Rana Raimal Singh, also known as Rana Raimal, (r. 1473–1509) was a Sisodia

Rajput Rājpūt (, from Sanskrit ''rājaputra'' meaning "son of a king"), also called Thākur (), is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating fro ...

ruler of the

Kingdom of Mewar The Kingdom of Mewar was an independent Hindu kingdom that existed in the Rajputana region of the Indian subcontinent and later became a dominant state in medieval India. The kingdom was initially founded and ruled by the Guhila dynasty, foll ...

. Rana Raimal was the younger son of

Rana Kumbha Kumbhkaran Singh (1417–1468), popularly known as Maharana Kumbha, was the ruler of the Kingdom of Mewar in medieval India. He belonged to the Sisodia clan of Rajputs. It was during his reign that Mewar became one of the most powerful politic ...

and younger brother of his predecessor Rana Udai Singh I and father of

Rana Sanga Sangram Singh I (12 April 1482 – 30 January 1528), most commonly known as Rana Sanga, was the Rana of Mewar, Maharana of Mewar from 1509 to 1528. A member of the List of Ranas of Mewar, Sisodia dynasty, he controlled parts of present-day Ra ...

. He came to power by defeating his patricide predecessor Rana Udai Singh I in battles at

Jawar Jawar is a village and a gram panchayat in Khandwa district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. Geography Jawar is located at . It has an average elevation of 294 metres (964 feet). Demographics India census A census (from L ...

, Darimpur and Pangarh. Early in Rana Raimal's reign, Sultan Ghiyas Shah of the

Malwa Sultanate The Malwa Sultanate was a late medieval kingdom in the Malwa, Malwa region, covering the present day Indian states of Madhya Pradesh and south-eastern Rajasthan from 1401 to 1562. It was founded by Dilawar Khan, who following Timur's invasion ...

unsuccessfully attacked the Mewar capital, Chittor. Soon after Ghiyas Shah's general, Zafar Khan attacked Mewar and was defeated at

Mandalgarh Mandalgarh is a town with municipality in Bhilwara district in the Indian state of Rajasthan. Pincode of Mandalgarh is 311604. It is the tehsil headquarters of Mandalgarh tehsil. History The place was taken twice by Mahmud Khilji of Malwa in t ...

and Kairabad in north east of Mewar. By marrying Rathorji Shringar Deiji (daughter of

Rao Jodha Rao Jodha Rathore (28 March 1416 – 6 April 1489) was the 15th Rajput chief of Rathore clan who ruled the Kingdom of Marwar in the present-day state of Rajasthan. He was the eldest son of Rao Ranmal (Rao Ridmal). He is known for his illustri ...

) Rana Raimal ended the long standing conflict with Rathore

Rajputs Rājpūt (, from Sanskrit ''rājaputra'' meaning "son of a king"), also called Thākur (), is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating fro ...

. During Raimal's reign, Godwar, Toda and

Ajmer Ajmer () is a city in the north-western States and union territories of India, Indian state of Rajasthan. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Ajmer district and Ajmer division. It lies at the centre of Rajasthan, earning it the ...

were recaptured by his eldest son Prithviraj. Raimal also strengthened the state of Mewar and repaired the temple of

Eklingji Eklingji () is a Hindu temple complex in Udaipur District of Rajasthan Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India ...

in Chittor.

Ascent to the throne

Raimal was not the heir-apparent as he was younger to Udai Singh I. But as fate would have it, Udai Singh I killed his father, the legendary

, while he was praying to Lord Eklingji (

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

) and ruled for five years. Under his reign

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 ...

took back

Abu Abu or ABU may refer to: Aviation * Airman Battle Uniform, a utility uniform of the United States Air Force * IATA airport code for A. A. Bere Tallo Airport in Atambua, Province of East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia People * Abu (Arabic term), a kun ...

and

Raimal fights the sultan and his nephews

Sultan of Delhi,

Sikander Lodi Sikandar Khan Lodi (; 17 July 1458 – 21 November 1517), born Nizam Khan () also known as Sikandar II, was Sultan of the Delhi Sultanate between 1489 and 1517. He became ruler of the Lodi dynasty after the death of his father Bahlul Khan Lodi ...

fought against Rana Raimal of Mewar, allying with Surajmal and Sahasmal in which the Sultan was defeated. Surajmal survived and was pardoned by Rana Raimal. He was a conspirator and ensured that sons of Raimal fought with each other in order to make his way clear to the throne. He was a brave fighter and possessed all the great qualities of his clan.

Fight at Sadri

Surajmal and Raimal's armies met at Sadri, a town that Surajmal had captured. Raimal's son Prithviraj joined his father at a crucial time in the war and directly attacked Surajmal. Many such skirmishes occurred till Surajmal finally left Mewar and settled at Pratapgarh where his descendants still flourish and keep up the name of Sisodia clan.

Last years

The last years of Raimal's rule were marked by conflict between his sons, with Prince Sanga (later

) having to flee Mewar. Raimal's elder sons, Prithviraj and Jaimal were both killed. At this difficult juncture, the Rana was informed that Sanga was still alive. Raimal summoned Sanga back to Chittor and died soon afterwards.

Sharma, Dasharatha Dasharatha Sharma (1903–1976) was an Indologist with a particular interest in the history of the Rajasthan region of India. Born in the Rajasthani city of Churu, Rajasthan, Churu, he studied in the city of Bikaner and at the University of Del ...

(1970) Lectures on Rajput History and Culture, pp 79-84 Motilal Banarsidass, Delhi

References

Bibliography