Maharana Pratap

Maharana Pratap
Maharana
Maharana Pratap
Maharana of Mewar
Reign	28 February 1572 - 19 January 1597 ()
Coronation	28 February 1572
Predecessor	Udai Singh II
Successor	Amar Singh I
Born	(1540-05-09)9 May 1540 Kumbhalgarh Fort, Rajasthan
Died	Chavand, Rajasthan
Burial	Cremated in Vandoli village
Spouse	Maharani Ajabde Punwar Maharani Phool Kanwar Rathore
Issue	Amar Singh I Bhagwan Das
Full name Maharana Pratap Singh Sisodia
Dynasty	Sisodia
Father	Udai Singh II
Mother	Maharani Jaiwanta Bai
Religion	Hinduism

Sisodia Rajputs of Mewar II (1326–1884)
Hammir Singh	(1326–1364)
Kshetra Singh	(1364–1382)
Lakha Singh	(1382–1421)
Mokal Singh	(1421–1433)
Rana Kumbha	(1433–1468)
Udai Singh I	(1468–1473)
Rana Raimal	(1473–1508)
Rana Sanga	(1508–1527)
Ratan Singh II	(1528–1531)
Vikramaditya Singh	(1531–1536)
Vanvir Singh	(1536–1540)
Udai Singh II	(1540–1572)
Maharana Pratap	(1572–1597)
Amar Singh I	(1597–1620)
Karan Singh II	(1620–1628)
Jagat Singh I	(1628–1652)
Raj Singh I	(1652–1680)
Jai Singh	(1680–1698)
Amar Singh II	(1698–1710)
Sangram Singh II	(1710–1734)
Jagat Singh II	(1734–1751)
Pratap Singh II	(1751–1754)
Raj Singh II	(1754–1762)
Ari Singh II	(1762–1772)
Hamir Singh II	(1772–1778)
Bhim Singh	(1778–1828)
Jawan Singh	(1828–1838)
Shambhu Singh	(1861–1874)
Sajjan Singh	(1874–1884)
Fateh Singh	(1884–1930)
Bhupal Singh	(1930–1947)

Pratap Singh (<phonos file="Maharana Pratap.ogg">pronunciation</phonos>) or Pratap Singh (9 May 1540 – 19 January 1597) was the ruler of Mewar, a region in north-western India in the present day state of Rajasthan. His birth anniversary (Maharana Pratap Jayanti) is celebrated as a full-fledged festival every year on the 3rd day of the Jyestha Shukla phase. He was the eldest son of Maharani Jaiwanta Bai and Udai Singh II, founder of Udaipur. He belonged to the Sisodia clan of Rajputs. Maharana Pratap Singh is widely regarded as a fearless warrior and ingenious strategist, who successfully fought the Mughals and safeguarded his people until his death. In popular Indian culture, he is hailed as an inspirational figure for exemplifying gallantry and resourcefulness. He was succeeded by his eldest son Amar Singh I.

Accession

In 1568 during the reign of Rana Udai Singh II (Maharana Pratap's father) Chittorgarh Fort was conquered by the Mughal emperor Akbar after the third Jauhar at Chittor. However, Udai Singh and the royal family of Mewar had left before the fort was captured and moved to the foothills of the Aravalli Range where Udai Singh had already founded the city of Udaipur in 1559. Rani Dheer Bai wanted her son Jagmal to succeed Udai Singh but the seniors in the royal court preferred Pratap, as the eldest son, to be their king. The desire of the nobles prevailed. At the end it was found out that it was only due to Rani Bhatiyani Dheerbhai, that Udai Singh nominated Jagmal Singh as his successor who was weak, inefficient and used to drink secretely.But the reason of Jagmal's topple from throne was due to the reason that Kunwar Jagmal was used to ignoring the advice of his ministers and the banishment of Kunwar Pratap from Mewar angered the ministers and the accession of Kunwar Pratap took place and the toppling of Jagmal from the throne.

Conflict

Chittorgarh Fort which Rana wanted to reclaim. Also seen is Vijay Stambha along with Gaumukh Reservoir.

Nearly all of Pratap's fellow Rajput chiefs had meanwhile entered into the vassalage of the Mughals. Even Pratap's own brothers, Shakti Singh, Jagmal and Sagar Singh, served the Mughal emperor, Akbar. Indeed, many Rajput chiefs, such as Man Singh I of Amer (later known as Maharaja of Jaipur) served as army commanders in Akbar's armies and as members of his council. Akbar sent a total of six diplomatic missions to Pratap, seeking to negotiate the same sort of peaceful alliance that he had concluded with the other Rajput chiefs. The first three missions were led by Jalal Khan Qurchi, the fourth by Raja Man Singh, the fifth by Raja Bhagwan Das, and the sixth by Todar Mal. The fifth mission of Bhagwan Das was fruitful in that the Rana agreed to put on a robe presented by Akbar and he sent his son Amar Singh I to the mughal capital. The missions failed, however, since the Rana refused to personally present himself in the mughal court. Since no agreement could be reached at, all out war between Mewar and the Mughals became inevitable.

Battle Of Haldighati

Main article: Battle of Haldighati

In 1576, Akbar deputed Man Singh I and Asaf Khan I to lead a force against Maharana Pratap. The Rana advanced with a force numbering almost half the Mughal numbers and took a position near Haldighati which was at the entrance of a defile. In Pratap's army the main commanders were Gwalior's Ram Shah Tanwar and his three sons,Rawat Krishnadasji Chundawat, Maan Singhji Jhala and Chandrasenji Rathore of Marwar. His army also included Afghans lead by Hakim Khan Sur and a small contingent of Bhil tribals headed by Rao Poonjaji fighting alongside him. Anticipating the mughal attack, the Rana had also devastated the entire region up to Chittor to prevent the Mughal forces access to food and fodder. The Mughals were then guided by Pratap's brother Shakti Singh that what was the way they could face Pratap in open and with minimum casualties.

The Battle of Haldighati was fought on 18 June 1576 for around 4 hours. It was primarily fought in the traditional manner between cavalry and elephants since the mughals found it difficult to transport artillery over the rough terrain. In a traditional fight the Rajputs were at an advantage; their impetuous attack led to a crumbling of the mughal left and right wings and put pressure on the center until reserves, and a rumor of Akbar's arrival turned the tide, and resulted in a Rajput retreat. The heat, and fear of ambush in the hills, resulted in the mughals deciding not to pursue the Rajputs into the hills. Thus this battle failed to break the existing stalemate. This fight can be viewed as an assertion of local independence arising from local and regional patriotism. Maharana Pratap and his forces were heavily outnumbered by the mughals and to change the odds to his side, Pratap mounted on his horse Chetak, attacked Raja Man Singh. Raja Man Singh ducked and hence this final gamble of Mewar turned against them as Chetak's leg got deeply wounded in the process of attack on Raja Man Singh's war elephant and Pratap got injured and unconscious due to the blow by the elephant. The Mewari enthusiasm was shattered and the soldiers. Man Singh Jhala understood the situation and so he exchanges his armour with Pratap's armour to confuse the Mughals. Chetak ran very fast and seeing Mughals following him he crossed the famous pass of Haldighati with a big and a long leap for which he is also remembered.He succumbed to his injuries. Maharana Pratap is said to have been saddened the most at the demise of his stallion and his best friend Chetak who had saved his life and also the future of Mewar.Meanwhile, when Pratap was mourning his Chetak's death his brother Shakti Singh who had defected towards the Mughals gave him his horse to Pratap so that he could escape the Mughal soldiers who were chasing him. Man Singh Jhala who wore Pratap's royal chhavri was misunderstood as Rana Pratap by Mughal soldiers killed him. They thought they managed to kill Pratap but they couldn't really as it was Jhala in Pratap's royal armour. Man Singh was shocked to see that it was not Pratap but his chieftain Man Singh Jhala who was killed. In the next three days he overran the other parts of Mewar and the whole of Mewar except some of the Aravallis were in Mughal hands.

After the Battle of Haldighati

On the third day after the Battle of Haldighati, i.e. on 23 June 1576, Man Singh I conquered Gogunda which was later recaptured by Pratap in July 1576. Pratap then made Kumbhalgarh his temporary capital. After that, Akbar decided to personally lead the campaign against Pratap. In the process, Gogunda, Udaipur and Kumbhalgarh were occupied by the mughals, forcing the Rana deeper into the mountainous tracts of southern Mewar. Mughal pressure was exerted on the Afghan chief of Jalor, and the Rajput chiefs of Idar, Sirohi, Banswara, Dungarpur, and Bundi. These states, situated on the borders of Mewar with Gujarat and Malwa had traditionally acknowledged the supremacy of the dominant power in the region. Consequently, the rulers of these states submitted to the Mughals. A mughal expedition was also sent to Bundi where Duda, the elder son of Rao Surjan Hada, had collaborated with Rana Pratap to take control over Bundi and adjacent areas. Both Surjan Hada and Bhoj, the father and younger brother of Duda, took part in this conflict in support of the mughals. After a mughal victory, Duda escaped to the hills and Bundi was conferred upon Bhoj. At this point Rana Pratap found himself isolated and marginalized in Rajput affairs.

Comeback

Mughal pressure on Mewar relaxed after 1579 following rebellions in Bengal and Bihar and Mirza Hakim's incursion into the Punjab. In 1585, Akbar moved to Lahore and remained there for the next twelve years watching the situation in the north-west. No mughal expedition was sent to Mewar during this period. Taking advantage of the situation, Rana Pratap recovered many of his lost territories including Kumbhalgarh and the areas around Chittor (but not Chittor itself). During this period, he also built a new capital--Chavand, near modern Dungarpur. His successful defiance of Mughals using guerrilla strategy also proved inspiration to figures ranging from Shivaji to anti-British revolutionaries in Bengal. Maharana got a lot of money from Bhamashah who was given the title of DanShiromani Bhamashah. He used that money to rebuild his army. He conquered Gogunda, Kumbhalgarh, Ranthambore and at last Udaipur from Jagannath Kachhawa. He built up a force of 40000 soldiers and he consolidated his position.

Royal Court

Maharana Pratap had a cabinet of able ministers / advisors and commanders including Bhamashah (treasurer) and Rao Poonja.

Personal life

Maharana Pratap's first and favourite wife was Maharani Ajabde Punwar. She supported him through everything. They both loved each other unconditionally. Sadly, she died in her thirties. He only loved Maharani Ajabde, the other marriages were political alliances. Maharana Pratap had 11 wives. He had 17 sons and 5 daughters. Of his children, Amar Singh, who was born to Maharani Ajabde, was the eldest and who later succeeded him . The list of Queens and Sons is as follows:

S. No.	Queen	Son
1	Ajabde Punwar	Amar Singh I
2	Solankhinipur Bai	Sasha Gopal
3	Champabai Jhali	Kachra Sanwaldas Durjan Singh
4	Jasobai Chauhan
6	Shahmatibai Hada	Pura
7	Khichar Ashabai	Hathi Ram Singh
8	Alamdebai Chauhan	Jaswant Singh
9	Ratanawati Bai Parmar	Maal
10	Amarbai Rathore	Natha
11	Lakhabai Rathore	Raibhana

Death

Pratap died of injuries sustained in a hunting accident at Chavand, which served as his capital, on 19 January 1597, aged fifty-seven. A chhatri, commemorating Pratap's funeral, exists at Chavand and is an important tourist attraction. after his death Amar Singh I succeeded him. He made Amar Singh vow never to submit to the Mughals and win Chittorgarh back.

TV Serial Depictions

Year	TV Series	Channel	Country	Played by
2013-2015	Bharat Ka Veer Putra – Maharana Pratap	Sony TV	India	Sharad Malhotra and Faisal Khan (Young)

External links

• Official Website for the Royal Family of Udaipur

Maharana Pratap Sisodia Rajput Clan Born: 9 May 1540 Died: 19 January 1597
Preceded by Udai Singh II	Sisodia Rajput Ruler 1572–1597	Succeeded by Amar Singh I