Rana Sanga

The Story

Sanga succeeded to the throne of Mewar in 1509 after a life of extraordinary suffering: as a young prince he had been imprisoned, poisoned, and maimed — losing an eye and an arm — yet he emerged with a will of iron. He rebuilt Mewar's power and, in a series of campaigns, defeated the sultans of Malwa and Gujarat, taking the title of emperor of the Rajputs.

When Babur, fresh from his conquest of Delhi, advanced, Sanga gathered the largest Rajput confederacy in history — the forces of Mewar, Marwar, Amber, and the allied clans. At Khanwa in 1527, the Rajput cavalry charged the Mughal guns with suicidal courage, but the artillery and tactics of Babur prevailed, and the Rajput cause was broken.

Sanga, who had fought at the head of his army, escaped the field but died within the year — tradition says of his wounds and of the poisoned cup of a trusted ally. He is remembered as the last great emperor of the Rajputs before the Mughal consolidation — the king whose eighty wounds told the story of a life of war.