Battle of Haldighati

Do you know who is the greatest warrior of all time? Maharana Pratap bravely fought which battle? You got that right, it is the Battle of Haldighati which speaks volumes louder about his boundless courage and persistence. Do you want to know more about this epic battle? Then read this informative and insightful blog on the Battle of Haldighati.

Background 

The epic battle of Haldighati took place in the year 1576. This battle was fought between the great Hindu Rajput ruler, Maharana Pratap and Man Singh who was the general of the Mughal empire led by Akbar at that time. It was a turning point in the history of Rajputs and one of the shortest battles ever fought that is just for mere four hours.

Cause of the Battle of Haldighati

Except for Mewar, the leading state in Rajasthan, Akbar steadily established his relationship with most of the Rajput states after he acceded to the throne. The Rana of Mewar, who also led the illustrious Sisodia clan, refused to submit to the Mughals.

When Rana Pratap ascended the throne of Mewar, Akbar sent diplomatic embassies to him, pleading with the Rajput king to become his vassal. All this was done to take Mewar under his control.

The first embassy was Jalal Khan Quirchi whose efforts went futile in persuading Maharana Pratap and like Jalal Quirchi Khan, Man Singh, failed to convince Maharana Pratap which made Akbar furious. Then he sent Raja Bhagwant Das and he outperformed his predecessors. Rana Pratap was persuaded enough to wear a robe given to him by Akbar and send his young son, Amar Singh, to the Mughal court. This was deemed unsatisfactory by Akbar, who desired Rana to submit to him in person. Todar Mal, the final emissary, was dispatched to Mewar with no success. These futile attempts angered Akbar and this was the root cause of the Battle of Haldighati.

Main Battle

Though one of the shortest yet one the most crucial battles ever fought in Indian history. Given below is the apt description of the epic battle of Haldighati-

•  Man Singh commanded an army of over 5000 men in the battle. Maharana Pratap was devoid of all the relevant resources, men, and allies for the battle. This strengthened the belief of Akbar that winning this battle would add another feather to his cap. But he was mistaken as he was not aware of the bravery and courage of a small army of Bhils, Tanwars of Gwalior, and Rathores of Merta led by Maharana Pratap.
• A group of Afghan warriors led by commander Hakim Khan Sur aided Maharana Pratap in this battle. Maharana Pratap ruled numerous small Hindu and Muslim kingdoms and due to Rana’s leadership, all these kingdoms were driven by the motive to defeat the Mughals.
• The warrior, Maharana Pratap, and his men left no stone unturned to defeat the Mughals but Mughal’s massive army outnumbered the army of Maharana Pratap. The Battle of Haldighati was a glorious defeat for the Rajputs.

Result of the Battle of Haldighati

The confusing and indecisive result of the battle is elaborated below-

• Both the Mughals and the Rajputs had put up a brave fight, however, some of the Mughals were taken aback by the attack of Rajputs, and hence, fled away from the battleground.
• Recognizing the Mughals’ failure, Man Singh advanced to the centre with vigour and valour to attack Rana Pratap, who was commanding the centre of his small army at the time. The Mewar army had lost momentum and their soldiers began to fall one by one. Maharana Pratap persisted and continued to fight Man Singh on his horse Chetak. 
• However, he was severely wounded during the battle by Man Singh and his men. Rana Pratap escaped the Mughal army and was rescued by his brother Sakta. Meanwhile, Man Singh assassinated Maan Singh Jhala, mistaking him for Rana Pratap. He was surprised and shocked to learn that he had killed one of Rana Pratap’s trusted men. When he returned the next morning to attack the Mewar army, no one was there on the battleground.
• To date, it is confusing to decide who won the battle and for Rajputs, it was a glorious defeat.
• The real hero of Maharana Pratap’s force was his brave and loyal horse, Chetak, who helped him escape safely amidst the battle. Many poems have been penned to commemorate and honour the undaunted courage of Chetak.

This was all about the Battle of Haldighati. Hope you all are filled with an urge to be brave in the problems of life just like the warrior, Maharana Pratap. For more intellectually stimulating and informative blogs like these and the latest updates on abroad education, stay tuned to Leverage Edu.