Jaimal Mertiya (1507–1568) was the ruler of Merta. He was cousin of the Hindu saint

Mirabai Meera, better known as Mirabai and venerated as Sant Meerabai, was a 16th-century Hindu mystic poet and devotee of Krishna. She is a celebrated Bhakti saint, particularly in the North Indian Hindu tradition. Mirabai was born into a Rathore ...

and became the ruler of Merta after the death of his father, Rao Veeram Dev. His father was perceived as the strongest king of the east in his time. The ''Amar Kavya'' records that

Udai Singh II Udai Singh II (4 August 1522 – 28 February 1572) was the Maharana of Mewar and the founder of the city of Udaipur in the present-day Rajasthan state of India. He was the 12th ruler of the Kingdom of Mewar. He was the fourth son of Rana Sanga ...

granted Badnor along with 210 villages to Rao Jaimal. In 1553, Jaimal resisted falling under the ''chakri'' (service relationship) of

Maldeo Rao Maldeo Rathore (5 December 1511 – 7 November 1562) was a king of the Kingdom of Marwar, Marwar from the Rathore, Rathore dynasty, who ruled the kingdom of Marwar in present day state of Rajasthan. Maldeo ascended the throne in 1531 CE, inh ...

Marwar Marwar (also called Jodhpur region) is a region of western Rajasthan state in North Western India. It lies partly in the Thar Desert. The word 'maru' is Sanskrit for desert. In Rajasthani languages, "wad" means a particular area. English tran ...

The Siege of Chittorgarh

In 1567, when Akbar encamped outside Chittorgarh, in hopes of conquering the fortress, the ruler of Mewar, Udai Singh II, fled to the Aravali hills alongside his family, and left the fortress in charge of 8,000 soldiers and 1,000 musketeers, who were in command of Jaimal and Patta. Jaimal died in

Chittorgarh Chittorgarh (also Chittor or Chittaurgarh) is a major city in Rajasthan state of western India. It lies on the Berach River, a tributary of the Banas, and is the administrative headquarters of Chittorgarh District. It was a major stronghol ...

on 22 February 1568 by a musket shot fired by Akbar himself. This turned the tide of battle in the Siege of Chittorgarh and the Rajputs' morale decreased. Jaimal's name is commonly mentioned with his partner leader of chittor, Patta. These two were given the command of the army when Udai Singh, along with the royal family, had to leave the fort and go to the hills. Their attempts to repulse the

Mughal Emperor The Mughal emperors ( fa, , Pādishāhān) were the supreme heads of state of the Mughal Empire on the Indian subcontinent, mainly corresponding to the modern countries of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. The Mughal rulers styled t ...

himself was such that

Akbar Abu'l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar (25 October 1542 – 27 October 1605), popularly known as Akbar the Great ( fa, ), and also as Akbar I (), was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Hum ...

himself ordered the construction of their statues outside his fort in Agra to honour their courage. His son, Ramdas Rathore went on to fight against the Mughals in the

Battle of Haldighati The Battle of Haldighati was a battle fought on 18 June 1576 between the Mewar forces led by Maharana Pratap, and the Mughal forces led by Man Singh I of Amber. The Mughals carried the day after inflicting significant casualties on Mewar fo ...

, where he was slain and killed by Jagannath Kachhwa of Amer.

In popular culture

* 2013-2015:

Bharat Ka Veer Putra – Maharana Pratap ''Bharat Ka Veer Putra – Maharana Pratap'' () is an Indian historical fiction series produced by Contiloe Entertainment. It is based on the life of Maharana Pratap, a sixteenth century ruler of Mewar kingdom. It starred Sharad Malhotra, Rac ...

, broadcast by

Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...

, Jaimal was portrayed by Ved Thappar.

References

1507 births 1568 deaths Rajasthani people {{India-royal-stub Mewar