Battle of Haldighati 1576
The Rana of Mewar, Maharana Pratap, and the army of the Mughal emperor Akbar, under the command of Man Singh I of Amber, engaged in combat on June 18, 1576, at the Battle of Haldighati.
Battle of Haldighati 1576
The Rana of Mewar, Maharana Pratap, and the army of the Mughal emperor Akbar, under the command of Man Singh I of Amber, engaged in combat on June 18, 1576, at the Battle of Haldighati.
At Haldighati, Maharana Pratap, the King of Mewar, and Raja Mansingh, the Rajput king, led the forces of Akbar. Maharana Pratap was killed during this battle, but he managed to flee and continued to put up a resolute fight against the Mughal Empire.
The Battle of Haldighati's historical context
- After taking over the Mughal Empire, Akbar immediately began carrying out a strategy to conquer the Rajput region, using a combination of extreme force and diplomacy to compel a sizable number of Rajput kingdoms to join the Mughal Empire.
- However, the ruler of Mewar, Maharana Pratap Singh, persisted in his struggle against the Mughal Empire and refused to submit to it.
- The Mughals took Chittorgarh Fort in 1568 after Maharana Pratap Singh engaged in one of the fiercest resistance to their rule.
- As the siege ended, Mughal rule largely replaced Rajpur's control of the Eastern region.
- In addition, when Maharana Pratap succeeded his father as king of Mewar, the Mughal Emperor Akbar employed several diplomatic techniques and sent out numerous missions to convince Maharana Pratap to support Mughal rule.
- The main goal of these diplomatic initiatives was to seize control of the remaining Mewar region and end the ongoing conflict between the Mughals and the Rajputs over the preceding few years.
- Improved communication and supply routes to Gujarat would have benefited the Mughal empire, increasing their chances of establishing the prosperous rule.
- The Mughal emperor Akbar succeeded in convincing Maharana Pratap Singh in only one of his numerous attempts, which produced some success.
- When Raja Bhagwant Das was in power, Maharana Pratap Singh consented to send his young son Amar Singh to the court of Emperor Akbar.
- Maharana Pratap Singh wanted to visit Akbar's court personally, but Akbar declined.
- Raja Todarmal made another attempt but was unsuccessful because Maharana Pratap refused.
- As a result, starting a war was the only option left after diplomatic efforts failed.
The Rajputs' and the Mughals' military prowess:
- Maharana Pratap Singh reportedly had about 20,000 soldiers compared to the Mughals' 80 000, according to some written chronicles.
- However, many contemporary historians assert that the Rajput forces consisted of about 3000 Bhil bowmen and 400 archers from the Meerpur region, compared to the Mughal Army's troop strength of between 5000 and 10,000 soldiers.
- War elephants were also available to both sides, but the Rajput forces lacked access to weapons.
- The Mughals also possessed muskets.
- Hakim Khan Suri was in charge of one of Rana Pratap's forces' units, which bravely fought the Mughal forces alongside Ramdas Rathod and Bhimsingh of Dodiya.
- The Mewar forces on the left were commanded by Ramshah Tanwar, who had about 500 soldiers under his command.
- He served as the former ruler of Gwalior, accompanied by his three sons, minister Bhamashah and brother Tarachand. Maharana Pratap, with the help of 1300 soldiers, commanded the army from the front.
- At the back of the battlefield, there were Bhil tribe soldiers.
Events that happened during the battle:
- Maharana Pratap chose to locate his base in the Rajasthani town of Gogunda, which is close to Udaipur.
- The village of Khanmore, about 23 kilometers north of Gogunda, was given the name Haldighati because the Aravali Range's yellowish color resulted from the rocks, which were said to resemble the spice turmeric.
- The narrow nature of the Haldighati passes, in Maharana Pratap's opinion, will help to disorient the superior numbers of the enemy.
- On June 18, 1576, the battle finally started only three hours after sunrise.
- Maharana Pratap launched the frontal assault, which caught the Mughal forces off guard.
- With the first charge he took, he could wreak havoc on the left wing of the Mughal forces.
The Consequences of the War:
- Maharana Pratap could retreat and leave the battlefield along with half his remaining soldiers.
- In the ensuing years, he maintained his strict opposition to the Mughal rule.
- In order to further consolidate his control over the Mewar region, Emperor Akbar soon overran the Udaipur, Gogunda, and Kumbhalgarh while continuing his pursuit of Maharana Pratap.
- Maharana Pratap gradually became more alone politically and geographically due to this.
- Maharana Pratap Singh regained control over a sizeable chunk of the lost territory in his kingdom's western region after 1579 when the Mughal Empire began concentrating on other aspects of their rule.
- However, only Mughal rule extended to the remainder of the Eastern Mewar region.
