The surge of the Rajputs

Two things put the Rajputs at the centre of resistance: their location in northwest India, right on the invasion route, and the proud traditions they inherited from earlier dynasties such as the Pratiharas, who had resisted the Arab invasions of Sindh centuries before.

They rebuilt their kingdoms after the Khiljis' conquest, and two major clans rose in the Mewar and Marwar regions. Stories of their brave deeds are still told today, especially in popular ballads.

Rana Kumbha we met earlier. Rana Sanga, in the early 16th century, united several Rajput clans and won many battles against sultans, before being defeated by Babur at the Battle of Khanwa.

Maharana Pratap of Mewar took over a weakened kingdom and still refused to accept Mughal rule over him, becoming the face of Rajput resistance.

At the Haldighati pass in the Aravallis in 1576, the Mughal army had the upper hand. But Maharana Pratap escaped, and what came next matters more than the battle.

For years he fought a guerrilla war from the Aravalli hills: small groups who know the land making surprise attacks and ambushes to beat bigger armies. (Think of hide-and-seek in your own school: the home side knows every store room.) He lived in harsh conditions but held on to his independence.

Guerrilla war needs local knowledge, and that brings in the Bhils. They joined his troops as archers and shared their knowledge of the hills.

Their service earned them a respected place in Mewar's military tradition, and the Mewar emblem shows a Bhil warrior on the left. Not every Rajput state resisted: some allied with the Mughals through diplomacy and marriage. Mewar did not. Under Aurangzeb several Rajput nobles rebelled, including Durga Das Rathore of Marwar, who fought for Jodhpur's independence. Mughal control in Rajasthan stayed limited.