10 most powerful Hindu kings of India

5. Maharana Pratap

Maharana Pratap ruled the Mewar Kingdom as a Hindu Rajput. Meanwhile, almost every other Rajput Ruler who served Pratap had become a warrior of the Mughals. Especially Shakti Singh and Sagar Singh, Pratap’s brothers, represented Akbar.

In reality, many Rajput kings, like Raja Man Singh of Amber (later identified as the Maharaja of Jaipur), were army generals and council members in Akbar’s troops.Akbar attempted to arrange a similar type of peaceful agreement with Pratap that he had obtained with the other Rajput leaders by sending several six diplomatic missions for Pratap. On the other hand, Pratap respectfully refused to respond to Akbar’s reign, claiming neither the Sisodia Rajputs nor he would surrender to the rulership of any other power.

Pratap said that he had no desire to battle with Akbar but was unwilling to surrender to him and recognize him as the supreme leader. According to some historians, there was an opportunity for Maharana and Akbar could have been friends.

Still, during the battle of Chittor, when Akbar killed 30,000 innocent civilians of Chittor because they declined to convert to Islam, the incident left a lasting effect on Maharana’s mind. He decided he could not surrender to such an arrogant and cruel man as Akbar.

• Dynasty: Chahamana or Chauhan Dynasty
• Period of Rule: 1572-1597

6. Shivaji Maharaj

Shivaji Maharaj maintained a capable, forward-thinking civil government with a well-trained military and organized administrative institutions. He developed new military strategies and was the beginning of an armed struggle (also known as Shiva sutra or gaming kava), which employed critical factors including geography, speed, and surprise and concentrated targeted strikes to overcome more difficult and strong rivals.

To safeguard his realm, Shivaji erected and maintained forts in both the interior and coastal regions that were strategically situated. He started with a little troop of 2,000 warriors inherited from his father. He encouraged using Marathi and Sanskrit rather than Persian in court and government and recovered traditional Hindu political customs and legal practices.

The father of the Indian Navy, Shivaji is the greatest monarch and most successful commander in Indian history. Nobody other understood the value of a navy before him. He was the first king in Indian history to use the natural surroundings effectively.His military achievements, including his departure from Agra, escape to Vishalgad, and military campaigns in Karnataka, are legendary. He also maintained the goal of swaraj (self-rule) above all others. In addition, he was a highly inspirational leader, and nearly none of his commanders ever betrayed him.He was also influenced by King Bali, a mythological figure believed to have founded a kingdom of farmers; Shivaji was a merciful ruler. He created the rules that ensured the social harmony of the state. Even for Muslim soldiers, he built a mosque on Raigad.

• Home: Bhonsle
• Period of Rule: 1674-1680

7. Maharaja Ranjit Singh

The first member of the Sikh empire established one of India’s biggest empires while losing an arm and one of his eyes. He expelled the Durrani population from Punjab, took control of Multan and Peshawar, and captured the whole province. He overcame the terrible Pathans in Kasur and expanded his domain to the Sulaiman Mountains’ foothills.

After him, Kharag Singh, his son, assumed control of Sikh authority. The Sikhs first came to power in the nineteenth century under Maharaja Ranjit Singh. He was the leader of the Dal Khalsa, a group that stretched his control over the state of Punjab.

After receiving his iron medal in the shape of a missaldar, Maharaja Ranjit Singh began enlarging his realm by defeating other missaldars. He governed the Panjab region between the British Empire in the east and the realm of Durrani in the west.

Ranjit Singh created the Sikh empire by combining the whole of Panjab. Maharaja Ranjit fought with Afghans and took control of Peshawar and other Pashtun areas.

• Dynasty: Sandhawalia
• Period of Rule: 1801-1839

10. Hemu (Hemchandra Vikramaditya)

A Hindu ruler of North India in the 16th century CE, Hemu (who passed away on November 5, 1556) reigned when Afghans and Mughals struggled for authority in the area.On October 7, 1556, Hemu claimed the throne of Delhi after overcoming Akbar’s Mughal soldiers in the Battle of Delhi in the Tughlakabad neighbourhood of Delhi.

Hemu assumed the title of Vikramaditya, which several Hindu rulers had taken since Vedic times, and he was named the de facto Ruler. After more than 350 years under the Mughal and Turkish authority, he returned new rule to North India (but for a brief period).

• Dynasty: Suri dynasty
• Period of rule: 1501-1556