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Resistance to Muslim Invasion:
The Role of Rana Pratap

Dr. M. V. Kamath

My dear Gauri,

I still haven't answered the question whether there was any effective Hindu resistance to the Muslim invaders. Of course, there was. In the north the Rajputs offered stiff resistance. In the south first the great Vijayanagar Empire and later the great Maratha leader Shivaji were to fight Muslim rule and often with success. Among the Rajput kings the name of Rana Pratap comes above everyone else.

Rana Pratap belonged to the Sisodia clan which ruled over Mewar. He was a proud prince who would never submit to Akbar. Some Rajput princes such as those of Marwar, Amber, Bikaner and Bundi had succumbed to Akbar's blandishments, but not Rana Pratap, who had ascended the throne in 1572. Try as Akbar could, he could not bring the brave Rana Pratap to his knees. The British historian of the Rajputs was to write that "single-handed for a quarter of a century did he [Rana Pratap] withstand the combined efforts of the [Mughal] empire, at one time carrying destruction to the plains, at another flying from rock to rock, feeding his family from the fruits of his native hills and rearing the nursling Amar here, amidst savage beasts and scarcely less savage men, a fit heir to his prowess and revenge".

Akbar sent his loyal Rajput general Man Singh of Amber to fight Rana Pratap. In the Battle of Haldighat or Gogunda (June 1576), Rana Pratap was defeated and he had to leave the scene of battle on his faithful horse, Chetak. The historian Bada-uni who was a witness to the battle that raged from early morning till midday of 21June 1576 later stated that the valour of the Rajputs under Rana Pratap was of no use against a superior Mughal force "with numerous field artillery” and a corps of camels on which moving guns had been mounted.

Rana Pratap's strongholds fell one after another, but he continued the unequal fight from the mountainous regions. It was said that during all these years the fertile tracts of Mewar were bechirag-without lights. Every part of the Aravalli hills had been laid with traps by followers of Rana Pratap. A warning had been sent to all people that support to the Mughals would be considered an act of treachery punishable with instant death. Villagers would set fire to their own stocks of grain rather than let them fall into the hands of the Mughal soldiers. At times even the wells were poisoned so that their water became undrinkable. Such was the patriotism of the people.

Akbar was determined to overthrow the Rana and he again sent a considerable force to fight him under the leadership of an able general called Shahbaz Khan. Two attempts on the part of Shahbaz Khan were of no avail. Whatever land was occupied by him would be retaken by the Rana. Indeed, before his death, in 1597, the Rana had recovered all his territory, some 6000 square miles except Chittor, Ajmer and Mandalgarh.

Those were chivalrous times, when Hindu rulers respected womanhood. Once, when his son Amar captured an enemy convoy in a daring move and, along with it, a part of the Mughal general's harem, Rana Pratap was visibly angered. He summoned his son and gave him a dressing down. He told Amar:

The honour of women is dear to us. On this noble plank is built the edifice of the Rajput code of conduct. Jauhar is no mere self-immolation; it is a symbol of woman's identification with the Divine spirit. To lay hands on women is to denounce God and also to contravene the tradition of chivalry we are justly proud of. Never again, my son, should you be guilty of such a lapse....

It is said that when this news reached Akbar he was so moved that he himself issued a proclamation that in future no harm should come to Rajput women at the hands of Mughal soldiers.

Once when false news was circulated that Rana Pratap had agreed to accept Akbar as his emperor, a Rajput prince, Prithviraj, wrote to the Rana whether what he heard was true. To Prithviraj, Rana Pratap replied:

Pratap swears by Lord Eklinga that he would always call the Emperor a Turk and nothing but a Turk and the sun would continue to rise in the East. You may continue to walk the earth proudly for as long as Pratap's sword dangles on the Mughal's head. Pratap would consider himself unworthy of the blood of Maharana Sangram Singh if he were to surrender to his rival and equal Akbar.

Rana Pratap died in 1597 in a lowly hut surrounded by his chiefs. As he lay dying, Pratap asked his chiefs to take a pledge that they would not indulge in any type of luxury for as long as the freedom of Mewar was threatened by the Mughals. The pledge was given.

It is said that the news of Pratap's passing away saddened Akbar and tears rolled down his cheeks. Later Akbar told Abdur Rahim, a noble, "Pratap's chivalry was as inspiring as his wounds. They both smacked of honour and patriotism".

In my next letter I shall write to you about the Rajput way of life and their indomitable courage.

Your Loving

Ajja