Mokal or Mokal Singh (15th century), was the

Maharana The Maharana ("Great Rana") is a variation on the Indian royal title Rana. Maharana denotes ' great king' or ' high king', similar to the word " Maharaja". The term derives from the Sanskrit title "Mahārāṇaka". Usage at the time of independ ...

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 ...

Kingdom in

medieval India Medieval India was a long period of post-classical history in the Indian subcontinent between the ancient and modern periods. It is usually regarded as running approximately from the break-up of the Gupta Empire in the 6th century to the star ...

. Henry Soszynski dates his reign to , and his lifespan to . S. Devadas Pillai dates his reign to 1397–1433. He was a son of Maharana

Lakha Singh Rana Lakha (1382 – 1421) was a Sisodia Rajput ruler of Mewar Kingdom in medieval India. He was the son of Rana Kshetra Singh and ruled Mewar from 1382 until his death in 1421. Lakha was married several times and had at least eight sons ...

. Maharana Mokal has been described as a great builder, a trait which he had inherited from his father. He created various buildings along with completing those commenced by his father Lakha. Among the monuments he built was the Temple of Brahma in

Chittorgarh Chittorgarh (; also Chitror or Chittor or Chittaurgarh) is a major city in the state of Rajasthan in western India. It lies on the Berach River, a tributary of the Banas, and is the administrative headquarters of Chittorgarh District. It wa ...

Background

Mokal was a younger son of Lakha Singh and was born of his wife Hansa bai, a princess of

Mandore Mandore is a suburb and historical town located 9 km north of Jodhpur city in the Jodhpur district of the north-western Indian state of Rajasthan. History Mandore is an ancient town, and was the seat of the Gurjar Pratiharas of Mandavy ...

. His mother was not originally betrothed to his father, but rather to Lakha's eldest son Prince Chunda Sisodia. When the delegation from Mandore had arrived in

Chittor Chittorgarh (; also Chitror or Chittor or Chittaurgarh) is a major city in the state of Rajasthan in western India. It lies on the Berach River, a tributary of the Banas, and is the administrative headquarters of Chittorgarh District. It wa ...

to officialise the betrothal, Chunda was away from court. The ageing Lakha jested with the delegation, remarking that the proposal was obviously not meant for a "greybeard" like him. When Chunda later learned of the comment, the proud prince refused the marriage, for he could not accept a proposal which his father, though in jest, had publicly declined. The old Maharana, failing to change his son's mind and fearful of offending Hansa Bai's powerful family, was forced to marry the princess himself. In return, Chunda was required to give up his position as heir to the throne in favour of the eldest son born by Hansa Bai.

Reign

Maharana Lakha, the 4th Maharana of Mewar died in war, leaving young Mokal as his successor. Being a minor, his eldest brother Chunda Sisodia began to look after the state of affairs as promised to Rana Lakha. But Mokal's mother Hansa Bai disapproved of the influence that Chunda had over the nobles of Mewar. She questioned his integrity and doubted his intentions. Her resentment made Chunda leave Chittor and retire to

Mandu Mandu may refer to: Geographic toponyms * Mandu River, a river in Minas Gerais, Brazil * Mandu, Democratic Republic of the Congo, a village * Mandu, Madhya Pradesh, a ruined city in Dhar district, Madhya Pradesh, India * Mandu, Jharkhand, ...

, capital of

Malwa Malwa () is a historical region, historical list of regions in India, region of west-central India occupying a plateau of volcanic origin. Geologically, the Malwa Plateau generally refers to the volcanic plateau, volcanic upland north of the ...

. Rani Hansa Bai attained help from her brother Ranmal to administer the state of affairs on behalf of Mokal until he reached his majority. Maharana Mokal had a brief stint as the ruler of Mewar, but rose to fame as the most celebrated warrior of his race. He defeated Nagour, Gujarat, and repelled an invasion by the

Delhi Sultanate The Delhi Sultanate or the Sultanate of Delhi was a Medieval India, late medieval empire primarily based in Delhi that stretched over large parts of the Indian subcontinent for more than three centuries.

(

Sayyid dynasty The Sayyid dynasty was the fourth dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate, with four rulers ruling from 1414 to 1451 for 37 years.See: * M. Reza Pirbha, Reconsidering Islam in a South Asian Context, , Brill * The Islamic frontier in the east: Expansion ...

). But most importantly, he completed palaces that were commenced by his father Maharana Lakha and conspired to build more aesthetic structures. His assassination by his paternal uncles, Chacha and Mera, in 1433 brought an end to a great Maharana in the making at the young age of 24. Rana Kumbha who was only 13 years old at the time of Mokal's death, ascended the throne at a crucial juncture in the history of Mewar. The young Kumbha may have had the most unfavourable situation after his father's untimely death, but the valour and vision of his father, Maharana Mokal, inspired him to emerge as one of Mewar's greatest rulers.

References

External links

Maharana Mokal of mewar
{{s-end 1400s births 1433 deaths Hindu monarchs