Indian Antiquary Vol 60

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Charles E A W Oldham, S Krishnaswami Aiyangar, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarka
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 13

THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
A JOURNAL OF ORIENTAL RESEARCH.
VOLUME LX-1931 CHITOR AND ITS SIEGES.
BY R. R. KALDER.
(Continued from vol. LIX, page 239.) The fortress being surrounded and attacked on every side, detachments were sent out to ravage the Raņâ's country. Rami Khan, one of the Sultan's ablest generals, displayed extra ordinary skill in placing his guns and in constructing covered ways. The garrison was soon reduced to straits. The walls were shattered by the batteries on every side, and the garrison saw that the fall of the fortress was imminent. In this emergency the mother64 of Rânâ Sångå sent a message to the Sultân through her rakils to the effect that if the Sultan would forgive the faults of the Rana, several towns of the territory of Mândů, which had been in possession of the Rânâ since the time of Malmûd Khaljî of Malwa, would be surrendered and the golden girdle and jewelled crown and cap of immense value, which had belonged to Sultan Mahmûd and wbich were presented by him to Mahârâná Sanga, 6* would also be given to him. Besides these, one hundred lakhs of tankas and a hundred horses and ten elephants would be presented as tribute. The Sultan acceded to these proposals; having special regard to the prayer of the Râna's mother, who had saved bis life by restraining the Rajpûts, by threatening to take her own life, from killing him, when in his youthful days, a fugitive from his brother Sikandar Khân, he had killed Rana Sanga's nephew at a feast. So on the 24th March 1533 A.D., the Sultan received the promised tribute and departed from Chitor.66
Soon after this, when Bahadur Shah reached Måndů, the ambition of conquering Chitor again overcame him, and he resumed operations in 1534 A.D. He left the direction of the siege to Rumi Khan, promising him as a stimulus that full command of the fortress, after its reduction, would be placed in his hands. But at this time discord broke out between Bahadur Shah and the emperor Humâyûn. The reason was this : Muhammad Zaman Mirza, who had married Humayûn's sister, assumed a hostile attitude towards Humâyûn and was imprisoned by him at Agra. The Mirza, however, managed to escape from his confinement and fled to Bahadur Shah of Gujarat. On being requested by the emperor to hand over the fugitive, Bahadur Shah refused to comply. The emperor, therefore, marched with an army from Agra against the Sultan, proceeding towards Chitor, which was then being besieged by Bahadur Shah. When HumAyûn reached Gwalior, he reflected that it would be against the law of the Prophet to attack Bahadur Shah at a time when he was engaged in fighting against an infidel. So he halted at Gwalior to watch the course of events.
Sultán Bahadur, when he was informed of the movement of Hun.âyûn, sent Tatar Khân Lodi with a large army to attack and take the city of Delhi. Tatar Khan was confronted by Mirza HindAl, whom Humâyûn had deputed for the purpose, and giving battle against the express order of his master Bahadur Shah, was defeated and killed. In the meantime the garrison of Chitor was reduced to extremities, and the Sultan was growing exultant, when the defeat of Tatár Khan came as a shock to him. Just at this time the conquest of Chitor was completed.86 The Rana Vikramajit and his son Udayasimha had been conveyed to Bandi before the fortress fell, and the command was placed in the hands of the chiefs of Mewar, the leading man among them being Rawat Baghasimha of Deolia. Thousands of Rajputs lost their lives in this siege, while hundreds of women together with the Rana's (Vikramåjit's)
64 This is somewhat doubtful. The likelihood is that she was the wife of RanA SAoga, and mother of Vikramaditya, the then reigning prince of Chitor.
8 ta The Babar. Namd in English (A. 8. Beveridge), pp. 612-13. 85 Bayley's Gujardt, pp. 369-72.
66 Ibid., pp. 374 and 381.