Skip to main content

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.
  1. 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. 
  2. Sajjabai Solankhini was his second wife and had two sons Kunwar Shakti Singh (Shakta Singh Chundawat later) and Kunwar Vikram Singh
  3. Mandrechi Bai was his third queen and mother to Kunwar Jait Singh
  4. 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
  5. Dheerbai Bhattiyani of Jaisalmer was probably his fifth and most favourite queen. Her sons were Kunwar Jagmal Singh, Kunwar Agar SinghKunwar Pachyad Singh and two others.
  6. 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.
  7. Lakhabai Jhalla was perhaps the sister to Veer Bai. Her sons were Kunwar Shardul Singh and Kunwar Rudra Singh.
  8. 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 of Mewar
  • 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.
  1. 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.
  2. Pur Bai Solankhini had two sons Thakur Sahas Mal Singh, Rawat of Dhariabad and Kunwar Gopal Singh
  3.  Champabai Jhati was the third queen whose sons were Thakur Kachra Singh of Jolawas, Kunwar Sanwal Das and Kunwar Durjan Singh.
  4. Jasobai Chauhan of the Bhilwara Chauhan clan was the mother of Kalyan Singh of Parsad Jagir.
  5. 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.
  6. 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 
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
  9. Ratnawati Parmar was the sister of Ajabdeh Baisa whom he married after her death. Her son was his fifteenth son, Kunwar Maal Singh
  10. Amar Bai Rathore had his sixteenth son Kunwar Natha Singh
  11. Lakhabai Rathore had his seventeenth and last son Kunwar Raibhana Singh.
  12. 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.
  1. 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. 
  2. 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

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

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

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 realiz

The Annals of Rajputana

Col. James Todd’s Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan describes Rajputana through History, Geography, Mythology, Folklores, 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, Gujrat, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Maharastra and even parts of Bengal. The initial origination-based clans/tribes had been subdivided first in the book Prithvirajraso by Chand Bardai, but howe

Women In Epics of India

  Satyavati: She was the adopted daughter of a Fisherman, rejected by her King's father. She dreamed of running the kingdom because she was born a princess and refused her rights. She was the mother to the extremely talented Krishna  Daipayan  who she rejected as he came on the path of her dreams. She mesmerized the emperor with her beauty. She made  Devabrata  into  Bheeshma . The king died soon. Her arrogance led to the fall of her spoilt sons and yet she desired more. She brought up her grandchildren with desires that later lead to  Adharma . She was  Satyavati ,  Princess of Matsya, Queen of Hastinapur. Draupadi Yajnaseni: She was born to be used as a tool of revenge, she knew it and had no say. Her  Swayambhar  was a flaw as only he could win the archery contest. She was his winner's prize. He shared her with his brothers because his mother said so. She was the direct reason behind the greatest  Dharma Yudh . She was disrespected for her polyandry and insulted time and aga

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 leader than h

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

Udaipur: The Modern Heritage

Udaipur, the Capital of Mewar since 1568 ever since Akbar seized Chittor. However, for 25 Years between 1572 to 1597 Maharana Pratap decided to shift his capital from Kumbhalgarh to Chavand and decided that Udaipur was Vulnerable to the Mughal's Attack. The places to see around Udaipur are to be roamed by auto in a day, and it is best to stay near Lake Pichola. We Stayed at Gangaur Palace Hotel near the Gangaur Ghat. It is a ghat where till today the Gangaur festival is celebrated with a month-long Mela in March. Talking of Melas, I forgot to mention that Chittorgarh also celebrates the Annual Jauhar Mela in Feb-March to pay homage to the Viranganas of the 1568 Jauhar. Udaipur has 7 lakes, four of which are tourist spots. We have to visit all the other places like Haldighati, Kumbhalgarh etc from Udaipur only. The places to see in Udaipur are: 1. The City Palace and Museum : The city palace was built by several Maharajas in different sections over the years, starting from Udai Sing

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