Maharana Pratap and Chetak History, 2022 Jayanti In English
Maharana Pratap was the ruler of Mewar, a province of modern Rajasthan, which includes Bhilwara, Chittorgarh, Rajsamand, Udaipur, Pirava (Jhalawar), Neemuch and Mandsaur in Madhya Pradesh and parts of Gujarat. Maharana Pratap Jayanti is celebrated on 6th June as the birth anniversary of the brave Rajput warrior.
Being the eldest son of Maharana Udai Singh and Maharani Jaiwanta Bai, Maharana Pratap is an epitome of Rajput valor, valor and diligence. He fought against the Mughal domination to free his motherland from their control.
One of the greatest Rajput warriors, he is recognized for resisting the efforts of the Mughal ruler Akbar to conquer his territory. Unlike other neighboring Rajput rulers, Maharana Pratap repeatedly refused to submit to the mighty Mughals and fought courageously till his last breath.
The epitome of Rajput valor, diligence and valor, he was the only Rajput warrior to handle the might of the Mughal emperor Akbar. For all his courage, sacrifice and fierce free spirit, he is revered as a hero in Rajasthan.
Biography of Maharana Pratap
Name | Maharana Pratap Singh |
Nick Name | Kika |
Birthday | 9 May 1540 |
Birth Place | Kumbhalgarh Fort, Mewar, Rajasthan, India |
Age | 56 years (at the time of death) |
Date of Death | 19 January 1597 |
Place of Death | Chavand, Udaipur District, Rajasthan, India |
Reason of Death | While Tightening the string of the bow with an arrow He died of injuries sustained in a hunting accident. |
Citizenship | Indian |
Caste | Rajput |
Hometown | Mewar, Rajasthan, India |
Occupation | King, Warrior |
Height | 7 feet 5 inches |
Weight | More Than 110 Kg |
Spear weight | 80 kg |
Chest armor weight | 72 kg |
Favorite Horse Name | Chetak |
Favorite Elephant Name | Ramprasad |
Coronation | February 28, 1572 |
Reign | 1572 – 1597 |
Name of Guru | Acharya Raghavendra |
Marital Status | Married |
Maharana Pratap Birth
Maharana Pratap was born on May 9, 1540 in Kumbhalgarh Fort to Jaiwanta Bai and Udai Singh II. He had 23 younger brothers and two half-sisters. His father Udai Singh II was the king of Mewar and his capital was Chittor.
In 1567, the Mughal army besieged Chittor, the capital of Mewar. Instead of fighting the Mughal army, Udai Singh left the capital and sent his family to Gogunda. Although Pratap opposed this decision and insisted on staying back, he had to go to Gogunda after the elders left Sanjay. A provisional government of Mewar state was established at Gogunda by Udai Singh and his courtiers.
In 1572, after the demise of Udai Singh, Rani Dhir Bai insisted that Udai Singh's eldest son, Jagmal, should be crowned as the king, but the senior courtiers felt that Pratap needed to handle the current situation. was a better option. In this way Pratap was placed on the throne.
Maharana Pratap Family
Father's Name | Udai Singh II |
Mother's Name | Jaywanta Bai |
Brother's Name | Shakti Singh, Khan Singh, Viram Dev, Jet Singh, Rai Singh, Jagmal, Sagar, Agar, Singha, Pachchan, Narayandas, Sultan, Lunkaran, Maheshdas, Chanda, Sardul, Rudra Singh, Bhav Singh, Netasi, Singh, Berisal, Man Singh and Sahib Khan. |
Wife's name 14 wives | Ajab Depanwar, Amolak Chauhan, Champa Kanwar Jhala, Phool Kanwar Rathor I, Ratnakanwar Panwar, Phool Kanwar Rathod II, Jasoda Chauhan, Ratnakanwar Rathod, Bhagwat Kanwar Rathod, Pyaar Kanwar Solanki, Shahmeta Hadi, Madho Kanwar Rathod, Aash Kanwar Draghan, and Rankanwar Rathod. |
Son's name 17 sons | Amar Singh, Bhagwandas, Sahasmal, Gopal, Kachra, Sawaldas, Durjan Singh, Kalyandas, Chanda, Shekha, Purnamal, Hathi, Ram Singh, Jaswant Singh, Mana, Natha and Raibhan. |
Daughter's name 5 daughters | Rakhmavati, Ramkanwar, Kusumavati, Durgavati, and Suk Kanwar. |
Maharana Pratap Marriage ,Wife
It is said that Pratap married ten more princesses to strengthen 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 chapatis made of grass.
Rule of Maharana Pratap
When Pratap ascended his father's throne, his brother Jagmal Singh, who was named as Crown Prince by Udai Singh, vowed revenge and joined the Mughal army. The Mughal emperor Akbar rewarded him with the city of Jahajpur for the assistance provided by him.
When the Rajputs left Chittor, the Mughals took over the place, but their attempts to annex the Mewar state were unsuccessful. Many messengers were sent by Akbar, he tried to negotiate an alliance with Pratap, but it did not work.
Six diplomatic missions were sent by Akbar in 1573 but Maharana Pratap turned them down. The last of these missions was led by Raja Man Singh, Akbar's brother-in-law. When efforts to sign a peace treaty failed, Akbar made up his mind to face the mighty Mughal army.
Battle of Haldighati
Maharana Pratap had also started preparations. He shifted his capital to Kumbhalgarh in the Aravalli range of mountains, which was difficult to reach.
Maharana Pratap recruited tribals and people living in the forests in his army. These people had no experience of fighting a war. But he trained them. He appealed to all the Rajput chieftains to come under one flag for the independence of Mewar.
Maharana Pratap's army of 22,000 soldiers met Akbar's 2,00,000 soldiers at Haldighat. Maharana Pratap and his soldiers displayed great valor in this battle, although they had to retreat but Akbar's army was not successful in defeating Rana Pratap completely.
Maharana Pratap and his loyal horse named 'Chetak' also became immortal in this war. Chetak was seriously injured in the battle of Haldighat but jumped on a large canal to save his master's life. As the canal was crossed, 'Chetak' fell down and died thus risking his life to save Rana Pratap.
The mighty Maharana cried like a child at the death of his faithful horse. Later he built a beautiful garden at the place where Chetak breathed his last. Then Akbar himself attacked Maharana Pratap but even after fighting for 6 months, Akbar could not defeat Maharana Pratap and went back to Delhi.
As a last resort, Akbar sent another great warrior General Jagannath to Mewar with a huge army in the year 1584 but even after continuous efforts for 2 years, he could not capture Rana Pratap.
Struggle in life of Maharana Pratap
Maharana Pratap used to take his family with him even while roaming in the forests and valleys of the mountains. There was always a danger of the enemy attacking from anywhere at any time.
Getting proper food to eat was a tough test in the jungles. Sometimes he had to go without food. They had to wander from place to place without food and had to sleep in the mountains and forests. On receiving information about the arrival of the enemy, he had to leave the food and go to another place immediately. They were constantly stuck in one or the other calamity.
Once the queen was roasting bhakri after having eaten her portion in the forest. She asked her daughter to keep the leftover 'bhakri' to eat, but at the same time, a wild cat attacked and left the princess crying helplessly. snatched a piece of 'Bhakri' from his hand.
Even that piece of Bhakri was not in his luck. Seeing the daughter in such condition, Rana Pratap felt sad; He was enraged by her valor, bravery and self-respect and wondered whether all her fighting and bravery was worth it.
In such an unstable state of mind, he agreed to compromise with Akbar. A poet named Prithviraj from Akbar's court, who was an admirer of Maharana Pratap, boosted his morale by writing him a long letter in the form of a poem in Rajasthani language and forbade him to call a ceasefire with Akbar.
With that letter, Rana Pratap felt as if he had achieved the strength of 10,000 soldiers. His mind became calm and stable. He gave up the idea of surrendering to Akbar, on the contrary, he began to strengthen his army more intensely and once again set out to accomplish his goal.
Bhamashah's devotion to Maharana Pratap
During the rule of the ancestors of Maharana Pratap, a Rajput chieftain was employed as a minister. He was greatly disturbed by the thought that his king had to wander in the forests and was passing through such difficulties.
He was saddened to learn about the difficult times that Maharana Pratap was going through. He offered Maharana Pratap a lot of property that would allow him to maintain 25,000 soldiers for 12 years. Maharana Pratap was overjoyed and felt very grateful.
Maharana Pratap initially refused to accept the property given by Bhamashah, but on his persistent insistence, he accepted the gift.
After receiving money from Bhamashah, Rana Pratap started getting money from other sources. He used all the money to expand his army and freed Mewar except Chittor which was still under the control of Mughals.
Return of Maharana Pratap
In the wake of Mirza Hakim's incursions into the Punjab and rebellions in Bihar and Bengal, Akbar focused his attention on dealing with these problems. On the other hand, in 1582, the Mughal post at Dewar was attacked and captured by Maharana Pratap.
In the year 1585, Akbar went to Lahore and remained there for the next twelve years to monitor the situation in the North-West. No Mughal expedition was sent to Mewar during this period.
Pratap took advantage of this situation and recaptured western Mewar including Gogunda, Kumbhalgarh and Udaipur. He built a new capital at Chavand near Dungarpur.
Maharana Pratap's Last Wish
Maharana Pratap was lying on a bed of grass even when he died because his oath to free Chittor was still not fulfilled. At the last moment he took the hand of his son Amar Singh and handed over the responsibility of freeing Chittor to his son and died peacefully.
His battle with a cruel emperor like Akbar has no comparison in history. When almost the whole of Rajasthan was under the control of Mughal Emperor Akbar, Maharana Pratap fought for 12 years to save Mewar.
Akbar made many efforts to defeat Maharana but he remained unbeaten till the end. In addition, he also liberated a large part of the land in Rajasthan from the Mughals.
He faced so many difficulties but he saved the name of his family and motherland from facing defeat. His life was so bright that another name for freedom could have been 'Maharana Pratap'.
Death of Maharana Pratap
As a result of injuries sustained during his relentless struggle against the Mughal Empire, the great warrior left for the heavenly abode on January 29, 1597, at the age of 56. His eldest son Amar Singh I placed him on the throne of Mewar.
Interesting Facts About Maharana Pratap
- Maharana Pratap was seven feet five inches tall and his weight was 110 kg.
- The weight of his chest armor was 72 kg and the weight of his spear was 81 kg.
- The total weight of Maharana Pratap's shield, spear, two swords and armor was about 208 kg.
- He had eleven wives, five daughters and seventeen sons. The names of his wives are Ajabde Panwar, Rani Lakhbai, Rani Champabai Jhati, Rani Shahmatibai Hada, Rani Ratnavatibai Parmar, Rani Solankhinipur Bai, Rani Amarbai Rathor, Rani Phool Bai Rathor, Rani Almadebai 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 chapatis made of grass. One day when a wild cat snatched a loaf of grass from the hand of the daughter of Maharana, she decided to surrender to Akbar.
- Once Maharana Pratap's son Kunwar Amar Singh attacked the camp of Abdur Rahim Khankhana, the general of the Mughal army and took his wives and women as trophy hostages. When Pratap came to know about his deed, he reprimanded him and ordered all the women to be released. Abdur was very grateful for the Maharana's act and took a vow not to take up a single weapon against Mewar since then. Abdur Rahim Khankhana is none other than Rahim whose couplets and poems we have been reading since childhood.
- Maharana Pratap was very skilled in using guerrilla warfare tactics.
- He had a very loyal horse named Chetak, who was also a favorite of Maharana. Chetak became immortal while trying to save Rana Pratap in the battle of Haldighati.
- Rana Pratap spent a major part of his life, especially his childhood, in the Aravalli forest. Pratap was called Kika by the tribals; He is also known as Rana Kika.
- Maharana Pratap's horse Chetak is known for its loyalty to its owner. The horse's coat is said to have a bluish tint. Chetal lost his life while jumping into a 21 feet wide river to save the life of his master.
- It is a fact that Pratap loved his horse Chetak, but very few people know that Chetak had blue eyes. This is the reason why Maharana Pratap was also known as 'Rider of the Blue Horse'.
- Apart from Chetak, there was another animal which was very dear to Maharana – an elephant named Ramprasad. During the Battle of Haldighati, Ramprasad killed and injured many horses, elephants and soldiers. It is said that Raja Mansingh had deployed seven elephants to capture Ramprasad.
- Maharana Pratap also had an elephant, Ramprasad, who killed two war elephants of the Mughal army. When Akbar took Ramprasad captive, he did not eat or drink anything, he lost his life on the 18th day.
- While Maharana Pratap survived several battles during his lifetime, he died of an injury sustained in a hunting accident while tightening the bowstring with an arrow.
Legacy of Maharana Pratap
A historical site dedicated to Maharana Pratap, the Maharana Pratap Memorial, Moti Magri in Udaipur, is located on top of Pearl Hill. It was built by Maharana Bhagwat Singh Mewar and displays a life-size bronze statue of a brave warrior riding on his horse 'Chetak'.
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