Person

Rani Karnavati

d. 1535 · 16th century

Rani Karnavati was a queen of Mewar, widow of Rana Sanga and regent for her young son Vikramaditya. When Bahadur Shah of Gujarat besieged Chittor in 1534–1535, she organised its defence and, as the fort fell in March 1535, led the women of Chittor in jauhar. Later tradition holds that she sent a rakhi to the Mughal emperor Humayun asking for help, a story of doubtful historicity.

Rani Karnavati
Image: Dishari Banerjee · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Rani Karnavati. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/rani-karnavati
MLA
“Rani Karnavati.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/rani-karnavati. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Rani Karnavati.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/rani-karnavati.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Rani Karnavati’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/rani-karnavati (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻