Siege of Chittorgarh (1535)
The Siege of Chittorgarh took place in March 1535, when Sultan Bahadur Shah of Gujarat attacked Chittor Fort in Chittorgarh, Rajasthan, India, with the aim of expanding his empire.
Rani Karnavati, wife of the late Rana Sangha sent a rakhi to Humayun for help. Bahadur Shah appealed to Humayun to let him sack Chittor. Humayun was also persuaded by his courtiers, he finally made his decision by saying,
"If I at this time oppose him, I would be rendering assistance to the infidel, and such a proceeding is not in accordance with the law of the prophet and religion, therefore there must be a delay until this matter is disposed of."
Either Humayun slacked off or arrived late because by the time he arrived on 8 March 1535, 13,000 women including Rani Karnavati committed Jauhar and 3,200 soldiers prepared for Saka. One of Rana Sanga's wives, Maharani Jawahir Bai Rathor, did not perform Jauhar and instead donned her armour. She led the over 7,000 Mewari soldiers against the Sultan's army and was slain after a brave fight.[1] Rana Vikramaditya, Udai Singh and Udai Singh's faithful nurse Panna Dai escaped to Bundi. Humayun later drove Bahadur Shah out of Mandu.
References
- Mewar Saga: The Sisodias role in Indian history pg.46, by D. R. Mankekar — "Maharani Jawahir Bai, a Rathor, armed from head to toe, personally headed a sortie against the besieging enemy and wreaked havoc in his ranks before herself being slain."
- Ishwari Prasad. "A Short History of Muslim Rule in India". India in the sixteenth century. The Indian
- Joe Bindloss; James Bainbridge; Lindsay Brown; Mark Elliott; Stuart Butler (2007). India. Southern Rajasthan History. Lonely Planet.
- Mirat-e-Sikandari pp. 381-382