Maharana Pratap was a 16th century king of Mewar who fought bravely against the Mughal emperor Akbar's forces to defend his kingdom's independence. He took an oath that he would not rest until his capital Chittor was freed from the Mughals. In the battle of Haldighat, his army of 22,000 soldiers fought bravely against Akbar's massive army of 200,000 soldiers. His horse Chetak saved his life by jumping over a canal during the battle but died from its injuries. Maharana Pratap continued fighting Akbar for 12 years until his death, preserving Mewar's independence and freedom from the Mughals.

1. Maharana Pratap
Prepared by:
Varun

2. Introduction
• Maharana Pratap, is a name worth remembering to begin one’s day with.
His name is engraved with gold among the list of valiant kings who
protected the Nation, Dharma, Culture and Freedom of this country by
sacrificing his life ! This is a holy remembrance of his velour !
•
Who does not know the name of the great king of Mewar, Maharana
Pratap Singh? In the history of India, this name has always proved to be
motivating for qualities like valour, bravery, sacrifice and martyrdom.
Many brave warriors like Bappa Rawal, Rana Hamir, Rana Sang were born
unto the Sisodiya family of Mewar and were given the title of ‘Rana’ but
the title of ‘Maharana’ was only bestowed on Pratap Singh

3. Childhood
• Maharana Pratap was born in 1540. Rana Uday Singh, the Second, of
Mewar had 33 children. Among them, the eldest was Pratap Singh.
• Self-respect and virtuous behavior were the main qualities of Pratap
Singh.
• Maharana Pratap was bold and brave right from his childhood and
everyone was sure that he was going to be a very valiant person as he
grew up. He was more interested in sports and learning to wield weapons
rather than general education.

4. OATH
• Maharana Pratap's enemy had surrounded Mewar at all its’ boundaries.
The first problem was to gather enough soldiers to fight a face-to-face war
which would have required vast money but Maharana Pratap’s coffers
were empty . Maharana Pratap, however, did not get distracted or lose
heart nor did he ever say that he was weak as compared to Akbar.
• Maharana Pratap's only concern was to immediately free his motherland
from the clutches of the Mughals. One day, he called a meeting of his
trusted chieftains and made an appeal to them. He said, “My brave
warrior brothers, our Motherland, this holy land of Mewar, is still under
the clutches of the Mughals. Today, I take an oath in front of all of you that
• “ Till Chittod is freed, I will not have food in gold and silver plates, will not
sleep on a soft bed and will not stay in the palace; instead I will eat food
on a leaf-platter, sleep on the floor and stay in a hut. I will also not shave
till Chittod is freed. My brave warriors, I am sure that you will support me
in every way sacrificing your mind, body and wealth till this oath is
fulfilled”
• All the chieftains assured him, Rana, be sure that we all are with you;
waiting only for your signal and we are ready to sacrifice our
life.

5. Battle of Haldighat
• Akbar tried his best to bring Maharana Pratap under his clutches; but all in
vain. Akbar got angry as no compromise could be arrived at with
Maharana Pratap and he declared a war. Maharana Pratap recruited tribal
people and people dwelling in forests in his army. These people had no
experience of fighting any war; but he trained them. He appealed to all
Rajput chieftains to come under one flag for Mewar’s independence.
• Maharana Pratap's army of 22,000 soldiers met 2,00,000 soldiers of Akbar
at Haldighat. Maharana Pratap and his soldiers exhibited great velour in
this battle although he had to retreat but Akbar’s army was not successful
in completely defeating Rana Pratap.
• Maharana Pratap and his faithful horse named ‘Chetak’ also became
immortal in this battle. ‘Chetak’ was seriously injured in the battle of
Haldighat but to save his master’s life, it jumped over a big canal. As soon
as the canal was crossed, ‘Chetak’ fell down and died thus it saved Rana
Pratap, risking its own life. The strong Maharana cried like a child over the
death of his faithful horse. Later he constructed a beautiful garden at the
place where Chetak had breathed its last. Then Akbar himself attacked
Maharana Pratap but even after 6 months of fighting the battle, Akbar
could not defeat Maharana Pratap and went back to Delhi.

6. Last words
• Maharana Pratap died of injuries sustained in a hunting accident. He died
at Chavand, which served as his capital, on 29 January 1597, aged fiftyseven.
• Maharana Pratap was lying on the bed made of grass even when he was
dying as his oath of freeing Chittod was not still fulfilled. At the last
moment, he took his son Amar Singh’s hand and handed over the
responsibility of freeing Chittod to his son and died in peace.
• There is no comparison in history to his fight with a cruel emperor like
Akbar. When almost the whole of Rajasthan was under the control of the
Mughal Emperor Akbar, Maharana Pratap fought for 12 years to save
Mewar. Akbar tried various means to defeat Maharana but he remained
unbeatable till the end. Besides, he also freed a large portion of land in
Rajasthan from the Mughals.
• He underwent so much of hardship but he preserved the name of his
family and his Motherland from facing defeat. His life was so bright that
the other name for freedom could have been ‘Maharana Pratap’.

7. contributor
• Maharana pratap is a great contributor to
India as he was the only one who fought with
AKBAR till his end.
• He never accepted Akbar as ruler of India, and
fought Akbar all his life.

8. Memories
• Maharana Pratap Memorial is
a historic site that is dedicated
to the gallant Maharana
Pratap. Situated at the top of
Moti Margi or Pearl Hill, the
memorial overlooks the Fateh
Sagar Lake.
• The memorial comprises a lifesized bronze statue of
Maharana Pratap balanced on
his loyal and favorite horse,
Chetak.
• We pay tribute in his
valiant memory !