The Warrior ⚔️ 🏹: Maharana Pratap is a king of Mewar
Introduction : Maharana Pratap
Maharana Pratap was a king of Mewad, who was a great and brave Rajput warrior of the 16th century. He was considered great for his valor, self-respect and for protecting the country and he was also respected all over India. He was such a king who never bowed before the Mughal Emperor Akbar during his reign and always spent his life fighting for the country. The name of Maharana Pratap will always remain immortal.
- How did Maharana Pratap's life begin?Maharana Pratap was born on 9 May 1950 in Kumbhalgarh fort, Rajasthan. His father's name was Uday Singh and his mother's name was Maharani Jayvanta Bai. Maharana Pratap was the eldest among his 25 brothers and his height was 7 feet 5 inches. He had learnt horse riding, swordsmanship and many other things since his childhood. He grew up learning the teachings of brave men of Mewad like Rana Sanga.
- Struggle of the throne :Maharana Pratap's father Uday Singh thought in his last days that his younger and most beloved son Jagmal should be made the king but the old leaders of Mewad decided to make Uday Singh's first son and capable successor Maharana Pratap the king. They thought it was right to make him the king. Maharana Pratap was made the king of Mewad in 1572. This decision gave rise to some internal disputes in Mewad but it was in the interest of the state.
- How did the conflict with the Mughals take place?
Mughal Emperor Akbar had spread his empire all over India. He used to torture many Rajput kings. Many Rajput kings would bow their heads in front of him. Maharana Pratap never bowed before Mughals and denied being Mughal's ruler. Akbar tried many times to make Maharana Pratap also his ruler but he always chose independence.
Akbar tried his best to make Mewad his own. For him Mewad had become a matter of prestige. He sent his most powerful and brave commander Raja Mansingh to capture Mewad.
- When and how did the battle of Haldighati take place?
The battle of Haldighati was fought on 18 June 1576 in which Mughals had an army of more than 80000 and Maharana Pratap had an army of around 20000 but Maharana Pratap never lost courage, he went to the war with his 20000 soldiers only.Maharana Pratap had a trusted horse named Chetak, he kept pace with him on the battlefield. Chetak helped Maharana Pratap completely in the war and put his life at stake. To save the life of his king, he sacrificed his life to save Maharana Pratap's life. He attacked Raja Mansingh but the Mughal army was more in number than his army, due to which he had to retreat and in the same war Maharana Pratap's most beloved horse Chetak died.
- Outcome:Maharana Pratap had to retreat from the battle of Haldighati but the Mughal army could not capture them. The Mughals could never capture the Mewad. Even after losing this battle, there was a way of winning. That is why the Mughals could never capture Maharana Pratap and Maharana Pratap never lost his feeling of freedom.
- Life in exile:Maharana Pratap started gorilla warfare in the mountains and jungles after the battle of Haldighati. He kept his family with him as well. He started spending his life with his family facing a lot of hardships. He had to face a lot of difficulties like his children had to eat rotis made from homemade leaves. But Maharana Pratap never surrendered himself before the Mughals. He never accepted defeat. He kept on attacking the Mughals by organizing his army again and again.
- Revival and Reconquest :Maharana Pratap defeated the Mughals in 1582 at Divar. After this war, he achieved victory at Kumbhalgarh, Udaipur and many other kilometers. He established his capital Chandan from where he again started his parishad.
- Governance and welfare :Maharana Pratap was a very powerful king and along with being powerful he was also a justice loving king, he always took care of his subjects and farmers, he was involved in their joys and sorrows, his rule was always in the interest of the people, he never did excesses on the farmers, he believed that the duty of a king is to protect his subjects and take care of them. He respected everyone, respected all religions and he also took forward the art and culture of his country Bharat
- Death and legacy:Maharana Pratap died on 15 January 1597 after getting injured during a hunt. Even in his last moments, he told his son Amar Singh to never accept defeat and never bow down in front of Mughals. He always wanted that we should never let our Mewad, our kingdom go into the hands of Mughals. He was a very great warrior.
His sacrifice did not go in vain. By listening to the stories of his life, his descendants kept Mewad independent.
- Love for independence: He chose exile even though he had all the facilities. Refusal to bow down: He never explained it with his self-respect.
- Belief in public welfare: He took care of his people, even if he himself suffered.
- Religion and dignity: He always walked on the path of justice and dignity.
- Cultural impact : We all know the story of Maharana Pratap. Now we all have been listening to it since childhood. It is being taught in our schools. He is immortal in Indian folk songs, poems and stories.
There are many places named after Maharana Pratap. At many places, statues have been built in his name.
- Many schools, streets and parks in India are named after him.
- Maharana Pratap memorial Udaipur has his statue installed along with his Chetak.
- Chetak sandhi Haldighati is for his trusted horse.
- Conclusion:There is an immortal story from the life of Maharana Pratap, when the whole country used to bow down in front of the Mughals, at that time Maharana Pratap showed that sacrifice, valor and self-respect are the greatest wealth of freedom. From his life we learn that freedom or victory is not achieved only by sword, but by determination. Even today he is an inspiration for every person who fights for truth and dignity.
Jai Mewar! Jai Maharana Pratap!🛡️⚔️🏹
