1. The name is that of an adaptation of the Rajasthani word ''patwi'' meaning ''first''.

2. Allegedly it was here, during the final heinous battle of the third sack, that a river of blood flowed down, so deep that it swept away a small buffalo (a pada), thereafter the gate was called Padan (Buffalo) Pol. See also GATES (POLS) IN UDAIPUR.

Ala-ud-Din Khilji had long been anxious to add Mewar, and its capital Chittorgarh, to his empire. Following his rewarding siege of Daulatabad, the Sultan considered Padmini a good enough reason to attack Chittor. Early in 1302, he began his attack. The Rajputs, however, held the fort and after eight months of deadlock Ala-ud-Din offered to lift the siege on the condition that he be allowed to have a glimpse of Padmini. Amazingly, as it makes Ratan Singh, his lieutenants and counsellors appear rather gullible, the Rawal agreed. Khilji was allowed to ride up the long winding roadway to the huge main gates with his men, but entered the fort alone, and was taken to Padmini's Palace. He, too, should have known better: Rajputs, as did Muslims, had a strict rule about purdah in that no outside males were permitted to gaze directly upon their womenfolk. So, Khilji had to be satisfied with seeing a reflection of Padmini in a mirror in the queen's summer palace as she appeared on the steps of a pavilion in the middle of a lotus pool just across from the palace. It is said that the mirror was fixed with such efficiency that a person standing on the pavilion's steps could be seen in the mirror, but if the viewer tried to see by turning towards the window he could not see the steps, let alone the desired object. That done, the Rawal, with customary Rajput chivalry, accompanied his enemy back to the main gates with Ala-ud-Din offering many complimentary excuses for the trouble he had caused. The huge wooden portals were dragged open, and the Rawal was about to bid his adversary a (hopefully) final farewell when suddenly Khilji's soldiers waiting in ambush just outside captured Ratan Singh. (Some accounts say this abduction occurred at the foot of the entrance road.) As ransom for the king, Khilji demanded that Padmini be turned over to him, this time unconditionally.

Padmini, who was also very intelligent sent word to the Sultan that she agreed to his ransom, adding that seven hundred personal friends and maids would accompany her. The following morning a processions of palanquins (ostensibly carrying the queen and her handmaidens) duly arrived at the Muslim camp below the fort. Each palanquin was borne by six slaves, who were really armed warriors in disguise. And each palanquin also carried an armed warrior. Gora (the uncle) was in Padmini's palanquin. Nearing Ala-ud-Din's tent, Gora (pretending to be Padmini) expressed a desire to have a final, private meeting with Ratan Singh. With Ala-ud-Din's approval, Padmini's palanquin was carried to Rawal Ratan Singh and all soldiers were withdrawn. As soon as Gora had released Ratan Singh, not enchanting ladies but the fully armed Rajput soldiers, several hundred according to some chronicles, burst from the palanquins. In the ensuing confusion of battle, Ratan Singh escaped and was escorted back to the safety of the fort, but Gora and about five hundred braves were killed. Ala-ud-Din is said to have returned to Delhi disappointed (and to boost the heavily depleted ranks of his army). But he was restless; he constantly thought of capturing Chittor and Padmini.

In January 1303, he again marched south and stormed the citadel with renewed vengeance, the siege lasting another six months. The fort's food supplies finally ran out. Finally realising further resistance would be futile, Padmini led all of the fort's women and children a thousand or so to Kumbha's Palace. There, as the legend goes, they entered an underground chamber, the door was sealed behind them, and a large bonfire was lit. Bravely, they committed the ultimate sacrifice of jauhar, the grisly ritual of suicide by fire, rather than suffer disgrace at the hands of the enemy. The site of the ceremony is unlikely as with or without Padmini, it probably took place at the fort's Mahasati, the traditional royal cremation ground near Chittor's Tower of Victory. In the still to be seen cavern under Kumbha's Palace, there would have been neither space nor air for such an enormous pyre. Possibly that entrance led to an underground tunnel (also said to exist) which, in turn, led to the Gaumukh Reservoir. (Or they simply walked from the palace in procession.) The ladies ritually cleansed themselves in the reservoir's holy waters, attended a ceremony in the neighbouring Sammidheshwar Temple, then (heavily drugged and chanting hymns) moved to the Mahasati area. In his ANNALS AND ANTIQUITIES OF RAJASTHAN, James TOD describes that jauhar (wherever it may have occurred):

The funeral pyre was lit within the great subterranean retreat in chambers impervious to the light of day, and the defenders of Chittor beheld in procession the queens, their own wives and daughters, to the number of several thousands. The fair Padmini closed the throng. They were conveyed to the cavern, and the opening closed upon them leaving them to find security from dishonour in the devouring element.

Their families gone, the men of the fort donned traditional saffron robes of death, threw open the fort's gates, and charged to their mass destruction. Finally victorious, the Sultan rode in to take Padmini only to discover the beautiful, resourceful queen had cheated him one last time.

If all else is fable, at least there was substance to the wholesale jauhar of the women and the men's suicide charge. This happened two more times when Chittor was besieged, in 1534 and, finally, in 1568. On each occasion, thousands of brave men and women gave their lives for Mewar. Fact or fiction, the tragedy of Padmini remains a most inventive, passionate and exciting tale.

Panna Dhai had already fed her beloved son and her royal charge, and put them to bed. A servant (vari) ran in to tell her of the nearby assassination. Immediately, the loyal nursemaid realised what Banbir was doing. She also knew that, for the future of Mewar, young Udai must be saved. Urgently, she instructed the servant to put the sleeping prince into a large basket and smuggle him out of the fort to a spot by the nearby river where she would join them later. As soon as the servant left with the basket and its precious royal contents, she summoned an amazing strength of will that is characteristic of so many Rajputs: she lifted her sleeping son, Chandan, from his bed and placed him on the prince's bed, covering him with a blanket. Within moments, Banbir burst into the room, sword in hand. When asked the whereabouts of the infant Maharana, Panna pointed to the occupied bed ... and watched in horror as the murderer slew her son. Banbir then called a meeting of the Court informed the gathered chiefs that both Vikramaditya and Udai were dead and, claiming his dubious right to the throne, proclaimed himself the new king of Mewar. Meanwhile, the grief-stricken Panna Dhai watched as her son was hastily cremated. She then packed some clothing and meagre supplies into a bag, and hurried from the fort. At the designated spot by the river, she took charge of the young king and urged the servant, in the name of Mewar, not to mention a word of what had transpired that night. The woman and child then began an amazing trek of endurance, which lasted many weeks. They called at several towns seeking refuge from the local Chieftains. However, having heard of events at the capital, and to evade any repercussions from the violent Banbir, the Rawats (Chiefs) refused assistance. As Panna and Udai struggled on through the rugged valleys of the Aravalli ranges, only the local tribals, the BHILS, traditionally faithful to the Mewar crown, gave the couple food and temporary lodgings. Finally, they arrived at KUMBHALGARH, many kilometres west of Chittor, where the local governor, a Jain merchant named ASHA DEPURA SHAH, agreed to give the child protection.

For a couple of years, Panna and the young king remained at Kumbhalgarh, where he was passed off as Asha Shah's nephew. However, in 1539, a chieftain from Marwar visited the fort, and the 17-year-old Udai was sent to receive him. The youth's dignified manner convinced him he was no nephew of the Jain governor, and rumour quickly spread that Udai Singh might still be alive. A deputy of chiefs from Chittor went in secret to Kumbhalgarh, where they interviewed not only the young man, but also Panna Dhai. The royal nursemaid, knowing her young charge would now be in safe hands, told them the full story of the deception and the escape. The nobles proclaimed Udai as their Maharana and his coronation was held at Kumbhalgarh. In 1540, backed by a large combined Mewar and Marwar force, Udai Singh, then aged 18, marched on Chittor to reclaim his throne. Hearing of their approach, Banbir the usurper mounted an army and rode out to repel them. They met at Mavli (northeast of Udaipur-southwest of Chittor) and Banbir was defeated (he was either killed or he escaped, never to return). Maharana Udai Singh rode into Chittor acclaimed by the populace. And at that point, Panna Dhai, the humble nursemaid, disappeared from the pages of Mewar's history. However, her name and her deeds will live forever as symbols of extraordinary loyalty, patriotism, and personal sacrifice. But for her, the long reign of the House of Mewar would surely have ended, and the city of Udaipur, later founded by Udai Singh, would never have existed.

Genealogy: Kishan Singh; Ram Singh; Harinath Singh; Kalyan Singh; Tej Singh (adopted from Bhindar).

Genealogy: Kalyan Singh; Jaswant Singh; Mokham Singh; Prithvi Singh; Naval Singh; Deep Singh; Rai Singh; and Shiv Singh.

Genealogy: Kesri Singh; Nahar Singh; Raghunnath Singh; Raj Singh; Sangram Singh; Savant Singh; Lal Singh I; Laxman Singh; Ratan Singh; Lal Singh II.

Genealogy: Bhagwat Singh; Gulab Singh; Abhey Singh; Vijai Singh; Mukand Singh; Mohan Singh; Badan Singh; Laxman Singh; Jodh Singh.

Genealogy: Ratan Singh; Udai Bhan; Durjansal; Roop Singh; Sangram Singh; Bharat Singh; Takhat Singh; Jai Singh; Chatur Singh; Jalim Singh; Amar Singh.

Genealogy: Kalyan Singh; Hari Singh; Hathi Singh; Bagh Singh; Jai Singh; Kesri Singh; Bhim Singh I; Jalim Singh; Gokal Das; Himmat Singh (received the title of ''Rawat''); Laxman Singh; Kishan Singh; Jeewan Singh; Bhim Singh II; Sajjan Singh.

Hindu: Amba Mata Mandir (Temple); Bora Ganeshji Temple; Hazareshwar Mahadeo; Jagdish Mandir (Temple); Karni Mata Temple; Laxmi Mandir; Maachla Magra; Neemuch Mata; Sheetal Nathji; Shiv Cave (near Titardi Village).

Islam: Paltan-ki-Masjid.

Sikh: Guru Singh Sabah Gudhwara.

Jain: Jain Mandir.

Christian: Church of North India (Protestant); Our Lady of Fatima (Catholic); Rajasthani Pentecostal Church; Theosophical Lodge. See also PILGRIMAGE SITES, UDAIPUR.

ARVIND SINGH MEWAR, a skilled rider and polo player in earlier days, is the proud owner of several outstanding polo ponies. The royal ponies are kept at the Imperial Stud Farm near Udaipur''s ultimate safari-style hotel, Shikarbadi near Goverdhan Lake, where guests can treat themselves to a game of Polo. One of the leading polo entrepreneurs in India and the UK, Arvind Singh has sponsored The Udaipur Cup tournament at the Cambridge and Newmarket Polo Club. Among his other interests are the Imperial Riding and Polo Club, of which he is Vice President, and the Udaipur Equine Institute where prize polo ponies are bred and trained for the Mewar polo team. Guided by Arvind Singh''s vision, Mewar Polo has emerged as a leading team, winning laurels and setting standards in a demanding sport. He says with conviction, "Polo is going to be the most spectacular sport for the next 200 years." Since the 1980s, he has been instrumental in training and grooming young polo players and providing them with the finest horses and playing conditions possible. One of the stars of the Mewar team is LOKENDRA RATHORE, today his son-in-law, married to his daughter, BHARGAVI KUMARI MEWAR, who manages the HRH Group''s RAMGARH RESORT AND POLO COMPLEX just outside Jaipur.

Genealogy: Kalyan Singh; Jaswant Singh; Mohkam Singh; Prithvi Singh; Naval Singh; Deep Singh; Rai Singh; Shiv Singh.

Pratap's own sons were numerous: Crown Prince Amar Singh, Bhagwan Das, Sahasa (Sahasmal), Gopal, Kachra, Sanwal Dass, Durjan Singh, Kalyan Dass, Chanda (Chandra Singh), Sekha, Pooran Mal (Pura or Puranmal), Hathi, Ram Singh, Jaswant Singh, Mara, Natha, and Rai Bhan. His brother, Sakta, had an altercation with Pratap when they were teenagers, the outcome of which proved fatal for a priest who intervened, and led Sakta to quit Mewar and join the forces of AKBAR (see SAKTA SINGH, KUNWAR also UDAI SINGH II, MAHARANA).

At the time of Pratap's accession, many important areas of Mewar, including the ancient capital of Chittor, were under Akbar's control. Pratap vowed to free Mewar and regain the ancient capital. Akbar had Chittor but not Mewar, and he needed to subjugate this defiant kingdom to achieve his own dream of bringing all of India under Mughal rule. By 1573, Akbar accepted the fact that Pratap would never acknowledge the Empire's superiority and the Emperor was loath to venture into the treacherous hilly territory of the Aravallis. The only course left to him was to negotiate a peace treaty with the stubborn Maharana. During the year, he sent a total of six diplomatic missions to Mewar trying to negotiate a peace treaty. All attempts were unsuccessful, the Maharana repeatedly enforcing his view that he was prepared only to sign a treaty with the Mughals without sacrificing his sovereignty and Mewar's independence. Indeed, on the third visit of Man Singh of Amber, Pratap and his nobles even insulted the Rajput general now in the employ of the Imperial army (see MAN SINGH, KUNWAR). Humiliated by this diplomatic defeat, Akbar decided to annihilate Pratap, but was unable to move in this direction for another two and a half years. Meanwhile Akbar addressed a quandary and by the end of 1570, although he had won over all major Rajput rulers (except Pratap), many of them secretly admired Pratap's spirit. Having promised their loyalty to the Emperor in any future battle, they knew they would be in a predicament should Akbar decide to attack Mewar. Akbar was aware they might not take arms against Pratap, who was fast becoming a local hero.

With the failure of efforts to negotiate a peace treaty in 1573, Akbar blockaded Mewar from the rest of the world and alienated Mewar's traditional allies, some of them Pratap's own kith and kin. The Emperor then tried to turn the people of the all-important Chittor district against their king so they would not help Pratap. He appointed Kunwar Sagar Singh, a younger brother of Pratap, to rule the conquered territory, However, Sagar, regretting his own treachery, soon returned Chittor, and committed suicide with a dagger in the Mughal Court. Sakta Singh, Pratap's younger brother now with the Mughal army, is said to have fled the Mughal court temporarily and warned his brother of Akbar's actions. Pratap prepared for the inevitable showdown with the Mughals.

He moved the seat of government from Udaipur to Kumbhalgarh where he had been born thirty-two years earlier. Advised by his experienced chieftains, he remodelled his government, adapting it to the necessities of the time and to his slender resources. He strengthened Kumbhalgarh and other mountain fortresses. His most controversial dictum affected all of his people as he commanded his subjects on pain of death to retire into the mountains, employing a drastic scorched earth policy behind them, rendering the garden of Rajasthan of no value to the conqueror. He posted soldiers to guard Haldighati Pass, a main artery between Udaipur and the north. Needing every warrior he could find, he also developed his earlier friendship with the Bhils. As an example to all, Pratap made personal sacrifices: until they enjoyed victory over the Mughals, he promised not to eat off gold or silverware but off pattras (plates) of leaves and not to sleep on a bed but on a straw-filled palliasse, and not to shave his beard. Without giving thought to the absolute power that they were up against, Pratap's band of mountain warriors began attacking Mughal strongholds. They raided goods caravans, the commerce already established between the Mughal court and Europe, which was conveyed through Mewar from Surat and other southern ports.

On February 17, 1576, Akbar left his new capital of Fatehpur Sikri on an annual pilgrimage to the mosque of Muslim saint, CHISTI, at Ajmer. While there, he planned his onslaught of Mewar. First, he marshalled a massive army that now included many of the Rajputs who had gone over to the Mughals, and inducted more Rajput royalty. With such examples, other minor chiefs of Rajputana also yielded to the financial temptation and became satraps of Delhi. Cunningly, he chose Pratap's bete noir, Man Singh of Amber, aged only 26, to command the Imperial army, telling him to march towards Gogunda and Kumbhalgarh. Akbar then returned to Fatehpur Sikri.

The odds against Pratap were awesome. Records show that Pratap had only twenty thousand soldiers in comparison with the Mughals' eighty thousand. Finally, on April 3, 1576, Man Singh left Ajmer at the head of most of the Imperial Army. He arrived at Mandalgarh in eastern Mewar (40 km. northeast of Chittor) where he encamped for about two months; possibly hoping Pratap would attack, thus leaving the protection of the hills for the plains where he would be vulnerable. When intelligence of Man Singh's movements reached Pratap he left Kumbhalgarh for Gogunda. There he held a meeting to plan war strategy. His nobles and chieftains pledged to fight to the finish and offered their lives for the freedom of their beloved Mewar. It was decided not to fight the enemy on the plains but to lure them into the rugged hills where the Mughal army would be encumbered. Dawn broke on the morning of June 18, 1576. The pitched battle that followed lasted only four hours but it was Pratap and Mewar's greatest moment (see HALDIGHATI, BATTLE OF). Although Pratap was forced to retire wounded, and although the outcome was indecisive with neither side able to claim victory, some chroniclers consider it was "a glorious defeat" for the Maharana (Tod in his Annals) and a massive disappointment for Akbar, as it did not win him Mewar. However, the battle did produce several noteworthy moments. Among them: Pratap's estranged brother SAKTA appeared and saved Pratap's life from Mughal pursuers; and, to his great distress, the Maharana lost his beloved horse, CHETAK.

A valiant survivor, Pratap retreated into the Aravalli wilderness and vowed to continue his fight against the Mughals. Secure in make shift mountain encampments, Pratap realised that, if utilised properly, a small army could win out against the might of the Imperial force. He changed his tactics from frontal assault, as at Haldighati, to guerilla warfare, attacking the enemy where and when they least expected it, using the rugged hills as cover. He soon proved his point, when Akbar waged three more campaigns against Pratap, all of which failed. With the spring of 1577 the foe returned and Pratap was again defeated. He retreated to his capital at Kumbhalgarh. In 1578-79, Akbar's foster-brother, Shahbaj Khan invested the fort. Pratap made a gallant and protracted resistance, and did not retire till insects polluted the water of the fort's main well. He retired to Chavand in the mountainous area of Chappan, southeast of Mewar, making it his new capital. Still harassed by Mughal attacks, Pratap and his kinsmen subsisted on fruit and berries in the ravines for many years. He never lost heart; he collected his bands with the help of money donated by his generous minister BHAMA SHAH. In one short campaign, he recovered all of Mewar, except Chittor, Ajmer and Mandalgarh. Mughal commander, Shabaj Khan, stationed at Ajmer, was sent for the last time into Mewar to suppress the activities of Pratap. In 1582, the final battle was fought and won by Mewar under the command of Pratap's son and heir, Prince Amar Singh at the strategic town of Diwer near Haldighati, which the Mughals had captured in their push south after the famous battle.

Thus the years rolled away, each ending with a diminution of his means. His family was his chief source of anxiety as he dreaded their captivity, an apprehension often on the point of being realised. On one occasion faithful Bhils saved the women and children by carrying them in wicker baskets and concealing them in the mines of ZAWAR, where they guarded and fed them. Often he had cause to reflect upon his misfortunes, having witnessed sons and relatives, his bravest nobles, and many of his faithful subjects die on the battlefield. He tried to justify this with the epithet, "For this the Rajput was born." But it was the starvation of his family that finally made him curse the name of royalty and send a note to Akbar demanding "a mitigation of his hardship". Hearing of the pitiful note, a prince of Bikaner, the Rathore Prithiraj sent a return note to his old ally, Pratap Singh. The message had a decided effect upon the despondent Maharana. It weighed heavily upon him to be told that every Rajput now looked to him for salvation and gave Pratap the courage to renew his struggle for his homeland (see PRATAP'S LETTER FROM PRITHIRAJ). Around this period in the Pratap Singh story, yet another legend was born about a dispirited Pratap deciding to actually quit Mewar and take up residence in the Indus Valley (see PRATAP TO QUIT MEWAR). However, this may be more myth than legend.

After 1587, Akbar relinquished his obsessive pursuit of Maharana Pratap and took his battles into the Punjab and India's Northwest Frontier. Thus for the last ten years of his life, Pratap ruled in relative peace and eventually freed most of Mewar, including Udaipur and Kumbhalgarh, but not Chittor. Bhagwat Singh Mewar said: "Maharana Pratap Singh (was) called the light and life of the Hindu community. There were times when he and his family and children ate bread made of grass." Pratap became a patron of the Arts. During his reign Padmavat Charita and the poems of Dursa Ahada were written. Palaces at Ubheshwar, Kamal Nath and Chavand bear testimony to Pratap's love of architecture. These buildings, built in the dense hilly forest have walls adorned with military-style architecture. But Pratap's broken spirit overpowered him in the twilight of his years. His last moments were an appropriate commentary on his life, when he swore his successor, Crown Prince Amar Singh to eternal conflict against the foes of his country's independence, although he secretly feared otherwise (see PRATAP'S CONCERN ABOUT AMAR). However, though all other Rajput kingdoms fell victim to Akbar, because of Maharana Pratap Singh's valiant and undaunted efforts, most of Mewar remained free. Maharana Pratap Singh I, Mewar's greatest hero, was seriously injured in a hunting accident. He died at Chavand, aged 56, on January 29, 1597. Almost penniless, many of his dreams went unfulfilled. His son and heir, Amar Singh, succeeded him.

James Tod in his Annals:

There is not a pass in the alpine Aravalli that is not sanctified by some deed of the great freedom fighter, Maharana Pratap Singh, some brilliant victory or, more often, more glorious defeat.

The hopes of the Hindu rest on the Hindu; yet the Rana forsakes them. But for Pratap, all would be placed on the same level by Akbar; for our chiefs have lost their valour and our females their honour. Akbar is the broker in the market of our race: he has purchased all but the son of Udai (Singh II of Mewar); he is beyond his price. What true Rajput would part with honour for nine days (nauroza); yet how many have bartered it away? Will Chittor come to this market ...? Though Patta (an affectionate name for Pratap Singh) has squandered away wealth (on warfare), yet he has preserved this treasure. Despair has driven Man to this market, to witness their dishonour: from such infamy the descendant of Hamir alone has been preserved. The world asks, from where does the concealed aid of Pratap emanate? None but the soul of manliness and his sword ... The broker in the market of men (Akbar) will one day be surpassed; he cannot live forever. Then will our race come to Pratap, for the seed of the Rajput to sow in our desolate lands. To him all look for its preservation, that its purity may again become resplendent.

This famous letter led to Pratap reversing his decision and not submitting to the Mughals, as was his initial but reluctant intention.

The crux came when Maharana Raimal, pleased with the service of his uncle, SARANGDEO of Batheda, gave him the additional jagir of Bhainsrorgarh. As the old nobleman was now an anathema to the Crown Prince, Prithvi Raj objected and wrote to his father stating that, if he kept giving away these large estates to people like Sarangdeo, the kingdom would soon be worthless. Raimal, impatient with his eldest son''s continually unpleasant attitude, replied, "I gave the land to my uncle for a good reason, in gratitude for what he has done for the House of Mewar. If you do not approve, you are free to do whatever you like." The inference was for the Crown Prince to sort out the problem himself, and that is what Prithvi Raj did (more or less) ... he marched on Bhainsrorgarh with two thousand horsemen. Sarangdeo, knowing it would be unwise to encourage bloodshed, fled and joined forces with Maharana Raimal's brother, SURAJMAL of Bari Sadri. This complicated matters, as Surajmal was the wealthy owner of several large tracts of Mewari land, and there was no love lost between him and his brother, the Maharana. The latter had already expressed his feelings in open court that Surajmal, who had forcibly occupied the lands he now held, was "an eyesore", and that he (the Maharana) would not be able to sleep peacefully until Surajmal was punished. Now, his favoured uncle had thrown his might behind that of his brother. This led Maharana Raimal to decide that, perhaps his own brother, Surajmal, was really the cause of all of the past trouble ("the pain in my heart") between the royal princes. His decision to get rid of Surajmal was eagerly seconded by Prithvi Raj and he volunteered to help break Surajmal's power.

When news broke of this imminent threat against Surajmal, the rebel uncles took the initiative: they made plans to attack Chittor and the Maharana. The Maharana began assembling his own army. Meanwhile, as the respective troops were preparing for the civil war, Surajmal and Sarangdeo added fuel to the fire by hurrying to Mandu to meet Raimal's long-time foe, Sultan Ghiyas-ud-Din of Malwa. When invited, he was only too happy to join them in their campaign against Raimal, who had humiliated Ghiyas by defeating him on numerous occasions. When Maharana Raimal learned that the combined armies of Sarangdeo, Surajmal, and Ghiyas-ud-Din were heading for Chittor, he valiantly led his own army out to meet the aggressors. The two battalions met on the banks of the Gambhiri River. It was a tough battle, and the Maharana was in danger of defeat, when Crown Prince Prithvi Raj arrived from Kumbhalgarh at the head of his force, which joined the main Mewar battalion. The fight see-sawed all day, with both sides losing many soldiers and suffering many wounded. Maharana Raimal bore twenty-two injuries while Sarangdeo and Surajmal both fell wounded. At sunset, the battle ended for the day, and both armies retired to their respective camps to dress their wounds. Chivalry being an art in those times, that night Prithvi Raj, after attending to his father's wounds, visited his Uncle Surajmal's camp possibly to inquire after his health. Surajmal, with his wounds bandaged, was resting in the fading glow of twilight. On seeing his nephew, Surajmal struggled up from his couch out of respect for the Crown Prince. Because of the strain, a few of his wounds opened up and started bleeding. (The following dialogue is based on Ozha's historical record of the occasion in his book, Vir Vinod.)

Prithvi Raj asked, "Uncle, are you all right?"

"I am very happy that you came to see me," Surajmal replied.

Despite Surajmal's efforts at amicability, Prithvi Raj merely nodded, then offered, politely enough, "I have come here to see you after attending the Maharana's wounds."

"That's how Rajputs behave," said Surajmal, equally polite.

Then Prithvi Raj became serious. "Uncle, please keep in mind that I will not allow you to keep an inch of land belonging to my father."

Surajmal, though unsteady, nevertheless stood his ground. Soberly he stated, "And I will not give you enough land to sleep on a comfortable bed."

"Then we shall meet again in the battlefield tomorrow."

Surajmal paused, and then became abrupt. "Very well." And Prithvi Raj returned to his camp.

In that second battle the following morning, Sarangdeo received another thirty-five wounds and his son, Limba, was killed. Prithvi Raj managed to collect seven injuries. Surajmal was also badly wounded again. Their soldiers took Sarangdeo and Surajmal to their respective camps. Prithvi Raj went to be with his wounded father, the Maharana. Another day in the civil war had ended. Following their defeat, there seemed no point in trying to continue their struggle against a hot head like the Crown Prince, so Ghiyas-ud-Din went back to Malwa, Surajmal retired to Bari Sadri and Sarangdeo returned to Batheda.

One day, possibly on his journey to his home, Surajmal visited Sarangdeo at Batheda. By coincidence, or perhaps in pursuit, Prithvi Raj rode into the town that same day with 1,000 of his cavalry. Surajmal and Sarangdeo were sharing a meal by campfire, not realising their family enemy was at hand. When Prithvi Raj entered their camp, Surajmal and Sarangdeo grabbed for their weapons. Surajmal warned his nephew, the Crown Prince, "We do not want to kill you, else the throne of Mewar would be without an heir." Then, chivalrously, he held out his sword. "But you can kill me. Strike."

Ignoring the challenge, Prithvi Raj dismounted from his horse and asked with suspicion, "Uncle, what were you doing?"

Surajmal replied, "Enjoying the camp fire."

In spite of the fact that you have an enemy like me always on your heels?"

Wearily, Surajmal replied, "Yes, my child."

Prithvi Raj nodded, then retired to his own camp. The following morning, Surajmal went home to Bari Sadri. Prithvi Raj sent a message to Sarangdeo to meet him for darshan at the nearby Durga temple. There, Prithvi Raj slaughtered a goat as an offering to the goddess Durga, yet despite his reverent manner he still had not forgotten the many wounds he had suffered at the hands of his great-uncle-in the fight with Sanga, and during the recent civil warfare. When Sarangdeo knelt to make an offering, Prithvi Raj took his chance: drawing his katar (a dagger), he stabbed Sarangdeo. As he fell, the older man tried to strike back, but missed. Within a matter of minutes he was dead.

After killing Sarangdeo, Prithvi Raj went to Bari Sadri. He met briefly with his uncle, Surajmal, and then visited the ladies' apartment to see his aunt, Surajmal's wife. He told her he was hungry and his aunt ordered a meal for him. When the food was served to Prithvi Raj, Surajmal entered the tent, intending to share it. On seeing her husband sitting with Prithvi Raj, Surajmal's wife quickly removed the bowl of food, which contained poison. With regret, Surajmal told Prithvi Raj, "I have blood relations with you, my nephew, but your aunty does not. By your death she would not have lost anything, but I would have lost my nephew, and Mewar its heir. Now it's time for me to leave Mewar."

Prithvi Raj protested, "Uncle, you may keep Mewar." However, the brave man refused.

Surajmal quit his homeland and formed a new kingdom, now known as Pratapgarh. Meanwhile, Maharana Jaimal, though he had been at war with his uncle, was now saddened by Sarangdeo's murder, and gave his jagir of Batheda to his son, Jagga. It is not recorded whether or not Prithvi Raj was rebuked, but he returned to his exile at Kumbhalgarh. However, as predicted, succession was not to be part of Prithvi Raj's future. Restless by nature, he set out on the trail of adventure (James TOD called him "the Roland of his age"). His daring exploits became a favourite subject of BARDS. (20th century storyteller, S.O. Heinemann, gave a vivid account of some of these adventures in his book, Poems of Mewar, published by Vintage Books in 1919 and reprinted in 1990.) In decades to come, whenever Rajput warriors assembled at a feast after a day's sport, or on a sultry evening spread on the carpet on the terrace to 'inhale the leaf' or 'take a cup' of kasumba (an infusion of opium), they enjoyed listening to these tales of Prithvi Raj recited by a bard. Later in life, his brother-in-law, the Rao of Sirohi, poisoned Prithvi Raj. He rode quickly back north to his palace at Kumbhalgarh, where he died. His chhatri sill stands near the temple of Mamadeo (Kumbhswami) where he was cremated, and where sixteen of his wives committed sati. By then, his brother, Jaimal, next in line for the throne, was also dead. Thus, as Fate decreed as Sanga, and not Prithvi Raj, succeeded as the next Maharana of Mewar.