According to the legends she was the daughter of Rao nirbudh and Rani sa of Bundi. She was chief consort of Rana Sanga and an unsung lady who made Humayun her brother.

Her story starts when the first Mughal emperor Babur captured the throne of Delhi in 1526. Rana Sanga of Mewar led the army of Rajput rulers against him. But the following year he was defeated in the battle of Khanwa. Rana Sanga suffered deep wounds in that war, due to which he died soon after.

He was followed by his widow Rani Karnavati and his sons Raja Rana Vikramaditya and Rana Udai Singh. Queen Karnavati gave her eldest son Vikramjit to take charge of the kingdom.

But Vikramjit's age was still less for such a huge kingdom. So at that time, Mewar was attacked for the second time by Bahadur Shah of Gujarat. In whose hands Vikramjeet had got the defeat earlier. This was a matter of great concern for the queen.

Queen Karnavati sent many letters to other Rajput rulers to help protect the honor of Chittorgarh. The rulers agreed but their only condition was that Vikramjit and Udai Singh should go to Bundi during the war for their personal safety. Queen Karnavati agreed to send her sons to Bundi and asked her trusted maid Panna to stay with them and take good care of them and Panna accepted this responsibility.

Karnavati sent a rakhi to the Mughal emperor Humayun, and appealed for assistance, granting him the status of a brother. At that time, Humayun, who was preparing for the invasion of Bengal responded mercifully and assured aid to Queen Karnavati, thus remembering her every Raksha Bandhan.

Humayun accepted the Rakhi and proceeded towards Chittor but he failed to reach there on time. Before his arrival Bahadur Shah entered Chittorgarh.

When, Queen Karnavati understood that the defeat is inevitable then she and other great women committed suicide in a suicidal fire (johar). While all the men put on saffron clothes and set out to fight to the death, Humayun defeated Bahadur Shah and reinstated Karnavati's son Vikramaditya Singh as the ruler of Mewar.

Written by _Historywriter_
Edited by -hmunelson