Sultan of Delhi.⁷ He also conquered the Gokrana Mountain and subjugated the kingdom of Abu,⁸ and built Achalgarh⁹ on the top of it, and made the Deora Chief (of Sirohi) his ¹ Kumbhalgarh Inscription, 262. ² Ibid, V. 258. ³ Kumbhalgarh Inscription, V. 268. It was in this battle that Sultan Mahmud Khilji of Mandu was taken prisoner by the Maharana. ⁴ Kumbhalgarh Inscription, V. 250. ⁵ Kumbhalgarh Inscription, V. 254. ⁶ Ibid, verses 256-7. ⁷ Ranpur Temple Inscription. ⁸ Chitor Tower of Victory Inscription, Verses 8 to 11. ⁹ Ibid, V 12. 116

Maharana Kumbha. vassal.¹ He conquered Gagroon² (now in Kotah territory), destroyed Visalpur³ and raised to the ground the city of Dhanya- nagar.⁴ He destroyed Khandela⁵ and Vyas- pur.⁶ He conquered the famous fortress of Ranthambhor.⁷ He took away the whole of the wealth and kingdom of Muzaffar⁸ (King of Gujrat) and humbled his pride (V. 7); conquered Nagor⁹ (in Marwar) and plundered Jāngaladesa¹⁰ (country to the north west of Ajmer). He repeatedly defeated the kings of Malwa and Gujrat first singly and then com- bined, when their allied armies invaded Mewar.¹¹ ¹ Eklinga Mahatmya. ² Ranpur Temple Inscription. ³ Kumbhalgarh Inscription, V. 265. ⁴ Chitor Tower of Victory Inscription, V. 25. ⁵ Ibid, V. 253 ⁶ Eklinga Mahatmya. ⁷ Kumbhalgarh Inscription, V. 261. ⁸ Chitor Tower of Victory Inscription, V. 7. ⁹ Chitorgarh Kirtisthambha Inscription. For invasions of Nagor, see Chapter X supra. ¹⁰ For a full account of Jāngaladesa, see my paper on Jangal- desa, published in the Proceedings of the First Oriental Con- ference, Poona, 1921 A. D. ¹¹ Chitorgarh Kirtisthambha Inscription, a part of which is given in Cunningham's A.S. Reports Vol. XXIII. The Kirtisthambha Inscription (verse 17) says that he burnt Gujrat, conquered the ruler of Malwa (Mahmud) and destroyed his pride. Further on (verse 171) Kumbha is styled Agastya- muni (swallower) of the armies of the Sultans of Gujrat and Malwa. 117

Maharana Kumbha. The Ranpur Temple Inscription, line 27, says that his “Title as the Hindu Sultan was proclaimed by the Umbrella of Royalty given (him) by the Sultans protecting Gujrat and the territory of Delhi, which were occupied by his great exploits.”¹ The Chitorgarh Kirtisthambha Inscription, V. 146, calls Maharana Kumbha, the chief ornament of the kings of the North, East and West. TITLES OF MAHARANA KUMBHA. The great achievements of Maharana Kumbha in peace as well as in war—in arms as well as in arts—gained him many titles.

1. The Kumbhalgarh Inscription of 1460 A.D. verse 232, mentions the titles of Maharaja Dhiraj; Rai Rāyan; Rānē Rao; and Maharana.
2. The Kirtisthambha Inscription of A.D. 1460, verse 148, mentions his titles of Rājguru, Dānguru, Shailguru and Param- ¹ See Ranpur Inscription of A.D. 1439, in Archæological Survey of India, Annual Report for 1907–8, p. 216. 118

Maharana Kumbha. guru. Rajguru means the Master of kings or Rajahs. Danguru means the king or the greatest of the givers. Shailguru means Master of the mountains. Paramguru, according to the inscription, is the highest preceptor of Rajas or kings. 3. The commentary on Gita Govind contains Kumbha's titles of Chāpguru, Todar- mal and Abhinava Bharatāchārya. Chapguru means master of the science of war. 4. Rasikpriya says that Maharana Kumbha was called Todarmal, as he destroyed like a मल्ल (a giant) great Rajas who were Rulers of men (नरपती) Masters of Cavalry (अश्वपती) and Masters of elephants (गजपती) The Kirtisthambha Inscription, verse 177, also calls Kumbha, Todarmal. 119

CHAPTER XIII. KUMBHA'S MONUMENTS. KUMBA was a great commander and a great sovereign. He not only greatly extended the boundaries of Mewar but immensely strength- ened its defences and adorned it with works of art. Colonel Tod says: "He triumphed over the enemies of his race, fortified his country with strongholds, embellished it with temples, and with the superstructure of her fame laid the foundations of his own."¹ He repopulated Vasantapur, and built seven lakes near it in the vicinity of Anhalkund of Vashishta² in Sirohi (near Abu). FORTS. "Of the 84 fortresses constructed for the defence of Mewar, 32 were built³ by Kumbha. He fortified the passes between the Western ¹ Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan, Vol. I, p. 290. ² Chitorgarh Kirtisthambha Inscription, verses 8 and 9. ³ Vir Vinod, Vol. I, p. 334. Also Tod's Rajasthan, Vol. I, p. 289. 120

Maharana Kumbha: frontier of Mewar and Abu and erected the fort of Vasanti near Sirohi. He built the fort of Machan to defend the Shera Nullá and Devagarh against the Mers of Aravalli." He built the fort of Kolana, near Amba Bhawani, and the fort of Vairat near Badnor, and rebuilt the fort of Ahore (in Mewar), which had been first built by his ancestor Karan Singh, and named it Kailash Meru. "He built various other forts to overawe the Bhumiá Bhils of Jarole and Panora, and defined the boundaries of Mewar and Marwar."¹ ACHALGARH. He constructed in 1452 A.D. (S. 1509, Magh Sudi 15th) a citadel on a peak of Mount Abu, since well known as Achalagarh² within the ruined fortress of the ancient Parmār kings of that country, where he often resided. The traveller would find the ruined towers of Achalgarh buried in the dense masses of ¹ Tod's Rajasthan, Vol. I, p. 289. ² Eklinga Mahatmya, Sl. 64. And the Chitorgarh Ins- cription, Plate XXI, Cunningham's A.S.R., Vol. XXIII. 121

Maharana Kumbha. clouds that surround him. The first pol (gate) of this ancient fortress is the Hanuman Pol, "which is composed of two noble towers built with huge blocks of granite, black with the rude blasts of some 1,000 winters. The towers had been connected at the top by the guard room, and the gate served as the entrance to the lower fort, whose dilapidated walls are discernable up the irregular ascent. Another portal called the Champa Pol, from a noble Champa tree close to it, which was formerly denominated the "Gate of Wisdom," conducts to the inner fortress. The first object that strikes the view on passing the latter gate is the Jain temple to Paraswanath, erected at the sole expense of a banker of Māndu. Its columns are of the same charac- ter as those of the ancient shrine of Ajmer. "The upper fortress is attributed to Kumbha. But he probably only repaired this, the Donjon of Achalgarh, which with the interior works, is of the most remote antiquity. There are the ruins of a granary, the Bhandar of Kumbha Rana, coated within with a very strong cement. Close on the left, is the palace 122

Maharana Kumbha. of Oka Rani, his queen, so designated from being of Oka Mandal, (Kathiawar) near the Land's End of the Hindus. A small lake in the keep is called Sāwan Bhādoon, and well merits the name of the two chief months of the monsoon; for, in the middle of June it is yet full of water. On the most elevated knoll to the east are the remains of an alarm tower which still bears Kumbha's name. From this point the eye, occasionally piercing the swift- scudding clouds, has glimpses of the ruined altars and palaces of the brave race who on the spot whence I surveyed them, had fought and bled in their defence."¹ A blending of all beauties, streams and dells, Fruit, foliage, crag, wood, cornfield, mountain, vine, And chiefless castles, breathing stern farewells, From gray, but leafy walls, where Ruin greenly dwells." An equestrian statue of Maharana Kumbha with those of two other Maharanas and a bigger one of the Purohit or the family priest of Kumbha in a humble straw shed on the descent from Achalgarh to Dilwara still receive divine honours. ¹ Tod's Travels in Western India, p. 94.

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Maharana Kumbha. Col. Tod describing his visit to Achalgarh, says:—"As the sun dispelled the watery darkness which enveloped us, the landscape of this magic realm was to the last degree imposing, every change of position unfolding some new object. First, Jain shrines of Dilwara (being S. 80° W. six miles distant), backed by the peak of Arbudha Mātā; the Guru Sikra (N. 15° E. four miles), with many other pinnacles scattered over the summit of this fairy land, each with its name and its legend. On the descent, I paid my homage to the representative of one of the worthies of Mewar, an equestrian brass statue of Rana Kumbha, who within these walls had often stood the brunt of war. It was pleasing to witness the homage still rendered within these now desecrated walls, to departed worth; prayers are made, and daily oblations of saffron brought to the defender of Achalgarh, and these not by any of his decendants, who are ignorant of this deed, but by others utter- ly unconnected with him, actuated by the traditional record of his glory or greatness. The humble straw shed which covers these 124