Early Rule and Conquest

Maharana Lakha Singh was the third Maharana of the Mewar Kingdom. He was the grandson of Maharana Hammir Singh and ruled from 1382 until his death in 1421, when he was killed in battle.

In 1382, Maharana Lakha Singh first act was to subjugation of the mountainous region known as Merwara. The conqured region embrace the upper portion of the Aravalli range, forming the north-western boundary of the state.

Maharana Lakha Singh encountered the emperor Muhammad Shah Lodi, and defeated an imperial army near Bednor. Later Maharana Lakha Singh took the remaining Mewar territories from Delhi. He erected the fortress for the defense of the recently-subdued Merwara tract.

Economic Development of Mewar

He also encouraged and developed the mining of the minerals and especially zinc at the place towards the south of Udaipur called Zawara. But an event of much greater importance, was the discovery of tin and silver mines in the newly -acquired district of Chappan. This increased the power and prosperity of Mewar.

Maharana Lakha Singh was the first to work the mine. Soon the profit resulting there from was expended on the excavation of reservoirs and the erection of strongholds. He rebuilt the temples and palaces that Alauddin demolished. He built the Banjara dam over the lake Pichola.

A portion of his own palace yet exists, in the same style of architecture as the more ancient one, the palace of the Queen Padmani. A temple which he built, and dedicated to the creator, Bramha, an enormous and costly fabric, is also in existence; being the shrine of “the One,” and consequently containing no idol, it may thus have escaped the ruthless fury of the invaders.

Family and Later Life

His eldest son Chunda took oath to safe guard his motherland against all external powers. He gave this oath  in the exchange of his father’s marriage to Rani Hansa Bai. His son Mokal Singh by his wife Rani Hansa Bai of Jodhpur became the fourth Maharana in 1421.

Maharana Lakha Singh lived to an advanced age. Later he gave up his life in an attempt to expel the “barbarian” from the holy city, Gaya. Such an act of devotion was by no means uncommon among the early princes of Rajasthan. Many of whom, at the approach of old age, sought to make their peace with heaven by embarking on the holy war. To meet death in such enterprise was to secure beatitude in the next world, and exemption from second birth.

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