Lucknow: On the occasion of Maharana Pratap’s 473rd birth anniversary, tribute was paid here, today, by garlanding his statue at the Maharana Pratap Tiraha in Raipur. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also paid tribute to the valiant 16th century Rajput warrior Maharana Pratap on his 473rd birth anniversary.
Maharana Pratap’s life symbolised ultimate courage, patriotism and sacrifice. I bow to this proud son of India on his birth anniversary,” Mr Modi said in a tweet. Maharana Pratap, who was known for his courage, chivalry and partiotism, ruled the kingdom of Mewar.
Maharana Pratap was born on May 9th 1540 in Kumbhalgarh, Rajasthan. His father was Maharana Udai Singh II and his mother was Rani Jeevant Kanwar. Maharana Udai Singh II ruled the kingdom of Mewar, with his capital at Chittor. Maharana Pratap was the eldest of twenty-five sons and hence given the title of Crown Prince. He was destined to be the 54th ruler of Mewar, in the line of the Sisodiya Rajputs.
In 1568 during the reign of Udai Singh, Maharana Pratap’s father was conquered by the Mughal emperor Akbar after the thirdJauhar at Chittor. However, Udai Singh and the royal family of Mewar had left before the fort was captured and moved to the foothills of the Aravalli Range where Singh had already founded the city of Udaipur in 1559. Rani Dheer Bai wanted her son Jagmal to succeed Udai Singh[6] but the senior preferred Pratap, as the eldest son, to be their king. The desire of the nobles prevailed.
On 21 June 1576 (or 18 June in other calculations), the armies of Pratap and Akbar led by Sayyed Hashim Barha son of Sayyed Mahmud Khan met at Haldighati, near the town of Gogunda. Pratap’s army was defeated but Pratap organised another attack, known as the Battle of Dewar, in which the Mewar army was victorious. Pratap was able to claim back much of the lost territories of Mewar and freed much of Rajasthan from the Mughal rule. The Bhils of the Aravalli hills provided support to Pratap.
Pratap Singh was married to Ajabde Punwar at the age of 17. They had two sons – Amar Singh, who succeeded Pratap and Bhagwan Das. Some anti-Indian Islamic scholars, in an apparent bid to vilify the Maharana, has been trying to propagate the false story of him having 11 wives and 17 sons. It is to be noted that in the sixteenth century, womanizing was essentially an Islamic pastime, with all the Mughal emperors and other Muslim rulers in India indulging in the same.
In January 1597, Rana Pratap Singh I, Mewar’s greatest hero, was seriously injured in a hunting accident. He left his body at Chavand, aged 56, on January 29, 1597. He died fighting for his nation, for his people, and most importantly for his honor.
Bureau Report
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