Bhama Shah (28 June 1547 – 1600) was a noted general, minister and close aide of Maharana Pratap Singh of the

Mewar Mewar, also spelled as Mewad is a region in the south-central part of Rajasthan state of India. It includes the present-day districts of Bhilwara, Chittorgarh, Pratapgarh, Rajsamand, Udaipur, Pirawa Tehsil of Jhalawar District of Rajasth ...

. The financial support provided by him allowed Pratap to restore his army and reclaim much of his lost territory.

Biography

Bhamashah was born on 28 June 1547 in a

Śvetāmbara The Śvetāmbara (; also spelled Shwetambara, Shvetambara, Svetambara or Swetambara) is one of the two main branches of Jainism, the other being the Digambara. ''Śvetāmbara'' in Sanskrit means "white-clad", and refers to its ascetics' practi ...

Jain,

Oswal The Oswal (sometimes spelled Oshwal or Osval) are a Śvētāmbara, Śvetāmbara Jain merchant community with origins in Osian, Jodhpur, Osian, a town in the Marwar region of Rajasthan, India. According to research by James Tod, Colonel James Tod, ...

family. His father Bharmal Kawadia was Gadhpati of Ranthambore Fort appointed by Rana Sangram Singh and was later prime minister under Rana Udai Singh II. Delwada

Bhamashah was the Nagar Seth of Chittor. After the costly

Battle of Haldighati The battle of Haldighati was fought on 18 June 1576 between the Mewar forces led by Maharana Pratap, and the Mughal forces led by Man Singh I of Amber. The Mughals emerged victorious after inflicting significant casualties on Mewari forces, ...

, Maharana Pratap's financial situation was dire. Bhamashah and his brother Tarachand gave 2,000,000 gold coins and 25,000,000 silver rupees to Maharana Pratap. They attacked Mughal army camps and partially financed Rana from the gained wealth. Maharana Pratap was able to organize an army and furthered his campaign against the

Mughals The Mughal Empire was an early modern empire in South Asia. At its peak, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus River Basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to the highlands of pre ...

. Bhamashah was appointed as the prime minister by Maharana Pratap and Tarachand was appointed as a governor of 'Godwad' region after the

. ' Sadri' was founded by Tarachand where he had constructed many buildings. Sadri is considered the gate way to Marwar. Bhamashah died in 1600. At the time of his death he was Mewar's treasurer under Amar Singh I. Descendants of Bhamashah also served as prime ministers of the Ranas of Udaipur for a few generations. His son Jiwashah was the chief during the rule of Rana Amar Singh, and grandson Akshayraj was the prime minister during the rule of Rana Karan Singh and his descendant Rana Jagat Singh. His descendants still live in Udaipur.

Legacy

Bhamashah's birth anniversary or ''Bhamashah Jayanti'' is celebrated every year. There is a memorial in

Udaipur Udaipur (Hindi: , ) (ISO 15919: ''Udayapura'') is a city in the north-western Indian state of Rajasthan, about south of the state capital Jaipur. It serves as the administrative headquarters of Udaipur district. It is the historic capital of t ...

to him. The government of India issued a postage stamp in his honor in the year 2000. The Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation has instituted the "Bhama Shah Award" to honour Rajasthani students securing the highest percentage in select departments in the universities of Rajasthan, in recognition of selfless sacrifice, astute financial management, and devotion to duty. The Annual State Award consists of a cash award of , a commemorative medal and a Merit certificate. A Bhamashah Yojana bas been started on his name by government of Rajasthan. The 1926 silent film ''Diwan Bhamansha'' by Mohan Dayaram Bhavnani was based on Bhamashah's life; Another film about the general, titled ''Bhamashah'', was released in 2017.

Biography

Legacy

References

Further reading