Bhama Shah (1547–1600) was a noted general, minister and close aide of

Maharana Pratap Pratap Singh I, popularly known as Maharana Pratap (c. 9 May 1540 – 19 January 1597), was a king of Mewar from the Sisodia dynasty. Pratap became a folk hero for his military resistance against the expansionism of the Mughal Empire under A ...

. The financial support provided by him allowed Maharana Pratap to restore his army and reclaim much of his lost territory.

Biography

Bhamashah was born on 28 June 1547 in

Oswal The Oswal (sometimes spelled Oshwal or Osval) are a Jain community with origins in the Marwar region of Rajasthan and Tharparkar district in Sindh. They claim to be of Rajput Rajput (from Sanskrit ''raja-putra'' 'son of a king') is a large ...

Jain Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...

family. His father Bharmal Kawedia was Qiledar of

Ranthambore Fort Ranthambore Fort lies within the Ranthambore National Park, near the city of Sawai Madhopur in Sawai Madhopur district of Rajasthan, India. the park being the former hunting grounds of the Maharajahs of Jaipur until the time of India's Indepen ...

appointed by

Rana Sanga Sangram Singh I (IAST: Rāṇā Saṅgrāma Siṃha; c. 1482 – 1528 CE), popularly known as Rana Sanga or Maharana Sanga, was an Indian ruler from the Sisodia dynasty. He ruled Mewar, the traditional territory of Guhilas (Sisodias) in presen ...

and was later prime minister under

Rana 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 San ...

Bhamashah was the nagar seth of Chittor. After defeat in the costly

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 ...

, Rana Pratap's financial situation was dire. Bhamashah and his brother Tarachand gave 2,00,00,000 gold coins and 25,00,00,000 silver rupees to Maharana Pratap. They attacked Mughal army camps and partially financed Rana from the gained wealth. Pratap was able to organize an army and furthered his campaign against the

Mughals The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...

. Bhamashah was appointed as the prime minister by Pratap and Tarachand was appointed as a governor of 'Godwad' region after the

. ' Sadri' was founded by Tarachand where he had constructed many buildings. Sadri is considered the gate way of Mewar to Marwar. Bhamashah died in 1600. At the time of his death he was Mewar's treasurer under

Amar Singh I Maharana Amar Singh I, the Maharana of Mewar (March 16, 1559 – January 26, 1620), was the eldest son and successor of Maharana Pratap of Mewar. He was the 16th Rana of Mewar dynasty of Sisodia Rajputs and ruler of Mewar from January 19, 1597 ...

. Descendants of Bhamashah also served as prime ministers of the Ranas of Udaipur for a few generations. His son Jiwashah was the chief during the rule of Rana Amar Singh, and grandson Akshayraj was the prime minister during the rule of Rana Karan Singh and his descendant Rana Jagat Singh. His descendants still live in Udaipur.

Legacy

Bhamashah's birth anniversary or ''Bhamashah Jayanti'' is celebrated on 29 June every year. Bhamashah Yojana Inaugration

There is a memorial in

Udaipur Udaipur () (ISO 15919: ''Udayapura''), historically named as Udayapura, is a city and municipal corporation in Udaipur district of the state of Rajasthan, India. It is the administrative headquarter of Udaipur district. It is the historic capit ...

to him. Government of India issued a postage stamp in his honor in year 2000. CM Vasundhara Raje Distributing Bhamashah Card

The Maharana Mewar Charitable Foundation has instituted the "Bhama Shah Award" to honour Rajasthani students securing the highest percentage in select departments in the universities of Rajasthan, in recognition of selfless sacrifice, astute financial management, and devotion to duty. The Annual State Award consists of a cash award of , a commemorative medal and a Merit certificate. A

Bhamashah Yojana Bhamashah Yojana is a scheme introduced by the Government of Rajasthan to transfer financial and non-financial benefits of governmental schemes directly to women recipients in a transparent way. The scheme was inaugurated by Chief Minister Vasun ...

bas been started on his name by government of Rajasthan. The 1926 silent film ''Diwan Bhamansha'' by Mohan Dayaram Bhavnani was based on Bhamashah's life; Another film about the general, titled ''Bhamashah'', was released in 2017.

Biography

Legacy

References

Further reading