Indian Antiquary Vol 60

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

Page 14

THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
{ JANUARY, 1991
mother, Hadi Karmavati, were reduced to ashes in the flames of jauhar. Thus ended the second great attack on Chitor made by Bahadur Shah, known as "the second sakha (tdká) of Chitor."
After the fall of Chitor Bahadur Shah failed to give effect to his promise to place Rami Khan in command of the fortress. Enraged at this, Rûmî Khan secretly instigated Humâyûn to attack Bahadur Shah. Accordingly, Bahadur Shah was attacked and defeated by Humayûn and was obliged to flee for his life to Måndû on the 20th Ramazan 941 A.H. (25th Maroh 1535 A.D.) Pursued by Humayun's troops, he went to Champaner, and thence on to the port of Diu, where he met his death by drowning in a scuffle with the Portuguese on the 14th February 1637 A.D.C8 Hearing of this defeat of Bahadur Shah by Humaytin and his subsequent flight to Manda, his army at Chitor began to waver. Observing this, the Rajputs gained fresh courage, and attacking the Muhammadans with renewed vigour, drove them out of the place once more and took possession of Chitor. Raņ& Vikramajit with the infant Udayasimha returned to his capital from Bandi and resumed charge of the government for a very short period.
After the death of Vikramâjit in Samvat 1593 (1536 A.D.), his son Udayasimha, fortunately saved in his childhood through the devotion of his nurse Panna from the murderous hand of Vanavira, the bastard son of Prithvîrâja, one of the sons of Mahârând Rayamal, became the ruler of Mewar in Samvat 1594 (1537 A.D.). During the reign of Udayasimha II (153772 A.D.). Chitor was subjected to two further attacks, one in 1543 A.D. by Sher Shah, and the other the last and most famous by the emperor Akbar in 1567 A.D. As regards the former, it is known that in the Hijrî year 950 (1543 A.D.), Sher Shah, after he had brought under control the districts of Mârwâr, advanced towards Chitor. When about 12 kos from the fort, the Rånå sent him the keys. Leaving Miyan Ahmad Sarwani and Husain Khan Khalji there, Sher Shah himself proceeded towards Kachwårå.69 The latter siege, which was the fourth great attack on Chitor, was made by Akbar in the year 1567 A.D.
The ultimate object of this attack was the same as had prompted 'Alau'd-dîn Kraljî of Delhi and Bahadur Shah of Gujarat to make their onsets on the place. The immediate cause of the attack, however, was the offering of protection by the Rana, Udayasimha, to Baz Bahadur, the fugitive ruler of Malwa, and to an insubordinate chief of Narwar. An interesting account71 of this invasion, as given in Tarikh-i-Alfi and Tabaqal-i-Akbart, is quoted below:
"Many zamindars and rajde of Hindústân had become subjects of the imperial throne. But Rana Udi Singh Udayasinha], Raja of M&rwar (scil. Mew&rl, confident in the strength of his fortresses, and the number of his men and elephants, had thrown off his allegiance. Now that the emperor had returned to the capital with his mind at rest in respect of 'Ali Quli Khan and other rebels, he turned his attention towards the capture of Chitor. He accordingly began to make preparations for the campaign......
“When the emperor marched from G&grûn against the Rana, he had only 3,000 or 4,000 horsemen with him, for he hoped that the smallness of the force might induce the infidel to try the event of a battle. But the Rånå knew his own strength, and while the emperor was at 100 kos distance from his country, he fled with his family to the distant hills. He felt at ease about Chitor, because the emperor's force had but little siege apparatus, and it did not 67 Tod's Rajasthan, vol. I, p. 384
88 Bayley's Gujardt, pp. 383-397. 89 Elliot, History of India, vol. IV, p. 406. Chitor is said to have been taken by Sher Shâh in Qanungo's, Sher Shah, p. 332, and Burgess' Chronology, p. 29.
10 V. A. Smith's Akbar, p. 81.
71 The account given in Storia do Mogor, vol. I, p. 124 f., about the assault on Chitor by Akber is unique. It is composed of three elements (1) The story of 'Alau'd-din's attack on Chitor, (2) Bahadur ShAh's attack, and (3) Akbar's siege. In the 'Aldu'd-din's attack on Chitor described above, Gori and Badal, the two relations of Padmini, according to Col. Tod, do not, however, seem to be two different persons, but only one, viz., Badal of the Gaura Kshatriya family which reigned in Rajputând as early as the Afth oentury A.D., and oxisted there up to the fifteenth century AD. The word 'Gori 'stands for Gaura.
72 Elliot, History of India, vol. V, PP. 324-26.