S7singh at 15:53, 23 February 2026

2026-02-23T15:53:01Z

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{{Short description|Conflict between Kingdom of Mewar and Delhi Sultanate}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Use Indian English|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict = Mewar–Delhi conflicts
| date = 1321–1521
| place = [[North India]]
| result =
| territory =
| combatant1 = {{flagicon image|Mewar.svg}} [[Kingdom of Mewar]]
| combatant2 = {{flagicon image|Delhi Sultanate Flag.svg}} [[Delhi Sultanate]]
| commander1 = {{flagicon image|Mewar.svg}} [[Maharana Hammir]] {{flagicon image|Mewar.svg}} Baruji Sauda {{flagicon image|Mewar.svg}} Junsi Kachhwaha {{flagicon image|Mewar.svg}} [[Kshetra Singh]] {{flagicon image|Mewar.svg}} [[Lakha Singh]] {{flagicon image|Mewar.svg}} [[Mokal Singh]] {{flagicon image|Mewar.svg}} [[Rana Sanga]]{{WIA}} {{flagicon image|Mewar.svg}} [[Medini Rai]]
| commander2 = {{flagicon image|Delhi Sultanate Flag.svg}} [[Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq]] {{flagicon image|Delhi Sultanate Flag.svg}} Maldev Songara {{flagicon image|Delhi Sultanate Flag.svg}} Jaiza Songara {{flagicon image|Delhi Sultanate Flag.svg}} [[Muhammad bin Tughluq]] {{flagicon image|Delhi Sultanate Flag.svg}} [[Firuz Shah Tughluq]] {{flagicon image|Delhi Sultanate Flag.svg}} [[Mubarak Shah II]] {{flagicon image|Delhi Sultanate Flag.svg}} [[Ibrahim Lodi]]
| image =
| caption = Kingdom of Mewar at its peak in 1521{{Legend|#2debe8ff|Directly administered}}
{{Legend|#bfefe8|Vassal states}}<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hooja|first1=RIma |title=A History of Rajasthan |date=2006 |publisher=Rupa and Co. |location=Jaipur |page=452|isbn=9788129115010|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qqd1RAAACAAJ}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Chandra|first1=Satish |title=History of Medieval India: 800-1700
|date=2007 |publisher=Orient BlackSwan|page=174|isbn=9788125032267|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qHnHHwAACAAJ}}</ref>
| image_size = 350
}}

The '''Delhi–Mewar conflicts''' were prolonged confrontations and periodic military engagements between the [[Kingdom of Mewar]] ruled by the [[Sisodia dynasty|Sisodiyas]] and the [[Delhi Sultanate]]. The conflict erupted when the Sisodiya dynasty took the [[Mewar|region]] of Mewar from Delhi Sultanate's rule. The struggle which lasted nearly two centuries was fought in what is today the Indian states of [[Rajasthan]], [[Madhya Pradesh]] and [[Uttar Pradesh]].

The conflict started in the reign of [[Hammir Singh|Rana Hammir]] against the Tuqhlaq dynasty at the [[Battle of Singoli]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Majumdar |first=R.C |url=http://archive.org/details/delhisultanate00bhar |title=History and Culture of the Indian People, Volume 06,The Delhi Sultanate |date=1967 |publisher=Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan |others=Public Resource}}</ref> This conflict was further carried out by [[Kshetra Singh|Rana Kshetra]] and his successor [[Rana Lakha]] with the [[Sayyid dynasty]] in conquests for [[Bakrol]] and Badnor.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Sarda |first=Har Bilas |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bt5GAAAAIAAJ |title=Maharana Kumbha: Sovereign, Soldier, Scholar |date=1918 |pages=4"Kumbha's great grandfather, Rana Kshetra Singh, who ruled Mewar from A.l). 1364 to A.l). 1382, was the son and successor of the celebrated Rana Hammir. He greatly enlarged the kingdom. He captured Ajnier and Jahazpur, re-annexed Mandalgarh, Mandsor, and the whole of the Chappan to Mewar. He obtained a victory over the King of Delhi, who was utterly defeated at Bakrole"}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Ahluwalia |first=Manjit Singh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fr8tAAAAMAAJ&q=Ajmer |title=Muslim Expansion in Rajasthan: The Relations of Delhi Sultanate with Rajasthan, 1206-1526. |date=1978 |publisher=Yugantar Prakashan |pages=168. "Lakshman Simha (Rana Lakha) is said to have defeated the Sultan of Delhi near Badnor and was exempted from the pilgrimage tax imposed on the Hindus for their visits to holy places like Kashi, Gaya and Paryag."}}</ref> An invasion by the latter was also successfully repelled at [[Raipur, Rajasthan|Raipur]].<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Hooja |first=Rima |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tosMAQAAMAAJ |title=A History of Rajasthan |date=2006 |publisher=Rupa and Co. |isbn=978-81-291-0890-6 |pages=335–336}}</ref> The conflict took a short break when [[Kumbha of Mewar|Rana Kumbha]] ascended the throne of Mewar as he was occupied throughout his life with the Islamic Sultanates of [[Malwa Sultanate|Malwa]] and [[Gujarat Sultanate|Gujarat]].<ref name=":4">{{Cite book |last=Chandra |first=Satish |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qHnHHwAACAAJ |title=History of Medieval India(800-1700) |date=2005 |publisher=Orient Blakckswan |isbn=9788125032267 |publication-date=2007 |pages=173"The conflict with Gujarat and Malwa occupied Kumbha throughout his reign. "}}</ref> The conflict resumed again with the [[Lodi dynasty]] when the latter tried to counter the growing hegemony of Mewar at the Battle of Khatoli and at [[Battle of Dholpur]]<ref name=":5">{{Cite book |last=Somani |first=Ram Vallabh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NcIBAAAAMAAJ |title=History of Mewar; from earliest time to 1751 A.D |date=1976 |publisher=C.L Ranka |pages=158"Maharana Sanga wrested some territory of eastern Rajasthan belonging to the Sultans of Delhi and annexed the same to his state, Nirodbhushan Roy", while editing the history of Afghans, written by ‘Niamatullah, observes that both Sanga and Ibrahim were not free to contest a battle immediately after the accession of the later, But this statement does not seem to be correct, A battle was fought near the village Khatoli (District Bundi), wherein the Rajputs emerged victorious, A prince of Lodi family was also made captive,"}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite book |last=Sarda |first=Har Bilas |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hRBDAAAAYAAJ |title=Maharana Sāngā, the Hindupat: The Last Great Leader of the Rajput Race |date=1970 |pages=61"When this army reached the Maharana's territory the Maharana advanced with his Rajputs. As the two armies came in sight of each other near Dholpur,1 Mian Makhan made dispositions for the battle. Said Khan Furat and Haji Khan with 7,000 horsemen, were placed on the right ; and Daulat Khan, Allahdad Khan and Yusuf Khan commanded the centre. The Sultan's army was fully prepared to give the Maharana a warm reception. The Rajputs, with their accustomed valour, advanced and fell on the Sultan's army, and in a short time put the enemy to flight."}}</ref>

== Prelude ==
In the year 1303, Sultan [[Alauddin Khalji|Allauddin Khilji]] of the Delhi Sultanate put an end to the [[Guhila dynasty|Guhila Dynasty]] of Mewar when he [[Siege of Chittorgarh (1303)|besieged and occupied Chittorgarh]], the capital of Mewar. Allauddin appointed his son [[Khizr Khan]] as the governor of the place.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Somani |first=Ram Vallabh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NcIBAAAAMAAJ |title=History of Mewar; from earliest time to 1751 A.D |date=1976 |pages=100 "After reducing the stronghold of Chittor, Alauddin assigned it to his heir—apparent Khizrakhan by renaming it as Khizrabad."}}</ref> Khizr Khan remained there for a period of ten years after which he was forced to move to [[Ajmer]] and Maldev Songara, belonging to the [[Songara|Songara Chahuhan Dynasty]] was given the vassalage of Mewar. At the same time another branch of Guhilas known as [[Sisodia dynasty|Sisodias]] started to take the keypoints of Mewar under their new leader [[Hammir Singh|Maharana Hammir]]. He in coming years was able to take Mewar and the capital Chittorgarh by expelling Maldev.<ref name=":7">{{Cite book |last=Mankekar |first=Mankekar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e5E9AAAAMAAJ |title=Mewar Saga |date=1976 |pages=27 "Khizar Khan had to give up Chittor and live in the security of .Ajmer, even though he was nominally in command of that fort for ten years, until the sultan passed on the governorship of Chittor to a Jalor Chauhan, Maldeo. Hamir Singh soon, by a stratagem, wrested Chittorgarh from Maldeo, and embarked on a career of re-establishing and consolidating his ancestral kingdom."|publisher=Vikas Publishing House |isbn=978-0-7069-0416-1 }}</ref> Meanwhile, Jaiza(Son of Maldev) fled to the Delhi court for help, starting the series of military standoffs which would continue for the next two centuries.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Majumdar |first=R.C |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XKVFAQAAMAAJ |title=The History and Culture of the Indian People, Volume 6 |date=1960 |publisher=Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan |pages=70 "The Chauhan ruler Jaiza, son of Maldev, who was ruling Mewar as a feudatory of the Sultan, fled to Muhammad Tughluq at Delhi. Thereupon the latter marched against the Maharana,"}}</ref>

== Conflict ==

Maldev's son Jaiza had fled to the court of [[Muhammad bin Tughluq|Muhammed Bin Tuqhlaq]] for help which he received when a large Muslim army led by a general of Delhi Sultanate attacked Mewar and both sides clashed at the [[Battle of Singoli]] where the Delhi Sultanate's forces were defeated and compelled to retreat. Hammir with this battle secured the independence of the Rajputana region.<ref name=":0" /> After Hammir his son [[Kshetra Singh|Maharana Kshetra]] captured the district of [[Bakrol]] from the forces of Delhi Sultanate.<ref name=":1" /> [[Rana Lakha|Maharana Lakha]] the next Rana of Mewar was engaged in military standoffs against the Sayyiad Dynasty of Delhi in which the district of [[Badnor]] was captured.<ref name=":2" /> In the reign of [[Mokal Singh|Maharana Mokal]] was repulsed at [[Raipur, Rajasthan|Raipur]].<ref name=":3" /> The conflict from thereafter took a break as [[Kumbha of Mewar|Maharana Kumbha]] next Maharana of Mewar was busy all his life in affairs with [[Malwa Sultanate]] and [[Gujarat Sultanate]]. Hence no major military standoff was fought between this period. After the assassination of Maharana Kumbha his son Raimal ascended the throne by putting the assassin Uda to death. He too was not able to fight any major battles against the Delhi Sultanate because he had to restore strength and peace in Mewar which was lost after the assassination of Kumbha<ref name=":4" /> The conflict resumed again and took its peak when [[Rana Sanga]] became the Rana of Mewar and by enjoying the strong position of Mewar in the [[Northwest India|North-Western India]] started the policy of expansion. Sanga captured some parts of the Northeastern Rajputana which at that time were vassals of Delhi Sultanate. Meanwhile the new Sultan of Delhi [[Ibrahim Khan Lodi|Ibrahim Lodi]] attacked Rana Sanga in the battle of Khatoli which resulted in the defeat of the Sultan.<ref name=":5" /> To counter his past defeat he soon raised another force and attacked the Kingdom of Mewar at the [[Battle of Dholpur]] only to be humbled again.<ref name=":6" /> The victory at the battle of Dholpur made Mewar the master of all the land from [[Bayana]] to [[Chanderi]] which was conquered by Sultan Sikandar against the Malwa Sultanate.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sarda |first=Har Bilas |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hRBDAAAAYAAJ |title=Maharana Sanga; the Hindupat, the last great leader of the Rajput race |date=1970 |pages=62"By this victory all that part of Malwa which had been usurped by Muhammad Shah (Sahib Khan), younger brother of Sultan Mahmud Khilji II of Mandu, during his rebellion against his brother, and had subsequently been taken possession of by Sultan Sikander Lodi, father of Sultan Ibrahim, now fell into the hands of the Maharana. Chanderi was one of the many places which fell into the hands of the Maharana,"}}</ref> In bid to annex Ajmer and Ranthambore Ibraihm was further defeated by Rana Sanga when the former attacked Ranthambore<ref name=":8">{{Cite book |last=Hooja |first=Rima |title=A History of Rajasthan |date=2005 |publisher=Rupa and Co. |isbn=978-81-291-0890-6 |pages="Sultan Ibrahim Lodi's bid to annex Ranthambore and Ajmer to the Delhi Sultanate led Rana Sanga to make peace with the sultan of Gujarat...Rana Sanga inflicted a defeat on Ibrahim Lodi when the latter attacked Ranthambore."}}</ref>

== Aftermath ==
The successful war under the various Maharanas of Mewar paved the way for Kingdom of Mewar to become one of the greatest powers in [[Northern India]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bhatnagar |first=V. S. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=plFuAAAAMAAJ |title=Life and Times of Sawai Jai Singh, 1688-1743. |date=1974 |pages=Impex India. p. 6." Mewar's grand recovery commended under Lakha and later under Kumbha and most notably under Sanga it became one of the greatest powers in the northern India in first quarter of 16th century"}}</ref> Chanderi was given to [[Medini Rai]] as a gift.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sarda |first=Har Bilas |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hRBDAAAAYAAJ |title=Maharana Sanga; the Hindupat, the last great leader of the Rajput race |date=1970 |publisher=Ajmer, Scottish Mission Industries |pages=62 "Chanderi was one of the many places which fell into the hands of the Maharana, who bestowed it on Medni Rai}}</ref>

== List of Battles ==
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!'''Name of Conflict(time)'''
!Maharana/ Commander
!'''Sultan/Commander'''
!Outcome
|-
|'''Recovery of Mewar (1321–36)'''
|[[Maharana Hammir]]
* [[Sauda (clan)|Baruji Sauda]]
|Maladeva & Jaiza
(first under [[Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq]] and later [[Muhammad bin Tughluq]])
|'''Mewar Victory'''<ref name=":7" />
* Amid the turmoil caused by the end of the [[Khalji dynasty]] in Delhi, Hammir Singh regained control of whole of Mewar including Chittorgarh.
* He evicted Maladeva's son Jaiza, the Chauhan vassal of the Delhi Sultanate, from Mewar and established the Sisodiya dynasty in Mewar.
|-
|[[Battle of Singoli|'''Battle of Singoli (1336)''']]
|[[Maharana Hammir]]
* [[Kachhwaha|Junsi Kachhwaha]]
|[[Muhammad bin Tughluq]]
|'''Mewar Victory'''<ref name=":0" />

* Hammir Singh gained a decisive victory and freed all of [[Rajputana]] from the Sultanate's rule.
|-
|'''Battle of Bakrol'''
|[[Kshetra Singh|Maharana Kshetra]]
|[[Firuz Shah Tughlaq]]
|'''Mewar Victory'''<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mohamed Nasr |url=https://archive.org/details/2015.97451.TughluqDynasty |title=Tughluq Dynasty |pages=316}}</ref>
* Kshetra Singh obtained a victory over the Delhi forces, who was badly defeated at Bakrole.
|-
|'''Battle of [[Badnor, Rajasthan|Badnor]]'''
|[[Rana Lakha|Maharana Lakha]]
|[[Firuz Shah Tughlaq]]
|'''Mewar Victory'''<ref name=":2" />
* Rana Lakha like his father defeated the royal army of Delhi's Sultan Firuz Shah Tughluq.
* He further took the war to Gaya in Bihar and was exempted from the pilgrimage tax imposed on Hindus for their visit there.
|-
|'''Battle of [[Raipur, Rajasthan|Raipur]]'''
|[[Mokal Singh|Maharana Mokal]]
|[[Mubarak Shah (Sayyid dynasty)|Mubarak Shah]]
|'''Mewar Victory'''<ref name=":3" />
* Maharana Mokal repelled an invasion by Sayyid dynasty.
|-
|'''Battle of Khatoli (1517)'''
|[[Rana Sanga|Maharana Sanga]]
([[Wounded in action|WIA]])

* [[Medini Rai|Medini Ra]]
|[[Ibrahim Khan Lodi]]
|'''Mewar Victory'''<ref name=":5" />
* Rana Sanga defeated Ibrahim Lodi and annexed northeast Rajputana.
* Ibrahim after being defeated fled from the battle leaving one of his sons behind to be taken as a prisoner.
* The resources of Ibrahim were depleted by this war with Sanga so he could not renew the contest for some time.
|-
|[[Battle of Dholpur|'''Battle of Dholpur (1519)''']]
|[[Rana Sanga|Maharana Sanga]]
* [[Medini Rai]]
|[[Ibrahim Khan Lodi]]
|'''Mewar Victory'''<ref name=":6" />
* In the battle, which was fought near [[Dholpur]], the Mewar army made a successful charge, and defeated the opposing armies despite being numerically inferior.
* The boundaries of Rana Sanga's military influence came to extend within striking distance of [[Agra]]. [[Chanderi]] bestowed to Medini Rai.
|-
|'''Battle of Ranthambhore (1521)'''
|[[Rana Sanga|Maharana Sanga]]
|[[Ibrahim Khan Lodi]]
|'''Mewar Victory'''<ref name=":8" />
* According to a 16th-century text "Parshvanath-Shravan-Sattavisi", Rana Sanga further defeated Ibrahim Lodi at [[Ranthambore Fort|Ranthambore]] after the [[Siege of Mandsaur]].
|}

== References ==

{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mewar-Delhi conflicts, List of}}
[[Category:Delhi Sultanate]]

Delhi–Mewar conflicts - Revision history

S7singh at 15:53, 23 February 2026