Maharana Pratap Singh (9 May 1540 – 29 January 1597) was the ruler of Mewar, a region in north-western India in the present day state of Rajasthan. His birth anniversary (Maharana Pratap Jayanti) is celebrated as full fledged festival every year on 3rd day of Jyestha Shukla phase. He was son of Maharani Jayantabai and King Udai Singh II founder of Udaipur. He belonged to the Sisodia clan of Rajputs.Maharana Pratap Singh is widely regarded as a fearless warrior and ingenious strategist, who successfully fought the Mughals and safeguarded his people until his death. In popular Indian culture, he is hailed as an inspirational figure for exemplifying gallantry and resourcefulness, and for being one of the earliest proponents of Indian patriotism.
In 1568 during the reign of Udai Singh, Maharana Pratap's father Chittorgarh Fort was conquered by the Mughal emperor Akbar after the third Jauhar 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.
Nearly all of Pratap's fellow Rajput chiefs had meanwhile entered into the vassalage of the Mughals. Even Pratap's own brothers, Shakti Singh and Sagar Singh, served Akbar. Indeed, many Rajput chiefs, such as Raja Man Singh of Amber (later known as Maharaja of Jaipur) served as army commanders in Akbar's armies and as members of his council. Akbar sent a total of six diplomatic missions to Pratap, seeking to negotiate the same sort of peaceful alliance that he had concluded with the other Rajput chiefs. Each time, however, Pratap refused to accept Akbar's suzerainty, arguing that the Sisodia Rajputs had never accepted any foreign ruler as their overlord, nor will he. The enmity was long-standing: the grandfathers of Pratap and Akbar - Rana Sanga and Babur, respectively — had previously fought against each other.
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] in which Pratap's army was defeated.
Maharana Pratap's first and most favorite wife was Maharani Ajabde Punwar. Maharana Pratap altogether had 11 wives. All of Pratap's other marriages were conducted for political reasons. He had 17 sons and five daughters. Of his children, Amar Singh, who was born to Ajabde, was the eldest.
Maharana Pratap died of injuries sustained in a hunting accident at Chavand, which served as his capital, on 29 January 1597, aged fifty-seven A chhatri, commemorating Pratap's funeral, exists at Chavand and is an important tourist attraction.
It is recorded that as he lay dying, Pratap made his son and successor, Amar Singh, swear to maintain eternal conflict against the Mughals. Amar Singh submitted Mewar to Akbar, conditionally accepting the Mughals as rulers. The subsequent treaty between Amar Singh and the Mughal king Jahangir included obligations that fort of Chittor would not be repaired and that Mewar would have to keep a contingent of 1000 horses in the Mughal service.It also stipulated that Amar Singh would not have to be present at any of the Mughal Darbars. At Amar Singh's laying down of arms, many members of Pratap's family of Sisodias became disillusioned and left Rajasthan. This group included Rathores, Deora Chauhans, Pariharas, Tanwars, Kacchwaha and Jhalas. Amar Singh himself regretted letting down his people so much that he was never publicly seen outside his palace again.
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