Rani Durgavati (5 October 1524 – 24 June 1564) was the ruling Queen of Gondwana from 1550 until 1564. She was married to Dalpat Shah, the son of king Sangram Shah of the Garha Kingdom. She is chiefly remembered for defending her kingdom against the Mughal Empire . Life Durgavati was born on 5 October, 1524 at the fortress of Kalinjar.

Rani Durgavati continued the battle and was shot by two arrows in her head and neck. She knew she was outnumbered and faced an imminent defeat. So instead of being captured by the Mughal Army, she decided to kill herself. She killed herself, with her own dagger on 24 June 1564. She was still only 40 years old.

Her martyrdom day (24 June 1564) is even today commemorated as "Balidan Diwas" Legacy. The Madan Mahal fort Jabalpur is well associated with Rani Durgavati and her son Veer Narayan. In 1983, the Government of Madhya Pradesh renamed the University of Jabalpur as Rani Durgavati Vishwavidyalaya in her memory.

Gond Kingdom Rani Durgavati and the Defeat of Baz Bahadur In the year 1545, Rani Durgavati gave birth to a son (Vir Narayan), who later became a fierce military leader. When Vir Naraya i.e. the son of Durgavati was only 5 years old his father (Dalpat Shah) died and the kingdom of Garha-Mandla was without a king and became vulnerable to attack.