Maharana Pratap, who is true to his love, is called the lion of Mewar. He was defeated by the Mughal army in the Battle of Haldighati and had to take refuge with his family in the forests. There he spent many days hungry and thirsty and eating rotis made of grass and leaves.

Maharana Pratap was born in the lineage of Sisodia Rajputs. His father Uday Singh himself was a strong warrior. He never bowed before the Mughals. To avoid war, many nearby Rajput kings got their daughters married to Akbar, but Udai Singh did not do the same. Maharana Pratap also followed his father’s policy. Mughal Emperor Akbar used to get annoyed by this. To avenge this, he sent an army under the leadership of Mansingh and Prince Salim. Even the last soldier of Maharana Pratap sacrificed his life in the battle at Haldighati. Only then the Mughal army was able to make an edge. history of maharana pratap in english

For how long could Maharana Pratap see the children crying out of hunger in the forest. At last he decided to write a letter of surrender to Akbar. But then the patriot Bhama Shah came with help. The struggle continued again.

Inspirational biography of India’s brave warrior Maharana Pratap, an embodiment of courage, bravery, fearlessness, patriotism and sacrifice

Dynasty Of Mewar

By the way, the history of Mewar is very ancient. Archaeological excavations show that there were human settlements along the rivers here from the 2nd to the 1st century BC. The period of Maharana Pratap’s ancestors begins with Guhaditya, who came from Balayi and started his career here.
State established. His descendants were called Suhil or Guhilaut, a branch of which was called Sisodia. Later on in this dynasty there were mighty kings like Bappa Rawal, who ruled from 734 to 753 AD. Evidence of Bappa Rawal and his successors fighting hard to keep Mewar free from foreign invaders.
Meet the legends of heroism. He chased the Arab invaders till Sindh and Multan, so that they did not dare to move forward on the land of India.

After several generations of Bappa Rawal, his descendant Sumersingh was on the throne in 1191 AD when Muhammad Ghori invaded India. During the time of Ratan Singh, the eighth descendant of Sumer Singh, in 1303, Alauddin Khilji attacked Chittor and won it.

The Rajput women committed jauhar with their queen Padmini and burnt alive in the pyre and her brave husband, father, brother wearing saffron robes came out from the gate of the fort and collided with Alauddin’s huge army. As long as even one of these Rajputs was alive, he did not allow Khilji’s army to advance. When Alauddin entered the fort of Chittor, he could not touch anything except a pile of ashes. Standing in a great crematorium, Alauddin could not understand whether to laugh or cry at his victory. He had fought many wars, but had never faced such a situation and had never imagined it. However, Alauddin returned to Delhi after handing over the governorship of Chittor to his son. history of maharana pratap in english

After this, another resplendent constellation emerged in the sky of Mewar’s history, whose name was Hamir. Hamir was brave as well as ambitious. As soon as he sat on the throne, he started working on plans to increase his military power and expand the state.
Gave. The biggest thorn in his eye was Chittorgarh, which was snatched by Khilji from his ancestor Ratan Singh. He conquered Chittorgarh by attacking with sufficient military force, well-planned strategy and confidence. Hamir’s Tughlaqs after Khiljis
There were several encounters with them, in which they were always victorious. After expanding and consolidating his kingdom, Hamir handed over the throne to his worthy son Kshetra Singh. Another remarkable thing about Hamir is that he was the first Maharana in this dynasty. had assumed the title of The title remained. history of maharana pratap in english

After Kshetrasingh, Maharana Lakha in 1382 AD and after him in 1433 AD, the reins of Mewar’s rule came in the hands of his son Maharana Kumbha. He raised the prestige of Mewar by hoisting the victory flag of Mewar in his efficient rule and wars. Along with expanding his kingdom, Maharana Kumbha also tried to secure it by building many forts, but the most regrettable and shameful episode of Kumbha’s reign was that such a successful and capable ruler of Mewar was killed by his own unworthy son. Uda did it. This could not be tolerated by the brave nobles of Mewar. He declared Uda’s younger brother Raimal as Maharana. In the war between the two brothers, Raimal emerged victorious as expected.

Raimal’s successor Sangram Singh proved to be a great hero. This brave fighter, known as Rana Sanga, in 1508 ADAs soon as I took over the power, I started increasing the power of Mewar. Unfurling his victory flag, Rana Sanga re-included all those territories in his kingdom, which were snatched from the rulers of Mewar after Rana Kumbha. He was a tireless hard worker and a very capable commander. He had 80 heroic marks (battle wounds) on his body. The biggest blow to Rana Sangram Singh was his defeat by Zaheeruddin Babur in the battle of Khanwa. They broke down completely and went to the forests. In this plight, he died in 1528 AD.

The history of Mewar after Rana Sanga is a history of shameful sagas of upheavals, conspiracies, murders, the final conclusion of which was the title of Maharana to Uday Singh, the rightful owner of the kingdom. 1540 AD after defeating Banveer who became Maharana from the maid’s son on the force of conspiracyWhen Uday Singh ascended the throne of Chittor, there was an atmosphere of anarchy in Mewar. Although Uday Singh was very young at that time, but soon he started efforts to manage the Rajpat properly and the condition of dilapidated Mewar started improving gradually. history of maharana pratap in english

Rana Uday Singh drowned in luxury as soon as he was young. There were 20 queens in his Ranivas. Compared to his forefathers who were rich in swords, luxurious Uday Singh would be called a coward. During his reign, when for the first time in 1544 ADWhen Sher Shah Suri turned to Chittor after winning Jodhpur, Uday Singh instead of preparing to fight the invader, sent the keys of the fort to Sher Shah. Sher Shah also did not think it right to get involved unnecessarily with the Rajputs. Accepting this surrender, he appointed one of his representative Shams Khan there and allowed Uday Singh to rule under his supervision.

Another major crisis at Chittor came on October 23, 1567, when Akbar marched on it with a large army. Uday Singh had already got a glimpse of this. He moved to the western hill country. For the security of the fort, he appointed 8 thousand Rajputs under the leadership of Veer Rajput Jaimal and Fatta. The surrounding area was evacuated. Some people went far away in forests and mountains. Remaining about 30 thousand townspeople came there knowing the fort was safe. history of maharana pratap in english

In those days, there was an old tried and tested way of winning the fort – to lay siege to it. When the fort’s ration-water ran out, the small army stationed in it had to open the gates and fight the enemy in the open. Akbar also did the same. He besieged the fort for several months, but he had neither the patience nor the time. He engaged his artisans and started the work of making tunnels in the strong boundary wall of the fort and breaking it at many places. Eventually the fort wall was broken at many places despite the fierce opposition of the Rajputs. Now there was no option other than direct war. Rajput women jumped into the flame of Jauhar and brave Rajputs wearing saffron bands opened the gates of the fort and attacked the huge army of Mughals. history of maharana pratap in english

When the victorious Akbar entered Chittor, neither Uday Singh nor his royal treasury was found there. Apart from the ashes of the funeral pyre, if there was anything there, it was the helpless families who had taken refuge in the citadel fearing the enemy. This Mughal emperor, who is called Akbar the Great, got angry and issued an order to kill all of them. The Mughal soldiers attacked those unarmed and soon there were heaps of dead bodies. Chittor, the symbol of pride of the Rajputs, was now in the possession of the Mughals.

Some historians have remarked that it was Udai Singh’s treachery that instead of attempting to defend Chittor with all his might, he left a small Rajput force there to guard it and himself slipped away. But there is also another aspect of this, not considering which would be injustice to Uday Singh. history of maharana pratap in english

If we look at the three main battles fought for Chittor, it will become clear that it is almost impossible to protect this fort which is considered invincible. The flat terrain around it gives full facility to the enemy army to encamp and surround the fort. Due to the complete blockade of the fort by the enemy, there is no help from outside and when the logistics inside are over, the guard army has to come out and face the enemy. Brave Rajputs were killed while fighting against Alauddin Khilji in this way and thousands of Rajput queens including Maharani Padmini took fire-tomb to protect their honour.

The same thing happened again when Bahadur Shah of Gujarat attacked Chittorgarh. Rani Karmvati along with 13,000 Rajput women were consumed in the flame of Jauhar and the Rajputs attained Veergati fighting the enemy. This was the third iteration at the time of Uday Singh.

The lesson of the past bitter experiences was that if the power of the enemy is very high, even if the result is death and defeat even after fighting with life, then all the resources of our people and wealth should not be thrown in such a war. Maharana Uday Singh neither laid down arms in front of Akbar’s army, nor made a treaty with him, made arrangements to resist as much as possible and left the fort with whatever resources he could save and went to a safe place. This definitely saved Mewar from a lot of loss of life and property.

Rana Uday Singh knew that one day he may have to leave an unsafe stronghold like Chittor and in the event of a strong enemy attack, the fort may come out of the hands of the Rajputs. Therefore, he had started settling in Udaipur as an alternative arrangement. There, a huge Udayasagar lake was also built for the arrangement of water, which when filled during the rainy season, the need of water was fulfilled throughout the year. It is not fair to call it an escape plan or cowardice. It was foresight and practical wisdom. As we have mentioned earlier, Udai Singh saved himself unnecessary bloodshed by sending him the keys of Chittorgarh to avert the impending invasion of Sher Shah Suri. Uday Singh cannot be held responsible for the inhuman massacre of innocent citizens that Akbar did when he came to Chittor. Perhaps Rana did not expect brutal behavior from a ruler like Akbar. history of maharana pratap in english

Some historians are also of the opinion that Uday Singh was advised to leave the fort and go to a safe place by his own ‘prominent chieftains’. Even if this did not happen, it is almost certain that his decision to leave the fort must have been his consent. Rajput feudatories have always been powerful in Mewar and they never hesitated to oppose their Rana when they disagreed. There is no evidence that there was any opposition to Uday Singh’s decision not to face the Mughals by staying in Chittorgarh. After all, putting the whole of Mewar in danger, putting the people in a state of misery and sacrificing the entire young generation for the sake of protecting a fort which was a symbol of our prestige, even though it may have been bravery, it was not sensible. It was a new policy in contrast to the old policy based on valor and sacrifice.

A new thinking, which was given the noun of cowardice.If Uday Singh had not followed Kshatra patience, he would have shied away from unnecessary wars, he would have been considered a coward, but after coming to the throne, he also launched military campaigns to strengthen and expand his kingdom, in which Most of them were victorious. It is certain that this war was fought by his feudatories on his orders and by his mighty son Pratap Singh as soon as he stepped into adolescence. Vilasi Uday Singh himself did not participate in them. Although it is not mandatory for a ruler to conduct military operations himself, nor is it a necessary condition for him to be a commander, yet Uday Singh was called a coward on the basis of the then Rajput belief. history of maharana pratap in english

Childhood Of Maharana Pratap

Among the 20 wives of Rana Uday Singh, Jaivantabai of the Jalore dynasty was his queen. From this Jaivantabai, his eldest son Pratap Singh was born on May 9, 1549. Uday Singh’s children from other queens are said to have 17 sons. Pratap Singh was the eldest among them, apart from being his mother Jaivantabai Patrani, she was also from the most elite family. The reason for this was that Uday Singh used to look at the beauty and youth of a woman for marriage, not her family or other qualities. An incident is noteworthy in this regard. Haji Khan, the ruler of Alwar, had a concubine – Rangrai Patar, whose beauty was famous far and wide. When Uday Singh came to know about this, he became restless to get Patar. He once helped Haji Khan against Maldev, the king of Marwar. In return for this favor, he asked Haji Khan to hand over Rangrai Patar to him. Haji Khan made an excuse that Patar was his wife, so it was not possible. Uday Singh got angry and ordered to attack Alwar against the opinion of his feudatories. history of maharana pratap in english

Haji Khan knew that there was a figure of 36 in Maldev and Uday Singh. This time he appealed to Maldev for help. Maldev sent an army to help him. Even after getting information about this, Uday Singh did not change his intention to attack. As a result, his army had to face a shameful defeat. Such a result was natural. Firstly, the number of Uday Singh’s army was much less than the combined army of Haji Khan and Maldev. The second reason which perhaps Uday Singh did not try to understand was the morale of the soldiers. Fighting to protect his country, a soldier puts all his might into battle, but how dare he fight and risk his life to snatch any woman (especially a girlfriend) for his king? history of maharana pratap in english

However, in spite of being such a big recluse, Rana Uday Singh used to look for beauties and was engrossed in melody. On May 9, 1549, the mighty Pratap Singh was born to such luxurious Uday Singh. He was the eldest son of Uday Singh. Rana Uday Singh’s queen Jaivantabai was his mother.

Udai Singh’s reign was full of upheavals. He had to devote all his attention to securing the kingdom, controlling his enemies and strengthening the army. In the same sequence, he also started the construction of Udaipur in the Girwa region surrounded by hills, which was quite safe. The rest of his time was spent in luxury, but he was not at all neglectful towards the family. He had made proper arrangements for the education-initiation and weapon training of all the princes, but none of them proved as capable as Pratap. The main reason for this was Pratap’s mother Jaivantabai’s immense love for her son. He focused all his attention on her upbringing. It was as if Pratap got the heroic qualities of Kshatriyas in his knees. history of maharana pratap in english

Pratap was still a teenager that he started participating in the military campaigns of Mewar with great enthusiasm. Now the owners of small princely states like Dungarpur and Banswara, who had always been under Mewar, began to consider themselves independent, and parganas like Salumbar, Sarada and Chavand also stopped paying taxes, so Rana Udai Singh sent his eldest son Pratap to suppress them. sent for Despite being familiar with the power of Mewar, the ruler of Dungarpur, Askaran was sitting in his fort playing the flute of peace. The reason was that the Rathores had made fifty-six small jagirs in the mountainous region around him, with whom he had a good nexus. These Chauhans were called Chhappanias because of their fifty-six jagirs. Surrounded by these, Dungarpur felt safe.

Pratap, who was still young in terms of war, after getting his father’s order, set out on a military campaign with 2000 horsemen with great enthusiasm. Instead of engaging with the Chhappanis, he ordered their siege and moved on. None of the Chauhans even slapped. Seeing this, Askaran missed sixes. When the victorious Pratap returned, Maharana himself gave him a grand welcome. As it was natural, mother Jaivantabai was not elated at the first success of her son. It is said that she embraced her son in a fit of self-control, and after striking all the ornaments on her body with his head, immediately distributed them among the maids. Seeing this excellence of his son Pratap, a snake crawled on the chest of the sons-in-law. history of maharana pratap in english

This was the beginning. After this, Pratap continued to lead his father’s military campaigns regularly, as Uday Singh himself rarely went to the battlefield, but most of these were small battles. He did not have practical experience of planning and strategy of any major war.

Pratap was very fond of playing hunting since his adolescence. If he used to go for hunting in the forest region with his brothers and sisters, he would spend many days there. Because of this, he had a very good contact with the forest dwellers. He was very impressed by the humility and affinity of the prince of Mewar, which later became the reason for his exclusive devotion towards Pratap. history of maharana pratap in english

Due to Pratap’s personal bravery, he became very popular not only among the feudal lords of Mewar but also among the soldiers. Seeing the qualities of the future Maharana of Mewar, those who were heartbroken by the cowardice and luxuries of Veer Samant Uday Singh, there was communication of hope.

Along with being a brave warrior, Pratap was also very humble and sensitive. He used to behave politely with even the most insignificant person. It is said that when Akbar massacred 30 helpless citizens after the Chittor victory, Pratap was deeply grieved by this news. He organized special prayer and worship for the peace of the souls of all the soldiers and citizens who lost their lives in Chittor. Perhaps the seed of bitterness in Pratap’s mind towards Akbar had sown from this day itself. history of maharana pratap in english

Coronation Of Maharana Pratap

The body of Rana Uday Singh, who was engrossed in extreme luxury, was getting dilapidated day by day. Even when he came to Kumbhalmer in 1570 AD, his health was not good. Uday Singh, who was always concerned about the security of Mewar, recruited new soldiers there. From there he came to Gogunda. From the coronation till now, his whole life was spent in struggle. He was constantly trying to keep the state of Mewar stable, but the circumstances were such that it was continuously shrinking. The biggest blow to Rana Uday Singh and Mewar was the loss of the Chittor fort, but he did not make any effort or plan to re-conquer Chittor during his lifetime. Uday Singh, who lived on the ground of reality, understood very well that it would be suicide for Mewar to compete with the vast Mughal Empire. This defeat kept haunting him for life. history of maharana pratap in english

Uday Singh was left after drinking a sip of blood. The impact of this terrible trauma was also affecting his health. About five months were spent in his Gogunda, where his health suddenly deteriorated further. In those days, his favorite queen Dheerajbai Bhatiani used to live in his service. Instead of serving her husband, her main objective was to make her son Jagmal the crown prince by flattery at the last moment. It is said that Uday Singh, who was extremely enamored of Bhatiyani Rani’s beauty and youth, declared Jagmal as the crown prince at the last moment, disregarding the lineage tradition, while his eldest son Pratap was entitled to it.

There is also an opinion in this matter that in reality Uday Singh had not made any such announcement. Different types of conspiracies go on in the palaces. Rani Bhatiyani and her friends conspired to make Jagmal the successor of Uday Singh. In his last days, when Rana Udai Singh was living almost unconscious and all the state work was going on under the supervision of the feudatories, Rani Bhatiyani fraudulently got Maharana’s seal on some papers of state work and also on the letter of succession. After his death, he declared that Jagmal was succeeded by Uday SinghHuh. history of maharana pratap in english

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For this, Jagmal and Rani Bhatiyani had also made some feudatories of Mewar in their favor.It seems more logical that even though Uday Singh may have been obsessed with Bhatiyani, it does not seem appropriate to say that he took such a big decision as opposed to a diseased person with a frail body. Uday Singh remained extremely concerned and conscious about the security of Mewar throughout his life. He knew very well that after him his eldest son Pratap was the only one capable of protecting the kingdom. In such a situation, it does not seem logical to remove him from the post of crown prince. If Uday Singh had taken such a decision in his senses, he would have definitely discussed it with his chief nobles. According to the tradition of Mewar, they could not have done this without their consultation and consent. Therefore, the deceitful thing seems to be the truth. history of maharana pratap in english

On February 28, 1572, Uday Singh had chest pain and died on the same day. Due to the death of his father, Pratap forgot so much that according to the tradition of the Mewar dynasty, the crown prince did not attend the cremation of the Maharana. He bids her a final farewell from the entrance of the palace and on the same day she is coronated. This tradition was made with the idea of not keeping the post of Maharana vacant even for a day and it was being followed till now, but Pratap was in no hurry to sit on the throne. Being the eldest son, he considered it his duty to light the father’s mouth, while according to tradition this work was for his younger brother. They were unaware of the conspiracy that took place in the palace. He was probably not even aware of it. history of maharana pratap in english

On the other side, after the last rites of Uday Singh, prayers were being done for the peace of his soul and on the other side preparations were being made for the coronation of Jagmal. According to the tradition of Mewar, the ruler of the state was Maharana and the head of the system was Chuda. The decision of who would be the successor could not be made without the consent of Chuda Krishnadas. And there was no discussion about this between Chuda Krishnadas and Maharaj Uday Singh. If Maharana Uday Singh had made Jagmal his successor, there must have been a discussion with Chuda Krishnadas. Therefore, in this case, some conspiracy was definitely hatched in Ranivas. It was clear that Uday Singh had not violated any tradition, he had been tricked into getting the papers of succession stamped.

One opinion is that Pratap came to know about this, but he remained silent believing that his father had made Jagmal the crown prince after falling in love with Rani Bhatiyani. This was also the reason for his coming to the crematorium. In such a volatile state of Mewar, he did not want to spread strife and quarrel in the house. history of maharana pratap in english

Maharaj Kunwar Pratap’s coming to the crematorium and Jagmal’s absence was naturally a reason for grave suspicion. There was doubt because no one knew about the conspiracy. Not seeing Jagmal there, Raja Mansingh of Gwalior asked his younger brother, “Why didn’t Kunwar Jagmal come?”

“Don’t you know that the late Maharana has made him his successor?” said Jagmal’s younger brother, to the consternation of all the nobles standing there. Succession to JagmalWill the future of Mewar be given in such hands? Mansingh Songara was the maternal uncle of Pratap. His frown rose, ‘Chuda Krishnadasji, do you also support this injustice?’

“Let alone support, I don’t even know about it. Perhaps this is a conspiracy of Maharana Uday Singh’s exile.
In the morning there was mourning for the death of Uday Singh and in the evening the coronation ceremony of the new Maharana was organized. This was the tradition of Mewar. Jagmal Tha was seated on the throne with the help of his brothers and some supporters. According to tradition, his brothers were sitting in front. The coronation took place in the presence of chief nobles, especially Chudaji. After that all the chief nobles used to show their respect and loyalty to the Maharana by giving their gifts. It was also to be started by Chuda Krishnadas. So he was waiting.
After discussing the whole situation with Chuda Krishnadas Mansingh Songara and other prominent nobles, making up his mind what to do, he went towards the court. He had made all arrangements to deal with any untoward situation. history of maharana pratap in english

Salumbar Rao Krishnadas entered the court room along with other nobles. Pratap was with them, but hesitatingly stopped at the entrance. When Rawat Sanga and Krishna Das of Deogarh moved towards Jagmal sitting on the throne, there was silence in the hall full of nobles. Are Chuda Krishnadas and Sangaji going to accept Jagmal as Maharana? This was the question on everyone’s face, but what happened the very next moment answered their question. history of maharana pratap in english

Rao Krishnadas from one side and Rawat Sanga from the other side held Jagmal’s hand.
“Kunvarji, how are you sitting on this throne, your place is in front of it.” Krishnadas said while lifting it.

“But my father Maharana Uday Singh did.” Jagmal was choked. Resisting could result in dire consequences for him and his few supportersHe quietly got up from his seat and stood up.

“Come, Pratapji!” Pointing towards the throne, Krishnadas called out to Pratap who stood still at the door.

When Pratap came and sat on the throne, he said affectionately, “Sit Jagmal.”
With that he pointed to the seat in front of him, which was a suitable and honorable place for him.
In reply, Jagmal quietly left the court. He did not even imagine that his dream of becoming Maharana would be shattered so easily.

Jagmal had hoped that along with him his brothers and other supporters would also come out boycotting Pratap’s coronation, but no one had the courage to openly protest. Jagmal was the only one who came out. Pratap’s formal coronation took place. Chuda Krishnadas greeted the new Maharana with great respect and presented presents on his behalf. After this, other feudatories gave their gifts according to tradition and bowed down to the Maharana. ‘Victory to Lord Ekling. history of maharana pratap in english

‘Victory to Maharana Pratap.” 44 The court resounded with shoutsMewar had got its new ruler – worthy, virtuous, mighty.

Crown Of Thorns

What a golden crown for Pratap on becoming Maharana, say that it would be more appropriate if he got a crown of thorns. Mewar, which he inherited, was in a very poor condition. Chittor and Mandalgarh had already gone out of the hands of the Rajputs, the entire plain area between Chittor and Ajmer was also in the possession of the Mughals. Apart from this, the hilly area of Jahajpur was also won by the Mughals. Rana Uday Singh was helpless in front of his immense power. Akbar’s imperial ambition was to subjugate the whole of Mewar, the threat of which was always hovering over Mewar’s head. history of maharana pratap in english

At the time of Maharana Sanga, the border of Mewar which was till Agra and which was prosperous in every way, has now shrunk to a very small size. Its limits were now up to Salumbar in Kumbhalgarh and from Gorwad to Debadi. Due to the encroachment of the enemy on the plains, a large number of citizens fled and took refuge in the mountainous region, where they had to find new means of livelihood. Throughout the reign of Rana Udai Singh, Mewar had seen great upheavals and constant military conflicts. Due to this the state was disintegrated and the economy was completely destroyed. Apart from managing the security of Mewar in front of Pratap, there were challenges to connect the broken state, maintain it and improve the pathetic condition of the people as much as possible.

In fact, the biggest blow to the power of the Rajputs was due to the defeat of Rana Sanga to Babur in the battle of Khanwa. The powerful organization of Rajput princely states that Sanga had built on the strength of his valor and tact, Khanwa’s defeat scattered it. During Humayun and then Shershah Suri, the Rajputs made some efforts to recover, but after Akbar ascended the throne, the situation became even more critical. Akbar’s policy of discrimination was more dangerous than the vast army and empire of the Mughals. The spirits of the Rajputs were shattered. In such a situation, Akbar very cleverly lured many Rajput families and joined him. Some of them were waiting for such an invitation. The first and most important of these was the Amer Gharana, whose king Bhagwandas not only accepted Akbar’s suzerainty, but also married his sister Jodhabai to him. Along with this, Bhagwandas sent his son Mansingh to the service of Akbar. He was an arrogant, but brave warrior. His enthusiasm increased even more after getting the support of the unknown power of the Mughals and he went on a victory journey waving the flag of the Mughals. Many other Rajput families accepted the suzerainty of Akbar and married their sisters or daughters to the Mughal nobles. Mansingh formed a strong organization by joining these Rajput Sardars with him. On every military success of tactful Akbar Mansingh, he used to give him jagirs and titles as a reward. Within no time, Kunwar Mansingh became Raja Mansingh.

The small princely states around Mewar like Banswara, Dungarpur also did the same thing. Once upon a time, the kings who used to attend the court of Rana Uday Singh fled to Akbar’s shelter, due to which the grip of the Mughals around Mewar was further tightened. Even the Rana’s own brother Jagmal, who was burning with jealousy after his coronation, went to the shelter of the Mughal Subedar of Ajmer. Despite the conspiracy, Pratap was very affectionate towards him. The Subedar knew that Emperor Akbar was always keen to get the Rajputs on his side. He welcomed Jagmal with full enthusiasm and left no stone unturned in hospitality. history of maharana pratap in english

On getting the opportunity, as per Jagmal’s wish, Subedar presented him in Akbar’s court. The emperor honored him by giving him the jagir of Khilat and Jahazpur and assured him of full security under the umbrella of the Mughal Empire. Jagmal came to the shelter of Akbar with the hope that sooner or later Mewar would be ruled by the Mughals. After all, how long will Mewar last with its limited resources in front of such a huge power? On that day, he will get revenge for his insult, Akbar will also make him the king of Mewar in place of Pratap.

Once before, Jagmal had dreamed of becoming the Rana of Mewar through deceit, which was shattered in a jiffy. Now this second dream of his also remained a dream till his death. Ambitious but inept Jagmal fell victim to Akbar’s diplomatic tricks and died in a battle that Akbar’s policy was to make Rajputs fight among themselves. Under this, in 1583, Jagmal was pleased with his loyalty to the Mughal court and rewarded half of the Sirohi state. Sirohi was ruled by Jagmal’s father-in-law Rao Mansingh himself in those days.

Jagmal’s state-lust had earlier tried to usurp the just right of his elder brother Pratap Singh, so this time he became restless to usurp half of his paternal father-in-law’s kingdom with the help of the Mughals. He attacked Sirohi to get half of the kingdom as a prize from the Emperor. Rao Mansingh’s son Surtran proceeded with the army to face the attack. Suratran fought valiantly to protect his kingdom and Jagmal was killed by him in the battle. history of maharana pratap in english

True to tradition, Rana Pratap’s coronation took place in the shadow of the mourning atmosphere of the death of his father Udai Singh and in the chaos of the ouster of the sly Jagmal. Therefore, it was decided that his coronation should be done again in Kumbhalgarh with full state splendour. Therefore, with complete preparations, the coronation of Maharana Pratap took place in a jubilant atmosphere and according to tradition, hunting was also organized after that. It was called ‘Aheria Utsav’.

His two brothers Samarsingh and Shaktisingh were also with Pratap for hunting. Their clan priests were also following these three. The enthusiasm of the hunt was at its peak. Both Pratap and Shaktisinh were chasing a wild boar. The spears of both of them hit the boar almost at the same time and it fell to its knees. Now there was a dispute between the two brothers as to whose the victim was. The matter was not very big, but the big thing was that Shaktisinh was jealous of seeing Pratap becoming Maharana and his respect. He could not control his anger and the poison inside him started manifesting in angry words. When Pratap lost his temper, both of them drew their swords, till then Kul Purohitji had also come near. He tried his best to mediate, but both the brothers did not listen to him. Seeing no alternative, the old priest came between them and killed himself by thrusting a huge dagger into his chest. Seeing this, both the brothers were filled with shame. On the other hand, evening was also near. Rana Pratap made proper arrangements for the funeral of Rajpurohit and his family got enough money for maintenance. Along with this, he made Shaktisinh responsible for the murder of a Brahmin and also sentenced him to exile.

Some historians have remarked that Pratap was equally responsible for the suicide of the Kul Purohit, as was Shaktisinh, then what was the justification for punishing him like this? But as we have indicated earlier, it was just an incident, which took such an explosive form because of Shaktisinh’s jealousy towards the Rana. Like his father Uday Singh, Maharana Pratap was aware of all the activities happening in and around his family. He was aware of the fierce jealousy and dissatisfaction that was growing in Shaktisingh’s mind. On getting this opportunity, he thought that it would be better to drive Shaktisinh away from him before he hatches a big conspiracy out of jealousy.

Where would Shaktisinh go? He also saw the same path where his other brother Jagmal had gone. He made his way to Delhi. Akbar was ready to welcome every Rajput who was angry with Maharana Pratap. Then it was his brother. Don’t know how much important information and secret information it will have. He respected Shaktisinh and gave shelter at his place. history of maharana pratap in english

Treaty Proposal

By the reign of Akbar, the Mughal Empire had spread far and wide. In such a situation, the small Mewar’s non-acceptance of subordination was hurting him badly. Pratap knew this very well and also that Mewar would never accept the subjugation of the Mughals, no matter what the cost of independence had to be paid. That is, the future result with him was as clear as a mirror. Was Mewar in its present condition capable of taking on the Mughals in the event of a war with the Mughals sooner or later? No way .
Therefore, the first priority of Maharana Pratap was to protect his independence. For this a well organized, trained army was needed. Resources were needed for the reorganization and empowerment of the army, which Mewar was running out of in this crisis. Most of the fertile and plain part of the state was under the control of the Mughals. Due to the daily attacks and military skirmishes, the citizens were uprooted from their homes. Many of them were struggling to make a living by taking refuge in the safety of the mountainous region. Even in such a situation, he tried to organize the army as much as possible. New recruits were made, they were given weapons and training. To make this work successful in his limited means, Pratap took more support of moral force than resources. The talk about Mewar as the king and the people came to fruition. Uday Singh may have made efforts for the security of Mewar, but never demonstrated the spirit of valor or sacrifice for the defense of the country. Therefore, an atmosphere of despair pervaded among the subjects as well. While historical tradition tells that he not only called upon the people in general to defend their country, but also took a vow to abstain from all royal pleasures until Mewar was completely independent. . He vowed not to enjoy royal dishes in gold and silver vessels and not even to sleep on velvet sages. It is said that this pledge of Rana was informed to the whole public by beating the drum, which had a big impact. He himself also started public awareness campaign by going from place to place. The bravery of the new Maharana, his unwavering passion for freedom and humility were being talked about in every house from the time he was crown prince. The announcement of his renunciation of royal pleasures further strengthened it. history of maharana pratap in english

Bhils live in a large mountainous forest region of Mewar. They have their own art of warfare. They are very proficient in the use of bow and arrow and are accurate shooters. Naturally no one can match him in the knowledge and use of the rugged paths of mountains and forests. Rana Pratap was very close to many Bhil Sardars since his adolescence. He was overwhelmed by the spontaneous affection and humility of Maharaj Kunwar of Mewar. When the Maharana sought their cooperation for the protection of Mewar, each and every Bhil was ready to sacrifice his life for the protection of the motherland.

A lot happened, but it was still not enough, because the huge Mughal Empire and the small Mewar. It was a tough challenge to protect our independence in such power-imbalance. Pratap also intensified his efforts to make his relations more intimate with all the Ravrajas who were well-wishers of Mewar and took a pledge to protect Rajputi Aan and to warn them about the coming crisis. This was his main objective behind getting his coronation done again in Kumbhalgarh. On this pretext, he made close friendship with the Chauhans of Bundi, Dungarpur, Banswara, Ranthambore, Deoras of Idar and Sirohi and some other Raos and Rawals. Pratap’s maternal uncle Rao Chandrasen of Jodhpur was his own. One is family kinship, the other is similarity in thoughts. The intimacy between Rao Chandrasen and Pratap was natural. Chandrasen was also not ready to accept the suzerainty of the Mughals at any cost, even if he had to make a big sacrifice for that.

Akbar was getting anxious to bring Mewar under his control. He had made it a matter of prestige. Small Mewar should not bow before such a big Mughal Empire – he could not tolerate it. He had hoped that perhaps Rana Pratap would himself send a treaty proposal to him to avert the danger of attack. Perhaps it took time for him to understand the difference between Uday Singh and Pratap. There were two options in front of him – to attack Mewar directly and take over it or to make a treaty with the Rana and bring it under his control.

Akbar did not want to confront Pratap directly. He had not forgotten the bitter taste of Chittor victory. Although he had won, but this victory would cost him so much, he would never have imagined it. And then after winning, he got an empty fort, ashes of pyre and 30 thousand innocent citizens, by massacring whom he had removed his anger. history of maharana pratap in english

Akbar, a visionary and diplomat, also knew that the Rajputs had a lot of respect for the Mewar family. Many Rajputs also respect Rana Pratap under the Mughals themselves. Due to not having the courage to face the huge power of the Mughals, he had become under Akbar, but he respected Pratap from the heart, who had pledged to remain independent and fearless. By attacking Mewar, he did not want to spread discontent among them, so when no proposal came from Pratap, he decided to send a treaty proposal from his side.

There were two options in front of Maharana Pratap as well – either he would make a treaty with Akbar like other Rajputs and buy happiness and peace for himself and his subjects instead of this subordination or remain independent and adopt the thorny path of struggle. Maharana alone could not have taken such a decision. After all, how was this possible without the active cooperation of the feudal lords and subjects? So he probed the mind of all his Samant-Sardars, Mewar’s allies Rao-Rawals and the people. The advice was the same, “Instead of accepting subordination, it would be better to sacrifice life in the defense of the motherland.” Not only his soldiers but every common man of the subjects also expressed the same sentiments. Bhil never accepted subordination. He was always ready to offer everything for his Maharana. This was not only the charisma of Maharana Pratap’s personality, but also the tradition of Mewar. The spirit of sacrifice, sacrifice and self-sacrifice was flowing in the veins of every Mewar resident like blood. This doubled Pratap’s enthusiasm. The decision is done. Now it was only necessary to prepare accordingly as much as possible. history of maharana pratap in english

Akbar sent his soft-spoken and consummate courtier Jalal Khan Korchi to Mewar in September 1572, about six months after the Maharana’s accession to the throne, to propose a treaty. Along with him there were some other courtiers who were skilled in the customs of the royal courts. Maharana honored Korchi and his companions properly and arranged many facilities for them in the royal guest house. Korchi tried his best to make Pratap drink the bitter drink of Mughal subjugation by dipping his words in syrup. He very politely explained to the respected Maharana about the benefits of making a treaty with Emperor Akbar the Great and the possible sufferings that would be caused to him and his subjects by not making a treaty.

From time to time, rounds of talks continued between the chief nobles sitting with Pratap and his allies who came with Korchi. Maharana used to listen to everything he said very carefully, but never expressed any concrete reaction. Korchi continued his efforts. He wanted some answer, positive or negative. After about two months, he urged Pratap a lot for a definite answer, then he said, “Khan Sahib, the ruler of Mewar is God Ekalinga. I am his fan. Until I get a definite answer from his side What should I answer you?” history of maharana pratap in english

Korchi did not understand anything. It was a Rajput riddle, which he had not heard till date. I understood only that Rana would never answer. Disappointed, he packed his sack bed the next day and made his way to Delhi.

Akbar was not disheartened by the failure of Korchi. He felt that a Rajput should have been sent to negotiate the treaty. After some thought, he chose Kunwar Mansingh for this work.

In 1573 AD, Mansingh attacked Sholapur with a large army and won it. He then ordered the rest of the army to return to Akbar, keeping a small contingent of bodyguards with him. He also had this much understanding that what could be the meaning of moving forward in the direction of Mewar along with the force. Maharana Pratap had already received the information about Mansingh’s arrival as Akbar’s messenger. He ordered his son Amarsingh that Mansingh should be accorded a grand welcome on his arrival at Udaipur. All the preparations are done. Amarsingh received Kunwar Mansingh and brought him with great honor to the court, where he was received by the Maharana himself and his chief nobles. history of maharana pratap in english

There was a lot of difference between Jalal Khan Korchi and Mansingh. Where Jalal Khan was soft-spoken and polite, Mansingh was intoxicated by the immense power of the Mughal Empire. Being a major general of Akbar, he went on many victory campaigns and on the basis of Mughalvahini and his battle skills, he hoisted the flags of victory at various places. He had come to believe that a small state like Mewar would agree to the treaty, intimidated by the threat hidden in his humble offer. In his language, instead of the humility of a messenger, there was more of a tinge of persuasion on the strength of power.

In the first day’s meeting itself, Mansingh and the courtiers accompanying him put forward proposals to the Maharana. Their summary was that the great Mughal emperor would be very happy to have a treaty with the brave Shiromani Rana of Mewar. If there is a marriage relationship, then this friendship can be permanent and intense. Had to hear so much that Rana’s feudatories got angry. But on Pratap’s signal everyone became calm. Along with this, there was also an option that if Maharana does not find the marriage related proposal appropriate for any reason, then it is not a mandatory condition of the treaty. He should appear in Akbar’s court and the emperor would give him a high status. According to his reputation in the court, he will be respected. Along with this, the courtiers accompanying Mansingh gave detailed information about the jagir, title and other gifts to be given to Rana. history of maharana pratap in english

Maharana Pratap kept listening to the whole thing carefully. After that he only replied that he would be able to take a decision only after consulting all his feudatories. Amar Singh had made very good arrangements for the hospitality of the guests who came from the Delhi court. He himself was taking care of Mansingh’s comfort and entertainment. He knew that Mansingh was very fond of hunting, so he made special arrangements for him too.

Three days passed, but Mansingh did not get any definite answer. He understood that Maharana Pratap would never accept his proposal. He is only procrastinating. He avoided Korchi like this for two months. He didn’t have that much patience. He was furious. He took it as a personal insult if his proposal was not accepted. His aunt Jodha Bai was married by his father to Akbar, so he considered himself a close relative of the emperor. Apart from this, he was the favorite of Emperor Akbar. Mansingh, who came in the service of Akbar at the young age of twelve, could not understand the difference between independence and dependence. Avoiding the treaty-proposal seemed to him the stubbornness of the Maharana. On the day of farewell, Amarsingh organized a special feast for the guests on the banks of Udayasagar. In the beautiful corridor placed on the banks of the lake, seats were placed for the guests and the chieftains who dined with them, and food was served in gold and silver utensils by placing posts in front of them to eat in the traditional way. Mansingh was waiting for the arrival of Rana Pratap. When Rana Pratap did not appear even after some time, he asked, “Amarsingh, even the food has been organized beautifully, but Rana Pratap has not come yet? history of maharana pratap in english

Amar Singh humbly requested with folded hands, “Kunvarji, I am present at your service. I will definitely have food with you. Father is suffering from colicTherefore, will not be able to come.” Mansingh’s body and body caught fire after hearing this. He understood that Rana Pratap considered it an insult to sit with him and eat food. He who is Mlechha. He got up leaving the food served in front He stood up and said, “Never mind, Kunwar Amarsingh, I am going. Now I will bring the medicine for his stomachache from Delhi.

Amarsingh remained silent after drinking a sip of blood, but a Rajput chieftain who was upset at being forced to sit and eat food with the one who had accepted the suzerainty of the Mughals, could not remain silent. He went ahead and said, “Kunwar Mansingh, if you come alone with the medicine, we will welcome you at Malpura. If you come with your uncle, you will be warmly welcomed wherever God approves of Ekling.” history of maharana pratap in english

After the departure of Mansingh and all the courtiers accompanying him, all the food was thrown away. According to the orders of Maharana Pratap, the court room, the guest house and the dining room were sanctified by repeatedly washing them with the water of the Ganges.

Mansingh told his uncle Akbar the story of Pratap’s obstinacy and the insult of not having dinner with him, adding a little salt and pepper. It didn’t take long for Akbar to understand that he had made a mistake in sending young Mansingh as an ambassador. Mansingh was a capable commander for wars, but could not be a capable messenger for treaty negotiations. He hoped that Mansingh would agree to the treaty by showing humility towards his elder Pratap and explaining him high and low in his own language as being a homogeneous Rajput, but the details received from Mansingh and the other courtiers who accompanied him On the basis of information, he came to know that Mansingh did not become a messengerHe went to Udaipur as a representative of the Mughal Emperor and instead of making a polite offer to the Maharana, he used arrogant commanding language. According to diplomacy, it was absolutely justified to welcome Kunwar Mansingh by Rajkunwar Amarsingh of Mewar and propose to sit and have dinner with him. He was not insulted by Maharana Pratap not having food with him, but he remained silent. He was sorry for breaking the treaty, but Akbar was happy when Mansingh’s intention to take revenge was revealed. When the time comes, now he will be able to fight Rajput with Rajput, but for now, a senior and experienced Rajput should be sent as an ambassador to Mewar once again. Perhaps Rana Pratap, in the meantime, after thinking carefully, instead of confronting and being defeated by the huge power of the Mughals, may have made up his mind for a treaty. history of maharana pratap in english

This time he decided to send Mansingh’s father Raja Bhagwandas with a treaty proposal. According to some historians, Mansingh was the nephew of Bhagwandas, whom he considered as his son. Where the dynasty of Amer now had a close relationship with Akbar, it once had a close relationship with the dynasty of Mewar. The Kachwaha Rajputs of Amer once used to attend the court of Rana Sanga and were ready to cooperate with him in any war. When the power of Mewar waned and seeing the unlimited military force of the Mughals in Akbar’s time, they sided with him. He had understood that even the combined power of Mewar could not defeat Akbar. He saw Rana Pratap’s passion for independence as stubbornness and foolishness.

After getting the order of Akbar, Raja Bhagwandas marched towards Mewar in October 1573. Like Mansingh, Bhagwandas also took the army and moved ahead trampling Badnagar, Rawaliya etc. on the way. Through this victory, he wanted to convey a message to Rana Pratap that what is the fate of those who do not befriend the Mughals. Proceeding from there, he camped at Ida and after taking some rest, sent a message of his arrival to Pratap. By the way, Rana Pratap had already received the news about the arrival of Raja Bhagwandas and his purpose. Like Mansingh, this time also he had made complete preparations to welcome the messenger coming from the Mughal court.

On the arrival of Bhagwandas, Maharana Pratap himself received him and extended a warm welcome. Rana said that you are my elder, you are worthy of worship. This gave Bhagwandas a ray of hope. He thought that the threat to Manasah had some effect on him. King Bhagwandas was apprehensive that discussing the treaty in the presence of other feudatories might cause some problems. He was well acquainted with the nature and character of the Mewari Rajputs. A negative reaction from any Rao-Raval could have scuttled the talks. So he put the first condition that whatever conversation will happen will be between Pratap and him only. No third will be involved in this. Even Kunwar Amarsingh and Rao Krishnadas were kept out of it. No one had any objection to this. All the feudatories knew their Maharana that they would never compromise with the independence of Mewar. history of maharana pratap in english

The summary of the private conversation between Raja Bhagwandas and Rana Pratap was the same as that which came out in their conversation with Mansingh. The only difference was that Bhagwandas was behaving with great humility and affinity. He explained to the Rana that it was in his best interest to follow the dynasty of Amer. He himself would recommend to Akbar that the Maharana should be given a proper respectable position and title in the court. Confrontation with the huge power of the Mughals, it is impossible for the small Mewar to have hope of victory. When dependence is certain, then what is the use of unnecessary bloodshed? This will only lead to the plight of the people of Mewar. The honor and respect that Maharana is getting now, after the defeat in the war, it would be futile to expect it. Finally, in response to all these arguments, Bhagwandas got irritated when Rana Pratap despised him even after getting the kingdom of heaven in exchange for freedom. Being an elder, he said that Pratap, I was explaining for your benefit, but if you want to take the path of suicide, then it is your choice. By your obstinacy you will throw Mewar into the fire of war and will be responsible for the sacrifice of thousands of brave Rajputs. You are buying disaster for yourself along with Mewar, not freedom. Bhagwandas could not understand how Mewar could remain independent after clashing with the huge power of the Mughals? This is absolutely impossible.

King Bhagwandas returned disappointed, but Akbar did not get disappointed even after hearing the whole story from him, after this he chose King Todermal to negotiate a treaty. Todermal also left for Mewar in December 1573, although neither Todermal nor Emperor Akbar had any hope of success in this negotiation. Nevertheless, he thought it appropriate to make another attempt by sending ethical and tactful Todermal. Todermal also got the same answer from Rana Pratap that others had got. They were not ready to compromise with the independence of Mewar at any cost. Rana felt that he would have to sell the independence of Mewar for his convenience. They knew very well that after this refusal war was inevitable. He was also aware of the outcome of the war. Even if Mewar wins in a military struggle, Akbar’s pride will not be able to tolerate this insult. He will throw all his power in the war to make Mewar bow down. He understood very well the kind of hardships the Maharana himself and his beloved Mewar would have to face. But freedom was paramount to him. history of maharana pratap in english

Rana Pratap knew from the beginning that no negotiation could be successful, no matter how great the temptation, Mewar would never accept subjugation, but he wanted to continue the process of negotiations, so that he could face the coming war. Prepare as much as possible. Akbar also understood after the failure of Korchi and Mansingh that it was impossible to persuade Pratap to submit, but under his diplomacy, he wanted to show other Rajputs that he tried his best to befriend Mewar, but Maharana’s stubbornness Mine didn’t work in front of him, then he was forced to order an attack. Meanwhile, he used the time he got to suppress other possible allies of Mewar, so that the Mughals would not have to face the combined power of the Rajputs. Perhaps somewhere he also had the hope that Rana Pratap might bow down after being almost alone in this way. history of maharana pratap in english

Security Preparations Of Maharana Pratap

In fact, the challenge to protect the independence of Mewar had arisen during the reign of Uday Singh. After the fall of Chittorgarh, Uday Singh was particularly concerned about the defense of Mewar. He made new recruits in the army, tried to make more and more friends of Mewar and started settling Udaipur in a relatively more secure place. By the time he was a teenager, Pratap had started taking interest in all these activities. So he was fully aware of this problem and the possible solution as well.

In front of Pratap’s eyes, gradually the entire plains of Mewar had gone under the authority of the Mughals. It would have proved futile to even imagine re-occupying it or Chittorgarh, the symbol of honor of the Sisodia dynasty. The immediate need was to protect what was left of Mewar from the vast power of the Mughals and to keep it independent. history of maharana pratap in english

There was also the other side of the coin. Where Mewar was a small state in comparison to the vast Mughal Empire, nature had also given it the means to protect its self-respect. Its inaccessible mountainous regions, narrow valleys, far-flung wild regions and its overflowing rivers during the rainy season protected Mewar from external aggression. Compared to the invaders, even a very small army could defend itself by establishing fronts in these passes and valleys. The residents here were familiar with the land inch by inch, while it was a totally unknown territory for any invader. Apart from this, there were brave Rajputs who protected it, who did not keep their match in bravery.

Akbar was well aware of this fact. In the march to Chittorgarh, he had to face only a small army left there by Udai Singh, but he had not yet forgotten the valor with which a handful of Rajputs had fought. He had also anticipated how difficult and costly the war with the Rajputs would be in the remote mountainous region of Mewar. When the war was being discussed, Pratap’s brother Shaktisinh was also angry and went to Akbar’s shelter in that meeting. Akbar asked him how much army would be required if the Rana was to be defeated in a battle in the mountainous region of Mewar. On this, Shaktisinh replied that an army of at least two lakhs is needed for the siege of the entire area. Apart from this, we should also remember that elephants and artillery, the main strength of the Mughal army, would be of no use there. If the soldiers go astray in any wrong way, not a single one will be spared from the poisoned arrows of the forest dwellers. history of maharana pratap in english

Most of the councilors present in the consultation meeting considered Shaktisingh’s statement as an exaggeration. Some openly said that Jahanpanah wanted to save his brother Maharana Pratap from the wrath of the Mughals by showing great intimidation. After all, he is his brother! Some even made fun of him.

Akbar became serious after listening to her. He saw concrete reality in it. In the open field, the small army of Mewar could not stand in front of the huge Mughal army and its artillery, but defeating it in the rugged mountainous region was like chewing iron gram. He appreciated Shaktisingh’s talk and got immersed in deep thinking about the future war plan.

Here Rana Pratap had intensified the security preparations. He had sent his armory and treasury from Gogunda to Kumbhalgarh and Awalgarh. He feared that the Mughal army might attack Gogunda. Kumbhalgarh seems very remote even today. Therefore, at that time it was impossible for any invading army to reach there through the narrow paths. Apart from this, it was not possible for any big army to gather around this fort surrounded by mountains. Avalgarh was a relatively small fort, but being more remote than Kumbhalgarh was safe. Rana had also accumulated enough food grains in both these forts. There was no shortage of water in this region. Apart from this, another advantage was that in case of heavy pressure from the enemy, it was easy to leave here and go to some other safe place in the rugged mountainous region. The blacksmiths of Mewar were skilled in making spears, swords, bows and arrows. They were busy day and night for the supply of weapons and were making weapons and storing them in the caves of the mountains. history of maharana pratap in english

Rana Pratap helped as much as possible in the rehabilitation of the citizens who had gone to the mountainous region to take refuge from the misdeeds of the enemies and built kutcha houses on a war footing for their living in the green fields between the mountains. Out of these, the youth who were ready to give their services for the defense of the country, were recruited in the army. They were armed and trained in weapon handling. It was in his blood to sacrifice his life for the protection of Mewar with bravery and patience.

All the preparations of Rana Pratap were done keeping in mind both the positive and negative consequences of the future war. The comment of some historians that he used to live in extreme enthusiasm of heroism – does not seem appropriate. The way Pratap prepared for the impending war was based on solid reality. He made a complete and comprehensive plan with his soldiers as to how the security would be done at each and every block in the mountain route. A detailed plan was already made on how to evacuate the treasury and the royal family from there and where to move them in case of a crisis in Kumbhalgarh or Awalgarh. This is also confirmed by later events, when we see how Pratap was able to keep his family and treasury safe from enemy ambushes. history of maharana pratap in english

After reorganizing the army, security of forts, arrangement of blockade of mountain routes, arrangements for obstructing the supply of the enemy army as much as possible, arrangements for food grains, animal fodder and water in the mountainous region and forts, Rana Pratap conquered the plains. From where the attention of the MughalsThe army had to come.He issued an order that no farming would be done in the entire plain area. The entire state should be made desolate like Anjarbanjar. The enemy should not get any kind of local aid of food grains. Anyone who disobeys this command will be considered an enemy of the country and will be punished with death. The patriotic farmers obeyed the orders of their Maharana literally. As an exception, the few who tried to grow any type of crop were beheaded.

Here, after the failure of the treaty proposals, Emperor Akbar was also considering the war plan. He was very upset that small Mewar was standing independent while teasing the huge Mughal Empire. There was no effect of any kind of pressure on him, but Akbar did not make the mistake of considering Mewar as a stubborn and a state that could be trampled in a few hours. He had personal experience of the battle of Chittorgarh. There he saw a handful of Rajputs sacrificing their lives while protecting their fort. Mewar was not a morsel of mouth, that is why he wanted to attack it with complete planning, so that in one big attack, this problem could be eradicated forever. The work which could not be done by treaty-negotiation, could have been done on the strength of the sword. history of maharana pratap in english

Mewar’s independence was a big obstacle in Akbar’s expansionist ambition, there was another big problem due to his independence – economic problem. Whatever goods came from abroad by sea route, they were unloaded at the port of Surat. From there he used to come to North India via Gujarat and Rajputana. That’s why Akbar thought it necessary to take over Gujarat and Mewar to make that path free. In those days loot was also a source of income. Guerrilla squads of big Rao-Ravals used to make sudden attacks and loot in the surrounding areas when they got the opportunity and returned to their area before a big army could come to protect them. Apart from this, the Bhils and other armed forces of Rajasthan used to loot the trading caravans carrying goods from Surat. They had the tacit approval of the rulers there. The tradition was so prevalent that it was not considered any kind of wrongdoing or crime. Such activities were going on even in the state of Maharana Pratap who gave highest priority to morality. Their own troops were also often involved in these. Without establishing his supremacy over Mewar, Akbar could not make this route completely safe.

This was also one of the reasons for Akbar’s military campaign against Rao Chandrasen of Jodhpur. Rao Chandrasen’s soldiers were also proficient in looting the trade caravans coming from Gujarat, which made Akbar worried. Akbar could not succeed in subduing them despite constant efforts and taking a large area of their kingdom under their control. He wanted Chandrasen to join his camp. His alliance with Rana Pratap was broken. Others didn’t get success, but he definitely succeeded in weakening Chandrasen’s power before a direct fight with Rana Pratap. history of maharana pratap in english

Military skirmishes with Rao Chandrasen had also taught Akbar that it would not be easy to take iron from small looking Mewar. That’s why he had planned to attack Mewar with complete preparation and in a well planned manner. Took full personal interest in making the entire outline of this scheme and in the consultation related to it.

Some Muslim historians have also cited a religious reason for this. The Muslims who used to go on Haj pilgrimage from North India also boarded the ship from Surat. Therefore, his way also used to pass through Rajasthan and Gujarat. According to these historians, Akbar wanted to secure this passage for them as well. Actually there is no point in this matter. The marauding gangs of Ajmer and Mewar were not interested in the Haj pilgrims. Apart from this, not only the rulers of Mewar or Ajmer, but also the residents there have always shown religious tolerance. Respecting other’s religion and living together with followers of all religions was a part of the culture there. He never even thought of harming anyone for religious reasons. As far as Pratap is concerned, the Maharana respected a Muslim as much as he respected his Hindu subjects. He was a popular ruler and treated everyone equally. That’s why there were many Muslim soldiers in Maharana’s army as well. Hakim Khan Sur was one of their main fighters, who fought with such bravery in the Battle of Haldighati that once he uprooted the enemy army. history of maharana pratap in english

The question arises that why did Akbar, who was anxious to take Mewar under his control, take so long to take military action? He had anticipated the possible results of the treaty negotiations, but Mewar was not in the plan of his conquests. Before this, he wanted to completely establish his supremacy over Gujarat and Malwa. Apart from this, he wanted to completely crush the small rebellions that happened from time to time. He also had no idea for how long his army would be stuck there after starting the struggle against Mewar. Far-sighted realist Akbar had never dreamed of subduing Mewar in a hurry.

This was the reason why he kept postponing that action on the pretext of treaty negotiations. Here, Maharana Pratap had also adopted the policy of avoiding. He had to make a lot of preparations to face the huge army of the Mughals. The more time I got for this, the better. Amarsingh remained humble when Mansingh showed insolence at the time of meal, but the Rana was very pleased with what the Rajput chieftain told him. They did not want the real intention of Mewar to be revealed to the enemy. Apart from the hospitality of the Sisodia dynasty, this policy was behind the polite behavior of Maharana Pratap and Yuvraj Amarsingh towards all the messengers of Akbar.

However, now the whole situation was clear and the preparations for the war were in full swing from both the sides. War frenzy was dominating the heads of the heroes of Mewar. They were eager to avenge the defeat of Chittor from the Mughals. Amarsingh and other senior chieftains, who were trained in both strategy and diplomacy under the direction of father Rana Pratap, were trying to control their enthusiasm and keep them disciplined. history of maharana pratap in english

Battle of Haldighati

Preparation for war is such a thing, which was not possible to keep secret in any period. Everyday Rana Pratap was getting information about the preparations being made by the Mughals. Similarly, all the information about the preparation of Rajputs was reaching Akbar as well. Akbar was also aware of which Rao-Rawals were ready to help Rana Pratap from outside in the war. He wanted to find out the combined power of all of them, but it could not be possible. So he prepared his army on the basis of estimation.

Rana Pratap had come to know that a large army of Mughals under the leadership of Mansingh was about to march to attack Mewar. To find out or guess how much it was probably did not matter to them. Whether the army is five thousand or fifty thousand – Mewar had to face it to protect its independence. Whatever power Rana could muster, he had gathered. Now there was a need to make a war strategy and decide where to face the Mughal army. history of maharana pratap in english

Differences of strategy emerged clearly in the consultation room. It is not easy to change the strategy that is going on from tradition. Whatever may be the subject, even the common people are not easily ready to do something contrary to what is going on. Till now the tradition of Rajputs was that no matter how big the army was in number, they used to attack it and as long as a single warrior was alive, they used to try their best to stop the enemy from moving forward. The history of Rajputana is full of stories of such bravery. If defeated, an entire young generation of Rajputs would have been sacrificed. The youth in the second generation were confined till they were fit enough to face the enemy.

An English writer has made a very good comment that the one who fights, seeing his defeat is certain, runs away from the battlefield. He lives to face the enemy ever again, but he who does not retreat and dies when the enemy has the upper hand, can never again stand to avenge his defeat. This used to happen with the Rajputs, but they were not ready to understand this fact.

A similar mood came to the fore in the consultation meeting held for the Battle of Haldighati. Some senior feudal lords, in whom Ramsingh Tanwar was the chief, who had gone through the harsh experiences of many small and big wars in the past, were of the mind not to take a direct fight with the Mughals. They should be allowed to attack first and in the difficult and narrow mountainous terrain, our army should be engaged while fighting them. history of maharana pratap in english

In such a situation, the main force of the Mughal army, its elephants and artillery would be of no use. They also had the advantage of being more in numbers in the field. Some of the mountain paths were so narrow that even two soldiers could not walk on them at the same time. In such a situation, it would be easy for the Rajput army stationed there to face them. Even the biggest army will remain helpless in front of the almost invisible Bhils’ accurate shots and poisoned arrows under the cover of mountains. He said that according to the strategy of guerilla war, if necessary, the policy of retreating from one front and then attacking the enemy from the other side can also be adopted. ,

This was a new thinking, which was not understood by the fighters of the traditional style. He was of the opinion that the open enemy should be attacked with full force. Where is the bravery in fighting by taking cover of mountain caves? Due to this, the deadly attack on the enemy will not be possible, which is necessary. Some of these over-enthusiastic nobles requested the Rana to keep them in the vanguard squad. He will uproot the enemy’s feet with his initial attack.

After much deliberation, Rana Pratap decided to adopt an almost mixed strategy. It was decided that the war would be fought in Haldighati. It would not be easy for the Mughals to fight in this narrow and rocky area. They were used to fighting in the plains. The soldiers of the state would have been protected from the fire of the Mughal artillery and the huge army of elephants. It was a strategy between traditional and guerilla warfare, i.e. a combination of both, in which guerilla tactics clearly had a higher stake. history of maharana pratap in english

Earlier, Maharana Pratap himself and some of his other feudatories were in favor of facing the Mughals in the open area of Mandalgarh, but after reconsidering the whole situation and fighting in Dalnimani, it was considered best to fight in guerilla style. Here Akbar appointed Mansingh as the commander-in-chief of the army sent to attack Mewar. Some Muslim soldiers were also told this, but they remained silent. Akbar wanted that the army that goes against Rajput Rana Pratap should be led by a Rajput. This does not send a wrong message to other Rajputs supporting him. When Mansingh came to negotiate, he considered Pratap’s absence as an insult and he also told Akbar that he should be given an opportunity to avenge this insult when the time comes. Apart from this, Mansingh was the winner of many wars, skilled and experienced commander. Akbar had full faith in his bravery and strategy.

Akbar had full faith in Mansingh’s battle skills, but he did not consider it proper for one Rajput to have complete trust on him while fighting with another Rajput. Therefore, to help Mansingh, he also joined his chosen Muslim warlords Ghazi Khan, Mahabal Khan, Mujahid Khan, Mihtar Khan, Arshad Khan, Khwaja Muhammad Rafi, Asaf Khan, Mir Bakshi and Syed Hamim Barha. Apart from this there were also Hindu generals Rai Lunkaran, Madho Singh and Jagannath Kachwaha. The wars which were discussed by the Rajputs for strategy were also discussed in the council of the Mughals. Its summary was also that it would not be easy to defeat the army of Mewar in the inaccessible mountainous region. Neither artillery nor the army of elephants would be useful there, on which the Mughals had a lot of faith. Everyone in the Mughal army was an experienced warlord of many big wars. They unanimously accepted this argument of Rai Loonkaran. The strategy was decided that somehow the Rajputs should be provoked and brought to the field and defeated in a face-to-face fight. If there is a war in the inaccessible mountainous region, the Mughal army will probably be stuck there for an indefinite period. history of maharana pratap in english

There was another trick behind sending Mansingh as the commander-in-chief. After Rana Kumbha took Amer under his control, the Kachwaha Rajputs of Amer used to attend the court of Chittor. Mansingh’s father Raja Bhagwandas also attended the court of Maharana Pratap’s father Rana Uday Singh for some time, but after the defeat of Rana Sanga at the hands of Babur, he was getting attracted to the increasing power of the Mughals. In between Humayun’s time of disorganization and due to the establishment of Sher Shah Suri’s kingdom in Delhi, he could not take any decision, then in the time of Akbar, the power of Mughals increased a lot. Akbar wanted to unite some Rajputs with him. The Kachwahas of Amer were also waiting for this opportunity. He not only accepted their submission, but also strengthened this relationship by sending Mansingh’s aunt Jodhabai’s doula to grace Akbar’s harem.

It is obvious that Uday Singh and after him Rana Pratap did not forget this betrayal. Akbar believed that Rana Pratap’s blood would boil seeing Mansingh conducting the war against him. It was decided that seeing the right opportunity, Mansingh should bring his elephant in front of Rana Pratap’s horse and if still Rana is not agitated, he should challenge him to fight. On this, Pratap would lose his temper and attack Mansingh. Mansingh riding on an elephant will outnumber Pratap on a horse. He may try to mount his horse on the elephant. That’s why it was decided that sharp double-edged swords should be tied to the elephant’s trunk, which would injure Rana’s horse Chetak. Around Mansingh’s elephant, a strong squad of selected brave soldiers was deployed, who were instructed to surround and kill Maharana Pratap when such an opportunity came, which was very likely. Rajputs will be demoralized seeing their Maharana dying and then it will be easy to win the rest of the war. As we shall see later, the Mughals followed this strategy, which was largely successful. history of maharana pratap in english

How important was the victory of Mewar for Akbar, it can be estimated from the fact that Emperor Akbar himself came to Ajmer in March 1576 after the war strategy was decided. He bowed his head at the Khwaja’s dargah and made a lot of offerings and prayed for success in the war. Sitting in Ajmer, Akbar personally supervised the activities related to the future war. Apart from this, he used to get information about the activities happening in the areas of Mewar easily here.

It would also be relevant to mention another fact here. In the history of Rajputana, Colonel Tod and influenced by his description, some other writers have also written that Akbar had sent his son Salim to the war along with Mansingh. Salim was born in August 1559. The Battle of Haldighati took place in June 1576. It is clear from this that Salim was seventeen years old at the time of this war. Would a sensible emperor like Akbar ever commit the mistake of sending his seventeen-year-old son to the battlefield, and that son, who was given to him after great vows? history of maharana pratap in english

There are many figures about how much army Mansingh had brought. According to the legends of Mewar, Mansingh had brought a huge army of 80 thousand, while Rana Pratap had a total of 20 thousand soldiers to face him. It seems that the reason for the defeat of the Rajputs in the Battle of Haldighati was their encounter with such a large army. It is obvious that this was done to glorify the bravery of the Rajputs and show their courage to face such a huge army despite their defeat. Along with this, it is also said that out of these 14 thousand Rajputs attained Veergati while fighting with the Mughals, but from the investigation of the facts, it is concluded that these figures have been greatly exaggerated. Actually Mansingh had brought an army of five thousand. Rana Pratap had three thousand horsemen to counter him. Apart from this, there was an army of Bhils, the exact number of which is not available. It is definitely said that their number was not very large. All historians also agree that the number of Mughal army was much more than Maharana Pratap’s army, which seems quite logical.

Akbar tried his best to find out through his spies that how much army Rana Pratap had in total. He probably did not get the exact number, but it was only natural for him to send more army than the estimated number. The fact of Mansingh bringing an army of five thousand is also confirmed by one more thing. When Akbar made Mansingh the commander-in-chief of the army going against Mewar, he was also given the rank of five thousand mansabdar. history of maharana pratap in english

The chief commanders in Rana Pratap’s army were Ramsingh Tanwar of Gwalior, Rao Krishnadas, Jhala Mansingh, Purohit Jagannath, Bida Jhala, Ramdas Rathore, Charan Jassa, Hakim Khan Sur, Shankardas and Bhil Sardar Punja. Haldighati was chosen for the battle, whose soil was named Haldighati due to the color of turmeric. It was one of the very narrow gorges of Mewar. Fighting in this valley surrounded by mountainous forest region was highly favorable for the Rajputs. Even a small force guarding its narrow passes could hold back the advance of a large army and inflict considerable damage on it. If the Rajputs had to retreat, they could engage the enemy for a very long time, almost indefinitely, fighting on these narrow mountain passes.

The Rajput army marched from Gogunda and reached Haldighati and as per the strategy, started waiting for the enemy by forming fronts there. Another factor that suited the Rajputs was the intense June heat, which they were used to enduring, but for an attacking army, fighting for a long time in this intense heat would have battered it. The Mughals, though outnumbered, found it difficult to face the Mewar army under these circumstances. It is clear from this that Maharana Pratap had no Rajput arrogance in refusing to submit to the Mughals and showing courage to face them, as some people think. He had solid reality behind him, he had full faith in the valor of his army, the natural security of Mewar and his strategy that no matter how big the army Akbar sent, he could face it to protect his independence. history of maharana pratap in english

On April 3, 1576, with his blessings, Akbar sent out ‘Farzand’ (son) Mansingh with his army from Ajmer to attack Mewar. Apart from infantry and cavalry, his army also had elephants and artillery. Mansingh stopped at Mandalgarh with his army. He was encamped here for two months. Perhaps he thought that Rana Pratap would lose his patience with this long wait and attack him at Mandalgarh itself. He wanted to face the Mewari army in the open field as far as possible. Even though he was not very familiar with the geography of the mountainous region of Mewar, he definitely knew that it would be almost impossible to defeat the Rajputs in the inaccessible mountainous region where his artillery and elephants would prove useless. Some historians also say that after getting full information about Rana Pratap’s preparations for the war, Mansingh found his army insufficient and requested Emperor Akbar to send more army. Now he was waiting for the arrival of that additional army by stopping at Mandalgarh. There may be truth in this, because almost all historians agree about the Battle of Haldighati that the army of the Mughals was much more than that of the Rajputs. Akbar also wanted to win Mewar at any cost. Therefore, it is not a big deal if he has sent more army at the behest of Mansingh.

However, whether the reason was waiting for more army or the attack of Rajputs, after two months in the beginning of June, Mansingh left Mandalgarh and camped at Mahi village. He found this whole area completely deserted, in which there was not even a blade of grass. To prevent the invader from getting any local help, all the routes of that army were cleared, fields were set on fire and water bodies were poisoned. Mansingh was familiar with this. Therefore, he had carried enough supplies and water for his army, and as soon as the attack was planned, he had made elaborate arrangements for the supply and communication from the rear. While moving from Mandalgarh, wherever he halted, he had made adequate security arrangements by setting up posts there, so that the Rajputs could not raid and loot the logistics etc. coming from that route. He finally came to Molela village and set up an army cantonment to give rest to his soldiers and animals suffering from the fierce heat of June. The Versus river used to flow about half a kilometer away from here. Therefore, Mansingh found this place suitable for the camp of the army. Due to the heat, its water had dried up and the river had become like a thin stream, but still this water source was sufficient for them. The mouth of Haldighati was at a distance of about one and a half kilometer from here. Mansingh had adopted the policy of increasing his army along the Vishnu river, so that the benefit of this natural water source would be given to his soldiers and animals. history of maharana pratap in english

Mansingh remembered the days of coming to Mewar for his treaty negotiations, then he had gone hunting in such a forest region in the hospitality of Amarsingh. He took some of his chosen bodyguards with him and went hunting in the nearby forest. He had made a huge mistake considering this forest region as safe. He did not know that every nook and corner of the forest was under the watch of the forest dwellers, whose keen eyesight and sharp arrows no one could escape. It was very easy for him to surround this small group and kill him, but without the permission of his Rana, he did not think it appropriate to take such a step. A Bhil youth was immediately rushed to inform Maharana Pratap about this. After listening to him, Rana Pratap contemplated the whole situation for a moment and giving his decision said that even though Mansingh is our enemy, it would be cowardice to surround and kill him in such a situation. If Lord Ekling wishes, he will challenge and kill him in the battlefield.Not only this, according to the legend, on the orders of Rana Pratap, Mansingh was thrown near the hunting party with a small message written on the back of an arrow, in which he was warned not to hunt in this area, it proved fatal for him. It is possible Mansingh immediately realized his mistake. He saddled the horse with his companions and died straight after coming to his camp.

It is said that some Bhil youths got angry on this decision of Maharana, but they could not disobey their Rana’s orders. Most of the Rajput feudal lords praised this decision of Rana Pratap. After all, this decision was in accordance with Rajputi Aan. To kill Mansingh in this way would have been to kill him by deceit, which the Rajputs never did. Everything is fair in war and love, this policy was made by the British, not the Rajputs. Had the Rajputs taken advantage of that opportunity to kill Mansingh, then it is possible that the Mughals would have attacked the Mewari army encamped in the narrow mountainous region of Haldighati to punish the Rajputs who were enraged by the murder of their commander-in-chief. It would have been otherwise. True, upholding high morals sometimes comes at a very high cost. history of maharana pratap in english

The Battle of Haldighati started on June 21, 1576 at around 8 am. The chief generals of both sides, Maharana Pratap and Kunwar Mansingh, had combined their armies in the traditional battle style, in which vanguard, rearguard, south and left flanks are there. Vanguard is the advance part of the army, rear part. As it is clear from the name itself, the right and left wing are called the south and left flank army respectively. The commander-in-chief himself is in their center. Maharana Pratap Singh had deployed his most trusted commander Hakim Khan in the avant-garde squad of his army. Chudawat Krishnadas, Bhimsingh, Rawat Sanga etc. were there to help him. The southern wing was headed by Raja Ram Singh Tanwar of Gwalior. He was assisted by his three sons, Bhamashah, another trusted general of Pratap, and his brother Tarachand. The left wing was under the leadership of Mansingh Jhala and he was accompanied by Jhala Man, Mansingh Songara and some other feudatories. The leader of the Chandaval or the rear of the army was Rana Punja. He was accompanied by Pratap’s chosen general and Charan Keshav. In the center was Maharana Pratap riding on his favorite horse Chetak. The Bhils, who were led by the Bhil Sardar Punja, were assigned by the Rana to protect the surrounding area with their bows and arrows and raid the enemy as needed.

Kunwar Mansingh also organized his army in the same way. He placed Raja Jagannath, Asaf Khan and Ghiyasuddin in his vanguard. The leader of the right wing was Syed Ahmed Khan and the left wing was led by Ghazi Khan and Rai Lone Karfa. Mansingh handed over the leadership of Chandawal squad to Mihtar Khan and made another trusted and capable commander Madho Singh the leader of the reserve army. The Mughals had a large artillery and a few small cannons mounted on carts, which could be moved quickly as needed. This was his great strength. In a one-on-one field battle, it was almost impossible for an army to survive artillery fire. history of maharana pratap in english

Mewar’s army did not have any such artillery. If he had two or four cannons, then by placing them on the height of the mountain, destructive firing could be done on the Mughal army from there. Resources and better weapons are very important in war. In Kui wars, even large armies were seen to be uprooted in front of cannon fire. That is why an English writer very rightly remarked that God is always on the side of a large and powerful army. Now if there was any way to avoid these fire-breathing artillery, it was only to sit in the passes of the valley and face the enemy from there. This was the plan, which was correct, but unfortunately it did not happen.

Preparations started early in the morning on 21st June. All the animals were fed their fodder. The soldiers had breakfast and drank cold drinks to relieve the heat, then everyone took care of their respective fronts. Everyone had extraordinary enthusiasm to face the enemy. Many of them were youths whose fathers or close relatives had died in the battle of Chittor or in the subsequent massacre. They were getting restless to take revenge from the Mughals. Most of the army was newly recruited and trained in a short time. He had no practical experience of war, but there was no lack of bravery in him.

Mansingh and his warlord experienced in many battles knew very well that it was extremely difficult to fight with Rajputs in the inaccessible mountainous region. They wanted to provoke them and bring them to the ground. Mansingh moved forward from Molela with his army. He stopped at the narrow mouth of Haldighati. It was a small ground, which is now called Badshah Bagh. It was not very convenient for the Mughal army to fight even on the rough ground ahead of this plain surrounded by arched hills.But it was much better than fighting the Rajputs entrenched in the hills. Mansingh stopped here and waited for the attack of Rajputs. He hoped that the Rajputs would get excited on seeing the enemy army and would definitely make the mistake of attacking it leaving their strong positions in the mountain passes.

Mansingh was successful in his trick. The Rajputs lost their temper. Couldn’t wait any longer. Ranbheri echoed from his side, an elephant hoisting the flag of Mewar emerged from the valley. Simultaneously, Hakim Khan Sur appeared with his vanguard squad and hurriedly broke into the front line of the Mughals. A terrible fight broke out. The place of Badshah Bagh, where Mansingh’s main army had gathered, was relatively flat, but the ground ahead was rocky and bumpy, on which the Mughal soldiers were not used to fighting. This was not a problem for the Rajputs. history of maharana pratap in english

The attack of Pratap’s avant-garde squad was so intense that the feet of the Mughal army were uprooted in no time. Many soldiers were killed because of not being able to maintain their balance on the rocky ground. Seeing this, the enthusiasm of the Rajputs doubled. Rana Pratap also had no experience of any big war. Encouraged by the success of his vanguard army, he forgot all the strategy made by the experienced generals and leaving the safe front of the hill, came to the field with his entire army. It was a huge mistake, which Rajputs had to pay in the form of defeat.

As soon as the main army arrived, it attacked the Mughal corps standing in front on the flat land of Badshah Bagh. Although this place was also favorable for the Mughals for the battle, yet the attack was so intense that it became difficult for them to hold their positions. There was tremendous pressure from the Rajputs on Mansingh’s right flank. Rai Lunkaran and his fellow commanders ran away after saving their lives. It was becoming difficult for Mansingh’s main army to gain a foothold. Some of his soldiers also ran away in panic to a distance of 10-12 kos. It seemed that the victory of the Rajputs was certain. history of maharana pratap in english

The Mughal army was retreating. There was no question of the Rajputs returning to their hill positions. They were following him enthusiastically. If he returned or stayed, there was a possibility of reorganization of the Mughals. While fighting, they reached a place behind which is called the pool of blood. It is on the banks of the river Vs. The Mughal army was disintegrating. There was a huge fight. The Mughals were bravely fighting the Rajputs. The main army under Mansingh also stood under his leadership. Although some of his soldiers were also running away. Asaf Khan had stopped the flood of Rajputs in his position by continuous shelling of cannons. Where the Rajputs were under heavy pressure, his small mobile cannons were trying to disintegrate it by shelling it, yet the Rajputs were dominating the Mughals.

Seeing this plight of his army, Mihtar Khan, the chief of the Chandaval squad of the Mughals, came forward with his troop. Mihtar Khan, a veteran of many wars, had understood that it is impossible to win unless the running army is stopped. He played a trick, immediately made a false announcement by playing drums that Emperor Akbar himself had reached the war with a large army. Due to this, the feet of the running army got frozen again. The safe frontiers of the mountainous region were left far behind. The battle had reached the edge of Vs from Badshah Bagh. The Rajputs were getting tired of fighting the Mughals with all their might. In such a situation, the foothold of the fleeing Mughal army and the attack of Mihtar Khan’s fresh squad showed its effect. The shelling of cannons which was wreaking havoc was different. The perfect archery of the Bhils did not deter the Mughals any less. He was fighting valiantly for his Rana, although he too did not have the facility to shoot arrows from the protection of the mountains. history of maharana pratap in english

After some stability in the war and seeing the success of Mihtar Khan’s move, Mansingh implemented his second well-thought-out move. Moving his elephant forward, he reached in front of Rana Pratap. Rana Pratap’s blood boiled on seeing him. He proceeded swiftly to punish the traitor. At the behest of Rana Pratap, his stable horse Chetak fixed both his front legs on the head of Mansingh’s elephant. Rana Pratap attacked Mansingh with his spear, but Mansingh soon hid in the cover of the hoda. Wounded by the blow of the spear, his mahout fell down and his life became extinct. Without the mahout, the elephant ran away screaming. A tragic incident happened in this war when one of Chetak’s legs was badly injured by a double-edged sword tied to its trunk while trying to set its feet on the elephant. Now he could not fight as quickly as before, yet he was obeying his master’s orders as much as possible.

Mansingh ran away, but according to the pre-planned strategy, his bodyguard squad of selected soldiers surrounded Rana Pratap from all sides. Mansingh had made this plan because if Rana Pratap was killed in the war like this, he would get revenge for his insult. Along with this, seeing the death of their Maharana, the courage of the Rajput army will also be defeated and it will run away from the battle field. On the other side, Hakim Khan Sur and Jhala Maan had their eyes fixed on Rana Pratap, when they saw their Rana in trouble, they attacked Mansingh’s bodyguard. They were continuously moving forward tearing the enemy’s defense line while creating fierce fighting. Jhala Maan reached near Rana Pratap fighting very bravely. As soon as he reached, he urged, “Food giver, you give me your umbrella and flag and leave the war zone safely.”
“That would be cowardice.” Pratap spoke.
“Mewar needs you. You leave now to continue the struggle for the freedom of your motherland, not for yourself.” Saying this, he himself took away the flag and umbrella of Rana Pratap without giving him a chance to say anythingPratap turned the injured Chetak, looked at Jhala once in gratitude and left the battlefield dejected.

Mughal soldiers mistook Jhala for Rana Pratap after seeing the flag and umbrella. They pounced on him. Jhala and the soldiers with him fought with great valor, but fighting with a large number of Mughals finally attained Veergati. Along with this, the Maharana’s canopy and flag also fell. history of maharana pratap in english

It was not only the Mughal soldiers who made the mistake of considering Jhala Maan as a Rana. The Rajput soldiers also understood that Maharana Pratap was killed in the war after seeing the horseman falling with the flag and ensign. This demoralized them. The rumor of Akbar bringing a large army had reached the ears of the Rajputs, they too were disappointed. They felt that the competition was going to be the first. Now it will not be possible to face the new army. Rajputs started lagging behind in no time. The Rajput soldiers who had seen their chief commander Maharana Pratap going on Chetak. They also started withdrawing from the battlefield. Pratap, who was sitting on the injured horse, was not even in a position to give him any instructions at that time. The disintegrated Rajput army retreated. By noon the Mughals had won the battle, but as is often the case, did not pursue the retreating army. After that day’s tough fight, he did not have enough strength left to run after them. Besides, Mansingh knew that the retreating Rajputs would take refuge in the safety of their hill fronts. To send our exhausted army after them was to invite death. Already by showing the jewels of his bravery, he had destroyed the Mughal army no less.

Both rider and horse were injured. Chetak had a deep sword wound in one of his legs. There were wounds on Rana Pratap’s body at many places, from which blood was flowing. He was very tired. He turned his boat towards the village of Balia, which was about two miles from the blood-pond.

Two Mughal horsemen had seen Jhala Sardar carrying Rana’s umbrella and flag and Maharana leaving from there. He started following them. He was greedy for a huge reward for being successful in killing Rana Pratap. Emperor Akbar had also ordered that Rana Pratap should not be killed alive in this war. He had no difficulty in killing Pratap who was injured. Rana’s angry brother Shaktisinh also came with him in this battle on the advice of Mansingh. Mansingh had brought him saying that the time has come to avenge the insult done to me and you by the Rana, but he was feeling guilty after coming to the battlefield. He could not understand how to raise his sword against his elder brother who was fighting for the independence of Mewar. He was not lacking in personal valour, but instead of attacking the Rajputs in battle, he used his sword only to defend himself. history of maharana pratap in english

Shaktisinh’s eyes were on his injured elder brother while leaving the battlefield. He saw that two horse riders of the Mughal army were following them. Shaktisinh immediately made his horse run after him. They had reached a short distance from Pratap. Rana had also seen that he was being followed. Meanwhile, he saw that a horse rider came fast. He had some conversation with them. After this, that horse rider suddenly attacked and beheaded one of the unwary Mughal soldiers. The other faced him cautiously, but both were no match. This horseman changed his maneuver and attacked in a short while and the head of that Mughal soldier also started rolling on the ground.

When Maharana Pratap started moving forward on his way, that horse rider called out, O rider of the blue horse, stop. ,
Rana Pratap turned the Chetak and stood with his sword drawn, but he came near and quickly dismounted from his horse and placed his sword at the feet of the Rana.
“Shaktisinh, you?” suddenly came out of Maharana’s mouthHe could not recognize his brother from a distance. Immediately got off the horse. In reply Shaktisingh’s mouth only said, “Brother!” Everything else was said by his tears and sore throat.

The two brothers, separated for years, hugged each other. history of maharana pratap in english

“Don’t stop here, maybe some more Mughal soldiers will come looking for you.” Shaktisinh spoke. Till then Chetak fell on the ground with a bang. He died in a short while. Shaktisinh gave his horse to the Rana and once again asked him to leave quickly. He took the horse of one of the dead soldiers and quickly started towards the Mughal camp. It is said that after going there, Shaktisinh clarified that Rana Pratap killed both the horsemen who were chasing him. He attacked me, due to which my horse died due to injury. I escaped and came here riding on the horse of a dead soldier. Mansingh may not have digested this story, but he did not say anything. Perhaps he was praising Shaktisinh in his heart for helping his brother.

Mansingh accepted the suspicious story of Shaktisinh for whatever reasons. Akbar was very dissatisfied with him. It didn’t take him long to understand the reality, but he also didn’t want to anger Shaktisinh. Even if the king wanted to punish him, then on what basis? There was only suspicion, no solid proof. He ordered that Shaktisinh should be separated from the army.

The guilt of joining the enemies after quarreling with his brother over a small matter was gnawing at Shaktisinh inside. Eventually he decided to return to Mewar from there with his selected Rajput companions. He felt that it would not be fair to meet the Maharana empty-handed. Therefore, collecting a small army, he attacked the fort of Minasaur and took it under his authority. After coming to Mewar and meeting Maharana Pratap, he gifted this fort to him. history of maharana pratap in english

Rana Pratap, who was polite by nature and loved everyone, did not banish Shaktisinh because of a dispute over boar hunting or the suicide of the Vice-Chancellor as a result. They used to be apprehensive because of his fierce jealousy towards him that he would never hatch any big conspiracy. The way Shaktisinh had helped him while returning from the Haldighati field, it was proved that his mind was free from filth. Pratap embraced his brother with love and returned the fort he had won as a jagir. The brothers who had developed so much enmity that one got angry and went to the enemy’s camp, now they have love like real brothers. When Rana Pratap planned to wage a guerilla war against the Mughals by changing his places in the mountains, he kept his son Amar Singh’s family and other relatives with him. But thinking that his old mother Jaivantabai should not suffer from wandering like this, he sent him to Shaktisinh in Minesore fort. Shaktisingh was the son of Sajjabai, the second queen of Uday Singh, but he respected his mother-in-law Jawantabai and made all arrangements for her comforts. It is said that Jaivantabai was also very happy to come there, because she loved her son Shaktisinh as much as Pratap. history of maharana pratap in english

Mughals’ Authority Over Kumbhalgarh

Shahbaz Khan came up to Calwada without any hindrance and halted there and started planning ahead. At that time Maharana Pratap was in Kumbhalgarh. Maharana Kumbha had built this fort in a very remote mountainous region, so it was very safe. But it was only three miles from Calvada where Shahbaz Khan was encamped with such a large army. ,The road leading to Kumbhalgarh was so narrow, tortuous and difficult that even with a few soldiers a big army could be fought there, but Rana Pratap had abandoned the strategy of direct combat. Therefore, he removed his treasure from there and sent it to a cave in the interior mountainous region, which was guarded night and day by some of Kunwar Amarsingh’s trusted youths and Bhils armed with arrows and bows. According to another description, the whole treasure was handed over to Bhamashah, with whom he went to a safe place. Rana got the fort vacated and himself also went to the mountains. He stationed a small army there to protect the fort from any possible attack. history of maharana pratap in english

Shahbaz Khan also sent his troops here and there to find out Rana Pratap, but nothing came of it. He was using every trick, not just military force, to find Pratap. His released spies were roaming all around. At last he got the news that Rana Pratap was in Kumbhalgarh. It was also learned that the fort was not far from the village of Calvada. He immediately planned to climb Kumbhalgarh, but the biggest problem was that it was not known where Kumbhalgarh is in this forest region. Some troops were sent here and there, but they returned wandering in the forest region. It is said that perhaps because of this the fort was invincible.

Shahbaz Khan could understand this much that the local people must have information about this nearby fort and the route leading to it. He issued an order to find out the way to the fort quickly even after giving the greed of the biggest reward. He was afraid that Rana Pratap might leave somewhere due to delay. The Mughal general got all the known roads in the vicinity blocked. It is said that a Malin agreed to betray her Maharana in greed of reward. She said that she would scatter flowers all the way to Kumbhalgarh. With its help, the Mughal army could reach the fort. She started her work, but was able to scatter flowers only half way, till then one of the Bhils who kept a constant watch on his fort caught sight of her. In the blink of an eye, he understood what this woman was doing. An arrow shot from his bow and directly pierced Malin’s chest. history of maharana pratap in english

Malin got punished for his actions, but it was enough for the Mughal army to know half way. The rest of the way was discovered by his advance troops themselves and Shahbaz Khan surrounded the fort from all sides. Maharana Kumbha had built Kumbhalgarh in such a way that it was difficult for even the biggest army to capture that remote fort. Here Rana Pratap was considering the strategy that how the enemy army besieging the fort could be harassed. The guard inside the fort bravely faced the enemy and failed all his attempts to win the fort.

But something else was allowed to happen. Unfortunately, one of the cannons in the fort exploded and a lot of war material was destroyed in the fire that broke out. There was no scope for getting help from outside. The guard of the fort, Veer Kunwar Maan, after consulting with his fellow Rajputs, opened the doors of the fort and suddenly fell upon the huge army of the enemy. The Mughal army could enter the fort only when each and every Rajput died fighting. In this way Shahbaz Khan got possession of Kumbhalgarh on April 13, 1578, but the way Akbar was disappointed when he entered Chittorgarh during the reign of Maharana Uday Singh, the same condition happened to Shahbaz Khan. He had a deserted fort in his hands. There was neither Rana Pratap nor his treasure, which he had come to know about. When Akbar came to Chittorgarh after a fierce battle, he neither found Uday Singh there nor his treasure. Akbar then removed his anger by mass killing 30,000 innocent citizens who had taken refuge in the fort. This time there was no bird there either. Whom Shahbaz Khan would have killed. He vented his anger by breaking the idols of gods and the beautifully carved sandalwood doors installed in the fort. history of maharana pratap in english

When Shahbaz Khan got the news that Maharana had gone to Gogunda. Handing over Kumbhalgarh to a fort and keeping a guard there, Shahbaz Khan rushed towards Gogunda with his army. When Rana Pratap was not found even after taking control of Gaugunda, Shahbaz Khan ran towards Udaipur overnight. He easily captured Udaipur as well, but his real objective was not fulfilled here also i.e. Rana Pratap was not there either. Despite these so-called victories, he came up empty-handed.

Some historians have praised these military actions of Shahbaz Khan and compared him with Napoleon for winning Gogunda and Udaipur in such a short time. They probably forgot that Napoleon won wars with lightning speed. Shahbaz Khan did not win any battle, he crossed that distance only by running his horse. Like Akbar, he too did not face any resistance anywhere except Kumbhalgarh.Failing to capture Rana Pratap and angry with the guerilla attacks of Rajputs on his thanas and small troops at various places, Shahbaz Khan put his full power in looting and desolating the entire area of Mewar that came under his control. . He thought that this would terrify the local people to desert the Rana and he and his handful of Rajputs would be isolated. Shahbaz Khan did not understand enough that such antics lead to opposite results. The people of Mewar, who already had a lot of respect for their Maharana, now only Rana Pratap could be seen to get them freedom from the atrocities of the Mughals. His loyalty to the Maharana deepened even more. history of maharana pratap in english

Shahbaz Khan had united heaven and earth to find out Rana Pratap. Wherever the news of Maharana’s hiding was received, he would reach there like a storm, but by then Maharana would have left from there. In fact, most of these news were wrong, which were sent to Shahbaz Khan and his soldiers to make them run away. If occasionally someone out of greed used to give true news as well, the Rana would have got the information about the arrival of the Mughal army immediately and he would have changed his place.

Such a correct information was given to Shahbaz Khan by a spy in greed of reward that Ranaji was in the fort of Kamalmir. Shahbaz Khan had enough army in the surrounding area. He immediately ordered the siege of the Kamalmir fort and blockade of all escape routes. The small garrison army was bravely facing such a huge offensive army. He thwarted all the attempts of the enemy to capture the fort. All sources of water inside the fort had dried up, but there was enough water in a huge tank. Shahbaz Khan also found out about this. Not only this, he got poisoned in the tank with the help of a spy by giving huge greed. The guard army living in the fort now got upset due to lack of water. The heroes of the guard army opened the doors of the fort and a handful of Rajputs attacked the huge Mughal army. Following the old tradition of Shaka, each and every warrior attained Veergati by killing many enemies.

After entering the fort, Shahbaz Khan searched every nook and corner of it. But the fort was like a deserted ruin. Don’t know when Rana Pratap left the fort and went to a safe place. This was the culmination of Shahbaz Khan’s despair. He made extensive arrangements for the security of the conquered region of Mewar by setting up police stations at various places and himself went to Emperor Akbar’s court to report all the news. Shahbaz Khan appeared before the emperor on June 17, 1578 and narrated the success-failure of his military campaign in about three months. Emperor Akbar listened to him with great patience. Because of his personal experience, Akbar now understood the difficulties of Shahbaz Khan. Instead of nagging or punishing, he praised her efforts. history of maharana pratap in english

Maharana’s Authority On Devir

Shahbaz Khan had returned to Sikri to Akbar after ravaging Mewar ‘Wad as far as he could and tired of futile efforts to capture Rana Pratap. For five months with such a large army, even after sifting the ashes of the forest-mountains of Mewar, he could not find anything except barren land and burnt or broken ruins. The remaining settlements of civilians or villagers were destroyed by the soldiers of Shahbaz Khan by looting, arson and massacre on his orders.

All these news were continuously reaching Rana Pratap. His mind was very distressed at the plight of his motherland and dear subjects, but it was not possible to face the enemy’s immense army directly. To punish the Mughals, their troops used to attack them everywhere, loot their logistics and other materials, but they were not capable of more than this. For this a large and powerful army was required. Pratap definitely had resources, but they were limited. The income of the state was not enough to form a large army, equip it with weapons and maintain it for a long time. There was no estimate of how long the struggle would last. From time to time, money was withdrawn from the accumulated treasury of Mewar when needed, but it had its own limits, so where did the money come from for the formation of a large army? Maharana used to remain engrossed in this thought. history of maharana pratap in english

The treasury of Mewar was under the care of Bhamashah. He always kept account of income and expenditure in his books. So he was fully aware of the situation. They also knew that it would not be possible to save Mewar without collecting a paid army on the strength of a huge amount of money. Bhamashah was not only the treasurer, but also a brave fighter. Taking his brother Tarachand along with him, Bhamashah plundered the Mughal territories near Malwa and collected a huge amount of money. By filling these gold coins, silver coins etc. in big leather bags and loading them on horses, they left for Mewar.

Rana Pratap was in Chulia village at that time. Bhamashah appeared in his service and piled 20,000 gold coins, 2,500,000 rupees and diamonds and pearls in front of him, then requested with folded hands that Annadata, by gathering an army with this money, you can free Mewar from the atrocities of the Mughals. Get it done Pratap was very impressed by his patriotism and sacrifice, but hesitantly said that this is your earning, I have no right over it. Bhamashah replied that you have given up all the royal pleasures and spent your life in the struggle to keep Mewar independent. I am offering this money for the freedom of that Mewar, then why are you hesitating to take it? Unresponsive to his argument, the Rana gave his approval. The recruitment of the army and the purchase of arms and weapons were started without delay. Adequate arrangements were also made for the logistics. history of maharana pratap in english

After the reorganization of the army, the Rajputs easily took over the small police stations. The Mughal guards there were either killed or they fled here and there and took shelter in the nearby Mughal Thanas. The distressed people heaved a sigh of relief.

Rana was thinking that such a major station should be selected, which is also of strategic importance and where the defeat of the Mughals would also cause a deep blow to his prestige. For this, the police station of Devir village was chosen. There was a lot of Mughal army. While returning from Mewar, Shahbaz Khan appointed Emperor Akbar’s uncle Sultan Khan as Thanedar of Devir. Sultan Khan Bahadur was a brave soldier and Shahbaz Khan had kept selected soldiers in the guard army of that police station. This important thana was at the crossroads of Deogarh and Goyati, through which there was a way to Mewar. Therefore, its security was of special importance to the Mughals.

Sultan Khan was playing the flute of peace in the pride of his power. He had maintained the atmosphere of a small court in Devir village, where parties used to take place and the days were spent in gaiety. One day such a gathering was held that a spy came and informed Sultan Khan that an army of Rajputs was coming to attack Devir. He immediately gathered the entire army by playing drums. He was an able commander. Without losing any time, he made a complete front and waited for the attack, but there was no attack. His soldiers were irritated by Ratajge. They thought that perhaps the news was wrong or the Rajputs did not have the courage to attack, but the experienced Sultan Khan did not care at all. He strictly ordered everyone to be careful. history of maharana pratap in english

Sultan Khan had stationed Harkars and spies everywhere. Shortly before the break of dawn, another spy came and informed that Rana Pratap himself was moving towards Devir with a large army, till then the Rajputs came in front. The bell rang. Drums o’ clock | Sultan Khan himself was leading the army sitting on an elephant. When his avant-garde squad moved forward, the Rajputs retreated a bit. Sultan Khan ordered his army to advance and drive them out. When his soldiers came forward from their frozen positions in enthusiasm, the Rajputs attacked them with full force. This was the answer to Haldighati, where Mansingh provoked Pratap’s army out of its safe positions.

In a hand-to-hand fight, the Mughal army bravely fought the attack. Sultan Khan himself came forward and was fighting with great valor, then unfortunately his elephant got injured and ran away screaming. Sultan Khan still did not get distracted. He soon came forward riding on a horse. For the first time after Haldighati, the Rajputs had the opportunity to fight face to face with a large Mughal army. His enthusiasm and anger was at its peak. The feet of the Mughals started getting uprooted. The rest of the work was completed by a sharp blow from the spear of Amar Singh, who was fighting shoulder to shoulder with his father. It is said that Amarsingh attacked with such force that his spear penetrating the armor of Sultan Khan went beyond his body and got stuck in the body of the horse. Both horse and rider fell to the ground with a thud. history of maharana pratap in english

Seeing the death of their commander, the spirits of the Mughals were defeated. Wherever the soldiers found a way, they ran away. Devir police station was occupied by Rana. There is also a legend about this that at the end of the war, Amarsingh took out his spear from the body of the dying enemy commander Sultan Khan and made him drink water from his own hand. Sultan Khan looked at the young man who had taken his life. There was no hatred in his eyes, but admiration for his enemy, then he closed his eyes forever.

The victory of Devir was a very important victory of the Rana. His next target was to free Kumbhalgarh from the enemy’s authority. On the way he first captured Hamirsara and after a brief rest advanced cautiously towards Kumbhalgarh. He remembered how his own small guard army had resisted such a massive attack by Shahbaz Khan. Shahbaz Khan was able to win Kumbhalgarh only after doing a lot of damage to himself. That too due to the accident of cannon explosion, but the Mughal army of Kumbhalgarh did not put up much resistance and the fort easily fell into the hands of the Rajputs. The news of the defeat of the Mughal army at Devir and the death of a warlord like Sultan Khan had reached Kumbhalgarh, which demoralized the Mughal army there.

Rana’s conquest campaign continued. They reached Chavand by easily conquering the Mughal occupied area along the way. Due to the presence of a very ancient temple of Chamunda Devi here, this place is named Chavand. The temple was in a dilapidated state, which was rebuilt by Maharana, for some time he stayed there and planned further. history of maharana pratap in english

While leaving, Shahbaz Khan had made 25 thanas for the security of the won area of Mewar and kept enough army there. He had also given instructions to these stations to help each other when needed. Rana Pratap, making a strategy to take over them again, had decided that the beginning should not be made from small police stations, but from big and important police stations. That’s why they chose Devir for the first attack and test of strength. This strategy was very successful. The news of Devir-Vijay of Rajputs had reached other places of Mughals with full exaggeration. There too terror had spread among the armies. Within no time, Rana Pratap’s army freed all the police stations without a tough fight. Defeated Mughal soldiers fled to Ajmer after saving their lives. The blood of the Rajput youths of Pratap’s army was boiling. For a long time the news of Mughal soldiers looting and arson in their conquered areas was reaching their ears. Burning in the flame of vengeance, these youths were looking for an opportunity. Now when he got a chance, he attacked every Mughal police station with full force and whatever enemy soldier came in front, he cut it.

Rao Askaran of Dungarpur and Rao Pratap of Banswara were friends of Mewar. He used to help Maharana indirectly in case of any kind of crisis on Mewar. Raja Bhagwandas Kachwaha had persuaded both of them to accept Akbar’s subordination by threatening and luring them. It was necessary for Rana Pratap to keep him back with him. If these two states bordering Mewar were under the control of the enemy, there would always be danger from there. Talking about the old friendship relations, he asked them to be friends with Mewar again, but they did not agree. It was not easy for him to do so once he had gone under the shelter of the Mughals. It was also difficult for him to believe that the army of Mewar would be able to protect him if the Mughals attacked. Seeing the strategic importance of these two states and all the efforts of treaty negotiations failed, Rana Pratap sent an army to attack them. Both of them were defeated in the war and Dungarpur and Banswara came under Mewar. history of maharana pratap in english

There is a difference of opinion among historians regarding the outcome of this battle which took place on the banks of Som river in 1578. Some say that the army that Rana Pratap sent under the leadership of Rawal Maan was able to subdue Dungarpur and Banswara, but Rao Chandrasen of Jodhpur also brought his army to his aid. According to him, Mewar’s army did not succeed in capturing Dungarpur and Banswara in the war, while its warriors fought with great valour. The Mughals also tried their best to protect these states under their control. The conflict was prolonged and appears to have been possibly inconclusive, hence the difference of opinion as to who was victorious. However, it had a clear advantage for Rana Pratap that the Mughal army was engaged in military conflicts in Banswara and Dungarpur, which gave Maharana an opportunity to strengthen his position and increase his power.

Akbar was getting all the news of this victory campaign of Rana Pratap. The fanciful stories told by the sycophants had also exposed him. If till yesterday, Maharana Pratap was hiding in the forest due to the fear of Mughals and was dependent on every grain, then suddenly from where did he get so much power that within six months he recaptured the entire area won by the Mughals. Sent an army to conquer Dungarpur and Banswara. His guerilla squads were raiding the Mughal occupied area of Malwa. history of maharana pratap in english

It was unbearable and extremely humiliating for Emperor Akbar that a small Mewar defied the might of the mighty Mughal Empire and remained independent despite years of effort. After much thought, he once again decided to send Shahbaz Khan with a huge army to attack Mewar. To help him, Akbar made some selected warlords, Mirzad, Muhammad Hussain, Ghazi Khan, Ali Khan etc. with him. Akbar felt that military power might not be enough to defeat Mewar. That’s why this time Shahbaz Khan was given a huge amount of money apart from the army, on the basis of which the Rajput feudatories could be bought and merged with him. By buying some traitors, the Rana can be found out where he is and then he can be arrested by surrounding the area. Angered by the previous failures, Emperor Akbar also threatened his fighters this time that if they did not succeed this time, severe punishment would be given.

On December 15, 1578, Shahbaz Khan set out on his second military campaign against Maharana Pratap with great hope with his huge army and abundant wealth. Despite the previous experience, he was dreaming of subduing Mewar and arresting the Rana, and after getting success, he would be given a high position by Badshah Salamat. Rana Pratap had also got the news of the arrival of the huge army of Mughals. He had abandoned the strategy of direct struggle with the enemy. So, once again they left the plains and went to the mountainous forest region, from where guerrillas could do maximum damage to the enemy by doing minimum loss to themselves through guerrilla warfare. ,

Shahbaz Khan came and re-conquered all his lost territories. He did not face much resistance. After that Shahbaz Khan tried to find Rana Pratap as before. The forests of Mewar were covered with ashes for about three months. Big temptations were given to tell the address of Rana, in return whatever information he got was wrong. He did not know that every resident of Mewar could give his life for his Rana. Disappointed, he returned to Fatehpur to the emperor. After going there, he told the stories of his victory to Akbar, but he was not much impressed, because he knew what kind of victory it was and what was achieved after it, but the emperor was left drinking a sip of blood.

While returning like before, Shahbaz Khan had appointed Mughal Thanas at different places. He had left Mewar only after making all the security arrangements, but as soon as he turned his back, the earlier series started again. Rana Pratap’s guerilla squads started looting and conquering the Mughal Thanas. If any army unit of the enemy was seen somewhere, they would have suddenly attacked it and killed it and looted the logistics etc. history of maharana pratap in english

In no time, he freed a large area of Mewar from the Mughals. Akbar felt that Shahbaz Khan could not catch Rana Pratap, but he had weakened the power of the Rajputs. Actually Shahbaz Khan used to show all his bravery in desolating Mewar, heating the market with arson and murders or damaging the idols of gods. From the news that was coming from Mewar, Akbar understood that the stories of Shahbaz Khan’s military actions were only exaggerated. Akbar got upset. He wanted to capture Mewar at any cost, but years of efforts had failed. When a man has no control over a situation, he tries to get divine help. Even if it proves to be a false consolation. Akbar went to Ajmer once again and went to the dargah of Khwaja and prayed there. However, earlier the prayers for Mewar victory proved to be in vain.

Akbar came to Sambhar in October 1579 after praying, bowing his head and making offerings at Khwaja’s dargah and sitting there started planning to crush Mewar. His trouble was that Akbar found Shahbaz Khan to be the most suitable and capable commander for the Mewar campaign, but the emperor did not like his antics of inhuman torture on innocent citizens and breaking of deities. This was not the same Akbar who had once massacred 30,000 unarmed civilians in Chittor and laid waste the conquered territory of Mewar to quell the anger of his defeated victory. Akbar, now more mature in his views, understood that if he wanted to rule India, he would have to take Hindus along. Especially to the brave Rajputs. It would be foolish to imagine a permanent empire by paying little respect to their religious sentiments and oppressing the rest of the Hindus. history of maharana pratap in english

This was the problem before Akbar. Shahbaz Khan understood that Hindus could be subdued only by running a cycle of repression, committing severe atrocities and crushing the religious sentiments of the Hindus. He also tried to convince the emperor that this was the only way to make Mewar bow down. Akbar, a skilled ruler and diplomat, did not agree with this, although he considered Shahbaz Khan to be a capable fighter. So once again it was decided to send him against Maharana Pratap.

Shahbaz Khan assured Akbar that this time he would die only after getting a complete victory over Mewar and making the arrogant Rajput Rana Pratap bow down at his feet. With this intention and in spite of past bitter experiences, Shahbaz Khan set out for Mewar for the third time in November 1579 with a large army. Shahbaz. Khan started taking control of Mewar. It was not a difficult task to do this with such a huge army. The Rana along with his feudatories and most of the army had gone to the safe region of the mountains as per the old war policy. This was his tried and tested strategy, which was always successful. history of maharana pratap in english

Shahbaz Khan tried his best. Wherever the news was received, Rana ran like a madman to surround Pratap, but nothing happened. Somewhere along the way he would have to face a sudden attack by the Rajput youths sitting in ambush, somewhere on the narrow hilly path he would be greeted by arrows dipped in the poison of the Bhils. It was not that every time he would get a wrong clue, but by the time Shahbaz Khan would go out in search of the Rana with his army, some Bhil would inform him about the arrival of the enemy by coming through a small, inaccessible path in the mountains.

This went on for a long time. After that Maharana Pratap went to the mountainous region of Sodha. When Rao Dhula of Loyana got this news, he came and requested Maharana to accept his hospitality. He was an admirer, patriot and confidant of Rana Pratap. Rana Pratap happily accepted his words. Rao Luna made complete arrangements for Maharana’s stay and facilities in his fort. After a few days, he also got his daughter married to Rana Pratap by making a special request. history of maharana pratap in english

Here Shahbaz Khan was wandering in the jungles searching for Rana Pratap. Sometimes a forest dweller, sometimes a shepherd would give information about seeing Rana Pratap’s camp somewhere, sometimes where he was seen with his family and feudatories. Shahbaz Khan used to run there even after being unsuccessful again and again that sometimes the news would be true, sometimes he would get success. On the one hand, where there was greed to get respect, high position and jagir on being successful, on the other hand, on the other hand, if unsuccessful, Akbar’s wrath would have to be made. During Shahbaz Khan’s march to Mewar, the emperor angrily threatened him and the soldiers accompanying him that if they return empty-handed, they will all be beheaded. He continued in his efforts and at the same time continued to devastate Mewar as much as he could.

Akbar used to get news of Shahbaz Khan’s efforts, rather it would be more appropriate to say that he used to get news of his failures. His patience ended. It had been more than seven months since Shahbaz Khan and the generals accompanying him had gone on the Mewar campaign and so far no concrete, conclusive results of their military actions had come to the fore. He was very upset and he issued orders to Shahbaz Khan to return. Shahbaz Khan appeared in the court on June 12, 1580, obeying the order of the emperor to face his anger. Akbar did not get their heads beheaded, but they had to face his scoldings and insults.

The Battle of Haldighati took place on June 21, 1576 and it was now June 1580. All the campaigns of Mewar victory done during this period proved unsuccessful, but Akbar was not one to give up. He chose another capable soldier Rustam Khan for this job. He was made the Subedar of Ajmer and assigned the task of conquering Mewar by placing a large army under him. But something else was written in Rustam Khan’s fate. After taking over the governorship of Ajmer and fine-tuning the security system there, Rustam Khan started planning to attack Mewar. He knew that the work which Shahbaz Khan could not accomplish after trying thrice, would not be easy. That’s why he wanted to do his campaign with full preparation, so that he would not be embarrassed in front of the emperor. history of maharana pratap in english

Before Rustam Khan could take any step against Rana Pratap, the Kachwaha Rajputs of Sherpura revolted. Rustam Khan set out with an army to crush that rebellion. In June 1580, a fierce battle took place between the two armies. The Kachwaha Rajputs fought with great valor and killed Rustam Khan in that battle.

After the death of Rustam Khan, Akbar made Bairam Khan’s son Abdurrahim Khankhana the Subedar of Ajmer and entrusted him with the task of conquering Mewar and taking Rana Pratap captive. Khankhana had gone on the Mewar campaign. He had enough experience about the wars of Mewar, its geographical location and the fighting system of the Rajputs. He took up his post and prepared for military campaign against Mewar. Khankhana made Sherpura the base, as this village was very close to Gogunda. Khankhana left his family there with a small guard and marched there in June 1580 with his entourage. The Mughal general thought that the nearby village of Gogunda

Making a base would facilitate him in conducting his military operations, but this was his big mistake.
Rajkunwar Amarsingh grew up in the heat of guerilla warfare. He was present in every war with his father. The son of Rana Pratap was as brave and skilled as himself. He was accompanied by an army of young Rajputs, who understood every gesture of their commander. When Khankhana made a halt at Sherpura, Rana Pratap understood that his target was Gogunda. Maharana was there in those days. After formulating his strategy to face Khankhana, he explained to Amar Singh, “Amar, you and your party should start retreating slowly when the Mughal army advances. On getting the news of this, Khankhana will understand that you people are going to the shelter of the mountains as usual, then seeing the opportunity through the narrow forest paths there, attack Sherpura. When Khankhana comes here, I will engage him in guerilla warfare. As soon as my army retreats, it will advance, then it will be easy for you to win Sherpura with a small guard army. There you will find a lot of supplies and weapons. At the same time, the supply to the Mughal army from Sherpura would also stop. history of maharana pratap in english

Maharana’s strategy was successful. Khankhana understood on the basis of old experiences that Rana Pratap was always running in the forests. He intensified his pursuit of them. Maharana dodged him and went towards Dholan. Here Amarsingh made a sudden attack on Sherpura and looted all the logistics, armory etc. there. Along with this, the wives of Khankhana’s family were also arrested. The Rajputs were not like the Mughals in oppressing women. He was not misbehaved at all. The prisoner was definitely made, but he was kept with full respect. Amar Singh’s intention was only to put pressure on the Mughal general, not to insult his wives. Kunwar Amarsingh immediately sent the news of the success of the Sherpura campaign and the capture of Khankhana’s harem to the Maharana. history of maharana pratap in english

Rana Pratap was pleased with the success of his son, but he did not like the idea of making the wives of Khankhana captive. He immediately sent a message that the women of Khankhana should be returned to him with full respect. Here Khankhana was in trouble. He did not even imagine that Rajputs can attack Sherpura. Nor did anyone even get a clue of his moving in this direction. It was natural for Khankhana to be concerned about the safety of his family, when he received news that a messenger had arrived with all the concubines of his harem and wanted to appear before him. The young man apologized to Khankhana and promised that such a mistake would never happen in future. When the queens of Khankhana praised the Rajput youths for showing respect to them, the poet of Khankhana became very emotional.

It is said that the Khankhana wanted to reward the young man, but he became suspicious when he refused politely.

“Are you Amarsingh?” suddenly came out of Khankhana’s mouth. “Yes,” Amarsingh lowered his eyes and said this much.

He was repenting for his mistake.

Here Khankhana was Gadgad. Like father like son. After all I am the enemy. Still, instead of sending a messenger, he himself came regardless of the danger. Khankhana sent him after proper hospitality. It is said that his elder wife specially sent off her Rajput son with blessings and lots of blessings. history of maharana pratap in english

Maharana Pratap Khankhana was grateful to Maharana for his respect towards his family, but he was also aware of his duty towards the emperor. He was an able and brave commander. He again started taking control of all those areas which the Rajputs had conquered. Here Akbar got the news of the whole incident of being returned to Sherpura. The emperor had a feeling of respect for the brave son of Bairam Khan. He praised Khankhana’s duty in his heart, but decided to save Khankhana, who was grateful to Maharana, from the trouble of fighting against him. Khankhana was not removed from the Subedari of Ajmer, but he was freed from taking military action against Mewar. Emperor Akbar this time decided to send King Bhagwandas’s brother Jagannath Kachwaha to fight against Rana Pratap. Jagannath set out in December 1584 with a large army to obey the orders of the Kachwaha emperor. He was a brave warrior, but he did not have any other quality of Rajputs. He was a male-vampire who took pleasure in doing barbaric acts like killing innocent citizens, torturing women and children, destroying settlements. Like all the Mughal fighters before him (except the humanist poet Khankhana), he too believed that the subjects of Mewar could be subjugated by inhuman atrocities and plunder. The more these generals oppressed, the more the hatred of the common people of Mewar grew towards them and at the same time their devotion to their savior and Rana Pratap, who fought with them, grew stronger. That’s why the child of Mewar was a blind devotee of his Maharana, who could happily sacrifice his life for him. All the Mughal generals, including Jagannath Kachwaha, had done the foolish thing of knowing the address of Rana Pratap by luring these people with money or by threatening them. If the Maharana was in the west, he would have told that he had just been seen in the east. Had he been somewhere in the north, he would have been told to have been seen in the south. history of maharana pratap in english

Jagannath Kachwaha also recaptured all the Mughal thanas won by Rana Pratap one by one with little resistance from the Rajputs and on the strength of his huge army. After establishing authority over Mohi, Mandalgarh, Madariamo etc., he established security arrangements there. The most important of these was Mandalgarh. Jagannath Kachwaha entrusted the responsibility of his security to an able and experienced warlord Syed Raju and put a security force under him. After this, he started searching the jungles and mountains to find out Rana Pratap. Wherever there was a clue, he surrounded the area with the army and searched every nook and corner of it, but the result was the same as it had been till now. Nothing could be found about Maharana anywhere.

In fact, Maharana used to get news about which direction Jagannath Kachwaha was coming. He went to the mountainous region of Chittor, but this time he did not wait for the return of the enemy general by hiding in a safe place as usual. The situation had changed. In these years, where the Mughals estimated that Rana Pratap’s power had weakened and he would have to surrender under pressure, his power had increased. Some resources were collected by his guerilla squads from the looted weapons, logistics etc. by attacking the bases of Mughals, but this time too Bhamashah’s contribution in gathering resources was very important. This patriotic minister of Rana Pratap had made good relations with some of the big moneylenders of Gujarat. These merchants, who imported goods from abroad and sold them on their ships, were very rich and had deep respect for Rana Pratap. He gave a lot of money to Bhamashah to continue the struggle against the Mughals of Mewar, but at the same time instructed that this matter should be kept very secret. He was afraid that if Akbar got the slightest inkling then he would not be well.

Whenever Bhamashah brought a huge amount of money from Gujarat, sometimes he told that it was extracted from the accumulated treasury of Maharana (he was the head of the treasury), sometimes he told his added capital and sometimes he told the money of loot of Malwa.

One, the power of Maharana had increased due to these resources, the other main reason was his strategy. In these years, he always tried that his army suffered the least damage, the enemy maximum. Therefore, when Rana Pratap went away from Jagannath Kachwaha, he attacked the Mughal stations he had won and started subduing them again. It was unexpected and also unprecedented. history of maharana pratap in english

Seeing this audacity of the Rajputs, Syed Raju was very furious and rushed there with a large army, but Rana Pratap had disappeared somewhere along with his entourage. While wandering in search of Rana, Jagannath Kachwaha got the news that he was in Kumbhalgarh. He immediately proceeded towards Kumbhalgarh. Here Syed Raju also got the same news. He also proceeded towards Kumbhalgarh to arrest Pratap. Both of them did not meet Rana Pratap, but they definitely met each other in Kumbhalgarh.

Jagannath Kachwaha also did not achieve anything despite trying hard. Like others, he too took out his anger in desolation of the conquered territory. In this matter he was two steps ahead of the earlier Muslim warlords. Akbar understood that all efforts to make Mewar bow down would go in vain. He ordered Jagannath Kachwaha to return. history of maharana pratap in english

Maharana’s Victory Campaign

Rana Pratap became active again as soon as Jagannath left for Kachwaha. When he planned to re-conquer the thanas established by the Mughals, he first chose Devir, his most important and powerful thana. Even before this, when he had conquered Devir, the rest of the Mughal thanedars had lost their sixes along with it. Shahnawaz Khan, Thanedar of Devir, was a skilled commander and a brave warrior. He had enough army to protect Devir. In the pride of his strength, he could not even imagine that the Rajputs could attack Devir. According to his information, Maharana Pratap and his feudatories along with their army were hiding somewhere in the mountains. There was also a rumor that Rana Pratap along with his family had left Mewar and gone somewhere else.

These rumors proved very useful for the Rajputs, because when Devir was attacked, Shahnawaz Khan was completely oblivious. He didn’t even get a chance to organize his army and handle the front. Terrified by the brief fierce battle, the Mughal army fled towards Apahan where it hoped to get shelter and help. Attacking them continuously, the Rajputs not only chased them till Apahan, they also attacked Apahan. Apahan’s army faced for some time, then his legs were also uprooted. The Rajputs, who were burning in the heat of revenge, cut the Mughal soldiers. This was the punishment for his atrocities on the subjects of Mewar.

Rana Pratap’s Vijay-Vahini then proceeded towards Kamalgir. The news of the defeat of Devir and Apahan had reached Kamalgir by then. Abdullah Khan, the guard of the fort, was careful and also scared. He fought bravely, but was killed in the battle. After the victory of Kamalgir, it became easy to liberate the rest of the thanas. One by one everyone laid down their arms. history of maharana pratap in english

Akbar was getting all these news, but this time he did not send any great commander with a huge army to help the Mughal army of Mewar. By doing this many times, Akbar had seen its result. Due to this, instead of increasing the prestige of the Mughal Empire, it was shocked. The emperor was also upset with the acts of massacre, destruction and looting that Akbar’s soldiers had done in Mewar. He also knew that many Rajputs in his own court were also upset with these military campaigns against Mewar.

Another major reason for not taking military action against Mewar was that from 1579 to 1585, Akbar had to be busy suppressing the rebellion in Uttar Pradesh, Bengal, Bihar and Gujarat. In such a situation, he could not send any big army towards Mewar. These rebellions were not yet completely suppressed that the flame of rebellion against the Mughals flared up in Punjab and North-West Frontier Province as well. Akbar had to pay attention here. Especially towards the border region where it was not easy to crush the rebellious tribesmen even with the help of a big army. Not only were they brave fighters, the remote mountainous region there also provided natural protection to them.

Circumstances had changed. It was difficult for the Mughals to take military action against Mewar, so due to the increase in their power, it became relatively easy for the Rajputs to free their Mewar from their slavery. Gradually, Maharana Pratap got control over almost entire Mewar. Maharana’s military force can also be estimated from the fact that when he was facing the military actions of Jagannath Kachwaha and Syed Raju, the Rathores rebelled against Pratap considering it a good opportunity under the leadership of Luna Chavandia. Maharana did not get distracted even in that critical situation and he immediately went to the south-west of Magra and thought it necessary to teach Rathores a lesson. Luna Chavandia was badly defeated in the war and after that the Rathores never dared to raise their head against Mewar. This incident is of 1585. history of maharana pratap in english

Amarsingh mainly led these victory campaigns to free Mewar from the suzerainty of the Mughals and was successful on every front. Maharana’s Vijay-Vahini captured 36 Mughal thanas established by Jagannath Kachwaha. Except for Chittor, Mandalgarh and some areas in the north-east, the rest of Mewar was now under the authority of Maharana Pratap. The people of Mewar heaved a sigh of relief after being freed from the brutal atrocities of the Mughal generals. Those who had gone to the mountains leaving their lands and homes for safety, started returning to their ancestral homes.

After retiring from Mewar-conquest, Rana Pratap looked around, he had special anger towards the Kachwaha dynasty of Amer. Mansingh, then his father Raja Bhagwandas and uncle Jagannath Kachwaha ravaged Mewar mercilessly. ,In the eyes of the Rana, he had committed a heinous crime in the eyes of the Rana, by sending Jodhabai’s doula to Akbar’s harem and by carrying out military operations against the Rajputs after making a treaty with her, for which now was the time to punish him. At this time Mewar had a sufficient military force, while the Kachwaha Rajputs could not get help from the Mughal army, as Akbar devoted all military power to suppressing rebellions. The Maharana’s army invaded the territories of Amer, plundered Malpure and completely destroyed it, so that they would know what the pangs of destruction are.

As we have mentioned earlier, Bansbara and Dungarpur were always friends of Mewar, but Raja Bhagwandas made them subordinate to the Mughals by making them afraid of the power of the Mughals and by giving them positions in Akbar’s court and assuring security. The Maharana easily brought both the states under his control by sending an army against them.

Now the time had come to celebrate the victory. Vijaymahotsav was celebrated in Gogunda. In a huge gathering there, Maharana Pratap expressed his gratitude to all the feudal lords to the general public who supported him in the struggle against the Mughals for 13 years. He rewarded and honored his brave feudal lords by giving them huge jagirs, but along with this, Rana Pratap did not forget his ordinary soldier as well.

The soldiers who had displayed extraordinary bravery in the war were also honored with awards. An immediate announcement was made to provide assistance to the families of the warriors who had attained Veergati. It was also announced in this meeting to take immediate steps to rehabilitate the plains of Mewar devastated during the war. Landless farmers were given pattas of land so that they could do farming. Peasants whose pattas were destroyed or lost in arson during the war were given new pattas. history of maharana pratap in english

Gradually, the lost prosperity of Mewar started returning. The greenery of agriculture started appearing and the houses of the farmers started appearing again on the land burnt for years. Assistance was given from the state to encourage trade and other businesses, so that the lost prosperity of Mewar could return. To meet the requirement of water, money was also given from the treasury to build wells and stepwells. Many schemes related to education and health were implemented.

In these 13 years of military struggle with the Mughals, Chavand was the center of Maharana Pratap’s activities several times. This picturesque and safe region surrounded by mountains was very dear to him. Maharana Pratap decided to make his new capital here. Chavand also fell near the friendly states of Mewar. In case of any kind of crisis, help/supplies could be received from there in less time. The land around it was very fertile, where the requirement of food grains for the capital and its surrounding areas and the army could be met by farming.

The palace and other buildings in Chavand can be called examples of war-time architecture. The Maharana had built his palace in front of the ancient temple of Chamunda Devi. In its construction, there is a glimpse of the architecture of the buildings built by Maharana Kumbha and Maharana Uday Singh, but there is also a trace of wartime architecture, that is, the outline of the palace and the buildings built for Maharana’s chief feudatories was prepared in such a way that the security Pay full attention. history of maharana pratap in english

Along with constructing buildings for himself and his feudatories, Maharana Pratap also took care of the general public. When he made Chavand a city, he also built many kutcha houses there for the residence of the common man. Chavand remained the capital of Sisodia dynasty Rajputs till 1615 during the reign of Maharana Amarsingh, who ascended the throne after Rana Pratap. Today it is again a village, but here the ruins of palaces and mansions of other feudal lords seem to tell the saga of ancient history.

Peace had come in Mewar. He was full of splendor and wealth. The crops used to flutter in the fields. Trade-commerce was on the rise. The justice-loving Maharana himself used to listen to everyone’s complaints. On receiving a complaint of injustice or unfair treatment to someone, the culprit was immediately punished. The level of morality was now more advanced than before, due to which crimes were less. Many crimes were born due to lack and Mewar was no longer lacking.

Maharana Pratap also gave a lot of encouragement to arts and literature. Poets and artists were not only rewarded in the royal court, they were also given assistance for their maintenance. Historians say that fine arts and literature flourished in Chavand not only during the period of Maharana, but even after that. It had such a lasting effect that Chavand remained the center of literature and arts for two centuries after it remained the capital.

Entire Mewar, which had been destroyed in external attacks for centuries, was being rebuilt. Therefore, new employment opportunities became available for architects and other artisans and general laborers as well. The treasury was full and Maharana was also spending generously for the welfare of the subjects. history of maharana pratap in english

Mewar was flourishing in an atmosphere of security, but Rana Pratap kept trying to make it completely safe from any external attack. He focused on making the army more empowered. Fortification of the main bases was strengthened and in case of any possible attack, arrangements were made to contact one police station with another and to provide immediate help.

Fortunately no attack from Akbar’s side ever happened on Mewar again, but how could its possibility be denied. Probably for this reason Maharana Pratap retained Chavand as his capital even after taking control of his father’s capital Udaipur, which was more secure than Udaipur. It was not a simple success to fight against such a huge Mughal empire, but finally Rana Pratap was tormented by the pain of being under the authority of the Mughals of Chittorgarh till the last moment. Akbar made very strict security arrangements for this fort, a symbol of Mewar’s prestige and pride, only after winning it. There was a large guard army. The Maharana knew that there would be a lot of bloodshed in trying to conquer Chittor. Therefore, instead of making it a question of prestige, he preferred to focus on the reconstruction of Mewar. history of

Rana Pratap ruled the newly formed Mewar for about eleven years. Although he was also old enough, but the hobby of hunting remained intact. During such a hunt, he got a deep wound in his leg. Bhil brought the injured Maharana to the palace of Chavand. The doctors tried a lot, but his condition kept on deteriorating. As soon as the news of Maharana’s worrisome condition was received, the chieftains of Mewar from far and wide also gathered in Chavand, but no treatment or prayer worked. On January 19, 1597, his lamp of life, which brought Mewar out of the darkness of subordination and brought it into the light of freedom, got extinguished.

The whole of Mewar was immersed in grief. The whole Rajput society was shocked to lose its precious gem. Emperor Akbar, the biggest enemy of Rana Pratap, was a big fan of this priest of freedom. It is said that the mournful Akbar was sitting quietly in the court, when Dursa, a charan of his court, recited an excerpt from the great journey of Maharana Pratap in emotional Rajasthani: history of maharana pratap in english

An will take a stain, pag lego an nabhi.
Go aada gabday, jiko bato dhur bio ॥
Navroja remained, neither hope nor wali.
Neither go Jharokha Heth, Jeth Duniyaan Dahalli.
Gehlot Rana kept on winning, Dashan Mund Rashnaan same.
Neeshas Mook Bhariya Nayan, dead Shah Pratap C.

(The one who never betrayed his horses by sending them to the royal army, the one who never bowed his turban in front of anyone, the one who always used to sing poems full of derision towards the enemies, the one who had the power to pull the cart of the country’s load from his left shoulder only , who never appeared in Nowruz in the favor of the king, in the whole worldMaharana Pratap Gehlaut, who had a lot of prestige in the king’s window, who never came under him, left the world victorious. Hearing this news, Emperor Akbar clenched his teeth and his eyes filled with tears. Hey Maharana! This has happened since your death. ,

Such praise of that enemy in front of the king in the full court! Seeing this audacity of Charan Dursa Aadha, there was silence all around. All the courtiers waited with bated breath for Akbar’s response as to what punishment the king would give to the defiant Dursa.

“Wow ! Dursa, you have narrated our heart’s words in poetry. Read your print once more.” came out of Akbar’s mouth.

He listened to the poem again, praised him and the Maharana for his valor and rewarded Charan Dursa richly.

One can easily imagine what must have been the feelings of his admirers, followers and family members of Maharana, whose enemies were so fond of his heroic qualities.

Maharana Pratap went away, but got his bravery written in golden letters on the pages of Indian history history of maharana pratap in english

Author:- Sushil Kapoor

MA in Hindi Literature and research work on expressionism. After teaching in college for some time, he became the sub-editor of a magazine. Deputy editor in a news agency, publication manager in a publishing house, senior assistant editor in a news monthly and worked as vice president in an advertising agency for two decades. Along with this, he wrote articles, obituaries, cover stories, features, plays etc. for radio and various newspapers and magazines. Wrote copywriting for advertising agencies and scripts for short films etc. Did writing, translation, editing etc. for publishing houses. Current Freelance Writing. history of maharana pratap in english

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