Bala Samskar students of Global Hindu Heritage Foundation celebrated Rana Pratap Singh Jayanti. When Maha Rana Pratap ascended the throne of Mewar, the situation was extremely dire. Enemies were lurking on all sides. The enemy had immense wealth and other resources. There was an army in the millions. At that time, Maha Rana Pratap made a solemn vow that he would not eat on a golden plate, sleep on soft mattresses, or sleep in the royal palace until Chittod was liberated.
Maharana Pratap, the brave and courageous king of Mewar, who slept in the heart of the Mughal emperor Akbar. In the history of India, Maharana Pratap's courage, bravery, sacrifice, martyrdom, and future freedom struggle have become an inspiration.
Until the 6th century AD, India fought and won against foreign invaders and asserted its existence. In the 6th century AD, the last emperor to bring most of the country under his rule and provide good governance was Shri Harsha. After the death of Shri Harsha, disunity spread among the Hindu kings. They started fighting each other with arrogance and acting independently.
At the same time, the attention of foreign invaders fell on India. Muslim armies like Muhammad Ghazni and Muhammad Ghori continued to attack Indian territory one after another. The Hindu kings, who were supposed to fight the foreign invaders together, became inactive. The differences and disunity between the kings of the country became a boon for the Muslim kings. Gradually, the Muslim armies conquered one king in the country and expanded their kingdom.
This history of aggression continued for about 700 years and marked the beginning of the Mughal rule. By the time of the Mughal emperor Akbar, 50 percent of the territory of India came under the control of Muslims. During these 700 years, the native rulers failed to resist the foreign invaders because they did not fight unitedly. That was a curse for India.
Due to the corrupt policies implemented by the Mughal emperor Akbar, many Rajput kings bowed to his authority and took refuge in him. They all lost their freedom and became vassals of Akbar. Some others joined Akbar's army as soldiers. The great warrior Raja Man Singh worked hard to expand the Mughal empire as the commander-in-chief of Akbar's army. Raja Man Singh, who did not worship Shiva regularly and did not even touch fresh water, was a witness to the self-forgetfulness of Hindu kings.
Birth
Maharana Pratap was born about 475 years ago on May 9, 1540, AD in Chittod, Rajasthan. Rana Pratap's father was Maharana Uday Singh of the Sisodia dynasty. His mother was Rani Jaywantbai. Uday Singh had 25 sons. Rana Pratap was the eldest of them all. Uday Singh declared Junmal Singh, the son of his beloved Rani Dhirbai, as his successor. However, after Uday Singh's death, all the ministers of the Mewar kingdom discussed and anointed the valiant Rana Pratap Singh as the king of Mewar. Angered by this, Janmal Singh joined Akbar's army as a general and fought on his own homeland. The Rajputs' desire for power at that time ignored the welfare of the country. In such dire circumstances, Maharana Pratap Singh, who was anointed as the king of Mewar in 1572 AD, set out to defend his homeland. He raised a powerful army to confront Akbar Padusha. He gathered the Bhil youth living in the Aravalli hills and instilled in them a thirst for freedom and made them brave soldiers. Maharana Pratap's army consisted of brave and fearless soldiers who would even sacrifice their lives for their homeland.
By the time Maharana Pratap ascended the throne of Mewar, the situation was extremely dire. Enemies were lurking on all sides. The enemy had immense wealth and other resources. He had an army of lakhs. At that time, Maha Rana Pratap took a solemn vow that he would not eat on a golden plate, sleep on soft mattresses, or sleep in the palace until Chittod was liberated. Maha Rana Pratap, who fought against Akbar for about 25 years, lived like an ordinary soldier. There are many stories in Chittodgarh that at one stage, when there was not even enough food to eat, he used to eat grass bread.
A poet named Sheetal, who personally witnessed the lifestyle and valor of Maha Rana Pratap, wrote an inspiring lyrical poem on the Rana. Rana Pratap honored Sheetal by placing his turban on her. Sheetal, the poet, used to travel to the villages and sing the heroic stories of the Mewar king. Finally, in the courtyard of Akbar's palace in Agra, the poet Sheetal sang the valor of Rana Pratap.
There, an incident that made people cry took place. Normally, when one enters the court of Akbar, one should bow his head and salute Emperor Akbar with his right hand. When the poet Sheetal entered the court of Akbar, Rana Pratap took off his turban, held it with his right hand, bowed his head and saluted with his left hand. The left-handed salute angered the emperor. After a moment, he restrained his anger and asked the poet Sheetal why he had done so. Then the poet Sheetal said this.
‘Padusha Ji.. Please forgive my mistake in saluting you with my left hand. There is a strong reason for that. This turban that is on my head was gifted to me by the great hero Rana Pratap Singh and he himself put it on my head with his own hands. Therefore, bowing my head with that turban in front of you would be an insult to that hero who has not surrendered to you so far. Therefore, I took off that turban and held it with my hand and bowed my head in front of you. Holding the turban of that great hero with my left hand would also be an insult to him. That is why I held the turban with my right hand and saluted you with the remaining hand. I give more importance to showing the heroism of the great Rana Pratap than to fearing you,’ said the poet Sheetal with courage and self-confidence. Akbar Padusha was stunned by Sheetal’s self-confidence.
Battle of Haldighati
The Battle of Haldighati has a special place in the strategies of the world war. All the attempts made by Akbar Padusha to bring Rana Pratap under his jurisdiction failed. As the embassy failed, war became inevitable. Rana Pratap became a problem for Akbar. Akbar decided to fight Rana Pratap. Akbar prepared a large army of two lakh soldiers to fight against Rana Pratap and made Raja Man Singh the commander of it. The stage was set for a Hindu king to fight another Hindu king on behalf of a foreign ruler. Prince Salim and Rana Pratap's younger brother Shaktisinha, who had fought with the Mughals, were appointed as assistants to Raja Man Singh. This army moved towards Mewar.
There, Rana Pratap assessed the situation. He shifted the capital from the inaccessible hills to Kumbhavgarh. He called upon all the Rajput chiefs to unite to protect the independence of Mewar. He took a well-trained army and reached the crucial Haldighati area. This Haldighati was located between the high hills. Rana Pratap had only 22,000 troops, including 3,000 cavalry and 400 elephants. It would be a great feat for this army to fight against Akbar's army of two lakhs.
The Mughal army approaching Haldighati along the narrow mountain passes was showered with stones. The Mughal army was shattered by the sharp arrows fired from the bows of the Bhils. However, in the end, the Mughal army gained the upper hand. Observing this situation, King Man Singh of Jhalaku tried to stop the Mughal army. At his suggestion, Rana Pratap left the battlefield and went to a safe place. He rode his horse Chetak, which was moving at the speed of the wind, on the other side. Thousands of Rajput warriors were martyred in the defense of the motherland. Rana Pratap was pursued by two Muslim chiefs. Shakti Singh, who was following them, began to repent. He wanted to cooperate with his elder brother Rana Pratap, who was fighting to protect the Mewar throne. He immediately cut off the heads of the two Muslim chiefs with his chariot. Rana Pratap fell at his elder brother's feet and sought refuge. Rana Pratap hugged Shakti Singh to his heart and consoled him. The battle of Haldighati, which took place in July 1576 AD, stood as a witness to the valor of the Rajputs. Even after the battle of Haldighati, Rana Pratap fought many battles with Akbar's army. Rana Pratap fought the Mughal army for about 25 years. He set out with his family to the safe Indus Valley. On the way, he encountered Bhamasha, who had previously served as the minister of Mewar, and Rana Pratap asked him to give up all his wealth and rebuild the army. With renewed enthusiasm, Rana Pratap captured many forts again. However, he died on January 17, 1597, without winning Chittod.
The great Maharana Pratap Singh fought for the country, religion, culture, and freedom and became an inspiration to future generations. He became a true Hindu hero. Later, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was inspired by Rana Pratap Singh's war strategy.
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