Rana Sanga - War Between Sanga and Babur

War Between Sanga and Babur

After his initial gains Rana Sanga became recognized within north India as a pricipal player in the pwoer stuggle to rule the Northern territories of princely India. His objectives grew in scope – he planned to conquer the much sort after prize of the muslim rulers of the time Delhi and bring whole of India under his control.

He had crushed Gujarat and conquered Malwa and was now close to Agra. It was at this juncture that he heard that Babur had defeated and slain Ibrahim Lodi and was now master of theDelhi sultanate.

Rana Sanga believed that Babur had plans to leave India, indeed from all the infomation he was getting it seemed that Barbur was getting ready to consolidate his newly gained northern holdings, Rana Sanga decided in a miscalculation of Barbur's strength and determination, to wage a war against the Mughel invader.

As a first move, he coerced Afghan fugitive princes like Mehmod Lodi and Hasan Khan Mewatito join him. Then he ordered Babur to leave India. Initially he hoped to attain this by sending his vassal sardar Silhadi of Raisen as his emissary. Siladitya who went to Babur’s camp was won over by Babur. Babur accepted that to rule North India he may have to engage in battle with Rana Sanga and hence had no desire for retreat. Babur and Siladitya hatched a plot that in war, Siladitya, who had large contingent of 30,000 men would join Babur’s camp at critical moment of battle and thus defeat Rana Sanga. Siladitya who went back to Chittor, told Rana that war is a must.

Rajput army supplemented by Afghan contingents of Hasan Khan and Mehmod Lodi met Babur’s army at Khanwa near Fatehpur Sikri in 1527. The Battle which lasted for maore than 10 hours was hotly contested and became an exceedingly brutal affair. At a critical moment of battle, defection of Silhadi and his contingent caused a break up of Rajput front. Rana Sanga while trying to rebuild his front was wounded and fell unconscious from his horse. The Rajput army thought their leader was dead and fled in disorder, thus allowing the mughls to win the day.

Rana Sanga was whisked away to safety by Rathore contingent from Marwar and once he became conscious he learnt of the defeat. But Rana Sanga unwilling to admit defeat set out once more to rebuild his military and renew war with Babur. He vowed not to set foot in Chittor till Babur was defeated by him. In 1528, he once more set out to fight Babur at Chanderi to help Medini Rai who was attacked by Babur. But he fell sick at Kalpi and died in his camp. It is widely believed that he was poisoned by some of his nobles who quite rightly thought his renewal of war with Babur as suicidal.