Maharana Pratap History and Achievements

Maharana Pratap History:

Maharana Pratap was born on May 9, 1540, A.D. His father, Maharana Udai Singh and mother, Sonagari Queen Jayawanti. He was born on an auspicious day, and the astrologers predicted that the child wouldd bring glory to theclan’s namen and treat him as one of the famous Indian kings. King Maharana Udai Singh had 33 children; the eldest was Maharana Pratap Singh. At an early age, he mastered using arms and weapons. He was very efficient in horse riding, intelligent in education, and brave right fromchildhood.

Maharana Pratap Enthrone: 

Maharaja Uday Singh appointed Jagammal, the son of his youngest wife, as his heir, although Pratap Singh was older than Jagammal. With Raja’s decision, Maharana Pratap Singh left the kingdom of Mewar, Still, the chieftains did not agree with the decision of Uday Singh and revealed their opinion about the lack of qualities of courage and self-respect in Jagammal. The collective decision made by Jagammal would have to sacrifice the throne. In this way, Maharana Pratap Singh respects the wish of the Chieftains and accepts to become the ruler of the Mewar people.

Maharana Pratap Oath:

After his coronation as a king of Mewar, he faced a big problem from the Mughal emperor and his brothers. Sakthi Singh and Jagammal, his two brothers, had joined Mughal Emperor Akbar, and the enemy had surrounded Mewar. Pratap Singh did not have enough money or soldiers to fight the enemies face-to-face. His coffers were empty, whereas Akbar had a large army and wealth. But Maharana Pratap Singh never loses his heart. His main concern was to free his Motherland from the fatal chains of the Mughals. One day he arranged a meeting among his trusted chieftains and said,

  “My brave warrior brothers, our Motherland, this holy land of Mewar, are still under the clutches of the Mughals. Today, I take an oath in front of all of you that till Chittod is freed, I will not have food on gold and silver plates, will not sleep on a soft bed and will not stay in the palace; instead, I will eat food on a leaf platter, sleep on the floor and stay in a hut. I will also not shave till Chittod is freed. My brave warriors, I am sure you will support me in every way, sacrificing your mind, body, and wealth until this oath is fulfilled.”

With the inspirational speech and oath, the other chieftains promised to join him in fighting the Mughals. They said, ‘ Rana, be sure that we all are with you, waiting only for your signal and ready to sacrifice our life.”

Personal Life

Maharana Pratap married eleven princesses from various kingdoms. He had seventeen sons and five daughters. Among his eleven wives, Maharani Ajabde Punwar was his favourite wife. The first marriage with Punwar was held in 1557, and Amar Sing I, the first son born in 1559. In those days, the kings followed matrimonial relations with neighbouring kingdoms to strengthen their domains. So that Maharana Pratap Singh also married another ten princesses to improve the Rajput Unity. However, he spent many years in the forest to defy Mughal Empire to protect the Mewar Kingdom. While spending in the woods, the family even struggles to get proper food to appease starvation. Some scriptures said that his family made the chappatis with grass to survive in life.

Famous Battle at Haldighat:

Akbar declared war against Rana Pratap Singh. Pratap Singh also started preparations for the war. He shifted his Capital to Kumbhalgad in the Aravalli range of Mountains and recruited tribal people, and trained them how to fight in battle. Maharana requested all the chieftains to unite in the struggle for Mewar’s independence.

Chetak Death:

The akbar army was 2,00,000 soldiers, and Rana Pratap’s had only 22,000 soldiers. Rana Pratap and his soldiers fought with great courage like a great warriors, but Akbar’s army did not wholly defeat Rana Pratap Singh. Rana Pratap’s’ Chetak’ horse also became immortal in this battle. ‘Chetak’ was seriously injured in this battle, but he saves his master’s life by jumping over a big canal. As soon as the channel crossed, ‘Chetak’ fell and died. Akbar participated in the war, but after six months of fighting the battle, he could not catch Rana Pratap and returned to Delhi. Again in 1584, Akbar sent a massive army to Mewar; that time, they also fought for two years, and even Akbar could not catch Rana Pratap Singh.

Maharana Pratap and Mughal Generals:

Akbar sent another army on 15 Oct 1577 under the command of Shahbag Khan and Mir Baksi; King Bhagwandas and prince Man Singh were also with them. This time, the army seized Khumbhalmer. Unfortunately, the shortage of food items caused Pratap Singh to leave the fort at night. Later, the fort was destroyed by fire from a giant cannon. Finally, in the war, Kumbhalmer was captured, but not Pratap.

Later Rana Pratap left kumbhalmer, went to Ranapur and stayed in a village called to choose, which was under the rule of Eedar. Then he was helped by Bhamashah to recapture Mewar. After hearing the news, Akbar again sent Shahabag Khan to invade Mewar, warning that if you missed Rana Pratap, you would be headed.

The Battle of Dever and Victory of Maharana Pratap:

Pratap’s first target was to attack the Royal post at Dever. It was a village situated in the Dever Valley of the Aravali ranges. Dever Royal post commander Sultan Khan fought against Pratap’s army. In this war, Prince Amar Singh showed his incredible bravery and courage to Sultan’s soldiers, and finally, Pratap got a triumphing victory in this battle.

Maha Rana Pratap Death and Last wish:

Maharana Pratap fought for 12 years against Mughal emperor Akbar to save Mewar. Akbar tried many times to defeat Maharana Pratap but missed Pratap. Besides, Pratap freed a large portion of land in Rajasthan from the Mughals. But his dream of releasing Chittod was not still fulfilled. On the final days of their death bed, he took his son Amar Singh’s hand, and handed over the responsibility of freeing Chittod to his son, who died peacefully.