Maharana Pratap was the great Hindu ruler of Mewar in India. He was born to Queen Jayawanti and was the eldest son of Maharana Udai Singh. Maharana Pratap grew up as a worthy prince and had mastered the art of using weapons and horse riding. He was destined to be the ruler of Mewar and was given the tile of crown prince.

Maharana Pratap : The First Freedom Fighter

Rana Pratap

Maharana Pratap succeeded Rana Udai Singh and became the king of Mewar. Maharana Pratap fought Akbar throughout his life and never accepted his sovereignty in India. Akbar used diplomacy to make Maharana Pratap his ally but could not succeed. Maharana Pratap did not want to bow down to Akbar or accept his rule over him.

Soon Akbar realized that Maharana Pratap will never submit and decided to use his army against Mewar. Maharana Pratap wanted to reconquer Chittorgarh from the Mughals. Finally, on 21^st of June, 1576, Maharana Pratap and his army met with the armies of Akabr at Haldighati. Haldighati is situated near Gogunda which is a town near Udaipur, Rajasthan. This is where the epic battle of Haldighati was fought.  Although Maharana Pratap’s men were significantly outnumbered by Akbar’s men, but they fought valiantly for their honor and motherland. It is said that in this battle Pratap attacked Man Singh by throwing a lance at him.

Man Singh somehow managed to duck and survived. The battle lasted for four hours and loss was inevitable for Pratap’s army. Pratap’s generals convinced him to flee in order to fight again in the future. One of his trusted men got into his distinctive garments and fought in the battle field as Pratap. Soon he was killed but till then Pratap managed to escape riding his trusted horse Chetak into the hills. Chetak was deeply wounded on his left thigh and collapsed few kilometers away from the battle field. Pratap was being chased by couple of Turk knights, but Shakti Singh seeing his brother’s life in danger followed the Turks and killed them. Both the brothers embraced each other and broke into tears. Read the rest of this entry »

Haldighati is situated near Udaipur district of Rajasthan. It is a historical site which lies at a distance of 44 km from Udaipur. The history of Haldighati starts with the battle of Haldighati which was fought between Rajput Kingdom of Mewar under Maharana Pratap and Mughal forces of Akbar. This was an epic battle which inspires us due to the display of courage, valor and gallantry by Maharana Pratap and his courageous Rajput men. The Bhils from the surrounding region also made a remarkable contribution in the battle. Their sacrifice can also not be forgotten.

Haldighati in Indian History –

Maharana Pratap was the king of Mewar and considered Mughals as invaders. He never recognized Akbar as the ruler of India and vowed to fight till death against Mughal suppression. Akbar had tried everything to convince Maharana Pratap to form a treaty with him, but all his efforts were futile. Akbar was desperate and at last decided to send his army against Maharana Pratap under the command of Man Singh, who was the brother-in-law of Akbar.

This was the turning point in the history of Haldighati. On 18^th of June, 1576 Raja Man Singh and the Mughal army confronted Rana Pratap and his men in Haldighati. Maharana Pratap and his army were outnumbered by the huge Mughal army, but the brave Rajput sons of Mewar were determined to teach their enemies some lesson. Soon face to face with each other both armies engaged in a battle of true wits. Maharana Pratap and the Rajput warriors fought gallantly giving severe blows to their enemies, but were overwhelmed by the number of their enemies. Soon it was clear that the Mughal army cannot be defeated and Pratap was heavily injured. The generals convinced Maharana Pratap to get away from the battle field in order to stay alive and fight for another day. One of the Jhala Read the rest of this entry »

Hadighati is a small village situated at a distance of 44 km from Udaipur. It is a place of great historical relevance where Haldighati war between great Maharana Pratap and Mughal forces took place in antiquity. In this war the great Maharana Pratap and his Brave Rajput warriors showed true valor and courage against the bigger army of Akbar.

Haldighati the thermopile of mewar:

Rana Pratap

Maharana Pratap was declared King of Mewar in 1572. Mughals had captured Dungarpur, Chittorgarh and Ranthambor. He was determined to continue his war against Akbar, who was a Mughal Emperor. All the Rajput kingdoms were forced by Akbar to be bought under his rule, except Mewar. Maharana Pratap did not consider Akbar as the ruler of India and had denied all attempts of Akbar to make peace with him.

Akbar realized that Maharana Pratap will never bow to his wishes and decided to rage war against him. On 18^th of June 1576, the two rival armies clashed with each other in the famous Haldighati war. The Mughal army was commanded by Raja Man Singh of Amber. Maharana Pratap and his men were largely outnumbered by Akbar’s army, but with true will and valor the great Maharana Pratap and his Brave Rajput warriors fought gallantly with their enemies. Maharana Pratap personally attacked Man Singh, but he was somehow able to duck his attempt.

Totally outnumbered and overwhelmed by the number of their enemies, Maharana Pratap and his men were about to loose the battle. Pratap’s general intervened and convinced him to get away to safety so that he can stay alive to continue his struggle against Mughals. One of his loyal officers, a brave Jhala man took the Sun-God banner from Pratap and charged against the enemies. Pratap and his horse Chetak were badly injured. Pratap had till now fainted due to blood loss and Chetak somehow managed to take him to a safer place, but collapsed due to heavy injuries sustained during Haldighati war. Read the rest of this entry »