Pratap Singh, Maharana of Mewar
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Maharana Pratap (1540-1597) was a ruler of Mewar, a state in north-western India. He belonged to the Sisodia clan of Suryavanshi Rajputs. The epitome of fiery Rajput pride and self-respect, Pratap has for centuries exemplified the qualities that Rajputs aspire to.
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[edit] Accession
Pratap was a son of Udai Singh II, who was the father of twenty-five sons. The male-line descendents of Udai Singh II bear the patronymic "Ranawat". In 1568, during the reign of Udai Singh II, Mewar was conquered by the Mughal emperor Akbar. The third Jauhar of Chittor transpired, with the ladies of the fort finding "safety from personal dishonour in the devouring element (fire)," while the remaining menfolk sallied forth to certain death in the battlefield.
Prior to this calamity, Udai Singh and his family had fled to the safety of the nearby hills. He later moved base to another location in the foothills of the Aravalli Range. This new base gradually became the city of Udaipur, named after him. Udai Singh wanted Jagmal, his favourite son, to succeed him. However, with the help of senior nobles, Pratap took over the responsibility of leadership in 1572. It was the beginning of a career of struggle and hardship.
[edit] Conflict
Chittorgarh (Chittor fort), Pratap's ancestral home, was under Mughal occupation. Living a life on the run, the dream of reconquering Chittor (and thus reclaiming the glory of Mewar) was greatly cherished by Pratap, and his future efforts were bent towards this goal.
Nearly all of Pratap's fellow Rajput chiefs had meanwhile entered into the vassalage of the Mughals. Even Pratap's own brothers, Shakti Singh and Sagar Singh, were serving Akbar. Indeed, many Rajput chiefs, such as Raja Man Singh of Amber (later known as Jaipur) were serving as army commanders in Akbar's armies and 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. Pratap roundly rebuffed every such attempt.
Pratap particularly insulted Akbar's special envoy, Raja Man Singh of Amber by not dining with him. Man Singh's sister, Jodhabai, was one of Akbar's wives. Although the marriage of Rajput noblewomen to Muslim grandees would shortly become a pervasive trend, it was yet a novelty at that point of time; the course that Man Singh had embraced was distasteful to Rana Pratap, who viewed it as disgraceful for a Rajput to wed his daughter to a Muslim invader. Man Singh visited Pratap on a diplomatic mission, as Akbar's personal representative. Rana Pratap chose to greivously insult him; the story goes that Pratap refusing to interdine with Man Singh on the grounds that marriage relations with the Muslim Akbar had rendered Man Singh an outcast. Following the failure of every diplomatic overture, Man Singh came back with a huge Mughal army, nominally led by his nephew, the teenaged Mughal prince Salim (later known as Jehangir).
[edit] Battle of Haldighati
On June 21, 1576 (June 18 by other calculations), the two armies met at Haldighati, near the town of Gogunda in present-day Rajasthan. While accounts vary as to the exact strength of the two armies, all sources concur that the mughal forces greatly outnumbered Pratap's men. The battle of Haldighati, a historic event in the annals of Rajputana, lasted only four hours. In this short period, Pratap's men essayed many brave exploits on the field. Folklore has it that Pratap personally attacked Man Singh: his horse Chetak placed its front feet on the trunk of Man Singh's elephant and Pratap threw his lance; Man Singh ducked, and the elephant driver was killed.
However, the numerical superiority of the Mughal army finally prevailed. Seeing that the battle was lost, Pratap's generals prevailed upon him to flee the field so as to be able to fight another day. To facilitate Pratap's escape, one of his lieutenants, a member of the Jhala clan, donned Pratap's distinctive garments and took his place in the battlefield. He was soon killed. Meanwhile, riding his trusty steed Chetak, Pratap made good his escape to the hills.
But chetak was critically wounded on his left thigh by a Mardana (Elephant Trunk Sword) while Pratap was attempting to nail down Man Singh. Chetak was bleeding heavily and he collapsed after jumping over a small brook few kilometers away from the battle field. While Pratap’s General (also named Mansingh but a Jhala Rajput) donned Pratap’s clothing and armour, nobody could notice it due to the chaos of the war but two Turk knights from the Mughal army. They could not explain it to others due to linguistic barrier (the appropriate language would have been Farsi, Marwari or Arabi). They immediately followed Pratap without wasting time. The moment the started chasing him Pratap’s younger brother Shaktisingh who was fighting from the Mughal side (he had some disputes with Pratap at the time of Pratap’s coronation; hence he had defected and went to Akbar’s court) realized that his own brother was under threat. Mansingh Jhala’s trick had already been discovered by him. He could not help the strong feeling of brotherhood to act instantly. He followed those to Turks and killed them, within minuted he killed them Chetak collapsed and Pratap saw his brother Shaktisingh killing two Mughal knights. Saddned by the loss of his beloved general and horse, he embraced his brother and broke into tears. Shaktisingh also cried and asked for pardon. Pratap pardoned him (later on he was given a huge estate near Chittor). Shaktisingh them offered him his own horse and requested him to get to a safe place. This incident has been made famous in a very famous Rajasthani Folk song “O Neele Ghode re Aswar” (O Rider of the Blue Horse).
There is mausoleum of Chetak’ constructed at the site of Chetak’s death. The impact on Mughal army was also heavy. In numbers the Mughal army suffered heavier losses. Mainly because of the intensive arrow showers by the Bhill tribes of the surrounding mountains who had aided with Pratap. To honour their contribution, a Bhil warrior was placed next to Pratap in the Royal Coat of Arms of Mewar.
It is considered to be the first Major breakthrough of Rajputs aginst the Mughals since the Second Battle of Khanwa in 1527, which was fought between Rana Sanga great grand uncle of Maharana Pratap, and the Mughal Babur. It left a very high degree of significance to many Rajput families. Even today there are some families, descendants of those who were martyred in the battle fighting the Mughals along with Pratap, worship Maharana Pratap and regularly do “Tilak" (holy dot on forhead) with the Yellowish sand of Haldighati.
[edit] Aftermath
Pratap retreated into the hilly wilderness of the Aravallis and continued his struggle. His one attempt at open confrontation having thus failed, Pratap resumed the tactics of guerilla warfare. Using the hills as his base, Pratap harassed the large and therefore awkward Mughal forces in their encampments. He ensured that the Mughal occupying force in Mewar never knew peace: Akbar despatched three more expeditions to ferret Pratap out of his mountainous hideouts, but they all failed. During this era, Pratap received much financial assistance from Bhamashah, a well-wisher. The Bhil tribals of the Aravalli hills provided Pratap with their support during times of war and their expertise in living off the forests during times of peace. Thus the years passed. As James Tod writes: "There is not a pass in the alpine Aravalli that is not sanctified by some deed of the great freedom fighter, Maharana Pratap Singh; some brilliant victory or, more often, some glorious defeat." On one occasion, the Bhils saved the Rajput women and children in the nick of time by conveying them into the depths of the mines at Zawar. Later, Pratap relocated to Chavand in the mountainous southeastern area of Mewar. Still harassed by the Mughals, the exiles survived in those ravines for many years by subsisted on wild berries and by hunting and fishing.
[edit] Prithviraj Rathore's letter
Finally, when the exiles were facing the prospect of actual starvation, Pratap wrote to Akbar indicating his readiness to negotiate a treaty. Pratap's first cousin (his mother's sister's son) Prithviraj Rathore, who was one of Akbar's coutiers, heard of this overture. He is said to have grown despondent and written thus to his cousin Pratap:
The hopes of the Hindu rest on the Hindu surya yet the Rana forsakes them. But for Pratap, all would be placed on the same level by Akbar; for our chiefs have lost their valour and our females their honour. Akbar is the broker in the market of our race; he has purchased all but the son of Udai (Singh II of Mewar); he is beyond his price. What true Rajput would part with honour for nauroza (the Persian new years' festival, where Akbar selected women for his pleasure); yet how many have bartered it away? Will Chittor come to this market ...? Though Patta (an affectionate name for Pratap Singh) has squandered away wealth (on warfare), yet he has preserved this treasure. Despair has driven man to this market, to witness their dishonour: from such infamy the descendant of Hammir (Maharana Hammir) alone has been preserved. The world asks, from where does the concealed aid of Pratap emanate? None but the soul of manliness and his sword .. The broker in the market of men (Akbar) will one day be surpassed; he cannot live forever. Then will our race come to Pratap, for the seed of the Rajput to sow in our desolate lands. To him all look for its preservation, that its purity may again become resplendent. It is as much impossible for me to believe that Pratap has called Akbar his emperor as to see the sun rising in the west. Tell me where do I stand? Shall I use my sword on my neck or shall I continue my proud bearing?"
Pratap replied to him:
"By my God Eklinga, Pratap would call the emperor Turk alone (the word 'Turk' carries a pejorative flavour in many Indian languages) and the sun would rise in the east. You may continue your proud bearing as long as Pratap's sword dangles on the mughal head. Pratap would be guilty of Sanga's blood, if he was to tolerate Akbar. you would have the better of it, no doubt Prithviraj, in this wordy quarrel."
Thus ended the incipient rapprochement between Pratap and Akbar. According to many scholars, this tale may be entirely apocryphal.
[edit] Last days
Rana Pratap died of injuries sustained in a hunting accident. He died at Chavand, on January 29, 1597, aged fifty-six. It is said that as he lay dying, Pratap made his son and successor, Amar Singh, swear to maintain eternal conflict against the mughals. Thus, his strained circumstances did not overpower Pratap even in his declining years; he remained intrepid to the end.
Maharana Pratap is a great hero in the eyes of many Indians, and is much respected and loved by his people. During a dark chapter of Rajput history, Pratap alone stood firmly for his honour and dignity; he never compromised his honour for safety. He died a proud and free man.
[edit] Character
Before the Battle of Haldighati started, Man Singh Kacchwaha was out hunting with a few hundred retainers. Pratap's Bhil spies reported this to him at his camp a few kilometers away. Some of Pratap's nobles suggested that they seize the opportunity to attack and kill Man Singh. Pratap refused, demonstrating his sense of rectitude.
In another incidence, the womenfolk of Abdur Rahim Khankhana, a mughal officer, fell into the hands of Pratap's son Amar Singh. At this point of time, Khankhana was actually on the march against Pratap, and was camping at Sherpur in order to make preparations for an assault against Pratap. Nonwithstanding all this, Pratap commanded his son Amar Singh (eldest of 17 sons and 5 daughters) to arrange for the safe conveyance of the mughal ladies to their camp. Khankhana was so affected by this incident that he refused to campaign against such a chivalrous monarch. He petitioned Akbar to be relieved of his post and was subsequently (in 1581) appointed guardian of Akbar's own son, Salim.
[edit] References
- Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan by Col. James Tod
