The Rana Of Mewar

If there was ever a warrior who set ablaze the fervor of patriotism and emerged as an emblem of sacrifice it could only be the Rana of Mewar, MaharanaPratap, I'd be lying if ,otherwise.Over 400 years ago, when the glory of the Mughal Empire under Akbar was at its height, a battle was fought near the village of Haldighati in Rajasthan. The mighty Mughal war machine faced the army of the Sisodias of Mewar, a Rajput clan. The Mughals won the battle after a hard-won fight but Rana Pratap, the Mewar King who led the army on the Rajput side, managed to escape. And, for the remaining years of his life, he played a cat and mouse game of great inventiveness with Akbar's armies. It made the most powerful monarch of the world vow to use all the resources at his disposal to destroy Rana Pratap. Akbar failed. And, Mewar was the only Rajput kingdom during his reign, to remain free of Mughal domination.

 The Rajput clans owed their origins to foreign races like the Hunas and the Sakas. These foreign invaders arrived in India towards the end of the powerful Gupta dynasty, picked up Indian customs, cultures, and modes and marrying locals, merged into the mainstream. They adopted the martial caste of the Kshatriyas as their own and came to be known for their willingness to risk everything, including their lives, for the sake of honor. Pratap belonged to an illustrious dynasty that included many legendary personalities. Bappa Rawal of the Guhilot Dynasty who in AD 734, established his capital at Chittoor and proclaimed himself the ruler of Mewar. Being the most important bastion of Rajput power, the occupation of Chittorgarh fort was the primary objective of anyone who wished to establish their rule over Rajasthan. Rana Sanga ,who as a grandfather exercised perhaps the most decisive and enduring influence on Maharana Pratap. A great warrior, Sangram Singh suffered from many physical disadvantages. He was on exile from the kingdom after a fight with his elder brother, Prithviraj, the heir-apparent, during which he lost one eye. He lost an arm in another battle and was crippled by a cannon ball in yet another. Altogether, he had eighty wounds on various parts of his body from the sword or the lance. He fought many wars, the most famous being with Babur in the battle of Khanua. Babur had invaded India from Kabul and Rana Sangha was determined to throw out this adversary, his resolve bolstered by his initial success against Babur. While he lost a lot of time by waiting, Babur, on the eve of the battle, renounced drinking to inspire his followers. ana Pratap's father, Udai Singh, was the fourth son of Sangram Singh. Udai was only five when his father died and his eldest-surviving brother succeeded to the throne as Ratan Singh II. Two years later, Ratan Singh was murdered and another brother, Vikramaditya, became king. But Vikramaditya had an uncontrollable temper and was a wastrel whose bad behavior had angered the nobles. So, the nobles appointed a Regent named Banbir, who they felt should rule until Udai Singh reached the age of eighteen and could be appointed ruler.Banbir however, wanted to become king himself. One evening in the year 1537, he went, sword in hand, to the harem where Vikramaditya was indulging in his usual merry-making and murdered him. Next, he headed towards Udai Singh's chambers. But Udai Singh's nurse Panna Dai, who had got wind of Banbir's intentions, sacrificed her own child to save the young prince. She smuggled Udai Singh out of the fort and took him on a long and arduous walk to Kumbhalgarh. There, she put him in charge of the local governor, Asha Shah.  Until 1539, the teenaged Udai Singh lived in hiding, passing-off as the Governor's nephew. One day, the chief of Songara, in neighbouring Marwar, visited the fortress. After meeting the seventeen-year-old Udai Singh, the chief was convinced that he was no nephew to the Shah. the nobles of Mewar then headed to Kumbhalgarh to confirm the rumour. They interviewed the prince, heard the testimony of Panna Dai and proclaimed Udai Singh their Maharana. The first few years of Udai Singh's reign marked a stable period for Mewar because political events beyond its borders were in turmoil. In the north, the al rule was interrupted when Sher Shah, who held power in the eastern kingdom of Bihar, defeated Humayun at Kanauj. . In 1555, Humayun returned to Delhi, defeated Sher Shah Suri and re-established the Mughal rule in Delhi. A year later, he tripped on the steps of his palace library in Delhi and fell to his death. The accident was concealed for a fortnight to enable Akbar to succeed to the throne, peacefully. The new emperor had a grand vision—to bring all of upper India under the Mughal rule.

 Akbar embarked upon a series of conquests that saw kingdom after kingdom either fall to his army or acknowledge his supremacy. He wanted the Rajputs as allies due to their legendary martial spirit, so he married several Rajput princesses. He appointed able Rajputs as generals and soldiers in his army and as ministers in his administration. He abolished two taxes charged on Hindus by earlier Muslim rulers—the pilgrim tax and the jizya. In this way, e also won over several Rajput kingdoms like Amber, Merta, Gwalior, and Marwar. n October 25,1567, Akbar pitched his camp below the Chittorgarh fort. In the field, Akbar erected the green flag of Islam, and a pyramidal column, the Chiraghdan(meaning Akbar's lamp). . A huge lamp was placed on this to denote the Imperial headquarters. Udai Singh, meanwhile, called for all the loyal Mewari chieftains to assemble at the capital. The fortress of Chittor standing on a hill, towered over the Mughal camp. Its high walls made it difficult to attack. At first, Akbar thought he could never take the fort. It was an immense fortress, well supplied with provisions, wells, and water-tanks, and guarded by eight thousand Rajput warriors. Akbar first tried to take the fort by direct assault which caused a heavy loss of 200 men a day. So, he decided to proceed by means of mines. The Mughals employed cannons to blast holes in the walls. When a part of the wall broke, the Rajputs would repair it at night. In the early hours of 23 February, Jaimal, Udai Singh's general, came to oversee the breach in the wall and was killed by a stray bullet. The Rajputs immediately withdrew from the ramparts and at night the women and children committed Jauhar. Early in the morning, Akbar entered the fortress in triumph and ordered a general massacre 'which ceased only for a lack of victims' in the afternoon, for each bazaar, each street and each house was a fortress and a centre of resistance. Some accounts hold that thirty thousand people were killed in the massacre.Udai Singh has been accused of cowardice by the chroniclers because he fled in the face of the enemy. Had he really been a coward, as suggested, he could easily have followed other Rajput princes and accepted subjugation by the Mughals. He chose a strategic retreat, instead. Having destroyed Rajasthan's foremost stronghold, Akbar now found it easier to annex the Rajput kingdoms of Jodhpur, Ranthambor, Bikaner and Jaisalmer; the last two even giving their princesses in marriage to Akbar. But while Akbar had conquered Chittor, Maharana Udai Singh and his family were still alive. Mewar was still beyond his reach. So, the emperor chose to wait.

Udai Singh lived at Gogunda and Kumbhalgarh for brief periods. He made each his makeshift capital until he moved the seat of government to his new capital beside the picturesque Lake Pichola, which he named after himself—Udaipur. He came upon the site of Udaipur by accident. One morning, he was out hunting near Lake Pichola and speared a fast-moving rabbit. All of a sudden, he caught sight of a sage meditating. After paying his respects to the holy man, and recounting the tale of the fall of Chittor, he asked the sage where he should build his new capital. 'Why, right here, of course, where your destiny has brought you to ask such a question,' answered the sage. Tragically, Udai Singh could not enjoy his capital for long. He died at Gogunda in 1572, six months short of his fiftieth birthday.  Of the twenty-five sons he sired, Crown Prince Pratap Singh was the eldest. Like all Rajput princes, Pratap learned the lessons of warfare during childhood. The martial spirit was strong in him and his brothers even as boys. Competitiveness marked his relations with them, especially with Udai Singh's second son, Sakta Singh Kunwar.At age five, Sakta cut his hand on a dagger and revealed that he was fearless. The incident recalled an astrologer's prediction that he would prove to be the misfortune of Mewar. Udai Singh ordered that the child be put to death. But a Choondawat chief of Salumbar intervened on Sakta's behalf and offered to adopt the child as he had no heir of his own. Udai Singh approved the request and the chieftain promised to raise the child to be a future leader of the Choondawats. Later, Sakta was sent to attend the royal court and he took his place beside Pratap, the heir-apparent. Pratap, being groomed to be Mewar's next ruler, was now given charge of Mewar's forces. The young commander led the forces to reclaim the kingdom's territories of Chappan and Bhomat. He proved himself to be a man of great courage, foresight, and character; in short the ideal kingly material. He was tall, with a majestic a high forehead, prominent moustaches and bright eyes.Besides the usual princely pursuits, he was also fond of roughing it in the wilds of the Aravalli hills in his youth. Here, he met the local forest-dwellers, the Bhils, and struck up friendship with them. The Bhils are descendants of tribes like the Minas, Meras, Gonds, Abhiras, and Gujars that also inhabit the hills and forests of the Vindhya, Malwa and the north-western Deccan. Called children of the forest, Bhils were the free lords of the jungle, and practised rites and followed customs alien to orthodox Hinduism. On many occasions,the Bhils fought wars as bowmen on the side of the princes of Mewar, supplied them with provisions, or guarded the safety of their families when the Mewar warriors went off to battle. The Bhils formed the infantry, attacking the rear and flanks of the enemy, breaking their supply lines and then vanishing quickly to the hills and forests. During the third siege of Chittor in 1567, twenty-seven-year-old Pratap offered to lead a force against the Mughals. . The nobles were adamant that he should not go. If he died in the siege, they would lose Mewar's only hope for the future.The Choondawat chiefs, known for playing a decisive role in the kingdom's destiny in times of crisis, held a meeting with the other nobles. They noted that the kingdom needed a strong ruler and an able administrator who could hold out against Emperor Akbar who, they knew was going to try and capture Mewar. Rao Akhai Raj of Jhalor, the maternal uncle of Pratap, took the lead. When he became the Maharana of Mewar at the age of thirty-two on March 1 1572, Pratap succeeded to the titles and renown of an illustrious house, but was without a capital and adequate resources. At the time of his accession, many important territories of Mewar, including Chittor, were under Akbar's control. But Mewar was still free, as the Mughal king had not been able to force its ruler to accept his imperial authority.

Pratap was imbued with stories of the lost greatness of Mewar and obsessed with a desire to recover its territories, and the fort of Chittor, regarded as the soul of Mewar. He took a vow to reclaim the territories lost to the Mughals, especially Chittor. . He employed bands of mountain warriors to attack Mughal strongholds. They raided goods caravans to intercept the commerce already established between the Mughal court and Europe. New grants were issued, with regulations defining the service required. Pratap strengthened Kumbhalgarh and Gogunda and other mountain fortresses. His most controversial measure caused his people much hardship and pain: he commanded them on pain of death to retire into the mountains, leaving the fertile tracts they cultivated to become a scorched earth that could not provide sustenance to an invading army. Pratap enforced obedience to this stern policy with unrelenting severity.Pratap was equally severe on himself and his family. Until victory over the Mughals was achieved, he promised not to eat off gold or silverware but off pattras (plates) of leaves; not to sleep on a bed but on a straw-filled palliasse; and not to shave his beard.

Akbar realised that Pratap would never acknowledge the Mughal Empire's superiority. The emperor was not very keen to venture into the treacherous hilly territory of the Aravallis in order to subjugate Pratap, either. At the same time, he could not allow the existence of an independent Mewar, a single pocket of resistance to his empire which surrounded it on all sides. Thinking that negotiating a peace treaty might work with the stubborn Maharana, Akbar sent a total of six diplomatic missions to Mewar in 1573. All attempts were unsuccessful, with the Maharana reiterating that he was prepared to sign a treaty with the Mughals only if Akbar acknowledged his sovereignty and Mewar's independence. Meanwhile, Akbar was aware of another problem. By the end of 1570, he had won over the major Rajput rulers, the Rathors of Jodhpur and Bikaner, the Kachhwahas of Amber and the Bhattis of Jaisalmer. But these rulers secretly admired Pratap's spirit. They had promised their loyalty to the emperor in any future battle. But should Akbar decide to attack Mewar, he was aware that they might not take arms against Pratap, who was fast acquiring the cult status of a local hero. Moreover, they were a little embarrassed to be fighting against the house of Bappa Rawal, which they respected. The rulers of Marwar and Amber even sought matrimonial alliances with the House of Mewar, 'to be purified', 'to be regenerated' and 'to be made Rajputs.' On his part, Pratap was equally adamant about not entering into any such alliance with Rajputs who were in the service of the Mughals.

By 1576, Akbar was the the wealthiest ruler in Asia and perhaps, Europe.

Records show that Pratap had only twenty thousand soldiers compared to the eighty thousand soldiers of the Mughals. On April 3,1576, Man Singh left Ajmer at the head of the Imperial Army. He arrived at Mandalgarh in eastern Mewar near Chittor and encamped for about two months. He hoped that Pratap would attack, thus leaving the protection of the hills for the plains where he would be vulnerable in face of the heavy equipment and war elephants of the Mughals. Pratap did no such thing and, instead, left Kumbhalgarh for Gogunda. The Mewar Rajputs were posted both on the plains and on the cliffs and pinnacles overlooking the field of battle. The Bhils were posted on the cliffs with their bows and arrows, and huge stones ready to be rolled upon the enemy. The battle of Haldighati was fought on 21 June 1576. Man Singh's vanguard consisted of Rajputs under Jagannath, whereas Pratap's vanguard consisted of Afghan Pathans led by Hakim Khan Sur. The Mughals were waiting on the plains, when Pratap, wearing a helmet and chain armor over a white tunic (still preserved in Udaipur's City Palace Museum), came out and attacked the army. He was astride Chetak, his favourite white horsehis companion in many decisive battles. Chetak, too, was clad in colourful attire that ended with a mask resembling a grotesque war elephant, designed to terrify an opponent's horse and to protect him from the Mughal war elephants. In the first flush of attack, Pratap's army almost broke through the Mughal ranks, but they were stopped in time by Man Singh and a few officers. A personal encounter that took place between Pratap and Man Singh, who was riding an elephant, decided the fate of the battle. Pratap heaved his javelin at Man Singh but ended up killing the mahout, the elephant-trainer. Chetak, who had placed its forelegs on Man Singh's elephant was struck by the sword that the huge beast carried in its trunk. Chetak immediately turned and fled, carrying his wounded master out of danger. Pratap was pursued by two Mughal horsemen but was saved by his brother, Sakta, who had followed them. But having carried his master to safety, his beloved Chetak, who had been severely wounded, died. The battle of Haldighati lasted one day. According to Badauni, one of Akbar's court historians who was present in the field, five hundred soldiers died, of whom 120 were Muslims and the rest Hindus. Many Hindus fought on the side of the Mughals, and it would appear that the casualties on each side were almost equal.Pratap's sudden withdrawal from the field led to confusion in the Rajput ranks and the soldiers lost their initial enthusiasm for the fight. By noon, the battle ended in favour of Man Singh. The day was so hot that the Mughals dropped the idea of pursuing the Mewar army. Next day, Man Singh occupied Gogunda, Pratap's temporary capital. The town had already been evacuated. Twenty soldiers, left to guard the palace and the temple, died fighting to save their honour. The battle of Haldighati has been described as an indecisive battle—an inglorious victory for the Mughals arid a glorious defeat for Mewar. It is regarded as one of the kingdom's most memorable episodes as it signalled the beginning of a new type of war—defensive mountain warfare. Pratap launched his guerilla war against Man Singh's army stationed at Gogunda. Fearful of what the wily Mewar ruler might do next, Man Singh barricaded his army with trenches dug around Gogunda and the streets. There were no provisions around Gogunda, as the surrounding countryside was lying desolate. Pratap also cut all lines of communications to Gogunda, and soon the Mughal army was reduced to living on meat and mangoes. Akbar was not satisfied with the results of the battle. He was angry with Man Singh for having abandoned the pursuit of the Rana and so allowing him to remain alive. Later, in September 1576, when he heard of the distressed state of the army of Gogunda, the emperor sent for Man Singh, and two other generals, Asaf Khan and Qazi Khan. 

In March 1578, Akbar sent yet another force under the overall command of his foster-brother Shahbaz Khan, to capture the fort of Kumbhalgarh, where Pratap was living. Shahbaz Khan began by occupying Kelwra, a town about three miles from Kumbhalgarh, located at the foot of the mountain. The fort fell after a gallant fight put up by the Rajputs on April 3 1578, but Pratap eluded capture once more by running away in the nick of time to Chavand in the mountainous area of Chappan, southeast of Mewar. On 5th April 1578, Shahbaz Khan captured Gogunda and at midnight he captured Udaipur.Shahbaz Khan returned after March 1581 from another campaign, and reported that Pratap's power had been crushed forever.

He was speaking too soon. By the end of 1584, Pratap had succeeded in regaining most of his lost territories, except Chittor, Ajmer and Mandalgarh. In 1585, Jagannath tried to capture Pratap by surprise in his residence, but Pratap came to know about the plan and fled. Abu'l Fazal the leading Mughal historian and personal friend of Akbar, remarks: 'From foresight,the raiding party did not return by the same way, and so proceeded towards Gujarat.' This was probably because the mountain passes and roads, through which the Mughals had to return, were entirely under Pratap's control.

This was practically the last expedition undertaken during Akbar's reign against Maharana Pratap. Akbar gradually became less obsessive about capturing Pratap after this expedition and he turned his imperialist gaze towards Punjab and the Northwest Frontier. For the last ten years of his life, Pratap ruled in relative peace and eventually freed most of Mewar, including Udaipur and Kumbhalgarh, but he could not free Chittor. Pratap's valiant and undaunted efforts ensured that most of Mewar remained free at a time when other Rajput kingdoms had fallen victim to Mughal dominance. One day, while hunting, Pratap was seriously injured in an accident. He died at Chavand, aged fifty-six, on January 29 1597. He was cremated at Bandoli near Chavand where a cenotaph built in his honor still exists. Pratap had eleven queens and Amar Singh was the eldest of his seventeen sons. Amar had to fight the Mughals and at the same time maintain a stable administration that would provide him the means to carry on the struggle for freedom. He began by introducing certain necessary administrative reforms meant to reduce the growing power of the nobles in his court. This being said the beginning of this blog mentioned that no warrior strove more efficiently than the Rana of Mewar however it may seem that Pratap did not face battles but fled away but it was rather a strategy to preserve his land. Even today there are thick-bearded old men  in villages of Rajasthan whose eyes fill with tears when they're reminded of the struggles of MAHARANA PRATAP he is often known as - MEWADI SARDAR! 

Sources- MaharanaPratap -The Rebel King -Brishti Bandopadhyay

MaharanaPratap -The Great Rajput Warrior- Rima Hooja

MaharanaPratap- Rajendra Shankar Bhatt