Haldighati and Beyond – Maharana Pratap’s tryst with destiny

Reading Time: 4 minutes

What happened after the Battle of Haldighati?

The battle of Haldighati (1576) is one of the most famous battles in Indian history. A battle that has generated innumerable stories and poetry about the valor of Maharana Pratap of Mewar and his horse, Chetak.

Premise – Battle of Haldighati

History has it that during the battle of Haldighati, the Sisodia Rajputs of Mewar under Maharana Pratap fought valiantly against Akbar’s Mughal army. The Mughals were led by another Rajput, Raja Man Singh of Amer. It was a close fight even though the Mughal army was numerically much stronger.

Did you know…
Haldighati gets its name from the color of the soil in the area. ‘Haldi’ is the Hindi word for turmeric and the soil at Haldighati is turmeric yellow in color. Likewise ‘Ghati’ is the Hindi word for valley. So Haldighati means the valley that is turmeric yellow in color.

Unfortunately for the Mewar warriors, a late counter attack by the Mughals left them in disarray. Maharana Pratap had to escape from the battlefield with the Mughals in hot pursuit.

आगे नदिया पड़ी अपार,

घोड़ा कैसे उतरे पार,

राणा ने सोचा इस पार ,

तब तक चेतक था उस पार

A famous Hindi Poem in remembrance of Chetak. The poet says that by the time Maharana started wondering how he could cross over the overflowing river, Chetak had already jumped over to the other side.

Chetak’s leap to everlasting fame

Just before the enemy could get hold of Maharana, Chetak who was himself injured in the battle, did the unthinkable. The horse jumped across a 20 feet wide mountain pass over a river, leaving the Mughal soldiers stranded on the other side. Having saved his master’s life Chetak succumbed to his injuries. As far as territorial gains go, the battle of Haldighati ended in a stalemate. But what really happened to Maharana Pratap after the battle?

Did you know…

The Maharana was discouraged by his failure to wrest control of Chittor and Kumbhalgarh from the Mughals, not to speak of the city his father had created – Udaipur (formed by Uday Singh). He took a vow that until he regained control of his family’s prestige he will not cut his beard. Further he will not live a life of luxury as befits a king. He would eat food on a cup made from leaves and sleep on a straw mat. In memory of this sacrifice, even to this day, the royal family of Mewar keeps a few strands of straw under their bed and dry leaf under their plate.

Post-Haldighati

Knowing very well the superiority of Akbar’s army, Maharana Pratap resorted to guerilla warfare against the Mughals. The rugged Aravalli mountains with its narrow passes and sparse vegetation was well suited for this tactic. Akbar realized that until Maharana Pratap was either dead or fully subdued, he would not have complete control over Mewar.

The Mughals unleashed wave upon wave of military attacks on the beleaguered Mewar warriors. On one side was Maharana Pratap with around 5000+ soldiers (a mix of Rajputs and Bhil tribal warriors) and on the other side was the well trained Mughal army, usually 80,000+ strong. 

Did you know…
The Bhil’s are one of the largest tribal groups in India and are distributed across the Deccan states and further North in Rajasthan and Gujarat. The word Bhil is derived from ‘Billu’ which means bow. Bow also happens to be the preferred weapon of the Bhil tribals in the past.

In battle after battle, the Rajputs of Mewar barely managed to survive. Many times, the arrival of the monsoon saved them. In the rains, the Mughal army with a larger number of soldiers found it difficult to pitch proper tents or source safe drinking water for the troops. Recorded history has it that these campaigns happened every year from 1576 up to 1581.

Bhamashah & Dewair

As they say, fortune favors the brave. Bhamashah, the erstwhile minister of Maharana Pratap, on seeing the abject condition of his master, pledged the fortune of his entire family towards the Maharana’s cause. With this money at his disposal Maharana Pratap arranged a bigger army and set forth to meet head-on the latest Mughal campaign in Mewar. Battle ensued at Dewair in 1582 and the Mughal army was routed. It is said that 30,000+ Mughal soldiers surrendered to Maharana Pratap. Udaipur and Kumbhalgarh were freed, and barring Chittor and Ajmer, Mewar returned back in some form or other under the Sisodia rulers.

Did you know…
Bhamashah came to be highly respected in Rajasthan, and in Mewar in particular, for his singular act of helping Mahrana Pratap in his hour of need. Many government schemes in Rajasthan – especially ones for helping women and students financially – are named after Bhamashah.

Akbar would still continue trying to regain Mewar. He personally supervised a campaign, but finally gave up after 6 months and returned back to Agra. And Mewar, even with repeated onslaught from the Mughals, had managed to save its freedom.

Lasting peace in Mewar

Maharana Pratap would not live to see the Sisodia flag flying over Chittor, he died in 1597. His son Rana Amar Singh I, would fight an even more decisive battle at Dewair in 1606 and defeat Akabr’s son Jehangir. Amar Singh would eventually sign an agreement with the Mughals that was to stop all further bloodshed and return Chittor to the Sisodias.

Further Reading & Viewing

If you are intrigued by this story and want to read more about the brave Rajputs of Mewar, the “Annals of Mewar” by James Tod is the book for you. Chapter VIII and IX is dedicated to Maharana Pratap & Rana Amar Singh I.

Dewair falls under the Rajsamand district of Rajasthan, interesting places to visit in and around Dewair are listed here

The bond between Maharana Pratap and Chetak has also been the source of many movies, right from the 1958 ‘Chetak Aur Rana Pratap’ to multiple cartoon movies for kids.

See the topography of Dewair in this Youtube video

Food for thought

What do you think about the valor of Maharana Pratap, his perseverance and his vow to free his motherland? Do share your thoughts in the Comments section below.