Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 17:55, 19 January 2021

Maharana Pratap
13th Maharana of Mewar
Maharana Pratap Statue
Maharana of Mewar
Reign	1 March 1572 – 19 January 1597
Predecessor	Udai Singh II
Successor	Amar Singh I
Ministers	Bhamashah
Born	9 May 1540 (1540-05-09) Kumbhalgarh, Mewar (present day: Kumbhal Fort, Rajsamand District, Rajasthan, India)
Died	19 January 1597(1597-01-19) (aged 56) Chavand, Mewar (Present day:Chavand, Udaipur District, Rajasthan, India)
Spouse	Maharani Ajabde (consort)
Issue	Amar Singh I Bhagwan Das
Dynasty	Sisodia Rajput
Father	Udai Singh II
Mother	Maharani Jaiwanta Bai
Religion	Hinduism

Pratap Singh I (pronunciation) (9 May 1540 – 19 January 1597), popularly known as Maharana Pratap, was the 13th king of Mewar, a region in north-western India in the present-day state of Rajasthan. He was titled as "Mewari Rana" and was notable for his military resistance against the expansionism of the Mughal Empire.

Early life and accession

Maharana Pratap was born in a Hindu Rajput family. He was born to Udai Singh II and Jaiwanta Bai. His younger brothers were Shakti Singh, Vikram Singh and Jagmal Singh. Pratap also had 2 stepsisters: Chand Kanwar and Man Kanwar. He was married to Ajabde Punwar of Bijolia and he had married 10 other women and was survived by 17 children including Amar Singh I. He belonged to the Royal Family of Mewar. After the death of Udai Singh in 1572, Rani Dheer Bai wanted her son Jagmal to succeed him but senior courtiers preferred Pratap, as the eldest son, to be their king. The desire of the nobles prevailed.

Udai Singh died in 1572, and Prince Pratap ascended the throne as Maharana Pratap, the 54th ruler of Mewar in the line of the Sisodia Rajputs. Jagmal swore revenge and left for Ajmer, to join the armies of Akbar, and obtained a jagir - the town of Jahazpur - in return for his help.

Battle of Haldighati

The bloody Siege of Chittorgarh in 1567-1568 had led to the loss of the fertile eastern belt of Mewar to the Mughals. However, the rest of the wooded and hilly kingdom in the Aravalli range was still under the control of Pratap Singh. The Mughal emperor Akbar was intent on securing a stable route to Gujarat through Mewar; when Pratap Singh was crowned king (Maharana) in 1572, Akbar sent a number of envoys entreating him to become a vassal like many other Rajput leaders in the region. When the Maharana refused to personally submit to Akbar, war became inevitable.

The Battle of Haldighati was fought on 18 June 1576 between Pratap Singh and Akbar's forces led by Man Singh I of Amer. The Mughals were victorious and inflicted significant casualties among the Mewaris but failed to capture the Maharana. The site of the battle was a narrow mountain pass at Haldighati near Gogunda, modern day Rajsamand in Rajasthan. Pratap Singh fielded a force of around 3000 cavalry and 400 Bhil archers. The Mughals were led by Man Singh of Amber, who commanded an army numbering around 5000–10,000 men. After a fierce battle lasting more than six hours, the Maharana found himself wounded and the day lost. He managed to retreat to the hills and lived to fight another day.

Haldighati was a futile victory for the Mughals, as they were unable to kill or capture Pratap Singh, or any of his close family members in Udaipur. As soon as the empire's focus shifted north-west, Pratap and his army recaptured the western regions of his dominion.

Reconquest of Mewar

Mughal pressure on Mewar relaxed after 1579 following rebellions in Bengal and Bihar and Mirza Hakim's incursion into the Punjab. In 1582, Pratap Singh attacked and occupied the Mughal post at Dewair (or Dewar) in the Battle of Dewair. This led to the automatic liquidation of all 36 Mughal military outposts in Mewar. After this defeat, Akbar stopped his military campaigns against Mewar. The victory of Dewair was a crowning glory for the Maharana, with James Tod describing it as the "Marathon of Mewar". In 1585, Akbar moved to Lahore and remained there for the next twelve years watching the situation in the north-west. No major Mughal expedition was sent to Mewar during this period. Taking advantage of the situation, Pratap recovered Western Mewar including Kumbhalgarh, Udaipur and Gogunda. During this period, he also built a new capital, Chavand, near modern Dungarpur.

Rana Pratap's defiance of the mighty Mughal empire, almost alone and unaided by the other Rajput states, constitute a glorious saga of Rajput valour and the spirit of self sacrifice for cherished principles. Pratap Singh's methods of sporadic warfare was later elaborated further by Malik Ambar, the Deccani general, and by Shivaji Maharaj.

Death

Reportedly, Pratap died of injuries sustained in a hunting accident, at Chavand on 19 January 1597, aged 56. He was succeeded by his eldest son, Amar Singh I. On his death bed, Pratap told his son never to submit to the Mughals and to win Chittor back.

Legacy

There are a lot of places and destinations named after his name and he has been noted many a times in films and television serials as a portrait of bravery and velegiance. He was known to develop the Guerrilla warfare techniques and was known to be the only Rajput ruler who refused to bow in front of Akbar and Mughal armies. He lived in forest with his army refusing the royalty and beside Rajput warrior his army consisted of warrior of every caste and Bhil tribe.

In popular culture

Film and Television

• 2012–2015: Jodha Akbar, broadcast on Zee TV, where he was played by Anurag Sharma
• 2013–2015: Bharat Ka Veer Putra – Maharana Pratap, broadcast by Sony Entertainment Television (India), where he was portrayed by Faisal Khan and Sharad Malhotra
• 2016: ABP News presented Bharatvarsha, in which episode 8 showcased the story of Maharana Pratap.
• 1929: Mewad Nu Moti
• 1946: Maharana Pratap
• 2012: Maharana Pratap: The First Freedom Fighter

References

1. ^ "Rana Pratap Singh – Indian ruler". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 16 June 2018. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
2. Köpping, Klaus-Peter; Leistle, Bernhard; Rudolph, Michael, eds. (2006). Ritual and Identity: Performative Practices as Effective Transformations of Social Reality. LIT Verlag Münster. p. 286. ISBN 978-3-82588-042-2. Archived from the original on 12 April 2017. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
3. Rana 2004, pp. 28, 105.
4. Sarkar, Jadunath (1994). A History of Jaipur. p. 48. ISBN 978-8-12500-333-5.
5. Daryanani, Mohan B. (1999). Who's who on Indian Stamps. p. 302. ISBN 978-8-49311-010-9.
6. Bhatt, Rajendra Shankar (2005). Maharana Pratap. National Book Trust, India. ISBN 978-81-237-4339-4.
7. Sharma, Sri Ram (2002). Maharana Pratap: A Biography. Hope India Publ. ISBN 978-81-7871-005-1.
8. Sharma, Gopi Nath; Mathur, M. N. Maharana Pratap & his times. Udaipur State: Maharana Pratap Smarak Samiti. p. 29.
9. Lal, Muni (1980). Akbar. p. 135. ISBN 978-0-70691-076-6.
10. Sarkar 1960, p. 75.
11. Chandra 2005, pp. 119–120.
12. Jacques, Tony (2006). Dictionary of Battles and Sieges. Greenwood Press. p. 428. ISBN 978-0-313-33536-5. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
13. Sarkar 1960, p. 77–79.
14. Chandra 2005, pp. 121–122.
15. "Tourist Places". rajsamand.rajasthan.gov.in. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
16. A. N. Bhattacharya (2000). Human geography of Mewar. Himanshu. p. 71. ISBN 9788186231906.
17. ^ Chandra 2005, p. 122.
18. Chandra, Satish (2000). Medieval India. New Delhi: National Council of Educational Research and Training. p. 164.
19. Sharma, Sri Ram (2005). Maharana Pratap. p. 91. ISBN 978-8-17871-003-7.
20. Gupta, R.K.; Bakshi, S.R. (2008). Studies In Indian History: Rajasthan Through The Ages The Heritage of Rajputs (Set Of 5 Vols.). p. 46. ISBN 978-8-17625-841-8.
21. Rajadhyaksha, Ashish; Willemen, Paul (10 July 2014). Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-135-94318-9.
22. Hooja, Rima (15 October 2018). "After Haldighati, this is how Maharana Pratap used guerrilla warfare to elude Akbar". ThePrint. Retrieved 15 October 2020.

Further reading

• Sarkar, Jadunath (1960). Military History of India. Orient Longmans. pp. 75–81. ISBN 9780861251551.
• Chandra, Satish (2005). Medieval India (Part Two): From Sultanat to the Mughals. Har-Anand Publications. ISBN 9788124110669.
• Rana, Dr. Bhawan Singh (2004), Maharana Pratap, Diamond Pocket Books, ISBN 9788128808258

External links

• Maharana Pratap at the Encyclopædia Britannica
• Official Website for the Royal Family of Udaipur

v t e Mughal Empire
Emperors	Babur Humayun Akbar Jahangir Shahryar Shah Jahan Aurangzeb (Alamgir I) Muhammad Azam Shah Bahadur Shah I Jahandar Shah Farrukhsiyar Rafi ud-Darajat Shah Jahan II Muhammad Shah Ahmad Shah Bahadur Alamgir II Shah Jahan III Shah Alam II Shah Jahan IV Akbar II Bahadur Shah II
Administration	Dynasty family tree Economy Flag Foreign relations Government Military Mughal artillery Provinces Agra Ajmer Awadh Bengal Berar Bihar Gujarat Delhi Hyderabad Lahore Malwa Multan Sira
Conflicts	Mughal-Rajput wars Mughal conquest of Malwa Gujarat conquest Mughal–Safavid war (1622–1623) Mughal–Safavid war (1649–1653) Suppression of Tilpat rebellion Ahom–Mughal conflicts Tibet–Ladakh–Mughal war Mughal–Maratha wars Child's war Carnatic wars Bengal war Indian Rebellion of 1857 Mughal–Sikh wars Mughal–Portuguese conflicts Battles Agra Badli-ki-Serai Bhuchar Mori Buxar Chanderi Chausa Ghagra Haldighati Karnal Khajwa Khanwa Najafgarh Panipat (1526) Panipat (1556) Panipat (1761) Plassey Raj Mahal Samugarh Sirhind Thanesar (1567) Thanesar (1710) Tukaroi Bakla Bhulua Sieges Bijapur Chittorgarh Delhi Daman Daulatabad Golconda Hooghly Jinji Kandahar Purandhar Ranthambore Sambhal Adversaries Baro-Bhuyan Isa Khan Khwaja Usman Bayazid of Sylhet Musa Khan Pratapaditya Ibrahim Lodi Rana Sanga Sher Shah Suri Hemu Maharana Pratap Malik Ambar Gokula Shivaji Lachit Borphukan Khushal Khattak Josiah Child Guru Gobind Singh Henry Every Bajirao I Nader Shah Hector Munro
Architecture	Forts and palaces Agra Fort Lahore Fort Lalbagh Fort Red Fort Jahangir Mahal Sheesh Mahal Mosques Alamgir Mosque, Aurangabad Jama Masjid (Delhi) Chawk Mosque Badshahi Mosque Shah Jahan Mosque, Thatta Sunehri Masjid Wazir Khan Mosque Tombs and mausoleums Akbar's Tomb Bibi Ka Maqbara Gardens of Babur Humayun's Tomb Jahangir's Tomb Taj Mahal Tomb of Salim Chishti Tomb of Aurangzeb Tomb of Nur Jahan List of tombs of Mughal Empire Others Fatehpur Sikri Shalimar Gardens Achabal Gardens Shahi Bridge more
See also	Art Cuisine Culture Fashion Gardens Language Painting Persian Mughals Tribe Weapons Foreign relations
Successor states	Sur Empire (interrupted) Maratha Empire Rajput states Jats Sikh Empire Nawabs of Bengal Nawabs of Awadh Nizam of Hyderabad Carnatic Kingdom of Mysore Rohilkhand

• Maharana Pratap
• Rajput rulers
• 1540 births
• 1597 deaths
• History of Rajasthan
• 16th-century Indian monarchs
• Hindu warriors
• Accidental deaths in India
• Hunting accident deaths
• History of Udaipur
• Hindu monarchs