Siege of Ranthambore
Encyclopedia
Siege of Ranthambore, on February 8 1568, Akbar lead a massive Mughal Army
composed of over 50,000 men and besieged Ranthambore Fort
. Akbar had become emboldened after his victories at the Battle of Thanesar
and the Siege of Chittorgarh
and only Ranthambore Fort
remained unconquered. Akbar believed that Ranthambore Fort
was a major threat to Mughal Empire
because it housed Rajput
s who considered themselves sworn enemies of the Mughal
s.
Akbar had first besieged Ranthambore Fort
in the year 1558, but decided instead to capture Gwalior, northern Rajputana
and Jaunpur
.
victories around Rajputana
and the fall of Akbar's most notorious enemies during the Siege of Chittorgarh
, Akbar decided to capture Ranthambore Fort
, which was considered the strongest fortress in Rajputana
and widely believed to be impregnable.
The Rajput
s in Ranthambore Fort
were under the command of Rai Surjan Hada, of the Hada clan of Bundi
. Rai Surjan Hada was greatly demoralized by Akbar's victory during the Siege of Chittorgarh
but however refused to surrender at first.
. Akbar then led an army of more than 30,000 Mughals bringing along with themselves some of the most largest cannons ever built in the Mughal Empire
. Akbars ranks expanded to over 70,000 within weeks of the siege.
Akbar setup the Red
imperial tent in front of the hill that lead to the gateway into Ranthambore Fort
. Akbar then armed his camp with massive cannons three of which were more than 15ft long. Akbar then ordered his men to capture three nearby rocky outcrops, Akbar then placed cannon batteries on those positions. it was from these three positions that Akbar bombarded Ranthambore Fort
, which was perched on top of a steep rock cliff.
As the siege continued Akbar placed even bigger cannon
s and high velocity mortar
s on the two rocky outcrops facing Ranthambore Fort
. Akbar also ordered his men to begin constructing sabats, or covered ways, in order to allow the army to move nearer to the enemy. Within weeks the sabats allow Akbar's men to gain control of territories just underneath the steep slope of Ranthambore Fort
. The Mughals built prefabricated walls to protect their gains around the fort and then placed highly accurate narrow barreled long-cannon
s that were about 20-25ft in length. The long-cannons and Volley gun
s that were effectively utilized during the siege were known to have been designed by the prestigious inventor Fathullah Shirazi
.
As a result of such close bombardment flames began to shoot out from the buildings within the fort's walls and the sky is black with smoke, even War elephant
s within the fort went rouge. It was during this stage that Akbar personally massed soldiers near the gates of the fort and was ready to advance on the fort.
Finally on March 21 1568, Rai Surjan Hada opened the gate of Ranthambore Fort
and allowed the Mughal Army
to enter after he collected statues of Hindu
deities from the temples and personally welcomed Akbar into Ranthambore Fort
. Akbar then invited Rai Surjan Hada to his imperial camp and in the evening of that very day Rai Surjan Hada, the ruler of Ranthambhor, submitted to the Mughal Emperor Akbar, after a fiercely fought campaign of immense strategic importance to the expansion of the Mughal Empire
. Akbar is known to have been seated on a throne under a canopy, when Rai Surjan Hada bowed in submission before him.
Mehtar Khan was then appointed by Akbar to be the commander of the Mughal
garrison at Ranthambore Fort
after Rai Surjan Hada was sent to Bundi
.
Rajput
s eventually surrendered Ranthambore Fort
, which was considered to be impregnable. Akbar then marched towards Kalinjar Fort, and the Rajput
s there also surrendered without objection.
Mughal Army
The Mughal Army was the army of the Mughal Empire.Mirza Najaf Khan was commander in chief of the Mughal Army from 1772 till his death in April 1782.The art of Mughal warfare brought about a complete change in the way wars were fought in the Indian...
composed of over 50,000 men and besieged Ranthambore Fort
Ranthambore Fort
Ranthambore Fort is a formidable fort and has been a focal point of historical developments of Rajasthan. It is situated near Sawai Madhopur town in Rajasthan....
. Akbar had become emboldened after his victories at the Battle of Thanesar
Battle of Thanesar
Battle of Thanesar, was fought during the summer in the year 1567, near Thanesar on the banks of the Sarsawati Ghaggar River in the state of Haryana...
and the Siege of Chittorgarh
Siege of Chittorgarh
Siege of Chittor, Siege of Chittorgarh, In October 1567, well equipped Mughal forces of approximately 5000 men led by Akbar surrounded and besieged 8000 Hindu Rajputs in Chittorgarh Fort and within a few months Akbar's ranks expanded to over 50,000 men and possibly more than 60,000 troops during...
and only Ranthambore Fort
Ranthambore Fort
Ranthambore Fort is a formidable fort and has been a focal point of historical developments of Rajasthan. It is situated near Sawai Madhopur town in Rajasthan....
remained unconquered. Akbar believed that Ranthambore Fort
Ranthambore Fort
Ranthambore Fort is a formidable fort and has been a focal point of historical developments of Rajasthan. It is situated near Sawai Madhopur town in Rajasthan....
was a major threat to Mughal Empire
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
because it housed Rajput
Rajput
A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...
s who considered themselves sworn enemies of the Mughal
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
s.
Akbar had first besieged Ranthambore Fort
Ranthambore Fort
Ranthambore Fort is a formidable fort and has been a focal point of historical developments of Rajasthan. It is situated near Sawai Madhopur town in Rajasthan....
in the year 1558, but decided instead to capture Gwalior, northern Rajputana
Rajputana
Rājputāna was the pre-1949 name of the present-day Indian state of Rājasthān, the largest state of the Republic of India in terms of area. George Thomas was the first in 1800 A.D., to term this region as Rajputana...
and Jaunpur
Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh
Jaunpur is a city and a municipal board in Jaunpur district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.Jaunpur district is located to the northwest of the district of Varanasi in the eastern part of the North Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. According to the 2001 census, Jaunpur district had a population...
.
Background
After successful MughalMughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
victories around Rajputana
Rajputana
Rājputāna was the pre-1949 name of the present-day Indian state of Rājasthān, the largest state of the Republic of India in terms of area. George Thomas was the first in 1800 A.D., to term this region as Rajputana...
and the fall of Akbar's most notorious enemies during the Siege of Chittorgarh
Siege of Chittorgarh
Siege of Chittor, Siege of Chittorgarh, In October 1567, well equipped Mughal forces of approximately 5000 men led by Akbar surrounded and besieged 8000 Hindu Rajputs in Chittorgarh Fort and within a few months Akbar's ranks expanded to over 50,000 men and possibly more than 60,000 troops during...
, Akbar decided to capture Ranthambore Fort
Ranthambore Fort
Ranthambore Fort is a formidable fort and has been a focal point of historical developments of Rajasthan. It is situated near Sawai Madhopur town in Rajasthan....
, which was considered the strongest fortress in Rajputana
Rajputana
Rājputāna was the pre-1949 name of the present-day Indian state of Rājasthān, the largest state of the Republic of India in terms of area. George Thomas was the first in 1800 A.D., to term this region as Rajputana...
and widely believed to be impregnable.
The Rajput
Rajput
A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...
s in Ranthambore Fort
Ranthambore Fort
Ranthambore Fort is a formidable fort and has been a focal point of historical developments of Rajasthan. It is situated near Sawai Madhopur town in Rajasthan....
were under the command of Rai Surjan Hada, of the Hada clan of Bundi
Bundi
Bundi is a city and a municipality of approximately 88,000 inhabitants in the Hadoti region of Rajasthan state in northwest India. It is of particular architectural note for its ornate forts, palaces, and stepwell reservoirs known as baoris...
. Rai Surjan Hada was greatly demoralized by Akbar's victory during the Siege of Chittorgarh
Siege of Chittorgarh
Siege of Chittor, Siege of Chittorgarh, In October 1567, well equipped Mughal forces of approximately 5000 men led by Akbar surrounded and besieged 8000 Hindu Rajputs in Chittorgarh Fort and within a few months Akbar's ranks expanded to over 50,000 men and possibly more than 60,000 troops during...
but however refused to surrender at first.
Siege
The Siege of Ranthambore began in February 8 1568, elite Mughal force of 5,000 captured an 8 mile circumference around Ranthambore FortRanthambore Fort
Ranthambore Fort is a formidable fort and has been a focal point of historical developments of Rajasthan. It is situated near Sawai Madhopur town in Rajasthan....
. Akbar then led an army of more than 30,000 Mughals bringing along with themselves some of the most largest cannons ever built in the Mughal Empire
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
. Akbars ranks expanded to over 70,000 within weeks of the siege.
Akbar setup the Red
Red
Red is any of a number of similar colors evoked by light consisting predominantly of the longest wavelengths of light discernible by the human eye, in the wavelength range of roughly 630–740 nm. Longer wavelengths than this are called infrared , and cannot be seen by the naked eye...
imperial tent in front of the hill that lead to the gateway into Ranthambore Fort
Ranthambore Fort
Ranthambore Fort is a formidable fort and has been a focal point of historical developments of Rajasthan. It is situated near Sawai Madhopur town in Rajasthan....
. Akbar then armed his camp with massive cannons three of which were more than 15ft long. Akbar then ordered his men to capture three nearby rocky outcrops, Akbar then placed cannon batteries on those positions. it was from these three positions that Akbar bombarded Ranthambore Fort
Ranthambore Fort
Ranthambore Fort is a formidable fort and has been a focal point of historical developments of Rajasthan. It is situated near Sawai Madhopur town in Rajasthan....
, which was perched on top of a steep rock cliff.
As the siege continued Akbar placed even bigger cannon
Cannon
A cannon is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellents to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees,...
s and high velocity mortar
Mortar
Mortar has several meanings:* Mortar , material used in masonry to fill the gaps between blocks and bind them together.* Mortar fires shells at a much lower velocity and higher ballistic arc than other ordnance....
s on the two rocky outcrops facing Ranthambore Fort
Ranthambore Fort
Ranthambore Fort is a formidable fort and has been a focal point of historical developments of Rajasthan. It is situated near Sawai Madhopur town in Rajasthan....
. Akbar also ordered his men to begin constructing sabats, or covered ways, in order to allow the army to move nearer to the enemy. Within weeks the sabats allow Akbar's men to gain control of territories just underneath the steep slope of Ranthambore Fort
Ranthambore Fort
Ranthambore Fort is a formidable fort and has been a focal point of historical developments of Rajasthan. It is situated near Sawai Madhopur town in Rajasthan....
. The Mughals built prefabricated walls to protect their gains around the fort and then placed highly accurate narrow barreled long-cannon
Cannon
A cannon is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellents to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees,...
s that were about 20-25ft in length. The long-cannons and Volley gun
Volley gun
A volley gun is a gun with several barrels for firing a number of shots, either simultaneously or in sequence. They differ from modern machine guns in that they lack automatic loading and automatic fire and are limited by the number of barrels bundled together.In practice the large ones were not...
s that were effectively utilized during the siege were known to have been designed by the prestigious inventor Fathullah Shirazi
Fathullah Shirazi
Fathullah Shirazi , sometimes referred to as Amir Fathullah Shirazi, was a Persian-Indian polymath—a scholar, Islamic jurist, finance minister, mechanical engineer, inventor, mathematician, astronomer, physician, philosopher and artist—who worked for Akbar the Great, ruler of the Mughal...
.
As a result of such close bombardment flames began to shoot out from the buildings within the fort's walls and the sky is black with smoke, even War elephant
War elephant
A war elephant was an elephant trained and guided by humans for combat. Their main use was to charge the enemy, trampling them and breaking their ranks. A division of war elephants is known as elephantry....
s within the fort went rouge. It was during this stage that Akbar personally massed soldiers near the gates of the fort and was ready to advance on the fort.
Finally on March 21 1568, Rai Surjan Hada opened the gate of Ranthambore Fort
Ranthambore Fort
Ranthambore Fort is a formidable fort and has been a focal point of historical developments of Rajasthan. It is situated near Sawai Madhopur town in Rajasthan....
and allowed the Mughal Army
Mughal Army
The Mughal Army was the army of the Mughal Empire.Mirza Najaf Khan was commander in chief of the Mughal Army from 1772 till his death in April 1782.The art of Mughal warfare brought about a complete change in the way wars were fought in the Indian...
to enter after he collected statues of Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
deities from the temples and personally welcomed Akbar into Ranthambore Fort
Ranthambore Fort
Ranthambore Fort is a formidable fort and has been a focal point of historical developments of Rajasthan. It is situated near Sawai Madhopur town in Rajasthan....
. Akbar then invited Rai Surjan Hada to his imperial camp and in the evening of that very day Rai Surjan Hada, the ruler of Ranthambhor, submitted to the Mughal Emperor Akbar, after a fiercely fought campaign of immense strategic importance to the expansion of the Mughal Empire
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
. Akbar is known to have been seated on a throne under a canopy, when Rai Surjan Hada bowed in submission before him.
Mehtar Khan was then appointed by Akbar to be the commander of the Mughal
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
garrison at Ranthambore Fort
Ranthambore Fort
Ranthambore Fort is a formidable fort and has been a focal point of historical developments of Rajasthan. It is situated near Sawai Madhopur town in Rajasthan....
after Rai Surjan Hada was sent to Bundi
Bundi
Bundi is a city and a municipality of approximately 88,000 inhabitants in the Hadoti region of Rajasthan state in northwest India. It is of particular architectural note for its ornate forts, palaces, and stepwell reservoirs known as baoris...
.
Aftermath
After being besieged for more than a month Rai Surjan Hada and his HinduHindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
Rajput
Rajput
A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...
s eventually surrendered Ranthambore Fort
Ranthambore Fort
Ranthambore Fort is a formidable fort and has been a focal point of historical developments of Rajasthan. It is situated near Sawai Madhopur town in Rajasthan....
, which was considered to be impregnable. Akbar then marched towards Kalinjar Fort, and the Rajput
Rajput
A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...
s there also surrendered without objection.