Maharana Udai Singh
Encyclopedia
Maharana Udai Singh was a king of Mewar
and the founder of the city of Udaipur
in the present day Rajasthan
state of India
. He was the 53rd ruler of the Mewar dynasty. He was the fourth and posthumous son of Maharana Sangram Singh
and Rani Karmavati, a princess of Bundi
.
for two years, disguised as a nephew of the governor Asha Shah. In 1540, he was crowned in Kumbhalgarh by the nobles of Mewar. His eldest son Maharana Pratap was born in the same year. He had twenty wives and twenty-five sons. Amongst his other sons, Sakta (Shakti), Jagmal and Viramdeo are well known.
of Malwa. Using this as a pretext, Akbar attacked Mewar in October,1567. On October 23, 1567 Akbar formed his camp near Udaipur. According to Kaviraj Shyamaldas
, Udai singh called a council of war. The nobles advised him to take refuge along with the princes in the hills, leaving a garrison at Chittor. Udai Singh retired to Gogunda (which later became his temporary capital) leaving Chittor in the hands of his loyal chieftains. Akbar captured Chittor after a long siege on February 25, 1568.. He later shifted his capital to Udaipur. He died in 1572 in Gogunda
. Before his death, he nominated his favourite ninth son Jagmal as his successor. But after his death, the nobles of Mewar prevented Jagmal from succeeding and placed Maharana Pratap Singh on the throne on March 1, 1572.
Mewar
Mewar is a region of south-central Rajasthan state in western India. It includes the present-day districts of Pratapgarh, Bhilwara, Chittorgarh, Rajsamand, Udaipur, Dungarpur, Banswara and some of the part of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. The region was for centuries a Rajput kingdom that later...
and the founder of the city of Udaipur
Udaipur
Udaipur , also known as the City of Lakes, is a city, a Municipal Council and the administrative headquarters of the Udaipur district in the state of Rajasthan in western India. It is located southwest of the state capital, Jaipur, west of Kota, and northeast from Ahmedabad...
in the present day Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
state of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. He was the 53rd ruler of the Mewar dynasty. He was the fourth and posthumous son of Maharana Sangram Singh
Rana Sanga
-Historical Fact:Maharana Sangram Singh was the ruler of Mewar state, a region lying within the present-day Indian state of Rajasthan, a desert region, between 1509 and 1527. He was a scion of the Sisodia clan of Suryavanshi Rajputs...
and Rani Karmavati, a princess of Bundi
Bundi
Bundi is a city and a municipality of approximately 88,000 inhabitants in the Hadoti region of Rajasthan state in northwest India. It is of particular architectural note for its ornate forts, palaces, and stepwell reservoirs known as baoris...
.
Early life
Udai Singh was born in Chittor. In January, 1528 after the death of his father, Maharana Sangram Singh, he was succeeded by his eldest surviving son, Maharana Ratan Singh. Ratan Singh was assassinated in 1531. He was succeeded by his brother Maharana Vikramaditya Singh. During his reign, when the Sultan of Gujarat Bahadur Shah sacked Chittor in 1534, Udai Singh was sent to Bundi for safety. In 1537, Banbir killed Vikramaditya and usurped the throne. He tried to kill Udai Singh also, but Udai's nurse Panna Dhai sacrificed her own son to save him from his uncle Banbir and took him to Kumbhalgarh. He lived in secret in KumbhalgarhKumbhalgarh
Kumbhalgarh is a Mewar fortress in the Rajsamand District of Rajasthan state in western India. Built during the course of the 15th century by Rana Kumbha, and enlarged through the 19th century, Kumbhalgarh is also a birthplace of Maharana Pratap, the great king and warrior of Mewar...
for two years, disguised as a nephew of the governor Asha Shah. In 1540, he was crowned in Kumbhalgarh by the nobles of Mewar. His eldest son Maharana Pratap was born in the same year. He had twenty wives and twenty-five sons. Amongst his other sons, Sakta (Shakti), Jagmal and Viramdeo are well known.
The reign
After defeating Banbir at Mavli, Udai Singh returned to Chittor. In 1559, his grandson Maharana Amar Singh was born. In the same year, he founded Udaipur. In 1562, he gave refuge to Baz BahadurBaz Bahadur
Miyan Bayezid Baz Bahadur was the last sultan of Malwa, who reigned from 1555 to 1562. He succeeded his father, Shuja'at Khan. He is known for his romantic liaison with Roopmati, a singer of Rajput birth....
of Malwa. Using this as a pretext, Akbar attacked Mewar in October,1567. On October 23, 1567 Akbar formed his camp near Udaipur. According to Kaviraj Shyamaldas
Kaviraj Shyamaldas
Shyamaldas Dadhavadhia, a charan, popularly referred to as Kaviraj Shyamaldas was one of the early writers involved in documenting the history and culture of the Rajasthan region of India.-Authorship:...
, Udai singh called a council of war. The nobles advised him to take refuge along with the princes in the hills, leaving a garrison at Chittor. Udai Singh retired to Gogunda (which later became his temporary capital) leaving Chittor in the hands of his loyal chieftains. Akbar captured Chittor after a long siege on February 25, 1568.. He later shifted his capital to Udaipur. He died in 1572 in Gogunda
Gogunda
Gogunda is a small town and tehsil headqaurters located about 35 km in north-west from Udaipur in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is situated on a high mountain in Aravalli hills and is reached by crossing a difficult mountain pass. The great Mewar king Maharana Pratap's Raj Tilak was performed...
. Before his death, he nominated his favourite ninth son Jagmal as his successor. But after his death, the nobles of Mewar prevented Jagmal from succeeding and placed Maharana Pratap Singh on the throne on March 1, 1572.