Bhamashah is remembered whenever Maharana Pratap is mentioned. He provided extraordinary assistance to Maharana to protect Mewar during difficult times. He dedicated his and his family’s immense wealth to Maharana. Even after centuries, Bhamashah’s name is taken as an example on the question of cooperation and assistance. But Bhamashah was not the only economic ally of Mewar and Maharana.
He was Maharana’s advisor, strategist and among those associates who played a big role in Maharana’s campaign of return, victory and never accepting defeat before the Mughals after the defeat of Haldighati.
Maharana is not alone in the struggle
Maharana Pratap’s struggle against the Mughals is an exciting chapter in Indian history. There is a huge power of the foreign invader and a long series of submission of native kings one after another before it. But Maharana Pratap has been an exception. He continued to fight the Mughals throughout his life. Did not bow down even in difficult times of defeat and deprivation. Did not waver. But he was not alone in this struggle. His associates dedicated everything, body, mind and wealth for the honor and protection of Mewar and Maharana.
Maharana Pratap.
Bhamashah was his ally who played a decisive role in keeping the economic, administrative and organizational systems necessary for the struggle strong and smooth. The success of any military operation requires courage and bravery as well as efficient strategy and resources. In this work, Bhamashah was with Maharana in every step.
Bhamashah was Pratap’s most useful associate.
Bhamashah was born in 1547 in Oswal Jain family. Father Bharmal Kavadiya held a high position in the court of Maharana Udai Singh of Mewar. During the reign of Maharana Pratap, Bhamashah remained active in the court as his assistant-advisor.
According to historian Dr. Gopinath Sharma’s book Mewar and the Mughal Emperors, the role of such people in the administration of Mewar was very important, who along with political loyalty, also had the ability to manage treasury and civil resources. Historian James Todd, while mentioning the associates of Maharana Pratap in Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan, writes that the struggle of Mewar survived not only due to bravery, but due to resources and loyal allies. In this context, he considers Bhamashah as one of Pratap’s most reliable and useful associates.
Bhamashah.
Maharana’s most difficult period
Even after the Haldighati battle of 1576, Maharana Pratap did not accept defeat from the Mughals. From a military point of view, this war was not considered a defeat for Maharana or a decisive victory for the Mughals. But it is undeniable that this war put Maharana in great crisis in terms of military resources and economically. This was the period when the stories of Maharana eating grass-based bread due to his hardships were recorded in the public memory.
Along with his family and a few soldiers, he was preparing for the next conflict by passing through forests, mountains and valleys. According to historian Satish Chandra’s book Medieval India, after Haldighati, the second and more difficult phase of the struggle began for Pratap, where shortage of resources was the biggest enemy.
The donation that changed the face of struggle
In this phase of Maharana’s struggle journey, the name of Bhamashah rapidly emerges and gets linked with the name of Maharana forever. James Todd mentions that when Maharana Pratap was almost financially helpless, Bhamashah and his brother Tarachand offered their accumulated wealth at his feet.
Todd writes that this aid was not a simple charity, but became the basis for the revival of an entire state. This was not a normal donation. This made Mewar, which had lost everything in the war, stand on its feet again to fight. Historian R. S. Sharma links this aid to war economy. According to him, long term resistance can only be done by a state which has a continuous supply of resources. With the help of Bhamashah, resources could be gathered for the long struggle for Maharana.
Maharana Pratap was called “Rana Kika” by the Bhil community.
How much amount did Bhamashah gift?
There are no historical details available about how much money Bhamashah and his brother Tarachand provided to Maharana Pratap. But it is undisputed that this amount was so large that it decisively helped Maharana Pratap in providing arms to the large army and meeting his other needs.
Omendra Ratnu tells in his book Maharana that Bhamashah presented 25 lakh local and twenty thousand gold currencies at the feet of Maharana in five years. According to Omendra’s book, the soldiers of Mewar under the leadership of Bhamashah and Tarachandra started looting the groups of Haj pilgrims going from Agra to Surat port.
Akbar could not protect them. Because the soldiers of Mewar used to decide the place of loot and before the Mughal retaliation, these soldiers used to disappear in the mountains and caves.
Bhamashah is not just a philanthropist!
Was Bhamashah warrior’s support to Maharana only in the form of a donor or was he also a warrior? Folk memories do not consider him limited to a donor. To call him a mere philanthropist would be to limit his historical stature. In reality, he was the economic architect, organizer and symbol of faith in the continuous struggle against the Mughals of Mewar. History is not made only on the battlefield. Those hands also have a role in this which provides oil to burn the wick of the lamp of struggle.
In the folklore of Rajasthan, Bhamashah is remembered as the creator of courageous war campaigns, guerrilla actions and military operations. However, the famous historian Jadunath Sarkar, while giving more importance to the written sources, clarifies that the main role of Bhamashah was not that of a warrior who took up the sword in the battlefield, but that of an administrator who made the war possible. Historian Romila Thapar calls this type of cooperation social participation resistance, where different classes come together and stand against the power.
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