Sisodiya: Kings, Queens and Princes

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, Maharana Pratap by Rima Hooja

Udai Singh II was son to 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 Jallore 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 no one belonging to 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 to 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 had 11 wives, 17 sons and five daughters. The name 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 and sought refuge in Mewar after opposing his father was married to 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 kins 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.

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 to 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 kins died at Haldighati. Her son was Rajadhiraj Suraj Mal of Shahpura

Jauhar: All You Need to Know

“We have no Knowledge of the beginning and end of the world, the first and last of this ancient book has fallen out” Abu Talib Karim Rightly said by the poet laureate of Emperor Shah Jahan above, we do not actually know the beginning and end of anything in the universe, be it the traditions, culture or human race, or the world. What we know are fragments of the past we extract out of evidence. It is in vain to try and determine the first and last of something. For the past few months owing to some media hype on Jauhar, many of you had asked me questions. I tried to answer most of them. However, a lot remained unsaid and unwritten. Mostly because some things are impossible to put into words. But here I try my best. Today is a very significant day in history. On the 23 rd of February 1568, the world saw the last “Jauhar” of Chittorgarh, recorded in the medieval history of India. Akbar had invaded Mewar and the siege of four months ended in the Saka. There was no better day for...

The Queen of Mewar

There have been many versions, folktales and local stories in Rajputana on their Kings and Queens. None of these versions is, however, historical as history only mentions her as wife to Maharana Pratap, his consort and Queen Mother to Amar Singh. She was busy making a garland when Ratnawati rushed inside, hardly able to breathe. Concerned, the elder sister stopped her work and looked at her panting young sibling. " What is it? What's wrong?" "Jija maa sa is not letting me go to the haat mela alone. Please come with me, I need to buy some bangles." The spoiled younger one pleaded. " Wait, let me do my aarti first, then we can go." The reluctant Ratnawati sat down impatiently. In another room, their mother was helping their father get ready for the day. He was the Samant of Bijolia, the representative of the Rana of Mewar. Throughout the day he had to deal with administrative problems in Bijolia and give people justice, but today he had something...

The Queen Mother of Mewar

Let me start by saying, this is a representation of history and folklore in my own words, trying to show how great a soul this lady was. And let me start with a line here. “Naari Ki Balidaano Ko Sadev Bhulta Aya hai Itihas.” Yes, most women lay forgotten in the pages of history, only alive through the folklore and local tales that fail to reach the pages of books due to a lack of historical evidence. Their names don’t remain, but their haunting hand prints on the fort walls before Jauhar, their names on inscriptions as daughter, wife and mother, often make us wonder, who were they, how were they and how were their lives! Historically, the only thing we know about Maharani Jaivanta Bai Songara, princess of Jallore and queen of Mewar is that she was the first queen of Rana Udai Singh II, the mother of most probably her only son Maharana Pratap and daughter of ally of Rana Sanga, Akshay Raj of Jallore. Apart from that her entire life has no historical existence and is spun on ...

The Princess of Marwar

Historically we know nothing about Phool Bai Rathore except that she was the daughter of Ram Singh Rathore, granddaughter of Raja Maldeo Rathore and fifth wife of Maharana Pratap. There is no historical evidence of Akbar's alliance with her in particular however Maldeo did give his granddaughters in a marriage alliance with Mughals and other major dynasties. Phool Kanwar's cousin Maanwati Bai (Better known as Jodha Bai or Jagat Gossain) married Salim, Akbar's son and later emperor Jahangir. The Princess was in her chambers. The Mehrgarh Fort was in a quiet dark state and everyone feared what lay ahead. The men of the Rathore clan had gone to ally with the Mughal emperor Akbar. Rao Maldeo had decided that it was the only way to save Marwar's future. His second son Udai and youngest one Chandrasen supported his decision to save the country. But his heir and firstborn Ram Singh Rathore was a rebel. He was not going to bow down before the Mughals and lose his dignity. A...

The Warrior Bride

Kelwa/Kailwa is a small village situated around two hours away from Chittorgarh and an hour from Lake Pichola. It was mainly inhabited by the Rathores and ruled by the Chundawat clan, who were once the rulers of Mewar. One chief of Kelwa, was Rawat Sihaji Singh Chundawat. He was a very close ally of Rana Sanga. His son Jaga Singhji too died fighting for Rana Udai Singhji in one war with the Afghans in 1555 AD. Kelwa’s heir was the minor child of Jaga Singhji and his widow Sajjan Bai Songara Chauhan. Being from the clan of the Chauhan Rajputs, she was a warrior at heart. From the early age of about four, her only son was brought up under his uncle Naga Singhji, to fight for his motherland and serve it like all other Mewaris. Fatta (Patta), as fondly called by everyone was a deft warrior even before he reached his teens. His name and bravery spread across the land, to Rana Udai Singh’s ears in Chittorgarh. He was also the nephew to Ranaji’s close aide Rawat Chundawatji. Upon the order of...

Teeja Saka Chittor Ra

23rd February 1568. The sun rose on the eastern horizon, not with the hope of a new day. But, with the horror of what was to follow. The first rays of the Sun God were met by the chants of “Jai Bhavani!” that echoed in the air of Chittorgarh. The Mewaris knew it was time. Four months back, when the Mughals camped at the base of the fort, a helpless Chittorgarh had watched. Rana Udai Singh had left with his closest aides to make the new city westwards, his capital. If rumours were to be believed, he had left behind a cavalry of 8000 soldiers, under Rao Jaimal of Merta and Rawat Patta of Kelwa to look over the fort. He had also left behind some of his lesser queens and infant princes, as an assurance to the people that Chittorgarh was invincible. Their safety and hope had lived in Kunwar Pratap. Truth be said, they had already taken the crown Prince as their King. Ever since Ranisa had left with him till he became the Senapati, he had time and again proved to be a better lead...

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 be killed by him. Chittorgarh was in darkness. Around March 1540, Mewar once again saw hope as some trusted generals along Mewar with Kunwar Udai Singh attacked Chittorgarh taking Banbir by surprise. He was soon to re...

The Navroz Incident

This popular folklore has been recreated from Col, James Todd's Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan. Names I have added, from my own historical research. This one is especially for Garima to thank her for the books and love! Yet another Veer Gatha from the dessert! Ps. This is folklore with no evidence of history, please remember that Bikaner, lying in the western part of the Thar, was a small yet independent state ruled by a clan of Marwari Rathores until Raja Kalyanmal surrendered to Akbar's Rajput Policies in 1571. His fourth son Prithviraj Rathore, being a great warrior and poet was respected as one of the "Nine Gems" in Emperor Akbar's court. Prithviraj, was the son of Kalyanmal's first wife and queen Rani Songaribai Rainawati, a cousin of Maharani Jaiwanta Bai of Mewar. Hence he was cousin to the valiant Pratap Singh of Mewar. He was also married to one of Rana Udai Singh of Mewar's daughters from his other wives, sister to Kunwar Pratap, Baisa Ja...

Charumati's Love

T his is written based on folklore. This is a representative work of fiction and not claiming any historical happening in the conversations. This is to show the spirit of the women of Rajputana. The year 1657. Shah Jahan had taken ill and was rumoured to be dying in Agra Fort. He was about eighty and the pressure of having an empire had taken a toll on his body. The seat of power was slowly shifting from Agra to Delhi since the prominence of the Laal Quila had increased and if the news spread was to be believed his sons were in a battle for the throne already. It was time each king chose sides once again. Dara Sikhoh was the eldest and the righteous Heir to the throne. He was believed to be a man who held high morals and was hence respected by the enemies and alliances as well. Aurangzeb was his sibling and the youngest of the brothers. Short tempered and cunning he was always dreaded by the court. As Shah Jahan took ill, Aurangzeb took this as a golden opportunity to wage ...

Symphony of Love

A week was enough for the master to be pleased enough with the new student to tell the Sultan that she was ready for her first performance. The Sultan was extremely pleased and rewarded him with a gold chain. As the master bowed to leave, the guards announced the arrival of the chief queen. Sultan Baz Bahadur sat upright. She was his first bride, a childhood alliance his father had forced upon him when he did not even know what marriages implied. Now he only saw her face when she had complaints about the inner palace and its inhabitants. Honestly, he expected her there since Roopmati arrived. His queen did not like changes especially if those changes were threatening to her position. The Chief Queen arrived with her maids, dismissed them at the threshold and came up to her husband to bow and greet him. “What brings you here?” Baz Bahadur asked, with a lingering smile on his lips. The queen could hear the hint of taunt in his voice. She forced a smile. Her marriage to this reckles...

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