Mewar's golden age started under the reign of Maharana Kumbha and reached its zenith under Maharana Sanga.[9] Rana Sanga, with his superior tactics, repeatedly humbled Ibrahim Lodi, the Sultan of Delhi, prevailing over him decisively at Khatoli, Dholpur and Ranthambhore. These victories not only secured Mewar’s triumph but also expanded its boundaries up to Bayana.[10] At the height of his power, Rana Sanga held control over extensive regions encompassing much of present day Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh with his capital at Chittor.[11]
These events not only made Mewar one of the greatest powers in Northern India in the early 16th century but also contributed to the downfall and weakening of the Delhi Sultanate.[12] The Sultanate ultimately collapsed after its last Sultan Ibrahim was defeated by Timurid ruler Babur with the possible help of Rana Sanga and other rebellious Afghani chiefs.[13]
The Guhila dynasty, a Rajput dynasty, governed the Mewar region of present-day Rajasthan, founded by Bappa Rawal in the 8th century.[14] However some historians discard Bappa Rawal as founder of the dynasty.[15] Bappa Rawal is famous for repelling the Arab invasion of India and this led to a belief of him being the founder of this dynasty.[16]
The Guhilas and neighbouring South Asian polities circa 1250 CE.[17]
The Guhila kings then ruled as Imperial Pratihara's feudatories between end of 8th and 9th centuries and later were independent in period of the early 10th century and allied themselves with the Rashtrakutas.[18]
In the later half of 10th century, the Guhilas encountered numerous defeats from neighboring kingdoms like the Chahamanas of Shakambhari, the Chalukyas of Gujarat, and the Paramaras of Malwa. At one point, the Paramara king Munja II even occupied the Chittorgarh fort, but the Guhilots refused to surrender and instead gathered their strength gradually.[19]
Seizing the opportunity presented by the Ghurid invasions weakening the Chauhans, Chalukyas, and Paramaras in neighboring kingdoms, Jaitra Singh attempted to leverage this situation to consolidate Guhila power over the region.[19] It was during his reign, that the Delhi Sultan Iltutmish raided Mewar for the first time thus giving rise to a conflict that went over for three centuries.
Initially, Iltutmish overran Mewar and destroyed the then capital of Mewar Nagahrada but on receipt of the news that the Vaghela Viradhavala was advancing with his forces to help Jaitrasimha, the Muslims hastily retreated.
The Sultanate forces during invasion of gujarat met somewhere near Chittor and attempted to raid the Guhila territory but were met with strong resistance. The sources are contradicting, as some suggest that Guhila king's feudatory Bhuvanasimha repelled the raid[24] while others suggest that Samarasimha protected his country possibly by paying a tribute.[27]
The Siege of Chittorgarh occurred in 1303, when Alauddin Khalji captured and sacked the Chittor Fort, toppling the Guhila king Ratnasimha, after an eight-month-long siege.
Alauddin renamed Chittor to Khizrabad and assigned it to his son Khizr Khan and later to Maladeva who ruled it as a vassal of the Sultan.[30]
After Hammir regained whole of Mewar, Jaiza fled in panic to the Delhi court of Muhammad bin Tughluq, prompting Tughluq to march towards Mewar.
According to Rajput chronicles, in the ensuing battle, the Tughlaq army was defeated and Muhammad bin Tughlaq was taken prisoner. However historians such as Majumdar and Hooja have rejected the idea of imprisonment of Sultan himself.
Nonetheless, Hammir Singh managed to gain a decisive victory and free whole of Rajputana from Sultanate's rule.[36][32]
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.
The conflict ultimately ended after the defeat and death of the Sultanate's last sultan Ibrahim. After this conflict, Kingdom of Mewar under Rana Sanga had emerged as the most powerful native power in Northern India.[46] Sanga earlier thought that Babur wouldn't stay in Delhi for long but his assumption turned out to be wrong. This brought him in conflict with the Timurids.[47] Babur too realizing the potential threat started preparing for the war. Both powers then engaged in multiple battles, the well known of which were Bayana and Khanwa.
^Majumdar, R.C (1960). The History and Culture of the Indian People: The Delhi Sultante (2nd ed.). Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. pp. Pg- 70 "The story of Hammira's success against the Muslims cannot, therefore, be regarded as altogether baseless. We may accept the conclusion of Ojha that not only Mewar but nearly the whole of Rajputana became practically independent of Delhi Sultanate.".
^ abAhluwalia, Manjit Singh (1978). Muslim Expansion in Rajasthan: The Relations of Delhi Sultanate with Rajasthan, 1206-1526. Yugantar Prakashan. p. 168. Lakshman Simha (Rana Lakha) is said to have defeated the Sultan of Delhi near Badnor and got exemption from the pilgrimage tax imposed on the Hindus for their visits to holy places like Kashi, Gaya and Paryag.
^Hooja, Rima (2006). A History of Rajasthan. Rupa & Company. p. 340. ISBN9788129108906. Kumbha's vigorous policy resulted in an unprecedented expansion of the boundaries of Mewar, besides the acquisition of immense wealth, including ransoms, indemnities and loot
^Rooja, Hima (2006). A History of Rajasthan. Rupa & Company. pp. Pg- 451 "Finally, Sultan Ibrahim Lodi himself took the field against Mewar. However, he too faced a severe setback at the battle of Ghatoli, with Sanga’s triumph crowned by the capture of a prince of Delhi’s ruling dynasty. The Waqayat-i-Mushtaqi by Rizqullah Mushtaqi mentions a Lodi victory over Sanga, though this is not corroborated by other sources ". ISBN978-81-291-0890-6.
^ abJain, Pratibha; Śarmā, Saṅgītā (2004). Honour, Status & Polity. Rawat Publications. ISBN978-81-7033-859-8. The Charans who occupied significant positions in the courts of the rulers were known as Barhats. In Mewar, the descendants of Baru Charan, who came to be known as Sauda Barhats, acquired prominence on account of Baru's timely military assistance to Hammir in regaining his lost throne.
^Lal, Kishori Saran (1968). History of the Khaljis, A.D. 1290-1320. Asia Publishing House. p. 131. Maldeva's greatest enemy was Hammir, Rānã of Sesoda, whose grandfather Lakshman Singh had died with his seven sons including Arsi Singh, father of Hamrair, fighting in the battle of Chittor. Hammīr who had survived the memorable battle, Hammir became the Rana of Sesoda estate and constantly waged war to obtain Chittor Maldeva tried to conciliate him. He married his daughter to Hammīr and ceded certain parts of Chittor to him, but the brave Ränā was determined to regain the whole of Chittor. At last his efforts were crowned with success and after the death of Maldeva in about 1321 A.D. Hammir became master of the whole of Mewar, and assumed the title of Mahãrānā. In an inscription of Mahārānā Kumbhā's time,dated 1438 A.D.;Hammīr is said to have killed a large number of Musalmans. Hammir's descendants have ruled Mewar to the present day
^Bhatnagar, V. S. (1974). Life and Times of Sawai Jai Singh, 1688-1743. Impex India. p. 377. In regards of Allaudin invasion, We do not know the outcome of the campaign. However, even if Amber was conquered by Turkish domination, which seems likely, it is certain that they soon regained freedom by taking advantage of the growing weakness of the Sultanate after 1335 A.D by Raja Junsi (Jawan Singh) in joining Rana Hammir of Mewar against Delhi Sultanate forces.
^Erskine, William. History of India vol.I. p. 480. Rana Sanga in the course of his wars with Delhi having given Sultan Ibrahim a great defeat at Dholpur, many of the neighboring Hindu chiefs, who till then had adhered to the King of Delhi, deserted him, Chanderi was one of the several important places that fell into the hands of the Rana, who bestowed it on the present occupant, Medini Rao.
^Elliot, Henry Miers. History of India Vol. V. p. 19.