Rana Sanga


Maharana Sangram Singh Sisodia commonly known as Rana Sanga, was an Indian ruler of Mewar and head of a powerful Rajput confederacy in Rajputana during the 16th century.
Rana Sanga succeeded his father, Rana Raimal, as king of Mewar in 1508. He fought against the Afghan Lodhi dynasty of Delhi Sultanate, and later against the Turkic Mughals of Ferghana.

Life

Rana Sanga was a grandson of Rana Kumbha. Sanga became the ruler of Mewar after a battle for succession with his brothers.
As ruler of Mewar he united the warring clans of Rajputana and formed a powerful confederacy, uniting the Rajputs after 300 years. The Rana expanded the boundaries of his Kingdom through war and diplomacy with the goal of forming an empire which was governed by a confederacy of ethnic Indian kings, irrespective of their religion.
Rana Sanga was said to have fought a 100 battles and lost his eye, arm and leg in the various struggles. Some of the Major battles that he fought were:
Following the victory of Babur over the Lodhi Dynasty, Sangram Singh gathered a coalition of Rajputs from the kingdoms of Rajasthan. They were joined by Muslim Rajputs from Mewat and Afghans under Mahmud Lodhi, the son of Sikandar Lodhi of Delhi. This alliance fought against Babur in the Battle of Khanwa to expel Babur from India. The Rana attacked the Mughal advance guard on 21 February 1527 and completely decimated it. Reinfocements sent by Babur met the same fate.
The battle of Khanwa turned into a disaster for the Rana when Silhadi defected; the Mughal victory was decisive and turned out to become Rana Sangas first and last defeat. Rana Sanga wanted to prepare another army and fight Babur. However, on 30 January 1528, Rana Sanga died in Chittor, apparently poisoned by his own chiefs who held his plans of renewing the fight with Babur to be suicidal.
It is suggested that had there not been the cannons of Babur, Rana Sanga might have achieved a historic victory against Babur. The historian Pradeep Barua notes that Babur's cannons had put an end to the outdated trends in Indian warfare.