The battle of Haldighati was fought on 18 June 1576[lower-alpha 1] between the Mewar forces led by Maharana Pratap, and the Mughal forces led by Man Singh I of Amber. The Mughals emerged victorious after inflicting significant casualties on Mewari forces, though they failed to capture Pratap, who reluctantly retreated persuaded by his fellow commanders.
The siege of Chittorgarh in 1568 had led to the loss of the fertile eastern belt of Mewar to the Mughals. However, the rest of the wooded and hilly kingdom was still under the control of the Sisodias. Akbar was intent on securing a stable route to Gujarat through Mewar; when Pratap Singh was crowned king (Rana) in 1572, Akbar sent a number of envoys entreating the Rana to become a vassal like many other Rajput leaders in the region. However, Pratap refused to enter into a treaty, which led to the battle.
The site of the battle was a narrow mountain pass at Haldighati near Gogunda in Rajasthan. Sources differ on the strength of the respective armies but probably the Mughals outnumbered the Mewar forces by a factor of four to one. Despite initial successes by the Mewaris, the tide slowly turned against them and Pratap found himself wounded and the day lost. A few of his men under Jhala Man Singh covered his retreat in a rearguard action. The Mewar troops were not chased in their retreat by Man Singh for which he was banished from the Mughal court for some time by Akbar.
Despite the reverse at Haldighati, Pratap continued his resistance against the Mughals through guerrilla warfare, and by the time of his death had regained much of his ancestral kingdom.
Background
After his accession to the throne, Akbar had steadily settled his relationship with most of the Rajput states, with the exception of Mewar, acknowledged as the leading state in Rajasthan.[11] The Rana of Mewar, who was also the head of the distinguished Sisodia clan, had refused to submit to the Mughal. This had led to the siege of Chittorgarh in 1568, during the reign of Udai Singh II, ending with the loss of a sizeable area of fertile territory in the eastern half of Mewar to the Mughals. When Rana Pratap succeeded his father on the throne of Mewar, Akbar dispatched a series of diplomatic embassies to him, entreating the Rajput king to become his vassal. Besides his desire to resolve this longstanding issue, Akbar wanted the woody and hilly terrain of Mewar under his control to secure lines of communication with Gujarat.[12]
The first emissary was Jalal Khan Qurchi, a favoured servant of Akbar, who was unsuccessful in his mission. Next, Akbar sent Man Singh of Amber (later, Jaipur), a fellow Rajput of the Kachhwa clan, whose fortunes had soared under the Mughals. But he too failed to convince Pratap. Raja Bhagwant Das was Akbar's third choice who too failed to prompt Pratap in a treaty. According to the Abul Fazl version, Pratap was swayed sufficiently to don a robe presented by Akbar and sent his young son, Amar Singh, to the Mughal court. However, this account of Abu-Fazal is a exaggeration as it is not corroborated even by the contemporary Persian chronicles, this account is not mentioned by Abd al-Qadir Badayuni and Nizamuddin Ahmad in their works. Further, In Tuzk-e-Jahangiri, Jahangir, stated that eldest son of Mewar king never visited the Mughal court prior to the treaty concluded in 1615 CE.[13]
A final emissary, Todar Mal, was sent to Mewar without any favourable outcome. With diplomacy having failed, war was inevitable.[12]
Prelude
Rana Pratap, who had been secure in the rock-fortress of Kumbhalgarh, set up his base in the town of Gogunda near Udaipur. Akbar deputed the Kachhwa, Man Singh, to battle with his clan's hereditary adversaries, the Sisodias of Mewar. Man Singh set up his base at Mandalgarh, where he mobilised his army and set out for Gogunda. Around 14 miles (23km) north of Gogunda lay the village of Khamnor, separated from Gogunda by a spur of the Aravalli Range called "Haldighati" for its rocks which, when crushed, produced bright yellow sand resembling turmeric powder (haldi). The Rana, who had been apprised of Man Singh's movements, was positioned at the entrance of the Haldighati pass, awaiting Man Singh and his forces.[lower-alpha 2][15]
Satish Chandra estimates that Man Singh's army consisted of 5,000–10,000 men, a figure which included both the Mughals and the Rajputs.[15]
According to Al Badayuni, who witnessed the battle, the Rana's army counted amongst its ranks 3,000 horsemen and around 400 Bhil archers led by Rana Punja, the Rajput chieftain of Panarwa. No infantry are mentioned. Man Singh's estimated forces numbered around 10,000 men. Of these, 4,000 were members of his own clan, the Kachhwas of Jaipur, 1,000 were other Hindu reserves, and 5,000 were Muslims of the Mughal imperial army.[citation needed]
Army formation
Rana Pratap's estimated 800-strong van was commanded by Hakim Khan Sur with his Afghans, Bhim Singh of Dodia, and Ramdas Rathor (son of Jaimal, who defended Chittor). The right-wing was approximately 500-strong and was led by Ramshah Tomar, the erstwhile king of Gwalior, and his three sons, accompanied by minister Bhama Shah and his brother Tarachand. The left-wing is estimated to have fielded 400 warriors, including Bida Jhala[lower-alpha 3] and his clansmen of Jhala. Pratap, astride his horse, led some 1,300 soldiers in the center. Bards, priests, and other civilians were also part of the formation and took part in the fighting. The Bhil bowmen brought up the rear.[citation needed]
The Mughals placed a contingent of 85 skirmishers on the front line, led by Sayyid Hashim of Barha. They were followed by the vanguard, which comprised a complement of Kachhwa Rajputs led by Jagannath, and Central Asian Mughals led by Bakhshi Ali Asaf Khan. A sizeable advance reserve led by Madho Singh Kachhwa came next, followed by Man Singh himself with the centre. The Mughal left wing was commanded by Mulla Qazi Khan (later known as Ghazi Khan) of Badakhshan and Rao Lonkarn of Sambhar and included the Shaikhzadas of Fatehpur Sikri, kinsmen of Salim Chisti. The strongest component of the imperial forces were stationed in the pivotal right wing, which comprised the Sayyids of Barha. Lastly, the rear guard under Mihtar Khan stood well behind the main army.[citation needed]
When army commingled with army They stirred up the resurrection-day upon earth. Two oceans of blood shocked together: The soil became tulip-coloured from the burning waves.
A depiction of the traditional account of the battle by the painter Chokha, c.1810– c.1820.[17]
Battle
The attack of the Rana led to the crumbling of the Mughal army's wings and centre. Abul Fazl says that the Mughal army was forced to retreat in the initial phase of the battle, however they soon rallied near a place called Rati-Talai (later called Rakt Talai).[18] Abul Fazl also says that this place was close to Khamnor while Badayuni says that the final battle took place at Gogunda.[18] The Mewar army followed the Mughals and attacked their left and right wings, the Mughal front broke but the reserves were able to hold the charge until Man Singh personally led the Imperial rear guard into the battle, he was followed by Mihtar Khan who started beating the kettle-drums and spread a rumour about the arrival of the Emperor's army reinforcements,[19][20] The Mughal musketeer line rifle barrage managed to break the charge of Mewari war elephants.[21]
This raised the morale of the Mughal army and turned the battle in their favour, while also disheartening the exhausted soldiers of the Rana's Army.[22] The Mewari soldiers starting deserting in large numbers after learning about the arrival of reinforcements and the Mewar nobles upon finding the day lost, prevailed upon the injured Rana to leave the battlefield.[22] A Jhala chieftain called Man Singh took the Rana's place and donned some of his royal emblems by which the Mughals mistook him for the Rana. Man Singh Jhala was eventually killed, however his act of bravery gave the Rana enough time to safely retreat.[18]
Casualties
There are different accounts of the casualties in the battle.
According to Abul Fazl and Nizamuddin Ahmed, 150 of the Mughals met their end, with another 350 wounded while the Mewar army lost 500 men.[23]
Badayuni says that 500 men were killed in the battle, of which 120 were Muslims.[23]
Later Rajasthani chroniclers have raised the casualties to 20,000 in order to emphasize the scale of the battle.[23]
There were Rajput soldiers on both sides. At one stage in the fierce struggle, Badayuni asked Asaf Khan how to distinguish between the friendly and enemy Rajputs. Asaf Khan replied, "Shoot at whomsoever you like, on whichever side they may be killed, it will be a gain to Islam."[24][25]K. S. Lal cited this example to estimate that Hindu soldiers died in large numbers for their Muslim lords in medieval India.[26]
Aftermath
Despite the victory in the battle, Man Singh did not allow the imperial army to chase the retreating Mewar troops and Pratap. According to historian Rima Hooja, this was done by Man Singh because of his personal respect for Pratap. However, Man Singh was reprimanded by Akbar for not capturing Pratap and was suspended from the Mughal court for sometime.[27][28][29] While Pratap was able to make a successful retreat, the Mughal troops captured his temporary capital Gogunda, albeit for a short time.[30] Subsequently, Akbar led a sustained campaign against the Rana, and soon most of the Mewar was under his control. Pressure was exerted by the Mughals upon the Rana's allies and other Rajput chiefs, and he was slowly but surely both geographically and politically isolated. The Mughals' focus shifted to other parts of the empire after 1585 CE, which allowed Pratap to recover much of his ancestral kingdom as attested by the contemporaneous epigraphic evidences, which included all 36 outpost of Mewar apart from Chittor and Mandalgarh which continue to remain under the Mughals.[31][32][33][34]
Reception
Contemporary
In a kāvya-narrative of the battle, Amrit Rai's biography of Man Singh asserts defeat of Rana Pratap.[35]
Modern
According to Satish Chandra, the battle of Haldighati was, at best, "an assertion of the principle of local independence" in a region prone to internecine warfare.[36] Honour was certainly involved; but it was of Maharana Pratap, not Rajput or Hindu honour.[37]
Hindu Nationalists in post-colonial India have been accused of trying to appropriate Rana Pratap's legacy as part of their efforts to promote their vision of Indian culture, way of life, and propagate a negationist reading, where he went on to win the battle.[38] Most mainstream historians including D. N. Jha, Tanuja Kothiyal, and Rima Hooja reject these attempts as ahistorical.[38][39][40]
Notes
↑ Badauni, an eyewitness of the battle, stated it was fought on 21 June 1576 near Gogunda
↑ Sarkar and a few other sources prefer to call the spur Haldighat rather than Haldighati.[14]
Sangram Singh I, commonly known as Rana Sanga, was the Rana of Mewar from 1508 to 1528 CE. A member of the Sisodia dynasty, he controlled parts of present-day Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh with his capital at Chittor. His reign was admired by several of his contemporaries, including the first Mughal Emperor Babur, who described him as the "greatest Indian ruler" of that time. The Mughal historian Abd al-Qadir Badayuni called Sanga the bravest of all Rajputs along with Prithviraj Chauhan also known as Rai Pithaura.
Pratap Singh I, popularly known as Maharana Pratap, was a king of Kingdom of Mewar, in north-western India in the present-day state of Rajasthan. He is notable for leading the Rajput resistance against the expansionist policy of the Mughal Emperor Akbar including the Battle of Haldighati and the Battle of Dewair.
Mirza RajaMan Singh I was the 24th Maharaja of Kingdom of Amber from 1589 to 1614. He also served as the Subahdar of Bengal for three terms from 1595 to 1606 and the Subahdar of Kabul from 1585 to 1586. He served in the Mughal Army under Emperor Akbar. Man Singh fought sixty-seven important battles in Kabul, Balkh, Bukhara, Bengal and Central and Southern India. He was well versed in the battle tactics of both the Rajputs as well as the Mughals. He is commonly considered to be one of the Navaratnas, or the nine (nava) gems (ratna) of the royal court of Akbar.
Gogunda is a town and tehsil headquarters of Gogunda Tehsil in Udaipur district, located about 35 km (22 mi) in north-west from Udaipur city in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is situated on a high mountain in Aravalli hills and is reached by crossing a difficult mountain pass.
The Kingdom of Amber, later known as the Jaipur State and also the Kingdom of Jaipur, was located in the north-eastern historic Dhundhar region of Rajputana and was ruled by the Kachwaha Rajput clan. It was established by Dulha Rai, possibly the last ruler of the Kachchhapaghata dynasty of Gwalior who migrated to Dausa and started his kingdom there with the support of Chahamanas of Shakambhari in the 12th century. Mostly through 12th to 15th century, the kingdom faced stagnation, sources were scarce. Under its ruler, Raja Chandrasen of Amber became a Sisodia vassal and fought in the Battle of Khanwa under Raja Prithviraj Kachhwaha.
Udai Singh II was the 12th Maharana of the Kingdom of Mewar and the founder of the city of Udaipur in the present-day state of Rajasthan, India. He was the fourth son of Rana Sanga and Rani Karnavati, a princess of Bundi.
Hakim Khan Sur An ethnic Pashtun, was a descendant of Sher Shah Suri and a general in Rana Pratap's army. He fought with him in the Battle of Haldighati and died in 1576. In Haldighati Battle, he commanded an army of Afghans who were against the rising power of Mughal Empire.
The Kingdom of Mewar was an independent kingdom that existed in the Rajputana region of the Indian subcontinent and later became a major power in medieval India. The kingdom was initially founded and ruled by the Guhila dynasty followed by the Sisodiya Dynasty. The kingdom came to be known as the Udaipur State after it became a princely state in the nineteenth century.
Kingdom of Marwar also known as Jodhpur State during the modern era, was a kingdom in the Marwar region from 1243 to 1818 and a princely state under British rule from 1818 to 1947. It was established in Pali by Rao Siha, possibly a migrant Gahadavala noble, in 1243. His successors continued to struggle against regional powers for domination and 9 out of 15 rulers till 1438 died in combat. In 1395, its capital was changed to Mandore by Rao Chunda of Mandore and to Jodhpur in 1459 by Rao Jodha.
Ramshah Tomar was the last Tomara Rajput king of Gwalior. Owing to his valour, Udai Singh married one of his daughter to Ramshah's son Shalivahan Singh Tomar.
The siege of Chittorgarh was the military expedition of the Mughal Empire under Akbar against the Mewar kingdom that commenced in 1567 during which the Mughals successfully captured the fort of Chittorgarh after a hard-pressed siege which lasted for several months.
The Mughal–Rajput wars were a series of battles between the Rajput Confederacy and the Mughal Empire. The conflicts originated with the invasion of northwestern India by the Mughal ruler Babur, to which the head of the Rajput confederacy, Rana Sanga, offered staunch resistance. The conflicts went on since 1526 for over 200 years, with the Mughals having the upper hand until the death of Aurangzeb in 1707, following which they entered a declining phase and the Rajputs gained the upper hand, with the last recorded conflict taking place in 1779.
Maharana Pratap: The First Freedom Fighter is an Indian epic film based on Maharana Pratap of Mewar .The film is directed and produced by Dr. Pradeep Kumawat from Udaipur, Rajasthan. It is the first time that a film has been made on the history of Maharana Pratap. The film's sound track includes one of the last songs sung by Late Jagjit Singh.
Maharana Amar Singh I, the Maharana ruler of Mewar Kingdom, was the eldest son and successor of Maharana Pratap I. He was the 14th Rana of Mewar, ruling from January 19, 1597 till his death on January 26, 1620.
Maharana Raj Singh I, was the Maharana of Mewar Kingdom and eldest son of Maharana Jagat Singh I. He fought against Mughal Empire and annexed many Mughal territories He participated in Rajput-Mughal War (1679–1707) and defeated the Mughals.
Banvir, also known as Banbeer was the ruler of Mewar Kingdom between 1536 and 1540. He was nephew of Rana Sanga, born to his brother Prithviraj and his cocunbine.
Shakti Singh Sisodia Mewar was the son of Maharana Udai Singh II Sisodia and Rani Sajja Bai Solanki. He was a Kshatriya Rajput and was younger brother of famous Maharana Pratap, He was also the eponymous founder of the Shaktawat clan of Sisodia Rajputs.
Shahbaz Khan's invasions of Mewar were expeditions into Mewar by the Mughal forces of Shahbaz Khan Kamboh. The expansion of the Mughal Empire was initiated during the reign of Akbar the Great. This was notably evident in the Battle of Haldighati, where the Mewar forces suffered a futile defeat, compelling Rana Pratap to retreat to the hills. In the aftermath, multiple expeditions were dispatched to Mewar under the leadership of Shahbaz Khan Kamboh, ultimately leading to the permanent pacification of important territories like Mandalgarh, Kumbhalgarh, Gogunda, and Chittorgarh. These successful conquests culminated in the assimilation of Mewar into the Mughal Empire in 1616.
The Mewar–Malwa conflicts were a series of wars between the Kingdom of Mewar and the Sultanate of Malwa. The conflict erupted due to mutual territorial expansion triggered by both sides on each other. The war was fought in the modern-day regions of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. The Rana branch of the Guhilas, following their successful recovery of the Rajput stronghold of Chittorgarh and the entire region of Mewar alongside Rajputana after the Battle of Singoli, embarked on an ambitious expansion at the cost of their neighboring kingdoms. On the other side, with the invasion of Timur, the Delhi Sultanate grew weak and many of its provinces gained independence which included Malwa, adjacent to Mewar.
↑ Ram Vallabh Somani 1976, p.230:"Several chiefs of Mewar lost their lives. Prominent among them were Netasingh, Dodiys Bhim, Sonagara Man, Rathor Ramdas, Sankardas, Tomar Ram Shah and his 3 sons, Hakim Khan Sur Rama Sandu etc"
↑ Ram Vallabh Somani 1976, p.229: "Madhosingh Kachhawa inflicted a wound on the Rana, who counter attacked and killed Bahlol Khan, a senior Mughal officer"
↑ Ram Vallabh Somani 1976, p.227:"The shelter of the Mughal centre, Kachhawa Jagnnath fought desperately and was about to fall but was rescued by the timely help of the Reserves sent under Kachhawa Madhosingh"
↑ Sharma, G.N. (1962). Mewar and the Mughal Emperors: 1526–1707 A. D. Shiva Lal Agarwala. p.98. Retrieved 20 June 2022. Qazi Khan, although he was but a Mulla, stood his gournd manfully, until receiving a similar blow on his right hand which wounded his thumb, being no longer able to hold his own, he receited (the saying) – Flight from overwhelming odds is one of the traditions of the Prophet and followed his men (in the retreat).
↑ Ram Vallabh Somani 1976, p.228:"The Shekh Zadas of Sikari fled away: An arrow struck Shah Mansur, who soon left the field"
↑ Ram Vallabh Somani 1976, p.223: "After settling the affairs of Rewaliya, a slave of Sher Khan and reducing Narayandas to extremities, Bhaga- wantdas paid a visit to Gogundah. Abu-lFazl records that the ‘Maharana sent his eldest son Amarsingh to the Mughal court and he himself begged excuse for his appearance" there. But his account is not worthy of credence. Badaoni, Nizamud-din Ahmad etc do not mention it, Jahangir in his Memoirs!” asserts that no eldest son of the ruler of Mewar had so for visited the Mughal court, before the settlement of 1615 A.D, Thus all these contemporary Mughal records lead us to believe that the account of Abw-l-Fazl is rather an exaggeration, The mission of Bhagawantdas totally failed"
↑ Lal, Studies in Medieval Indian History, pp.171–172.
↑ Lal, Kishori Saran (2012). Indian Muslims:Who Are They. New Delhi. ISBN978-8185990101.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) ch. 5. Factors Contributing to the Growth of Muslim Population.
↑ Rima Hooja 2006:"Following the victory for the Mughal side, it is believed that Prince Man Singh of Amber gave orders that the Mughal army was not to pursue the Maharana’s soldiers. This is attributed to the fact that Man Singh personally respected Maharana Pratap. Having defeated him in battle at the command of his emperor, Man Singh probably did not wish to further harass the ruler and troops of Mewar. For this, Man Singh incurred the eventual, albeit short-lived, displeasure of Akbar. Soon afterwards, Imperial forces occupied much of Mewar"
↑ Ram Vallabh Somani 1976, p.349: "During these years Akbar was engrossed in other affairs of his empire and found a new field for his ambition in the South, Pratap soon managed to recapture all the 86 important outposts of Mewar excluding Mandalgarh and hittor, Several copper plates, color phones of MSS and inscriptions coroborate this fact, A perusal of the copper plate!” of V.E, I644 (587 A.D.) of Rikhabdeva, the colo- phone of M.S, Gora Badal Qhopai! copied at Sadari (Godawar) in ‘V.E, I645 (688 A.D.), the copper plate of Pander’ (Jahazpur) dated V.E. 647 (590 A.D.) etc. all pertaining to his reign, prove that a considerable territory was regained by him, which he managed to enjoy throughout the latter part of his life"
Raghavan, T.C.A. (2018). Attendant Lords: Bairam Khan and Abdur Rahim, Courtiers and Poets in Mughal India. HarperCollins. Although most of the other Rajput rulers soon entered the Mughal alliance system, the kingdom of Mewar continued its resistance. Udai Singh was followed by his son, Pratap Singh, whose continued opposition to Mughal expansion – despite military defeats, most notably in the battle of Haldighati in 1576...
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