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Rani Durgavati, who ruled on behalf of her young son Bir Narayan and fought against the Mughals (1564), belonged to the:

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Answer: Option B — Gond tribe (Garha-Katanga kingdom)

Detailed Solution

Rani Durgavati ruled the Gond kingdom of Garha-Katanga (Gondwana), in present-day Madhya Pradesh, on behalf of her young son, Bir Narayan.

About Rani Durgavati:

  • She was born in 1524, in the family of the Chandela rulers of Mahoba (Kalinjar), and was married to Dalpat Shah, the son of the Gond king Sangram Shah of Garha-Katanga.
  • After her husband's death in about 1548, she ruled the kingdom as regent for her five-year-old son, Bir Narayan.
  • She was a capable and popular ruler; she built tanks, temples and improved the administration.
  • She successfully fought against Baz Bahadur, the ruler of Malwa.
  • In 1564, the Mughal emperor Akbar sent an army under his general Asaf Khan to conquer Garha-Katanga.
  • Rani Durgavati fought bravely at the Battle of Narai (near Jabalpur), but was wounded.
  • Rather than be captured, she killed herself with her own dagger on 24 June 1564.
  • Her son Bir Narayan also died fighting soon after.
  • Her death anniversary, 24 June, is observed as "Balidan Diwas" in Madhya Pradesh.

NCERT on the Gonds:

  • NCERT describes the Gonds, who lived in a vast forested region called Gondwana, and practised shifting cultivation.
  • The large Gond tribe was divided into many smaller clans, each with its own raja or rai.
  • The kingdom of Garha-Katanga was a rich state, which had 70,000 villages, according to the Akbar Nama.
  • The Akbar Nama mentions that Rani Durgavati was defeated and the kingdom was annexed.

Gond kingdoms:

  • Garha-Katanga (near Jabalpur), Chanda (Chandrapur), Deogarh and Kherla.
  • The Gond rulers claimed Rajput status as their power grew.

Memorials:

Rani Durgavati University in Jabalpur, and the Rani Durgavati Wildlife Sanctuary are named after her.

About the Gonds today:

  • They are one of the largest tribal groups in India, living mainly in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Telangana and Odisha.
  • "Gond art" is a famous style of painting.

Why not the other options?

  • ✗The Bhils, Santhals and others are different tribes; Durgavati was a Chandela princess by birth, but she ruled the Gond kingdom.

Quick tip

Remember: Rani Durgavati = Gond kingdom of Garha-Katanga (Jabalpur); fought Akbar's general Asaf Khan (Battle of Narai, 1564); "Balidan Diwas" = 24 June.

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Famous Personalities & Founders — Preparation

This question tests your understanding of Famous Personalities & Founders, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.

This topic covers famous personalities from India and the world: leaders, reformers, scientists, entrepreneurs and their nicknames, along with the founders of organisations, companies, institutions, religions and movements. Questions often use popular titles such as 'Iron Man of India' (Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel) or 'Nightingale of India' (Sarojini Naidu), or ask who founded an organisation, such as the Ramakrishna Mission (Swami Vivekananda). Grouping people by field and by title makes revision faster and helps you spot wrong options. Practise the famous personalities questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.

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