| Rani Karnavati | |
| Death Date: | 8 March 1535 |
| Spouse: | Rana Sanga |
| Issue: | Vikramaditya Udai Singh II |
| Mother: | Rani Sa of Bundi |
| Father: | Rao Nirbudh of Bundi |
| Succession: | Maharani of Mewar |
| Reign: | 1508 – 1528 |
| Predecessor: | Sringar Devi Rathore |
| Successor: | Jaiwanta Bai |
Rani Karnavati, also known as Rani Karmavati (died 8 March 1535), was a princess and temporary ruler from Bundi, India. She was married to Rana Sanga of Mewar. She was the mother of the next two Ranas, Rana Vikramaditya and Rana Udai Singh, and grandmother of Maharana Pratap. She served as regent during the minority of her son, from 1527 until 1533. She was as fierce as her husband and defended Chittor with a small contingent of soldiers until it inevitably fell to the Gujarat army which was led by Bahadur Shah of Gujarat. She refused to flee and performed Jauhar to protect her honor.[1]
See main article: Siege of Chittorgarh (1535). After Babur had captured the throne of Delhi in 1526 AD, Rana Sangram Singh or Rana Sanga of Mewar lead a confederation of Rajput Kings against Babur to capture the throne of Delhi. Initially, the Rana succeeded in pushing the Mughal army back in the Battle of Bayana, but in the Battle of Khanua he was defeated due to Babur's superior tactics, cannons and artillery.
Karnavati took up the regency in the name of her elder son Vikramaditya, a weak ruler. In the meantime, Mewar was attacked for the second time by Bahadur Shah of Gujarat, at whose hands Vikramaditya had earlier received a defeat. It was a matter of great concern for Rani.
The antagonized nobles were not ready to fight for Vikramaditya and the imminent battle was sure to be another blot in the history of Sisodias. Rani Karnavati wrote to the nobles to come forward for the sake of the honor of the Sisodias and was able to persuade the nobles to fight for Mewar, if not for Vikramaditya. Their sole condition was that Vikramaditya and Uday Singh should go to Bundi during the war for their personal safety. x
Karnavati agreed to send her sons to Bundi and told her trusted maid Panna Dai to accompany them and take good care of them. Panna was reluctant, but surrendered to the wishes of the queen. The Sisodias had fought valiantly, but they were outnumbered and the war was lost.[2] Bahadur Shah entered Chittorgarh and ransacked it for the second time.
Realizing that defeat was imminent, Karnavati and the other noble ladies of the court immolated themselves in Jauhar on March 8, 1535 AD, while all the men donned saffron clothes and went out to fight to the death and thus committed Saka. This is the occasion for the second of the three Jauhars performed at Chittor.[3] [4]
Some later legends say that the Rani also sent a Rakhi to the Mughal Emperor Humayun, calling him a brother and asking for help. Thus her name became irrevocably linked to the festival of Raksha Bandhan. However, this is not supported by most contemporary writers, and modern historians like Satish Chandra consider this to be likely a fable, rather than a concrete fact.[5]