Maharana Pratap Death Anniversary: The Tale of Bravery and Valor

Maharana Pratap Punyatithi
● Birth – May 9, 1540 (Jyeshtha Shukla Tritiya, Vikram Samvat 1597, Sunday)
● Birth place – Badal Mahal (Katargarh) Kumbhalgarh Fort
● Father – Maharana Uday Singh
● Mother – Jayavanta Bai (Daughter of Pali King Akhairaj Songara)
● Marriage – in 1557 AD with Ajabde Pawar.
● Son – Amar Singh
● Ruling period – 1572-1597 AD.
● Other Title – 1. 'Kika' (in the hilly regions of Mewar) 2. Mewar Kesari 3. Hindua Suraj
● Revolution of Rajmahal – Uday Singh had declared Jagmal as his successor but the feudatories of Mewar deposed Jagmal and made Rana Pratap the ruler, this incident is called 'Revolution of Rajmahal'.
● First Coronation – Mahadev Bawdi (Gogunda) on February 28, 1572
● Formal coronation – took place in Kumbhalgarh fort in which Rao Chandrasen of Marwar participated.
● Pratap's horse – Chetak
● Elephants – Ramprasad and Luna
● Rana Pratap united the heroic feudal lords and Bhils to fight against the Mughals and enhanced their respect by giving them higher designations in the military system.
● Pratap shifted his residence from Gogunda to Kumbhalgarh to manage the battle secretly.
● Akbar sent 4 treaty delegation to Rana Pratap - 1. Jalal Khan Korchi – November, 1572 2. Mansingh – June, 1573 3. Bhagwantdas – October, 1573 4. Todarmal – December, 1573
● Battle of Haldighati (Rajsamand) ̶  June 18, 1576
● At the beginning of 1576, Akbar came to Ajmer to prepare for the attack on Mewar and handed over the leadership of this battle to Mansingh here.
● Akbar made the strategy of battle in the magazine Durg.
● Commander in Chief of Mughal Army – Mirza Mansingh (Amer)
2nd in-command - Asaf Khan
● The leadership of Harawal Army of Rana Pratap - Hakim Khan Sur
● The leadership of Chandaval army - Rana Poonja
● The leadership of Harawal part of Mughal army - Sayyid Hashim
● Mughal’s side – Muhammad Badakhshi Rafi, Raja Jagannath and Asaf Khan
● In this Battle, the historian Badayuni was present with the Mughal army.
● Under the leadership of Hakim Khan Sur, Rajputs made the first attack so fierce that the Mughal army flew away.
● At the same time Mihtar Khan, in charge of the reserve army of the Mughals, spread a false rumor that - "Emperor Akbar himself is bringing the royal army."
● Hearing this, the Mughal army again went ahead for the battle. Mewar's army also came to the 'Rakttal' ground.
● In the battle there was a fight between Rana Pratap's Luna and Ramprasad and Akbar's Gajmukta and Gajraj elephants.
● Ramprasad elephant was taken over by the Mughals, which was later renamed by Akbar as 'Pirprasad'.
● Rana Pratap attacked Pathan Bahlol Khan in such a brutal way that he broke into two pieces along with his horse.
● In the battle, there was a direct interaction between Rana Pratap on Chetak horse and Mansingh on mardana elephant.
● Pratap attacked Mansingh with a spear but Mansingh somehow survived. During this, Chetak was injured by the attack of the elephant.
● The Mughal army surrounded Pratap from all sides.
● When Rana Pratap was injured, Jhala Bida assumed the royal insignia and achieved martyrdom while fighting the battle.
● Rana Pratap's horse Chetak, injured by an elephant attack in the battle, died after crossing a drain.
● Chetak's tomb is built in Balicha village.
● According to the 'Amarkavya Vanshavali' scripture and Rajprashasti, Rana Pratap's brother Shaktisingh met Pratap and apologized for his doings.
● Haldighati battle remained inconclusive. Akbar failed to capture Rana Pratap.
● Angered by the result of the war, Akbar closed the gatehouse for Mansingh and Asaf Khan.
● In Badayuni's literature work 'Muntakhb-ut-Tawarikh' Haldighati battle is mentioned.
● Abul-Fazl called this battle 'Battle of Khamnaur', Badauni called it 'Battle of Gogunda' and Colonel Tod called it 'Battle of Haldighati'.
● In Rajsamand 'Haldighati Festival' is celebrated every year.
● Rana Pratap established his temporary capital at 'Avargarh'.
● In February, 1577, Akbar himself came on the Mewar campaign but failed.

● From October, 1577 to November, 1579, Shahbaz Khan attempted 3 unsuccessful attack on Mewar.
● On April 3, 1578, Shahbaz Khan established his control over the Kumbhalgarh fort.
● Rana Pratap re-established his control over the Kumbhalgarh fort and appointed Bhan Songara as its fort’s watchman.
● Bhamashah (Pali) had given financial support to Maharana Pratap.
● The donor of Mewar - Bhamashah
● In 1580, Akbar sent Abdul Rahim Khankhana against Pratap. Kunwar Amarsingh attacked the Mughal camp at Sherpur and established his control over the women of Khankhana's family. When Rana Pratap got this information, he immediately ordered the Mughal women to be sent back with respect.
● Battle of Dewair (October, 1582) :-
● Kunwar Amarsingh killed Akbar's uncle Serima Sultan and captured Dewair.
● Colonel James Tod called this battle a 'symbol of Pratap's pride' and 'Marathon of Mewar'.
● On December 5, 1584, Akbar sent Jagannath Kachhwaha, the younger son of Bharmal of Amer, against Pratap. Jagannath also failed. Jagannath died in Mandalgarh.
● Jagannath Kachhwaha's '32 Khambo Ki Chhatri - Mandalgarh (Bhilwara)
● Rana Pratap looted Malpura of Amer region to take revenge and got built 'Neelkanth Mahadev Temple' near Jhalra Talab.
● Between 1585 AD to 1597 AD, Pratap had regained his control over the rest of the state except Chittor and Mandalgarh.
● After defeating Luna Chavandia in 1585 AD, Pratap took his control over Chavand and made it his new capital.
● In Chavand, Pratap built a temple of 'Chamunda Mata'.
● Chavand remained the capital of Mewar for the next 28 years from 1585.
● Death - January 19, 1597, Chavand
● Fire Ritual - Bandoli
● Pratap's 8 khambo ki Chhatri - on the sail of Khejar dam in Bandoli (Udaipur).
● On the death of Pratap, the poet Dursa Aadha, who was there in the court of Akbar, recited a verse –
गहलोत राणो जीत गयो दसण मूंद रसणा डसी।
नीलास मूक भरिया नयन तो मृत शाह प्रताप सी।।
● It has been said about Pratap that –
“पग-पग भम्या पहाड़, धरा छोड़ राख्यो धरम।
महाराणा मेवाड़, हिरदे बसया हिन्द रे।। ”
● The literature work of Pratap-
● Darbari Pandit Chakrapani Mishra – Vishwavallabh, Muhurtmala, Vyavaharadarsh and Rajyabhishek Padhadati.
● Jain Muni Hemratna Suri – Gora-Badal, Padmini Charitra Chaupai, Mahipal Chaupai, Amarkumar Chaupai, Sita Chaupai, Lilavati
● Temples built by Pratap – 1. Chamunda Devi (Chavand) 2. Harihar Temple (Badrana)
● Painting - Birth of Chavand style, Main painter - Nisaruddin