BRAVE RAWAT PATTA SISODIA - IMMORTAL RAJPUTS

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Rawat Patta Sisodia

The Annals of Mewar remember the heroic deeds of Rawat Patta Sisodia and Jaimal Rathore, during the 3rd and final Siege of the Fort of Chittor, 1567-68 in following words ---"

There were many chiefs who defended Chittor in it's history.......But the names which shine brightest in this gloomy page of the annals of Mewar,the names immortalised by Akbar's own pen, are those of Jaimal of Bednor and Patta of Kailwa, both from the sixteen superior vassals of Chittor.......The first was a Rathore of the Merta house, the bravest of the brave clans of Marwar; the other was head of the Jugawats, another grand shoot from Chunda. The names, "Jaimaland Patta," always inseparable, are as household words in Mewar, and will be honoured while the Rajput retains a shred of his inheritance or a spark of his ancient recollections. When Sahidas fell at SurajPol , the command devolved on Patta of Kailwa. He was only sixteen. His father had fallen in the last siege, and his mother had survived but to rear this the sole heir of her house.

 

25 feb. 1568 C.E. Mughal Akbar attack Chittod and Mother of Patta Chundawat and  wife fought in the battle donning male attire and died fighting.

Like the Spartan mother of old, she commanded him to put on the saffron robe (kesariya), and to die for Chittor; but, surpassing the Grecian dame, she illustrated her precept by example; and, lest thoughts for one dearer than herself might dim the lustre of Kailwa, she armed his young bride with a lance, and the defenders of Chittor saw the fair princess descend the rock and fall fighting by the side of her brave mother(in-law).

When their wives and daughters performed such deeds, the Rajputs became reckless of life. Seeing there was no hope of salvation, he resolved to signalise the end of his career. The fatal johur was commanded, while 8000 Rajputs ate the last 'bira' together, and put on their saffron robes(kesariya). The gates were thrown open, the work of destruction commenced.

"-----The Annals of Mewar

Folks,

This post is an attempt to recount the brave and heroic deeds of two well-known vassals of Mewar - JaiMal and Patta, their names have become inseparable from each other. In this post, i have tried to sum up the important details related to them.

Rawat Patta Sisodia

He was a direct descendant of Mewar Prince Rawat Chunda Sisodia, the founder ofChundavat offshoot of Mewar ; the eldest son of Rana Lakha of Mewar, Prince Chunda renounced the throne in favor of his younger brother and continued serving Mewar as an administrator for the King. Patta was the grand-son of RawatSiha Ji, who was in turn the grandson of Rawat Chunda Sisodia.

The sequence of rulers is :

Rana Lakha(Mewar) -> Rawat Chunda Sisodia(Mewar) -> Rawat Kandal Ji -> Rawat Siha Ji -> Rawat Jaga -> Rawat Patta Sisodia(Kailwa).

There are many similarities among these legends of those times, which we are going to list here...

a. Rawat Siha Ji was a companion of Rana Sanga of Mewar

b. Similarly, their grand-sons, Patta and Maharana Pratap were also companions.

c. Rawat Siha Ji died fighting from the side of Rana Sanga, against Mughal Emperor Babur in the Battle of Khanua in 1527.

d. Similarly, his grandson Patta also died fighting from the side of Rana Sanga's grandson Maharana Pratap, against the grandson of Babur - Mughal Emperor Akbar.

Another interesting observation is that::

Rawat Chundavat, a close confident of Rana Udai Singh II of Mewar, was REAL nephew of Patta's grandfather Rawat Siha Ji. Hence, Patta was also a nephew of Rawat Chundavat Ji.

Note:

Sisodia is a Rajput Dynasty. Chundavat is an offshoot of Sisodias.

Chundawats of Kelwa, to whom belonged the famous warrior, Patta Chundawat or Fateh Singh. 

Traced his lineage to legendary Rawat Chunda, who gave up his throne for Rana Kumbha !

 Grandfather, Rawat Siha Ji died at Khanva, 1527. 

Father, Rawat Jaga, 1555, at Udaipur battle ! 

His Uncle, Rawat Naga at the Second Siege of Chittorgarh, 1535.

Patta’s son, Rawat Kalla Chundawat died at Haldighati, 1576 !

Patta took the reins of his estate of Kailwa at a young age in 1555, after the death of his father in a battle fought near Udaipur. Gradually,he became aprominent Sardar of Mewar. Hence, Rana Udai Singh II, appointed him an "Adhi pati" of Mewar in 1567, when Mughal Emperor Akbar laid a siege to the Fort of Chittor. In this battle, he fought bravely till his last breath, finally being trampled under an elephant. He died in theRann Junjher(The LAST fight in battle - Saka) against Mughal Emperor Akbar in this 3rd Siege of Chittor in 1568.

It is said that single handed he cut a trail of destruction through the Mughal ranks till an elephant was sent charging against him. Struck by the charge he was killed, while his mother and a wife had been slain earlier.

Chundawat Pattaji's Cenotaph made in front of the Rampole door, where he had attained Veergati while fighting bravely during the attack of Mughal Emperor Akbar on Chittorgarh. Patta was one of the last chiefs who fell in the Saka. At dawn, on the morning after the Jauhar, Akbar rode into the fortress, mounted on an elephant, attended by many other elephants and several thousand men.

Akbarnama records Patta's end as follows, when Akbar entered the Fort in the morning of Saka : "His Majesty related that he had come near the temple of Gobind Shyam when an elephant-driver trampled a man under his elephant. The driver said that he did not know the man's name but that he appeared to be one of the leaders, and that a large number of men had fought around him with sacrifice of their lives. At last it came out that it was Patta who had been trampled to death. At the time he was produced, there was a breath of life in him, but he shortly afterwards died."

Wives:

They committed Jauhar/ some perished in the skirmish.

1. Rani Jiwa Bai Solanki

2. Rani Madalasha Bai Shekhawat

3. Rani Sarda Bai Rathore

4. Rani Bhagwati Bai Chauhan

5. Rani Padmavati Bai Jhalia

6. Rani Ratan Bai Rathore

7. Rani Balesha Bai Chauhan

8. Rani Bagdi Bai Chauhan

9. Rani Asha Bai Parmar

Daughers:

5 young daughters.

Finally, all the daughters did Jauhar along with all of his wives, or perished in the skirmish.

Sons:

6 sons. His 2 sons perished, they were minors, they were with their mothers during the Jauhar. 4 of his sons survived this war.

Eldest among these 4 sons was -> Rawat Kala Chundavat, who succeeded his father, Patta. He fought battles against Mughal forces from the side of Maharana Pratap, like the Battle near Jhunjhunu. Finally, he died in the Battle of Haldighati fighting along with Maharana Pratap on 18th June 1576.

Mother:

Rani Sajjan Bai Songara Chauhan. She committed herself to the flames / perished on the battle-field during the 3rd Siege of Chittor.

Note :

Songara is an offshoot of Agnivanshi Chauhan Rajputs. Interestingly, there is yet another similarity here. Maharana Pratap's mother Jaiwanta Bai Songara Chauhan, was also from the same Chauhan Agnivanshi Rajputs. They trace their lineage from the house of Prithviraj Chauhan(died 1192), ruler of Ajmer/Delhi.

Father::

Rawat Jaga. He had a great role to play in many battles he fought for Mewar. He died in 1555 while fighting in a battle on the river Som, near Udaipur.

Uncle::

Rawat Naga was the uncle of Patta. Like his younger brother - Rawat Jaga, he alsotook part in many battles fought by Mewar like -

a. In a battle at Suraj Pol, Chittor

b. In the 2nd Siege of Chittor after the death of Rana Sanga, he took the charge of army against Bahadur Shah of Gujarat in 1535. He died in the Saka in this battle, after the Jauher of ladies.

Grand Father of Patta::

Rawat Siha Ji, second son of Rawat Kandalji and his wife Rani Bar Kanwar Sankli ;and grandson of Rao Chunda of Mewar. He was granted the estate of Modva* initially, later Rana Sanga exchanged this for the new estate of Kothariya* in 1509;*

 Modva and Kothariya are towns in present day Rajsamand district of Rajasthan.

He fought many battles :

a. Fought against Kunwar Udai Singh I ,near 1470. This Udai Singh isdifferent from father of Maharana Pratap - Rana Udai Singh II.

b. Lead a wing of army of Mewar in the Battle of Samecha (year unknown).

c. Along with Kunwar Prithviraj Sisodia (brother of Rana Sanga ) of Mewar, againstLala Khan Pathan of Toda, in early 1500's.

d. Along with his friend Rana Sanga of Mewar, against Ibrahim Lodhi of Delhi in the Battle of Bankhrol in 1510's.

e. He died fighting against Mughal Emperor Babur in the Battle of Khanua on 17th March 1527, fighting along with his ally Rana Sanga of Mewar.

Spot marking the place where Rawat Patta Chundavat fell finally in the Battle of Chittor

Did you notice, not only Patta Sisodia gave his life in the Saka at the 3rd Siege of Chittor, but also his Father, Uncle, Grand-Father, and even his own son, all of them gave their lives fighting for Mewar, on the battle-field. With Patta's name is associated all the glory a warrior can desire. Dying in the battle-field was a moment every warrior cherished, and the house of Patta had this unique distinction in abundance. Even, today the name of Patta(and Jaimal) are remembered with a sense of pride in Hindusthan.