2019-05-09 Thu

The day of 9th May 1540 marked the birth of a great valorous king of Mewar who stood up and fought for his motherland.

Maharana Pratap was a ruler of Mewar who belonged to the Sisodia Clan of Rajput. The eldest son of Udai Singh, Maharana Pratap is widely regarded as a fearless warrior. He ascended the throne in 1572 and ruled for next 24 years.

When the Maharana Pratap came to the throne, the political scenario in India was dominated by the Mughals and nearly all the Rajput chiefs became the vassals of the Mughals. However, Rana Prata fought valiantly to save his kingdom from going to the hands of the Mughals.

Since no agreement could be reached at, all out war between Mewar and the Mughal became inevitable. The battle of Haldighati broke out between Rana Pratap and Akbar, on 18th June 1576. However, Akbar failed to establish his hold over Mewar.

After this war, Akbar tried several times to take over Mewar, failing each time. Maharana Pratap himself was keeping up his quest for taking Chittor back. However, the relentless attacks of the Mughal army had left his army weaker, and he barely had enough money to keep it going.

Maharana Pratap fought with the Mughals till his last breath. Rana Pratap Singh I, Mewar's greatest hero, was seriously injured in a hunting accident. He left his body at Chavand, aged 56, on January 29, 1597. He died fighting for his nation, for his people, and most importantly for his honour.

The government of India has released commemorative issues to honour this noble and great warrior of India. Stamps of INR0.15 and INR2.00 were issued in 1967 and 1998 respectively featuring a portrait of Maharana Pratap in the costume of a warrior. Besides, a commemorative coin of Rs2.00 and a proof coin of Rs 100 were issued in 2003 were also issued to honour this great son of India.

Click here to read more about the commemorative coin that was issued in 2003 honouring Mahrana Pratap.

Learn more about the hero of Marwar here.