Rana Pratap

Rana Pratap is a synonym to Rajput valor, chivalry and perseverance. He was a stand alone fighter against Mughal aggression and never bent down to any temptation. He was loved by his men and they stood by him in his fight for independence. He lost the Battle of Haldighat to Akbar but did not surrender and continued his combats till the end of his life.

Gallantry and a love for freedom was in Rana's blood as he was the grandson of Rana Sangha and the son of Udai Singh. At a time when all the Rajput states were making ally with Akbar, Mewar remained independent and this made Akbar furious. He attacked Mewar and captured the fort of Chittor. Udai Singh fled to the hills but chose to stay independent even without his kingdom. After his death Pratap took up the responsibility and the people found a true leader in him.

With the neighboring states allying with Akbar, Pratap had a difficult time resisting the Mugahls as he had no capital. Akbar sent Man Singh as his emissary to invite Pratap in a dinner but the main aim was to seek a negotiation to come to a peaceful alliance. Pratap refuse to attend personally and sent his son Amar Singh instead. This incident soured the Mughal-Mewar relations even more and the Battle of Haldighat (1576) soon followed.

Akbar's army led by Man Singh had a numerical advantage over Pratap's army but he fought valiantly to resist them. The Bhil tribes of the surrounding hills came to Pratp's aid. Pratap himself fought valiantly and unfortunately missed Man Singh by a whisker. Finally, a Mughal victory was inevitable and Prata'ps men convinced him to leave the field. One of his noble men-Jhala disguised as Pratap got killed helping Pratap to escape. Injured severely, his loyal horse Chetak rode Pratap to safety before collapsing to death.

Pratap faced extreme hardship living the life of a fugitive but never gave up his struggle for freedom. With the help of his trusted men like Bhamashah he fought back and recovered most of his territories. Although he could not recapture Chittor he died a hero to his people.

Get to know about some more Historical Figures:
Kanishka Harshvardhana Ashoka Chandragupta Maurya Babar Sher Shah Suri Prithviraj Chauhan Akbar Humayun Shaheed Bhagat Singh Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel Aruna Asaf Ali Mahatma Gandhi Bal Gangadhar Tilak Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Mangal Pandey