Context: 

Recently, a Rajya Sabha MP made a controversial observation that the Rajput king had “invited” Mughal invader Babur to the Indian subcontinent to defeat Ibrahim Lodi in the 16th century. 

Rana Sanga

• Rana Sanga, also known as Maharana Sangram Singh, was a Rajput ruler of Mewar from the Sisodia dynasty.
• Born in 1482, he ruled Mewar between 1508 and 1528 CE and expanded his kingdom across Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and parts of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.

Historical Facts

He was a brave ruler of Mewar and fought more than 100 battles in his life.

Battle of Khatoli (1517): Rana Sanga, defeated Ibrahim Lodi, the Sultan of Delhi, in this battle. 

Battle of Dholpur (1518): Rana Sanga secured another victory against Ibrahim Lodi, expanding his influence into eastern Rajasthan. 

Battle of Gagron (1519): Rana Sanga defeated Sultan Mahmud Khilji II of Malwa, solidifying his position as a dominant force in the region.

Battle of Bayana (1527): Rana Sanga defeated Babar.

Battle of Khanwa (1527): The most significant battle of Rana Sanga’s life, fought on March 17, 1527, against the Mughal Emperor Babur. 

• Despite having a large army, he was defeated in the battle which eventually consolidated Mughal’s rule in Northern India. 

Insite of defeat Rana Sanga did not give up his resistance and continued to resist Mughal expansion through a series of guerrilla warfare tactics. 

• He formed alliances of ten “kuffar” (non-Muslims) chieftains, including the Sultan of Gujarat, to counter the Mughal threat.

Battle of Ghagra (1527): Rana Sanga once again led an army against the Mughals but was defeated due to superior military tactics and intervention of a traitor in his own ranks.

Rana Sanga was a patron of the arts and literature. He supported many artists and poets, including the famous poet Malik Muhammad Jayasi, who wrote the epic poem Padmavat.

He was given the title of ‘Hindupat’ because of his valor.

Did Rana Sanga invite Babar to India?

Historians believe that Punjab Governor Daulat Khan knew that the Fargana ruler Babar was coming to India after conquering Afghanistan. 

At the same time, Ibrahim Lodi’s uncle Alam Khan, also wanted to capture the Sultanate. 

• Alam Khan and Daulat Khan invited Babar to come to India.

In 1523, Babar was invited to India by the prominent people of the Delhi Sultanate. This included Sultan Sikandar Lodi’s brother Alam Khan Lodi, Punjab Governor Daulat Khan Lodi and Ibrahim Lodi’s uncle Alauddin Lodi.

According to Babur’s autobiography “Baburnama”, Rana Sanga had sent an envoy to testify to his good wishes and proposed a plan to capture Delhi.

Similar contentions were raised in Tarikh-i-Rashidi, written by Babur’s cousin Mirza Haider Dughlat. 

However historian GN Sharma rejected this claim and argued that it was Babur who needed an ally, and not Rana Sanga.