Maharana Pratap

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 and was known for his heroistic participance in the Battle of Haldighati and Battle of Dewair. He was ruler of Sisodias of Mewar from 1572, until his death in the year 1597.

For other people named Pratap Singh, see Pratap Singh (disambiguation).

Maharana Pratap
13th Maharana of Mewar
Maharana Pratap Statue
Maharana of Mewar
Reign1 March 1572 –
19 January 1597[1]
PredecessorUdai Singh II
SuccessorAmar Singh I
MinistersBhamashah
Born9 May 1540 (1540-05-09)
Kumbhalgarh, Mewar[1][2]
(present day: Kumbhal Fort, Rajsamand District, Rajasthan, India)
Died19 January 1597(1597-01-19) (aged 56)[1]
Chavand, Mewar[1]
(Present day:Chavand, Udaipur District, Rajasthan, India)
SpouseMaharani Ajabde (consort)
IssueAmar Singh I
Bhagwan Das
DynastySisodia Rajput
FatherUdai Singh II
MotherMaharani Jaiwanta Bai
ReligionHinduism
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)
Pratap Singh I (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)
Sardar Singh (1828–1842)
Swarup Singh (1842–1861)
Shambhu Singh (1861–1874)
Sajjan Singh (1874–1884)
Fateh Singh (1884–1930)
Bhupal Singh (1930—1955)
Bhagwant Singh (1955-1971)
Arvind Singh (1971)

Early life and accession

Maharana Pratap was born in a Hindu Rajput family. He was born to Udai Singh II and Jaiwanta Bai.[3][4][5] 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[6] and he had married 10 other women and was survived by 17 children including Amar Singh I.[7] He belonged to the Royal Family of Mewar.[8] After the death of Udai Singh in 1572, Rani Dheer Bai wanted her son Jagmal to succeed him[9] 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.[10] Jagmal swore revenge and left for Ajmer, to join the armies of Akbar, and obtained the town of Jahazpur as a Jagir as a gift in return for his help.[11]

Military career

Battle of Haldighati
Main article: 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.[12][13]

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.[14] 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.[15]

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.[16] While the sources also claimes that Pratap able to make a successful escape, the battle failed to break the deadlock between the two powers. Subsequently, Akbar led a sustained campaign against the Rana, and soon, Goganda, Udaipur, and Kumbhalgarh were all under his control.[17]

Reconquest of Mewar
Main article: Battle of Dewair (1582)

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".[18][19] 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.[20]

Historian Satish Chandra noted that
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.[21]

Death

Reportedly, Pratap died of injuries sustained in a hunting accident,[22] at Chavand[20] on 19 January 1597,[1] aged 56.[23] 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.[24]

Legacy

Maharana Pratap is a prominent figure in both folk and contemporary Rajasthani culture and is viewed as a celebrated warrior in that state, as well as in India as a whole.[25] According to historian Satish Chandra, "Rana Pratap's defiance of the mighty Mughal empire, almost alone and unaided by the other Rajput states, constitutes a glorious saga of Rajput valor and the spirit of self-sacrifice for cherished principles".[26]

See also

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. Augustus 1890, p. 190; Rana 2004, p. 17.
  11. Majumdar 1974, p. 234.
  12. Sarkar 1960, p. 75.
  13. Chandra 2005, pp. 119–120.
  14. 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.
  15. Sarkar 1960, p. 77–79.
  16. Chandra 2005, pp. 121–122.
  17. Chandra 2005, pp. 121-122.
  18. "Tourist Places". rajsamand.rajasthan.gov.in. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  19. A. N. Bhattacharya (2000). Human geography of Mewar. Himanshu. p. 71. ISBN 9788186231906.
  20. Chandra 2005, p. 122.
  21. Chandra, Satish (2000). Medieval India. New Delhi: National Council of Educational Research and Training. p. 164.
  22. Sharma, Sri Ram (2005). Maharana Pratap. p. 91. ISBN 978-8-17871-003-7.
  23. 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.
  24. Rana 2004, pp. 77-79; Nahar 2011, pp. 198-201.
  25. Nahar 2011, p. 1.2.
  26. R.K. Gupta (1 January 2008). Studies In Indian History Rajasthan Through The Ages The Heritage Of Rajputs Set Of 5 Vols. unknown library. Sarup & Sons.
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Further reading
Maharana Pratap
Born: 9 May 1540 Died: 19 January 1597
Preceded by
Udai Singh II		 Sisodia Rajput Ruler
1572–1597		 Succeeded by
Amar Singh I
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