Complete Medieval History | Maharanas of Mewar: Part 1 | LEC 23 | History for UPSC 2026 By Alok Ojha

Hello everyone good evening Can you hear and see me Please ping me so I can start the session Yes guys can you hear and see me Please ping me if you can Good evening Bimal good evening Nivedita No problem Bimal—although you missed the class on the Ahom dynasty or the Ahom kingdom you can watch the video available in the playlist Alright folks today we'll begin with Mewar a key regional kingdom and explore the Sisodia dynasty also known as the Gohilas often also known as the Maharanas of Mewar Okay so before I begin the first session before I start this session please let me know who the first Maharana was Yes any idea Just go ahead and take a wild guess Who was regarded as the first Maharana Okay similar to the chapter on the Maharana's year I've split it into two parts Part one and part two and today we'll cover up to Maharana Kumbhaji Specifically tomorrow I'm going to discuss one of the most significant Maharanas That is Rana Sanghaji and Maharana Pratapji So just take a wild guess who is considered the first Maharana Any ideas Alright team let's get started Mewar try to understand things in a very systematic way Just as Mewar was a significant center of power during the era of the Delhi Sultanate as well as during the time of the Mughals In the region of Mewar a dynasty was being established known as the Sisodia dynasty And whether the Sisodia or Gohila dynasty it was founded by Rana Hamir So Maharana Hamir is regarded as the first Maharana Just as we have seen the various dynasties of ancient and medieval India where I have used the terms Raja or Maharaja However the rulers of the Mewar region especially those around Chittor and Udaipur use the title Maharana rather than Raja or Maharaja Alright specifically speaking let's begin with the first Maharana Maharana Hamirji Now before we grasp the circumstances surrounding what we refer to as Rajputana at that time let's first understand the role of Maharana Hamir Following Rana Shetrasinghji came Rana Lakhasingh Now Allauddin Khilji We had studied in great depth and detail the expeditions of Allauddin Khilji And I have also told you the story of Padmavat written by Malik Muhammad Jaisi which was composed specifically in the Awadhi language Here we have seen how Allauddin Khilji seized the region of Chittor True Then let's understand More specifically Rana Rawal Ratan Singhji was married to Rani Padmavati He also had another wife known as Rani Nagmati It is said that Allauddin Khilji became enamored with Rani Padmavati and sought to marry her by force In a deceitful and treacherous manner he murdered Rana Rawal Ratan Singhji Now after killing Rana Rawal Ratan Singhji It is said that many women including Rani Padmini performed Johar which is self-immolation The entire region of Chittor was being seized by Allauddin Khilji who then carried out a massacre there He appointed one of his sons named Khizr Khan as the governor of Chittor And as I mentioned to you during the time of the Khilji dynasty It is said that the region of Chittor was renamed Khizrabad named after his son Khizr Khan who served as governor there At that time it is said that Maldev was given charge of administering the Chittor region So who still held control over Chittor Chittor was still under the control of the Delhi Sultanate specifically the Khilji dynasty Now let's understand Now Maharana Hamir married into an alliance with whom Maldev How did he form this marital alliance with Maldev Let me give you a brief example As I have shown you many examples before in ancient India a matrimonial alliance is a strategy through which one can expand their power Isn't that correct I'll give you two very brief examples from ancient India For instance if you recall we studied the Mahajanpads We had studied two major Mahajanpads Kosala and Magadha Among the 16 Mahajanpads Magadha was the most powerful True And since Magad was the most powerful kingdom forming a marital alliance with Magad was seen as a great honor So at that time Prasenjit the ruler of Kosala married his sister Kosala Devi to Bimbisara e ruler of the Haryanka dynasty of Magadha In this way he strengthened his position Let me give you a second example Another important example was the Gupta dynasty Just like Chandragupta I especially Chandragupta I he received Pataliputra as a dowry and married a Licchavi princess So what happened in that case The policy of matrimonial alliances played a crucial role in strengthening one's position and power So at that time as I've mentioned Allauddin Khilji had seized control of the Chittor region and he appointed Khizr Khan as its governor And the entire administration was being managed by Maldev Singh Alright Maldev At that time Maldev married his daughter to Hamir Singh Raja Maharana Hamir Dev So what happened This was not well received by the Khilji dynasty As a result this individual Maldev was removed from the administration of yes the region of Chittor And he was entrusted with the administration of Merta Okay now many historians believe that Maharana Hamir Devji He had led numerous expeditions to the Chittor region But in the early days he met with no success Many of his nobles betrayed him Many of his nobles deserted So it is said that he ultimately decided to abandon his plan to attack the Mewar region Or to attack the region of Chittor And he began advancing toward the region of Dwarka He undertook a pilgrimage to the region of Dwarka along with a few of his followers And as he reached a specific village in Gujarat known as Khod village There he met a woman named Birwadi Mata And the legend says that Birwadi Mata was regarded as the reincarnation of Hinglaj Devi or Hinglaj Mata Alright so Birwadi Mata told him to return to Mewar and plan an attack on Chittor and in this case my son would be assisting you Once more Rana Hamirji returned to the Mewar region He assembled troops separate from those already present After some time the son of Birwadi Mataji joined Rana Hamirji and a battle known as the Battle of Singoli ensued Which battle was fought between whom Muhammad bin Tughlaq and Maharana Hamir Because now the power has slipped from the hands of what we refer to as the Khilji dynasty And it had come into the possession of Muhammad bin Tughlaq A fierce battle was fought Singoli is situated in the Madhya Pradesh region Now many historians believe that Muhammad bin Tughlaq He was imprisoned for the next three months in the fort of Chittorgarh by Maharana Hamirji Now Muhammad bin Tughlaq was released one condition You must surrender various regions including Ajmer You must also surrender Ranthambore In addition you are required to hand over 100 elephants and five million rupees which is fifty lakh rupees So under this condition it is said that Muhammad bin Tughlaq It was being released by Maharana Hamirji So this is specifically about Maharana Hamir okay So Maharana Hamir it is said that particularly He built a temple in Chittorgarh dedicated to Annapurna Devi I hope so Maharana Hamirji is clear Yes Shreya you've asked a question What's the difference between Rana and Maharana These are titles Okay let me give you a quick example As I previously illustrated with an example from ancient India where the rulers of the Gupta dynasty adopted lofty titles such as Maharaj Maharaja Dhiraj Parameshwar Param Bhatarak So Rana and Maharana were titles adopted by the rulers of the Sisodia or Gohila dynasty So I hope that's clear Maharana Hamirji Shall I go on I 'll recap the points shortly Listen to me very carefully Maharana Hamirji is regarded as the first Rana or the first Maharana correct Now in pursuing a policy of matrimonial alliances whom did he marry Daughter of Maldev Who was Maldev He managed the administration of Chittor during the reign of Alauddin Khilji The Khiljis did not approve of this Therefore this individual was being transferred from Mewar to the Mirta region alright Now the power slipped from the hands of the Khiljis and passed into those of the Tughlaq dynasty Now precisely during the reign of Muhammad bin Tughlaq Maharana Hamir fought the battle known as the Battle of Singoli in which he emerged victorious and forced Muhammad bin Tughlaq to suffer a humiliating defeat He was imprisoned in the fort of Chittorgarh for the next three months And he agreed to relinquish the regions of Ranthambore Ajmer and others In addition he will also give five million which is fifty lakh rupees along with one hundred elephants and horses to Maharana Hamirji okay Now Maharana Hamirji was succeeded by his son Rana Kshetra Singh Now Rana Kshetra Singh defeated the ruler of Gujarat whose name was Zafar Khan Guys if you recall the session on the Gujarat Sultanate We had studied in great depth and detail about the Muzaffari dynasty which was being established by Muzaffar Shah Do you remember that guys We have examined this in considerable depth and detail Thus the Muzaffari dynasty was founded by Muzaffar Shah In fact Zafar Khan and Muzaffar Shah are one and the same as Zafar Khan adopted the title Muzaffar Shah So who was defeating Zafar Khan Rana Kshetra Singh ji So this was about Rana Kshetra Singh ji Then comes Maharana Lakha Now during the time of Maharana Lakha it is believed that another dynasty was being established which was affiliated with the Sisodia dynasty also known as the Chundavat dynasty What is the connection between the Chundavat dynasty and the Chittorgarh region Let's explore this further As I've mentioned the early Islamic invaders at the time were eyeing the Rajputana region due to its strategic significance Now after Rana Kshetra Singh ascended the throne his son Rana Lakha took power Rana Lakha was determined at all costs to safeguard his kingdom And the best way to safeguard his kingdom was through the policy of matrimonial alliances So there was a kingdom known as the kingdom of Marwad At that time Marwad was ruled by Ranamal Alright Now Rana Lakha entered into a matrimonial alliance with Ranamal And Ranamal had a sister named Hansabai So Ranamal agreed to marry his sister Hansabai to Rana Lakha one condition What’s that The condition is the son Okay The son especially of what we say Hansabai would become the next Rana Then and only then will I marry my sister to you To this who accepted it Rana Lakha At that time Rana Lakha had another son named Chunda And Chunda was more than capable He was one of the most skilled Ranas a man fully worthy of the throne Okay But what did Rana Ranamal say That Hansabai would become the next Rana just as his son had So in that case Chunda sorry he won't become the Rana So what happened After the marriage Hansabai began humiliating him She started what are we calling insulting Chunda Chunda left Chittorgarh and he said he would never attack the region of Chittorgarh But I'll always be ready to as we say work for Chittorgarh I'll always remain connected to Chittorgarh And whenever they need my help I'm always ready to offer it And he established an independent dynasty known as the Chundavat dynasty Thus Chunda established the Chundavat dynasty which is linked to and affiliated with the Sisodia dynasty Clear This is how the Chundavat dynasty was established by Chunda Who was Chunda Chunda was one of the sons of Rana Lakha Got it Want me to go over it again Or did you get the point Yes everyone Did you understand I'll say it again In a nutshell just pay close attention The first Maharana was Maharana Hameer Okay Maharana Hameer established a policy of matrimonial alliances by marrying Maldev's daughter Who was Maldev The administrator of Chittor Understood The Battle of Singoli took place during the reign of Maharana Hameerji The Battle of Singoli was fought between Mohammad bin Tughlaq and Maharana Hameerji In that battle Maharana Hameerji emerged victorious He was being assisted by the son of Birwadi Mata Who was Birwadi Mata She was a mystical woman whom Maharana Hameerji encountered during a pilgrimage to Dwarka She is regarded as the reincarnation of Hinglaj Mataji Maharana Hameer built a temple dedicated to the goddess Annapurna Then Maharana Hameer was succeeded by his son Rana Kshetrasinghji Rana Kshetrasingh is especially noted for having defeated the Sultan of Gujarat—specifically the first independent Sultan of Gujarat His name was Zafar Khan who took the title Muzaffar Shah and established a dynasty known as the Muzaffarid dynasty Now Rana Kshetrasingh was succeeded by his son Rana Lakha Okay Rana Lakha had numerous sons and many wives But in that case the most capable son was as we say Chunda He was one of the most qualified individuals to ascend the throne of Rana or Maharana So at that time Rana Lakhaji sought to strengthen his position and to do so he took steps to consolidate his power It is said that he married the sister of whom He married the sister of Ranamal the ruler of Marwad He married his what we call sister Hansabai one condition: that Hansabai 's son would become the next Rana So in that case what actually happened Chunda left the region we call Chittorgarh and moved to a distant place far from Chittorgarh and established an independent dynasty known as the Chundavat dynasty Got it Moving forward Rana Lakha was succeeded by another son named Rana Mokal Who was Rana Mokal Rana Mokal was the son of Rana Lakha and Hansabai As I've already explained Ranamal set one condition: my sister's son would succeed as the next Rana Therefore even though Chunda was more than capable But next as we say the successor became Rana Mokal He was the son of Rana Lakha and Hansabai Now when Rana Mokal ascended the throne it is said that by the age of 24 he had conquered numerous territories across the Rajputana region In addition he had launched numerous attacks against the Delhi Sultanate and in every instance he emerged victorious Yet destiny had something entirely different in store for him It's believed that his paternal uncles Chacha and Mera were responsible for poisoning Rana Mokal Okay And Rana Mokalji was being poisoned by his paternal uncles whose names were Chacha and Mera So after being poisoned at the age of 24 he was succeeded by another individual named Maharana Kumbha And Maharana Kumbha was only thirteen years old when he ascended the throne of Rana following the death of Maharana Mokal Is that clear Do you understand the hierarchy Would you like me to go over any concepts again Please let me know Yes Did you get it Maharana Hamir Pyotr Singhji Rana Lakha After Rana Lakha Rana Mokal And now we will learn about Maharana Kumbhaji Okay As I've mentioned Rana Kumbhaji was one of the most accomplished warriors He was one of the most successful military commanders and at the remarkably young age of thirteen he ascended the throne of Maharana following the death of his brother Mokal Singh So as soon as he ascended the throne it is said he faced difficulties with the Malwa Sultanate particularly with Mahmud Khalji We have studied the Malwa Sultanate in considerable depth and detail Mehmood Khilji is regarded as one of the most powerful rulers e most powerful Sultan of the Malwa Sultanate Okay Now as I've explained to you the significance of Malwa earlier For instance why did most rulers focus on Gujarat and Malwa There was a reason Gujarat being a coastal state has had vibrant trade since the time of the Indus Valley Civilization And Malwa serves as a gateway to South India It opens the gateway to South India Thus at that time Malwa was also strategically very significant Now there was a conflict unfolding between Rana Mokal Sing He was being poisoned by his uncle Chacha and Meera Okay There was a conflict unfolding between Rana Mokal and Rana Kumbha And at that time Rana Mokal fled from the region of Rajputana and came to the region of Malwa And in that case who granted asylum to Rana Mokal Ji Asylum was granted by Mehmood Khilji At that time Rana Kumbha Ji said to Mehmood Khilji "Please surrender ask your brother to surrender " He replied "No " In fact I'm the one protecting him and I'm ready to fight you And from that year onward the hostility between Malwa and Rana Kumbha began to grow In that case Maharana Kumbha Ji He launched an attack on the region known as Malwa under Mehmood Khilji who was forced to endure a humiliating defeat And when Mehmood Khilji suffered a humiliating defeat many historians also believe that at that time Maharana Kumbha was also being supported by whom By the rulers or sultans of Gujarat and Delhi So Mehmood Khilji it is said that he was being defeated As if it were a deeply humiliating loss for Mehmood Khilji Okay And it is said that he was not only defeated once But he was defeated twice by Rana Kumbha Ji And after his victory he built the tower known as the Tower of Victory which is referred to as Vijay's Thumb Okay So Vijay's Thumb was built by Maharana Kumbha Why In celebration of his victory over the Malwa region Especially after defeating Mehmood Khilji One thing Secondly it is also said that he was bestowed the title Hindu Suratranam by the ruler of Gujarat which simply means Hindu Sultan Apart from this the famous Kumbhalgarh Fort located in Rajasthan was constructed by whom Maharana Kumbha Ji Alright So Maharana Kumbha Ji built the renowned Kumbhalgarh Fort Besides that you should also keep in mind certain factual details about him Just let me give you a quick example Ranakpur's Trilok Deepak Jain Temple Okay Shantinath Jain Temple These were constructed during the reign of Maharana Kumbha which simply means one thing: that Maharana Kumbha although he followed what we call Vaishnavism or although he was more precisely a follower of Hinduism He still revered and respected various other religions Okay He was acclaimed as Sangeet Shiromani and wrote an outstanding book on Indian music titled Sangeet Raj In addition you should remember he was known as Sangeet Shiromani He built the renowned Jain Temple He was an expert in the Vedas and Upanishads Alright He wrote a commentary particularly on Jaidev's Geet Govind which came to be known as Chandi Shatakam What all things do you need to remember A renowned Jain temple that has been built Known as Sangeet Shiromani Also referred to as Hindu Suratran In addition he authored a commentary on Jaidev's Geet Govind known as Chandi Shatakam Okay everyone So this is primarily about the Tana Kumbha So I hope you understood the first part of the series on the Maharanas of Mewar Yes everyone I'll go over the points again within the next 30 seconds So pay close attention Okay First Maharana Hamirji Maharana Hamirji was succeeded by Rana Kshetrasinghji Who succeeded Rana Kshetrasinghji Rana Lakha During the reign of Rana Lakha another dynasty was established by one of his sons named Chunda who founded the Chundavat dynasty Who was succeeding him He was being succeeded by Rana Mokal Singh who was then killed by his uncles That is Chacha and Merab Finally comes who Rana Kumbha Rana Kumbha defeated Mahmud Khilji He was bestowed the title Hindu Suratran Sangeet Shiromani Famous Jain temples were being built during his reign due to the victory over Malwa And especially after defeating Mehmood Khilji he built Vijay's Thamb the Victory Tower at Chittorgarh In addition he also wrote a commentary on Jaydev's Geet Govind Okay guys So tomorrow we're going to study Rana Sangha in depth and detail How Rana Sangha rose to power Rana Sangha as history books merely note fought the battle of Khanwa against whom Babur But there was one more battle fought against Babur known as the Battle of Bayana in which Babur and his forces were defeated So Babur's victory was not just a matter of luck Okay Tomorrow we'll go over all these battles Hope you all got it So Resolution GS Foundation batch P2I prelims to interview It's a batch entirely conducted in English In such a case it will be immensely beneficial for the aspirants especially 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