Maharana Pratap Biography : Life History, Achievements And Story
- Born: May 9, 1540 in Kumbhalgarh, Rajasthan
- Father Name: Maharana Udai Singh II
- Mother Name: Rani Jeevant Kanwar
- Died: January 29, 1597 in Chavand
Maharana Pratap was born on 9th May 1540 in Kumbhalgarh, Rajasthan. His father was Maharana Udai Singh II and his mother was Rani Jeevant Kanwar. Maharana Udai Singh II ruled the kingdom of Mewar, with his capital at Chittor. Maharana Pratap was the eldest of twenty-five sons and hence given the title of Crown Prince. He was destined to be the 54th ruler of Mewar, in the line of the Sisodiya Rajputs.
In 1567, when Crown Prince Pratap Singh was only 27, Chittor was surrounded by the Mughal forces of Emperor Akbar. Maharana Udai Singh II decided to leave Chittor and move his family to Gogunda, rather than capitulate to the Mughals. The young Pratap Singh wanted to stay back and fight the Mughals but the elders intervened and convinced him to leave Chittor, oblivious of the fact that this move from Chittor was going to create history for all times to come.
In 1567, when Crown Prince Pratap Singh was only 27, Chittor was surrounded by the Mughal forces of Emperor Akbar. Maharana Udai Singh II decided to leave Chittor and move his family to Gogunda, rather than capitulate to the Mughals. The young Pratap Singh wanted to stay back and fight the Mughals but the elders intervened and convinced him to leave Chittor, oblivious of the fact that this move from Chittor was going to create history for all times to come.
In Gogunda, Maharana Udai Singh II and his nobles set up a temporary government of the kindom of Mewar. In 1572, the Maharana passed away, leaving the way for Crown Prince Pratap Singh to become the Maharana. However, in his later years, the late Maharana Udai Singh II had fallen under the influence of his favorite queen, Rani Bhatiyani, and had willed that her son Jagmal should ascend to the throne. As the late Maharana’s body was being taken to the cremation grounds, Pratap Singh, the Crown Prince decided to accompany the dead body of the Maharana. This was a departure from tradition as the Crown Prince did not accompany the body of the departed Maharana but instead prepared to ascend the throne, such that the line of succession remained unbroken. Pratap Singh, in deference to his father’s wishes, decided to let his half-brother Jagmal become the next king. However, knowing this to be disastrous for Mewar, the late Maharana’s nobles, especially the Chundawat Rajputs, forced Jagmal to leave the throne to Pratap Singh. Unlike Bharat, Jagmal did not willingly give up the throne. He swore revenge and left for Ajmer, to join the armies of Akbar, where he was offered a jagir – the town of Jahazpur – in return for his help. Meanwhile, Crown Prince Pratap Singh became Maha Rana Pratap Singh I, 54th ruler of Mewar in the line of the Sisodiya Rajputs.
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The year was 1572. Pratap Singh had just become the Maharana of Mewar and he had not been back in Chittor since 1567. His old fort and his home beckoned to him. The pain of his father’s death, and the fact that his father had not been able to see Chittor again, troubled the young Maharana deeply. But he was not the only one troubled at this time. Akbar had control of Chittor but not the kingdom of Mewar. So long as the people of Mewar swore by their Maharana, Akbar could not realize his ambition of being the Jahanpanah of Hindustan. He had sent several emissaries to Mewar to get Rana Pratap to agree to sign a treaty but the letter was only willing to sign a peace treaty whereby the sovereignty of Mewar would be intact. In the course of the year 1573, Akbar sent six diplomatic missions to Mewar to get Rana Pratap to agree to the former’s suzerainty but Rana Pratap turned down each one of them. The last of these missions was headed by Raja Man Singh, the brother-in-law of Akbar himself. Maharana Pratap, angered that his fellow Rajput was aligned with someone who had forced the submission of all Rajputs, refused to sup with Raja Man Singh. The lines were completely drawn now – Akbar understood that Maharana Pratap would never submit and he would have to use his troops against Mewar.
With the failure of efforts to negotiate a peace treaty in 1573, Akbar blockaded Mewar from the rest of the world and alienated Mewar’s traditional allies, some of whom were Maharana Pratap’s own kith and kin. Akbar then tried to turn the people of the all-important Chittor district against their king so they would not help Pratap. He appointed Kunwar Sagar Singh, a younger brother of Pratap, to rule the conquered territory, However, Sagar, regretting his own treachery, soon returned from Chittor, and committed suicide with a dagger in the Mughal Court. Shakti Singh, Pratap’s younger brother now with the Mughal army, is said to have fled the Mughal court temporarily and warned his brother of Akbar’s actions.
The Battle of Haldighati
On June 18, 1576, the Rajput army stood face-to-face with the Mughal army (under the command of Asaf Khan I and Man Singh) at Haldighati. According to historians, it was one of the fiercest battles ever fought, with the Mughal forces outnumbering the Rajput army. The army of Mewar was under the command of Ram Shah Tanwar and his sons namely, Chandrasenji Rathore, Rawat Krishnadasji Chundawaat and Maan Singhji Jhala.
The battle lasted for four hours and resulted in huge loss of lives on the Mewar side (approximately 1600 soldiers), while the Mughals lost only 150 soldiers and 350 wounded. Maharana Pratap was badly wounded but escaped to the nearby hills. Though Mughals were able to claim several parts of Mewar, including Gogunda and the nearby areas except some regions of Aravellis, but they were unable to oust Maharana Pratap who continued to harass the Mughals through guerrilla tactics.
The moment Akbar’s focus shifted to other places, Pratap along with his army who came out of the hiding and successfully regained the control of western regions of his province.
In 1576, the famous battle of Haldighati was fought with 20,000 Rajputs against a Mughal army of 80,000 men commanded by Raja Man Singh. The battle was fierce though indecisive, to the Mughal army’s astonishment. Maharana Pratap’s army was not defeated but Maharana Pratap was surrounded by Mughal soldiers. It is said that at this point, his estranged brother, Shakti Singh, appeared and saved the Rana’s life. Another casualty of this war was Maharana Pratap’s famous, and loyal, horse Chetak, who gave up his life trying to save his Maharana.
Resurgence
In the wake of Mirza Hakim’s incursion into Punjab and rebellions in Bihar and Bengal, Akbar diverted his attention to deal with these problems. I resulted into slackening of Mughal pressure on Mewar. In 1582, the Mughal post at Dewair was attacked and occupied by Maharana Pratap. Akbar moved to Lahore in 1585 and stayed there to keep an eye on the situation in the north-west for next twelve years. During this period no Mughal expedition was sent to Mewar. Pratap took advantage of this situation and regained control over western Mewar, including Gogunda, Kumbhalgarh and Udaipur. He built a new capital at Chavand, near Dungarpur.
Personal Life
Maharana Pratap had eleven wives, five daughters, and seventeen sons. However, his favourite wife was his first wife named Maharani Ajabde Punwar. He tied the knot for the first time in 1557. In 1559, his first son Amar Singh I, who later succeeded him, was born.
It is said that Pratap married ten more princesses in order to strengthen the Rajput unity. Pratap spent a large part of his life and forests and it is also said that there was a time when his family had to survive on chappatis made of grass.
Interesting Facts about Maharana Pratap
- Maharana Pratap was seven feet and five inches tall and weighed 110 kgs.
- The weight of the armour of his chest was 72 kgs and his spear weighed 81 kgs.
- The total weight of Maharana Pratap’s shield, spear, two swords and armour was around 208kgs.
- He had eleven wives, five daughters and seventeen sons. The names of his wives are Ajabde Punwar, Rani Lakhabai, Rani Champabai Jhati, Rani Shahmatibai Hada, Rani Ratnawatibai Parmar, Rani Solankhinipur Bai, Rani Amarbai Rathore, Rani Phool Bai Rathore, Rani Alamdebai Chauhan, Rani Jasobai Chauhan, and Rani Khichar Ashabai.
- Maharana Pratap and his family had to live in the forest for a long time and they survived on chapattis made of grass. One day a wild cat snatched a grass roti from the hands of Maharana’s daughter, it was then he decided to surrender before Akbar. He wrote a letter to Akbar expressing his submission plans and Akbar happily passed the letter to Prithviraj who was a poet and Rajput warrior and was working under Akbar. Prithviraj wrote back to Maharana in a manner that gave confidence and strength to Pratap to face Akbar.
10 Amazing Fact About Maharana Pratap
1. The ‘mountain man’:
Maharana Pratap is revered as one of the strongest warriors India has ever seen. Standing at 7 feet 5 inches, he would carry a 80-kilogram spear and two swords weighing around 208 kilograms in total. He would also wear an armour weighing 72 kilograms.
2. Ascension to throne:
Pratap’s ascension to the throne was not easy. Rani Dheer Bai, Pratap’s stepmother, wanted Kunwar Jagmal to be the king after Udai Singh’s defeat at the hands of Mughal emperor Akbar. In 1568, Akbar had captured the Chittorgarh Fort and the Mewar royalty took shelter in Udaipur. After a long conflict and debate, Pratap was made the king as the court found Jagmal to be as an unfit ruler.
3. Domestic pressure:
Before fighting the Mughals, Pratap had to face the wrath of his domestic adversaries. By the time of his reign, almost all Rajput dynasties had surrendered to Akbar and had become members of his council. Akbar had sent six diplomatic missions to Pratap to create a peaceful alliance between the two mighty rulers.
4. “No, thank you” to Akbar:
After the fifth diplomatic mission, Pratap had sent his son Amar Singh to the Mughal court to deny Akbar’s proposal of peace. As he did not present himself before the Mughal emperor, Akbar took offence. Due to his act of defiance, Akbar decided to go ahead with the battle and fight with Pratap.
5. Preparing for battle:
Pratap’s prowess in fighting battles was proved during the Battle of Haldighati in 1576. Mughal emperor Akbar ordered Man Singh I, one of his Rajput army commanders, and Asaf Khan I to attack Pratap. Man Singh and Asaf Khan had gathered an army almost half the size of the Mughal military force and held position at Haldighati, a mountain pass around 40 kilometres from Udaipur.Despite this Maharana Pratap won the battle.
6. Allies:
On the other hand, Pratap had gathered Gwalior’s Ram Shah Tanwar and his three sons– Rawat Krishnadasji Chundawat, Maan Singhji Jhala and Chandrasenji Rathore of Marwar, the Afghan leader Hakim Khan Sur and a small army of people from the Bhil tribe led by Rao Poonja.
7. Battle of Haldighati:
The battle took place on June 18, 1576 for four hours. The Mughal army found a traitor in Pratap’s brother, Shakti Singh, who told them about the secret pass.
The Mughal cavalry was led by Man Singh I but was outfought at first by the Rajput soldiers. Pratap decided to kill Man Singh on his own and rode his war horse Chetak against Man Singh’s elephant. Both Chetak and Pratap were injured by Man’s elephant. Seeing this, the Mewari contingent lost hope. However, Pratap chieftain Man Singh Jhala exchanged armours with Pratap to confuse the Mughal army. Chetak tried to escape via the Haldighati pass with a single long leap, for which it is famous, but was killed by Mughal archers.
Pratap was devastated to know about his horse’s death. Realising his fault, Shakti Singh offered his own horse to Pratap, so that the latter could escape.
8. The adamant ruler:
After the battle, the Mughal forces, personally led by Akbar, continued to conquer the entire Mewar region including Chittor, Gogunda, Kumbhalgarh (Pratap’s temporary capital) and Udaipur. All Rajput dynasties, including that of Bundi, surrendered to Akbar, leaving Pratap completely alone.
9. Recovery of Chittor:
After 1579, following rebellions in Bengal, Bihar and Punjab, Akbar loosened the noose on Mewar. Pratap took advantage of the situation and gathered an army using the money given by Dan Shiromani Bhamashah, who later became one of Pratap’s ministers. Pratap recovered most of his turf– Kumbhalgarh and the areas around Chittor. He gathered an army of 40,000 soldiers and conquered Gogunda, Kumbhalgarh, Ranthambore and Udaipur from Mughal ally Jagannath Kachhawa.
10. First native freedom fighter:
Pratap had rebuilt his capital in the city of Chavand, around 60 kilometres south of Udaipur and spent the rest of his life there. Because of his fight for freedom against the Mughals, Maharana Pratap is widely regarded as India’s first native freedom fighter.
Death
The great warrior left for the heavenly abode on 29th January, 1597, at the age of 56, as a result of injuries sustained during his incessant struggle against the Mughal Empire. His eldest son, Amar Singh I, succeeded him to the throne of Mewar.
Who was Maharana Pratap favorite wife?
Maharani Ajabde was the favorite wife of Maharana Pratap. because she was the only person who know him deeply Maharana Pratap loved Maharani Ajabde throughout his whole life. Maharana married to all other Rajput princess because of political alliances.
What is the history of Maharana Pratap?
Rana Pratap Singh, (born 1545?, Mewar, India—died January 19, 1597, Mewar), Hindu maharaja (1572–97) of the Rajput confederacy of Mewar, now in northwestern India and eastern Pakistan. He successfully resisted efforts of the Mughal emperor Akbar to conquer his area and is honoured as a hero in Rajasthan.
What was the height of Maharana Pratap?
The 'mountain man': Maharana Pratap is revered as one of the strongest warriors India has ever seen. Standing at 7 feet 5 inches, he would carry a 80-kilogram spear and two swords weighing around 208 kilograms in total.
At what age did Maharana Pratap married?
He married her at the age of 17 in the year 1557. Out of this wedlock was born Maharana Pratap's first son and successorAmar Singh I in the year 1559.
Did Maharana Pratap eat non veg?
When he was struggling in the jungle, he had nothing to eat and he had rotis made from grass and one time the cat stole even the grass roti made for his daughter.
At what age Maharana Pratap died?
56 years (1540–1597)
Who is father of Maharana Pratap?
Udai Singh II
Why is Maharana Pratap so famous?
Maharana Pratap is known for the famous battle of Haldighati against Mughal Emperor Akbar. The battle, which was fought on June 18, 1576, is still remembered by the people of Mewar. Maharana Pratap's army was highly outnumbered but the warrior fought with courage and by the end made an escape with his horse, Chetak.
Who won Haldighati war?
The revised books will now teach students Maharana Pratap conclusively defeated Mughal emperor Akbar in the 16th-century Battle of Haldighati.
How long did Chetak jump?
He was only on three legs but he managed to jump over a 25 feet deep river. When he had covered a big enough distance, Chetak collapsed and died under the weeping gaze of Maharana Pratap.
Why is Pratap Honoured even today?
Pratap had rebuilt his capital in the city of Chavand, around 60 kilometres south of Udaipur and spent the rest of his life there. Because of his fight for freedom against the Mughals, Maharana Pratap is widely regarded as India's first native freedom fighter.
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