Maharana Pratap

By Bhawan Singh Rana

Maharana Pratap has become a subject of respect and pride for the Indians as he has become a symbol pf patriotism, sacrifice and struggle, On remembering his name, the picture of an incomparable warrior with the face aglow with bravery comes into our mind.
The war he waged for independence in extremely adverse circumstances will be ever remembered.

Despite being the king of mewar, most of his life was spent in forests and mountains, with his supreme willpower and incomparable warfare skills he was able to free mewar at the end.

Sacrificing material happiness and gains, his unrelenting struggle for the freedom of his motherland is etched as a golden chapter in die annals of history. Personalities like him are models of inspiration for the whole country and all generations to come. As in today's reckoning when national consciousness seems to be diminishing, Maharana Pratap's character is all the more relevant.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Diamond Books
• Release date: Sep 15, 2022
• ISBN: 9789350838693

Book preview

Mewar and Its Royal Dynasty

The Rajput clan holds a glorious place in the Indian history. The brave Rajput warriors have never hesitated in sacrificing their lives for protecting their country, caste, and independence. Entire India is extremely proud of their sacrifices. In this land of brave warriors, there were many small and big Rajput states, which wrote many glorious chapters of Indian history. Among these states, Mewar holds a special place in the glory of Indian history. Vappa Rawal, Khumar Maharaja Hamir the first, Maharana Kumbha, Maharana Sangha, and the protagonist of this present book, the bravest of the braves, Maharana Pratap, were born in this land.

The geographical location of Mewar

The history of Mewar has been extremely glorious since the creation of the state. In the medieval era, the struggle that the rulers of Mewar and its citizens did against the Mughal Sultans for their independence is unparalleled in the annals of history. One traces here a unique confluence of bravery, sacrifice, and love for independence. One of the reasons for this uniqueness is its geographical location which is different from the rest of Rajasthan. It is located at 23.49 to 25.58 north latitude and from 73.1 to 75.49 south longitude. Presently the state is divided into Bhilwara, Chittor and Udaipur. On its eastern side are Neemuch, Tonk, Kota, and Boondi, while Dungarpur, Banswara, and Pratapgrah are in the south. In its south-west we have Eeshwar, while in the west you have Jodhpur and Sirohi. In the north is Ajmer, Marwar and some part of Bhilwara, and in the north-east is Jaipur.

Mewar can be divided into four natural zones –

(1) Western mountain range.

(2) Eastern mountain range.

(3) Southern mountain range.

(4) Central plains.

The western mountain range starts from the north in Diver and reaches upto Deval in the south. This mountain range is also called Aravalli or Araval mountains. Its highest peak is at a place near Kumbhalgarh called Jarga, whose height is 4315 feet above sea level. There are numerous narrow caves in these mountains, which are called 'naal' in the local language. Among these the Desuri, Haathigudo, Jeelwara etc. are the main 'naals'. To prevent the entry of the enemy from outside, security arrangements used to be made in these 'naals'. There are many memorials in Haathigudo of the brave soldiers who laid down their lives for independence. Numerous small and big rivers come out from this mountain range, which are like a boon for the agriculture in the plains of Mewar. Even in this part, there are small villages of Bheels and other tribals, and there land is suitable for agriculture at many places. The southern part of this mountain range extends till Gogunda, which is called Bhomut. This mountain range used to serve as a natural protection for Mewar from this direction. It is from here that Udaisingh and Maharana Pratap conducted guerilla warfare against the Mughal Emperor, Akbar.

A small mountain range of Aravalli has gone from the north-east from Devli to Bhilwara. Another mountain range has gone from Devli via Maandalgrah, Bijauliya, and Menal upto Chittorgarh. These small mountain ranges are called the Eastern Plateau. The maximum height of this part is 2000 feet. This area is also called Aparmal. There are numerous holy places of the Sanatan and Jain sects here. In the ancient times, this was a prosperous trade centre.

Southern mountain range region contains the forests and the mountains of Chaapan and Magare districts. This part touches the borders of the state of Gujarat. There are small villages in the valleys. Gujarat had attacked Mewar from this region only. Here, the forests yield many useful products and minerals. Here there are a lot of mahua, sangwaan, tamarind, peepal, seesam, khajoor, jamun and other types of trees. After the battle of Haldighati, Maharana Pratap made Chavand situated in this region his capital. It is said that previously rupees three lakhs worth of silver was produced yearly from Jawar, and there were many copper mines here. Today also, the stones used in construction and the stone used in making mill-stones are found in large quantities over here.

The area in the centre of Chittor, Rajsamand, Bhilwara, Udaipur, Nathdwara, and Magra districts is called the Central Plains. Several rivers flow in this area. Many important religious places of Mewar's history are in this area.

The rivers coming out of the mountains are like a boon for the agriculture in the central plains. There is a river of salty water in the north of Mewar which merges into the Banas river near Ajmer. This river is the line of division between Ajmer and Mewar. Banas is Mewar's biggest river, which originates from a place near Kumbhalgarh. Its length is 290 kms. Merging the Kothari, Menal, Berach rivers into itself, it then merges into the Chambal river in Rameshwar Tirath (Madhya Pradesh). The famous battle of Haldighati took place on the shore of this river near Khamnor. Gambhori, Berach, Ahaarh, Jakum, Bakal, etc. are other rivers of Mewar. Jakum and Bakal flow in the rainy season only. This water is heavy and harmful for health. When in spate these rivers create havoc, destroying human lives and property. These rivers also protected Mewar from outside attacks in the rainy season. During the time of Rana Kumbha, the Sultan of Malwa had to face defeat many times as these rivers stood firm to protect Mewar.

Generally climate of Mewar is healthy but outsiders do not find it suitable. The climate of the mountain regions is not as good as that of the plains. In summers, it is too hot to be tolerable for outsiders. Writing about his experiences during the battle of Haldighati, Badayuni had written, It was so hot in the afternoon that the blood in their heads started boiling. As such climate used to play a lead role in defeating or demoralising the attacking enemy soldiers.

Besides these natural protective barriers, there are many lakes in Mewar. It is also called, 'the land of lakes'. Maharana Jaisingh had constructed a huge lake called Jai Samudra about 51 km away from Udaipur, which is the biggest lake of Mewar. Raj Samudra, Udaisagar, Picchola, Fatehsagar, and Swaroopsagar lakes are also in this area.

Although the history of Mewar is the history of the Rajput Kings, the Bheel tribe of Mewar has an important place in its history as well. The Bheels were a brave tribe living in Mewar's dense forests. Though their main occupation was farming and raising of animals, they gave a very good account of their bravery in the battlefield. The Bheels helped Pratap in most adverse circumstances in battles against Mughals. Their acts bravery, faithfulness, and selflessness had a special place in the history of Rajasthan.

Many names have been used from time to time for Mewar. In the inscriptions of Aaharh of the Vikrami year 1000 and other ancient literature, its name is 'Medpat'. The word Medpat's commonly accepted form has become Mewar now. According to Dr. Gaurishankar Hirachand Ojha, there was the rule of the Med (Mev or Mer) tribe in this area. So, this area was named Mewar. From Karanvel's writings, we also get to know that in ancient times, the name of Mewar was also Pramvat. The coins of 300 years before Vikrami era prove that its name at that time was 'Shivi Janpad'. So, how did this name become Medpat? The scholars have failed to uncover this mystry. Dr. Ojha connects this to the Mev caste and writes that one part of Mewar is called Mewal and the second part is called Merwar. But due to any particular castes, if the whole of Mewar is called a land of the Mev or Mer castes, then this does not seem logical. In this context, Dr. Gopinath Sharma writes –

Dr. Ojhaji says that due to the rule of the Med i.e. the Mev or Mer castes on this land, it was named Medpat! In support of this reasoning he writes, That is why one part of Mewar is called Mewal and the other part is called Merwara. According to us, solely due to one particular caste, the whole of Mewar cannot be called as the land of the Med or Mev castes. Besides, it is well-known that other castes have also been influential here in the ancient times. In reality, this name is connected to Mewar's tradition of bravery. The meaning of Med is from 'Mlech' (a wicked man), and the meaning of 'pat' is the destruction of the enemy. We all know that Mewar has been fighting with enemies since centuries and destroying them."

Actually, like Medini, Medpat's origin can also be understood. According to mythology, God killed the demons and the earth was created from their 'Meda' (fat). Similarly, Medpat might mean that earth which has been 'pat' (filled) with the remains of the destroyed enemy.

The dynasty of Mewar

There are proofs of the fact that many centuries before Christ, there was the existence of public life in Mewar. From the excavation of Aaharh, it is known that even at that time there were human settlements on the shores of the rivers in Mewar. The time at which Aaharh existed is considered to be in existence from the first to the second century before Christ. It is clear that history of Mewar is extremely ancient. The ancestors of Maharana Pratap had first established their Kingdom on this land in the sixth century. The first ruler of this dynasty, who laid the foundations of the new dynasty here, was Guhaditya. Therefore, in the beginning, the name of the dynasty was Guhil or Guhilot dynasty. One of the branches of this dynasty was later also called the Sisodia dynasty.

Guhaditya was from the state of Balami. After the death of his father, he had to leave Balami. Fleeing from there, he reached Nagda via Eedar. From Nagda he attacked Mewar and won Mewar. Then he established a new dynasty here. This dynasty is traditionally thought to be Suryavanshi Raja Ram's son Kush's progeny. After Guhaditya the great King Kalbhaj was also from this dynasty whose other name is Vappa or Vappa Rawal. He defeated the then ruler of Chittor, Raja Mansingh, and won Chittor. In this way, Chittor also became a part of the Mewar state. Vappa Rawal's rule is thought to extend from 734 to 753 AD. He is considered as the supremely brave king who protected his motherland from the foreign Arab attackers. After Vappa Rawal, his descendant was Khumar, the second, who was a famous ruler. His rule extended from 812 to 836 for approximately 24 years. (Many historians are of the opinion that actually Khumar, the first, protected the country from the Arabs, and not Vappa Rawal. Probably, he, together with the rulers of Gujarat and Kathiawad, defeated the Arab attackers in Multan and Sind and stopped them from moving forward.)

Many generations after Khumar, the second, in 1191 his descendant Sumersingh was the ruler of Mewar. It was at this time that Shahabuddin Ghori attacked India. The eighth descendant of Sumersingh was Ratansingh, whose wife's name was Padmini. At the time of Alaudin Khilji's attack on Chittor, the story of Rani Padmini's Johar is very famous. Taking inspiration from Rani Padmini's life, the famous Sufi saint Malik Muhammad Jaisi wrote the Padmavat epic, which is an invaluable treasure of Hindi literature. It is another matter that in other historical books this Johar vrat of Rani Padmini has not even been mentioned. Thus from the historical viewpoint, like many other folk tales, the story of Padmini is also considered unproved and is a folk tale only.

Many generations after Khumar, the second, there was a ruler named Hamir in this dynasty, who was the only exceptional ruler during this period. His rule was from 1326 to 1364. Before his rule, in 1303, Alaudin Khilji had attacked Mewar and captured the capital Chittor and made his son the Subedar. Maharaja Hamir was as brave a ruler as Vappa Rawal. He used to consider the rule of the foreign rulers on Chittor an insult and against the glorious tradition of Chittor. He used to dream about removing this foreign rule from Chittor.

Immediately after becoming the ruler of Mewar, Hamir started to increase his military strength, and in a very short time he had increased his military strength.