Sisodiya: Kings, Queens and Princes (1538

Sisodiya: Kings, Queens and Princes (1538 - 1597)

I am back with another History post, this time it is on the wives and sons of Rana Udai Singh II of Mewar, his son and heir Maharana Pratap and Rana Amar Singh. This is a continuation of the Sisodia Family History I posted some time back. The information has been taken from Annals of Mewar by James Todd, Maharana Pratap by B.N. Rana, and Maharana Pratap by Rima Hooja.

Udai Singh II was the son of Ranisa Karnawati and Rana Sangram Singh. He was born on 4th August 1522, at Chittorgarh and died on 28th February 1572 at Gogunda. He was the Ruler of the Sisodia Dynasty. He is believed to have 56 sons and 25 wives, apart from the many insignificant queens in his Rani Mahal. Here is a list of his main queens and their sons.

Maharani Jaivanta Bai Songara of Jalore was his chief queen and consort. Her son is Maharana Pratap. He was married to her before he went to war with Banbir, as her father, Akshayraj Rao, was a friend and ally of his father, Rana Sanga.
Sajjabai Solankhini was his second wife and had two sons, Kunwar Shakti Singh (Shakta Singh Chundawat later) and Kunwar Vikram Singh
Mandrechi Bai was his third queen and mother to Kunwar Jait Singh
LalaBai was a controversial queen. While many suggest she was a Muslim woman who sought refuge or perhaps a Persian, she was clearly not a member of the Rajput clans. Her son was Kunwar Kahn
Dheerbai Bhattiyani of Jaisalmer was probably his fifth and most favourite queen. Her sons were Kunwar Jagmal Singh, Kunwar Agar Singh, Kunwar Pachyad Singh and two others.
Veerbai Jhalla was one of his lesser queens but gained significance as her son Kunwar Sagar Singh was handed over Chittorgarh by Akbar upon an alliance with him. Sagar, later watching his elder brother's struggle, committed suicide in the fort itself, out of guilt. Her other son was Kunwar Rai Singh.
Lakhabai Jhalla was perhaps the sister of Veer Bai. Her sons were Kunwar Shardul Singh and Kunwar Rudra Singh.
Other significant sons of Udai Singh who are mentioned in historical accounts are Kunwar Narayandas, Kunwar Sultan, Kunwar Lurkaran, Kunwar Maheshdas, Kunwar Chander, Kunwar Bhav Singh, Kunwar Nait Singh, Kunwar Nagraj, Kunwar Vairishaal, Kunwar Maan Singh, and Kunwar Sahibicha.

Maharana Pratap Statue, Chawand

Maharana Pratap had 11 wives, 17 sons and five daughters. The names of his daughters remain unknown as a secret of the Rajput household; only Champawati is mentioned in folklore, as the daughter who died trying to eat a poisonous fruit in the forest. Here is a list of his wives, their sons and the provinces they were given as Jagir by the Maharana upon his death.

Maharani Ajabdeh Punwar of Bijolia, who is locally called Ajbandeh Kanwar Baisa, was the daughter of Bijolia's chieftain Ram Rakh Punwar, the 3rd Rao Sahib of Bijolia. They were married in 1557. Heir Rana Amar Singh was born in 1559. Her second son was Kunwar Bhagwan Das, who was the Maharana's eighth son.
Pur Bai Solankhini had two sons, Thakur Sahas Mal Singh, Rawat of Dhariabad and Kunwar Gopal Singh
Champabai Jhati was the third queen whose sons were Thakur Kachra Singh of Jolawas, Kunwar Sanwal Das and Kunwar Durjan Singh.
Jasobai Chauhan of the Bhilwara Chauhan clan was the mother of Kalyan Singh of Parsad Jagir.
Phool Bai Rathore, daughter of Ram Singh, was the first son of Raja Maldeo of Marwar, who sought refuge in Mewar after opposing his father, married Kunwar Pratap as an alliance. The tales of her tryst with Akbar are false. Her cousin Maanwati Bai was, in fact, married later to Jahangir and was the mother to Shah Jahan. She had two sons, Thakur Chand Singh, his second son, who was granted the Jagir of Anjana and Thakur Shekha Singh, who was granted the Jagir of Nana and Bera.
Shahmati Bai Hada had been married to Maharana Pratap, an alliance from the Hada Rajputs living in Mewar. Some also suggest her kin died at Haldighati. Her only son, Kunwar Puranmal Singh, was granted the Jagir of Mangrop Province
Kichar Ashabai Rathore, most probably a sister to Phool Bai, had two sons: Thakur Ram Singh, of Jagir Udlias and Manakari and Thakur Haathi Singh of Jagir Dhantra, Gedlya and Vias.
Alemdeh Bai Chauhan had only one son, Thakur Jaswant Singh, Jagirdar of Karunda and Jalod. He also married her after her kin died at Haldighati.
Ratnawati Parmar was the sister of Ajabdeh Baisa, whom he married after her death. Her son was his fifteenth son, Kunwar Maal Singh
Amar Bai Rathore had his sixteenth son, Kunwar Natha Singh
Lakhabai Rathore had his seventeenth and last son, Kunwar Raibhana Singh.
The 5 daughters were not mentioned in any accounts with names; however, some name them as Asha Kanwar, married to RajRana Jhala Dheeda of Sadhri, Sukh Kanwar, Rama Kanwar, Rakmavati, Kusumvati and Durgavati. Their mothers remain unknown. The legend of his daughter Champabai is probably a mix-up of names with his wife, though many historians suggest that he did lose a daughter in the harsh forest life.

Amar Singh I of Mewar

Rana Amar Singh was born in Chittorgarh on 16th March 1559, and he died at Udaipur on 26th January 1620. He had two wives and three known issues.

Aarti Bai Chauhan, belonging to the Bhilwara Chauhan clan, was the mother of heir Rana Karan Singh, born on 7th January 1584 at Chavand. Her firstborn was a daughter of Kunwarani Baisa (name unknown), married to Rao Sultan of Sirohi.
The daughter of Shallavan Tanwar of Gwalior, who was also his cousin, was married to him after her kin died at Haldighati. Her son was Rajadhiraj Suraj Mal of Shahpura

The Warrior and Princess

Dasharatha was very protective of his sons. He had got them after almost a lifetime of waiting and yajnas, so they were his lifeline. Ram, the eldest, won hearts with his humble, generous ways. Bharata, the second, was his favourite queen's brave son, and Laxman and Shatrughan were the twins to the lesser queen, who followed their brothers like shadows. They were a peaceful, happy family. Sage Vasistha was their Kulaguru, teaching them the Vedic hymns and the righteous ways of life. The Princes grew up in the luxurious, protected premises of the palace. The King of Mithila, too, was childless. Mother Earth granted him a daughter. Sita grew up learning and curious, followed by the king's second daughter, Urmila and their cousins Mandavi and Shrutakirti. They grew up knowing the natural ways of life, and their father took them to learn from men to know more about man and his natural instincts. The princesses were curious and always questioning the traditions, and the Princes lear...

The Prince of Mewar

Born on 16 March 1559 in the Kumbha Palace of Chittorgarh Fort, Bhanwar Amar Singh was the eldest son of Kunwar Pratap Singh (later Maharana Pratap) and Kunwarani Ajabdeh Punwar. As the first grandson of Udai Singh I, his birth prompted the Maharana's celebratory hunting expedition, during which a sage forewarned of impending danger. Heeding this, Udai Singh established a new palace by Lake Pichola, founding Udaipur as Mewar's capital. Amar Singh exhibited extraordinary valour from a young age, inheriting his father's martial skills and his mother's reputed compassion. His training commenced early; according to James Tod's Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan, he participated in his first battle alongside Pratap at age eight. By ten, amid Chittorgarh's fall and familial divisions, he assumed responsibility for his siblings. Historical accounts recount his defence of the queens' entourage against enemy soldiers en route to Kumbhalgarh fortress. He shared a clo...

Chawand: The Maharana's Capital

The road from Udaipur quickly fades into quiet countryside as you head toward Jaisamand Lake and Chavand, a journey that few package tours offer, but one that is forever imprinted on my memory. Just shy of an hour and 59km from the city bustle, you reach Jaisamand (Dhebar Lake), the “Ocean of Victory,” sprawling as Asia’s once-largest man-made lake . Built in 1685 by Maharana Jai Singh, who followed his father’s legendary tradition of dam-building, this vast sheet of water shimmers in the sunlight. I watched local ferries pass, and marble stairs dip into blue shallows, imagining bygone queens slipping into cooling water beneath the massive embankment. Even today, friendly boatmen linger, eager to usher you onto the lake for a breezy ride. They tell you stories of how once a Maharana roamed these dense forests in search of freedom. Do pause here and soak in the peaceful air before venturing further southwest, toward the forgotten echoes of Mewar’s pride. The drive to Chavand, ...

Rakhi Tales

A Rakhi to the Enemy: The year was 1535 CE. The Rajmata of Mewar, widow of Rana Sanga, was in a dilemma. On one hand was an attack from Bahadur Shah of Gujarat as a threat to her capital, Chittorgarh, and the throne of her beloved teenage son Vikramaditya. On the other hand, there was the son of her husband's archenemy, Humayun, who could be of some help. Rani Karnavati wrote a letter to Humayun, who was in the east at that time. Along with it, she sent a Rakhi, a thread of brotherhood, asking him, as a sister, for protection against the enemy. But the road was too long, and time was of the essence. Humayun arrived at Chittorgarh, in response to her letter, keeping his end of the bargain but a little late. Rani Karnavati had already performed the Jauhar. They never met. Humayun established Rana Vikramaditya on the throne of Mewar, as he had promised as a brother, and returned to his post. Two dynasties, political rivals and sworn enemies, from Sanga-Babur to Pratap-Akbar and even R...

The Annals of Rajputana

Col. James Todd’s Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan describes Rajputana through History, Geography, Mythology, Folklore, Veer Gathas, Traditions, Cultures, Heritage, Rules, Valour and its people. However, one must remember that he was commissioned to write the narrative and his resources are not based on historical evidence. However, it is worth a read and very interesting. The following excerpts are from his book. Please take note that Todd's accounts are based on hearsay, stories, and commissioned by royals and hence aren't treated as historically accurate. However, his book is important as it is the first English-language book to have extensive work done on Rajputana. Rajputs are commonly believed to be people from Rajasthan; however, their branches have spread far and wide into Punjab, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra and even parts of Bengal. The initial origination-based clans/tribes had been subdivided first in the book Prithvirajraso by Chand Bardai; howev...

Maharana Pratap: The Sun of Mewar

Many of you have read my fan fiction as well as historical representations of the life and times of Maharana Pratap Singh of Mewar. I provided small details of his life in many articles. But never have I ever made a separate historical post on him. It is very difficult to put together his life without the help of folklore because historical evidence is scarce. This one was requested, and hence here it goes. Needless to say, this one is very special. This is a blend of history and folklore. Leave your love. ❤️ Background and Birth: The year was 1540. Mewar was under a cloud of uncertainty. Banbir, their ruler for four years now, was a very incompetent ruler who always spent his time in luxury, drinking and dancing with girls. The crown prince Udai Singh was rumoured to have been killed by him. Chittorgarh was in darkness. Around March 1540, Mewar once again saw hope as some trusted generals, along with Kunwar Udai Singh, attacked Chittorgarh, taking Banbir by surprise. He was soon t...

Jahanara Begum Sahib: The Sufi Princess

Shah Jahan's quarters flanked on either side by identical bungalows for Jahanara and Roshanara. Background: The Timurid Dynasty, better (and wrongly) known as the Mughal Empire, ruled the Subcontinent from 1526 C.E. till the time the British East India Company successfully captured Delhi from Bahadur Shah II in 1857 C.E. (The size of the empire obviously varied). Hence, a large part of medieval Indian history revolves around the characters of this dynasty. Due to the extensive amount of contemporary records right from Babur, the founder of the empire, writing his own memoirs in “ Babar Nama ” to the accounts of court poets like Abu Talim and the extensive details of Abul Fazl, one has a clear idea about the functioning of the Timurid empire as well as the Harem involving the royal ladies of the dynasty. Almost nothing is left to the imagination when it comes to the lives of the first six and most famous and successful Timurid emperors, namely Babar, Humayun, Akbar, Jahangir...

Asuras are not Demons

Demons in the Abrahamic religion are not the same as Asuras of Hinduism. Originally deities of Iranian origin, they were seen in the tribal context as no different from Devas but as counterparts to maintain balance. In early epics and Puranas, asura meant a chosen leader of great capacity. Only later, perhaps due to the Iranian link, their image declined. It was with the Brahmanas that the sharp divide appeared: devas as divine, asuras as evil. Puranic myths demonised them mainly to assert the superiority and immortality of devas, while asuras were cast as symbols of the "other." Since Tribes still worshipped them and embraced their power of negativity, being important to balance, they soon became synonymous with tribes, which was not the case mythologically. There are instances of Bali or Ravana being Kshatriya or Brahmin Asuras and competent kings. Indian demonology itself is vast and layered, shaped by surviving tribes, each with unique myths. Celestial, aerial, and terres...

The Timurid Empress

Ruqaiya Sultana Begum was born to Babur's second surviving son, Hindal Mirza, and his wife, Sultanam Begum, in 1542 C.E., merely a few months after Hamida Banu gave birth to the heir Jalaluddin Mohammad Akbar. She was well-versed in Persian, Urdu and Arabic and was attracted to poetry and music. Being a proud descendant of the Timurid clan, most of Rukaiya's childhood was spent in Kabul, near the Bagh E Babur, built by Babur himself. From early childhood, she had seen the struggle of her family to regain their lost power in Hind. Miniature of Rukaiya Begum as Empress In 1551 C.E., just after her father died young at a battle for Humayun, leaving her and her mother in the harem of the emperor, it was Hamida Banu who wanted the marriage of Rukaiya to her first cousin, Akbar. Theirs was the first in-house marriage of the Mughals, soon to be followed by many more in the generations to come. At the mere age of nine, she had married the crown prince, and when Humayun won back Lahore...

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