What changes Rani Ahilyabai Holkar made in her kingdom?

Hello reader friends, how are you all. Welcome to Gaurav Sangrah. I hope everyone is having fun and being healthy. In today's article about Indian History we are going to talk about a brave intelligent woman freedom fighter, Rani Ahilyabai Holkar:

• whom despite belonging to a modest family, she attained the title of queen.
• who protected her kingdom with cunning and intelligence.
• who rebuilt many temples destroyed by the Mughals.

So today let's get information about such a heroic Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore.

Rani Ahilyabai Holkar

Who was Rani Ahilyabai Holkar ?

Her full name was Ahilyabai Sahiba Holkar. She was the queen of Malwa province. She was born on 31 May 1725 in Chondi village of Maharashtra to Mankoji Shinde. Mankoji Shinde was working as a Patil (Mukhaya) of Chondi village. At that time, women's education was not given much importance but Mankoji Shinde taught Ahlya to read and write at home. Ahilyabai was married to Khanderao Holkar when she was 9 years old. Ahilyabai's father-in-law Malhar Rao was the king of Malwa at that time.

How did Ahilya enter the big royal family from a modest family?

Malhar Rao was the ruler of Indore at that time. When Malhar Rao was going to Pune from Indore on some business, Malhar Rao stopped at Chondi village for rest. Then Malhar Rao saw a girl who was 9 years old performing puja in the temple. 

Worshiping God

That girl was Ahilyabai. Malhar Rao was pleased with Ahilyabai seeing her devotion to God and serene nature and married his son Khanderao to Ahilyabai. This is how Ahilyabai Holkar became a royal member from a simple family.

How did Rani Ahilyabai got the throne?

The Mughals were trying to take over the rule of the Marathas at that time. Meanwhile, Ahilyabai's husband Khanderao Sindhia were besiedged and killed in battle of Kumher. Ahilyabai was ready to being sati after the death of her husband. Then father-in-law Malhar Rao stopped Ahilyabai from being sati.

Ahilyabai had a lot of support from her father-in-law Malhar Rao, considering her as a daughter. But soon her father-in-law Malhar Rao also died. With the death of Malhar Rao, Ahilyabai was also deprived of her father-in-law, who was her greatest support. Now Ahilyabai placed her son Malerao Holkar on the throne. But Malerao Holkar also died due to some reason within a year. In such circumstances Ahilyabai Holkar herself accepted the throne and protected the throne.

How did Rani Ahilyabai protected her throne?

Raghobadada, the enemy of Malwa, comes to know that a woman is ruling Malwa so he set out to invade Malwa. Rani Ahilyabai comes to know that the enemy of Malwa Raghobadada is advancing from the Siprara River to invade Malwa.

Rani Ahilyabai then writes a letter to Raghobadada saying that if she lose this battle, people will not say anything but if you lose, your name will be gone and you will be laughed at, so think before you move any further. When Raghobadada informs about Malwa, he came to know that Rani Ahilyabai is allied with the neighboring kingdom and the Peshwa. Knowing this he felt embarrassed and tells Rani Ahilyabai that he is not coming to fight he is coming to mourn your son. Thus Rani Ahilyabai protected the throne.

What changes did Rani Ahilyabai Holkar made in her kingdom?

Rani Ahilyabai Holkar builted:

1. many forts in Malwa during her reign.
2. constructed roads and ferries,
3. built temples and ashrams,
4. ponds and wells were dug,
5. Kasi Vishwanath Temple which was destroyed by Aurangzeb was rebuilt by her.

well construction

Similarly, the work of the temples from the Himalayas to South India, which were incomplete, was resumed.

• Somnath, Ayodhya,
• Haridwar, Gaya,
• Anvati, Dwarka,
• Rameshwar, Kanchi,
• Badrinarayan, Mathura,

The work of such temples was started. Rani Ahilyabai transformed Indore from a village to a city.

How did Rani Ahilyabai increased prosperity of her state ?

After the death of father-in-law, husband and son, Rani Ahilyabai left Indore and came back to Maheshwari. Rani Ahilyabai came to Maheshwari and was managing her kingdom very well. People were freed from the fear of bandit robbers while coming through the forest. Rani Ahilyabai married her daughter Muktabai to the brave young man Yashwantrao Phanse. In Malwa, there was peace in the state due to the cessation of looting during the rule of Rani Ahilyabai and thus prosperity was increased in the state.

Conclusion:

In this article we find that Rani Ahilyabai's father-in-law was leading a front away from the kingdom. Then Rani Ahilyabai was handled the state due to her skills. She also helped widows to claim their husbands right and adopt sons. She made Tukojirao a general in her army and on 13 August 1795 she died in India.

In Indore even today we have the name of Rani Ahilyabai as:

• university,
• office,
• an international airport. 

So readers, how did you like the history of  Rani Ahilyabai Holkar? What did you find interesting in this article? Which paragraph is your favorite in this one? If you like to say something feel free to tell in comment section.

Thank you very much for reading this article till the end.

If you liked reading the article do share it with your friends and family.

We will come back very soon in another article with another such women freedom fighter of Indian History, till then take care and keep reading Gaurav Sangrah.

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How did Rani Tarabai Bhonsle saved the Maratha dynasty ?

Hello readers, how are you all ? I hope everyone is having fun and staying healthy. Today we are going to talk about a warrior woman freedom fighter, Rani Tarabai Bhonsle

• who saved the Maratha Empire from the Mughals in India.
• who buried Aurangzeb's intention to conquer the south in a dream.
• who belonged to the family of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
• who revealed his lineage at the right time.

So let us discuss the life and achievements of such a heroic queen Tarabai Bhonsle.

Rani Tarabai Bhonsle

Who was Rani Tarabai Bhonsle ?

Rani Tarabai Bhonsale was born on 14 April 1675 to Hambirrao Mohite, a general of the Maratha Empire. Tarabai had been watching the Mughals since childhood. Her father gave all the knowledge she should have as a general's daughter like horse riding, swordsmanship, archery, etc. Also she was very skilled in economics. Along with diplomacy, soldiers were also adept in the art of determining tactics. She was married to Rajaram when she was eight years old.

How was Rani Tarabai included in the family of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj?

Hambirao Mohite was the general of the Maratha Empire. At that time the ruler of the Maratha Empire was Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. So Shivaji Maharaj married his younger son Rajaram (who was also known as Rajaram Bhonsle II) to Hambirao Mohite's daughter Tarabai. Rajaram was the son of Shivaji Maharaj's second wife Soyrabai. So Tarabai became the daughter-in-law of Shivaji Maharaj.

How did Tarabai escaped with Rajaram from Raigarh fort?

escaping from fort

After the death of Shivaji Maharaj, the throne was managed by Shivaji Maharaj's elder son Sambhaji. But the Mughals attacked the fort of Raigarh and killed Sambhaji treacherously. Sambhaji's wife Yasubain and son Shahu were captured and imprisoned. At that time Tarabai and Rajaram escaped from the fort of Raigarh by changing their disguises to escape from the Mughals.

How did Tarabai rule Satara?

Since the forts of Raigarh were under the possession of the Mughals, Rajaram came to Satara and took over the Maratha Empire. Satara was established as the capital by Rajaram. He died of a sudden heart attack while taking over the Maratha Empire. The throne of Satara could not be kept vacant so Tarabai declared her son Shivaji II as the king. But Shivaji II was too young to assume the throne so she declared her son as king and ruled as queen herself.

How did Rani Tarabai drive Aurangzeb out of Maratha Empire?

Aurangzeb came to know that the Maratha Empire in the south was not ruled by a male king but was ruled by a widow. So Aurangzeb was trying to expand his empire towards the south. Aurangzeb considered Rani Tarabai as a weak woman. He was moving south to invade. At that time, Rani Tarabai used to get information from Aurangzeb's soldiers by trickery and got information about Aurangzeb's strategy. So she was easily able to defeat Aurangzeb in battle. Thus Rani Tarabai regained her lost fort. Rani Tarabai managed to rule the Maratha Empire for 25 years.

Queen Tarabai Bhonsle

When was Rani Tarabai's rule of the Maratha Empire threatened ?

Aurangzeb made occasional incursions towards the south but met with failure. He died of old age and his dream of conquering the south remained unfulfilled. He could not rule the Marathas. Aurangzeb's son had released Sambhaji's son Shahu from imprisonment to create strife in Queen Tarabai's family. So Shahu sought his right from Rani Tarabai and it was the same. After being released from prison, Shahu told Queen Tarabai that he was the de facto heir to the throne. But Rani Tarabai refused to hand over the throne to Shahu.

How did Rani Tarabai saved the Maratha dynasty ?

Over time, Shahu Maharaj's health was deteriorating day by day. Rani Tarabai was getting worried. Because Shahu Maharaj had no children of his own if he died, the end of Maratha swaraj was certain, so the throne of Satara needed an heir. Now seeing the time, Rani Tarabai revealed to Shahu Maharaj that Shivaji II's son Ramaraja who is alive.

Rani Tarabai kept Ramaraja hidden to protect him from enemies. A soldier's family was entrusted to Ramaraja for his upbringing. Shahu Maharaj accepted Shivaji II's son Ramaraja as his heir. Before his death, Shahu Maharaj proclaimed Ramaraja as the king of the Maratha Empire in India.

Conclusion:

In this article we get to know how Rani Tarabai Bhonsal saved the Maratha Empire by keeping Ramaraja hidden. If Shivaji II's son Ramaraja would have being killed, the Maratha empire would have ended. Rani Tarabai already had the enthusiasm to learn something new. She used to learn tactics from enemies too. If necessary, she used to attack the enemies through diplomacy as well.

So Rani Tarabai Bhonsale died in Satara on 9 December 1761 at the age of 86. Such was the heroic queen Tarabai Bhonsle who sustained the Maratha Empire in Indian History.

So, readers, how did you like this article? What did you learn in this article? What is your favorite paragraph in this? If you wish to say something about this article you can tell in the comment section below.

Thank you very much for reading this article till the end.

If you liked the article, do share it with your family and friends.

We will come back very soon in another article with such women freedom fighter of Indian History, till then take care.

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How did Guru Gobind Singh establish the Khalsa Panth?

Hello to all my readers! I hope you all happy and healthy. Today in this article we are going to talk about the pride of Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh:

• whose all family members from young to old along with him, sacrificed for the protection of religion.
• whose team of 40 Sikhs defeated 10 lakh Mughals in a battle by one of his orders.
• who have established Khalsa Panth.

Let us get some information about such a great Guru Gobind Singh in this article.

Guru Gobind Singh

Who was Guru Gobind Singh ?

Guru Govindaray, the guru of Sikhs were born in 1669 in Patna to Guru Bahadur and Gujridevi. From the time Govindaray was four years old, he was taking training like horse riding, sword fighting along with weaponary studies. They also knew languages ​​like Sanskrit, Persian, Punjabi, Arabic. Staying with his father, they used to understand the interests of the people and also expressed their thoughts.

So from the day Govindaray was made the 10th Guru of the Sikhs at the age of 9, Govindaray's name was changed to Guru Gobind Singh. They were the last Guru of the Sikhs and there was no other living Guru after them. Guru Gobind's four sons sacrificed their life for the country, their names were:

1. Ajit Singh
2. Juzar Singh
3. Zorawar Singh
4. Fateh Singh

How was Guru Gobind Singh's father martyred?

During Aurangzeb's reign in India, Guru Bahadur was the ninth Sikh Guru in Indian History. Aurangzeb was oppressing people in India a lot. He ordered the demolition of all Hindu temples through his subedars. People were forced to convert to Islam. So the Pandits of Kashmir were disturbed by Aurangzeb's atrocities. Aggrieved by Aurangzeb's atrocities, Pandits went to Guru Bahadur and complained to Aurangzeb.

Then Guru Bahadur told the Pandits that they should tell Aurangzeb that if their Guru accepts Islam then they will also accept Islam. As soon as he came to know about this, Aurangzeb called Guru Bahadur in the court and asked him to accept Islam. But when Guru Bahadur flatly refused to accept Islam, Aurangzeb mercilessly killed Guru Bahadur. Guru Bahadur sacrificed himself to free the people from Aurangzeb's torture.

How did Guru Gobind Singh establish the Khalsa Panth?

Guru Gobind called a meeting of the Sikhs in Anandpur on the day of Baisakhi. Guru Gobind called five faithful Sikhs from his assembly and gave them holy water and declared them Panjpyar. And in the Tej Sabha Guru Gobind founded the Khalsa Panth. Guru Gobind said to carry five things with the letter "K" as a symbol of Khalsa Panth.

1. Kesh (hair) - Don't cut God given hair
2. Kanga (comb) – For keeping the hair clean
3. Kirpan (a small knife or sword) - for self protection
4. Kacchera (shorts) - It should be of cotton
5. Kada (a wrist band) – should be made of metal

These five things Guru Gobind asked the Sikhs to keep with them are the identity of the Sikhs.

How was the defeat of the Mughals at Anandpur?

Guru Gobind defeated the Mughals in many battles and kept them Mughals under their control. So Aurangzebe surrounded Anandpur from all sides with the intention of capturing Guru Gobind. But Aurangzeb did not have the courage to enter Anandpur and capture Guru Gobind.

So Aurangzeb sat outside for 6 months waiting for Guru Gobind to come out if the grain and water ran out in Anandpur. When the grain and water ran out, Guru Gobind left Anandpur with his men in the dark of night, hailing Aurangzeb as he went and the burning tourches were extinguished by shooting arrows so that Aurangzeb's soldiers could not see anything in the dark and could not pursue.

  

How was Guru Gobind Singh's family separated?

Leaving Anandpur, Guru Gobind along with his group was going to cross the Shirsha river and go towards the opposite direction. But at that time there was a big flood in the river so not all people could cross the river in the dark. But there was no other option but to cross the river as Aurangzeb's army was coming from behind.

Shirsha River

So everyone thought it was safe to cross the river and started to cross the river, but the flow of water in the river was so high that most of the people got stuck in the water. When Guru Gobind crossed the river, only 40 Sikhs were left with him in the flood. As the water in the river was high, many people were trapped in the flood and that day was also the shortest day of the year. Guru Gobind's two sons and wife were also separated in the flow of this river.

How did the 40 Sikhs fall heavily on the 10 lakh Mughals in the Battle of Chamkaur?

Guru Gobind crosses the river to the hill fort at Chamkaur. After some time, as the water in the river recedes, the Mughal soldiers also cross the river and reach Chamkaur. There, Aurangzeb learns that only 40 Sikhs are with Gobind Singh, so he his 10 lakh soldiers to Chamkaur to attack Gobind Singh. When Gobind Singh and his companions learn that 10 lakh Mughals are coming to invade, Gobind Singh's companions ask them to leave with their two sons.

Battle of Chamkaur

Then Guru Govind said that not only these two are my children, but you are all my children I will not run away from the field alone and we will all face the Mughals. Encourages the Sikhs by saying "one Sikh is equal to a quarter of a lakh" and sends five Sikhs to fight with his brother Uday Singh. Uday Singh and five Sikhs kill thousands of Mughal soldiers but Uday Singh dies in the battle. Then the elder son Ajit Singh goes to fight with five Sikhs on his father's orders and they also fight so fiercely that they kill lakhs of soldiers and with five Sikhs he also got martyred.

Seeing the Sikhs fighting, the Mughals realized that there were not 40 Sikhs in the fort but millions of men. Guru Gobind's second son Jujarsihan, who was about 13 years old, also went to war after seeing his brother Ajit Singh and he too fell heavily on the Mughals and achieved heroism by killing thousands of soldiers. Finally the Mughals manage to enter the fort and when they look inside, there is no one inside from where Guru Gobind Singh has left.

How were the sons of Guru Gobind Singh martyred?

Guru Gobind's two late sons, aged about 16 and 13, were martyred in the Battle of Chamkaur and two sons aged 9 and 6 who dragged in the waters of the Shirsha river were taken captive by Aurangzeb. He asked both sons to convert to Islam but both sons refused. So both the sons were embedded alive on the stone wall. When Gobind Singh comes to know about this he says "Tera tujko arpan" which means your dedication to you.

Conclusion:

Nawab Wazir Khan sent two Pathans Jamsher Khan and Wasil Khan to kill Guru Gobind. Jamsher Khan stabbed Guru Gobind in the chest with his sword. The attack was fatal so treatment was given with European medicines but after a while the bleeding started again.

Then Guru Gobind Singh knew that the end time had come so he called the Subedars and said that from today Guru Granth Sahib will sit on the throne of this Guru and he sank into trance in 1708. And thus the bravery of this independent army of India never bowed down to the Mughals in his life.

So here I would like to conclude my article on Guru Gobind Singh. What are your views on the article of such Freedom Fighter, if you like something to add upon it feel free to comment in the comment section.

If you like the article, do share it with your family and friends.

Thank you very much for reading this article of till the end.

We will come back very soon in another article with such Freedom Fighter of Indian History, till then take care.

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Why Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj escape through sweet boxes?

Hello readers, how are you all? Hope everyone is having fun and staying healthy. Welcome to Gaurav Sangrah Today we are going to get information about a very special personality among Freedom Fighters, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj

• who contributed a lot for the freedom of India from Mughals in Indian History.
• who had sword of Bhavani's mother.
• who use to kill the Mughals with the claws of a tiger.
• who never bowed down to the Mughals.

So let us begin the story of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj

Who was Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj ?

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was born on 19 February 1630 at Shivneri Fort, Puna, Maharashtra. Many people believe that Shivaji is named after Lord Shiva but it is not. His mother Jijabai named Shivaji after her clan goddess Shivaimata. Shivaji's father, Shahji Bhonsle, was mostly absent due to state affairs so Shivaji's mother Jijabai and his guru (mentor) Dadu Kothe educated Shivaji Maharaj.

Shivaji's mother Jijabai used to narrate mythological stories like Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagavad Gita to Shivaji since childhood. His guru Dadu Kothe taught Shivaji tactics, ethics, horse riding, archery, marksmanship etc. Seeing the brutality of the Mughals, Shivaji vowed to establish self-government at the age of 15 years. At the age of 16, Shivaji formed his army with his friends and invaded the fort of Tornak and conquered the fort.

Why Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj escape through sweet boxes?

A conspiracy was hatched by Aurangzeb to kill Chhatrapati Shivaji. Aurangzeb wrote a letter and invited Shivaji to his court but Shivaji did not wanted to go Agra. Shivaji knew that Aurangzeb was not as upright as he appeared. He was making plan against Shivaji. Shivaji's friend Jai Singh promised Shivaji that he will take the responsibility of sending him back happily. Jai Singh use to work under Aurangzeb.

Shivaji Maharaj was ready to go to Agra with his son Shambhaji. When he reaches Agra, he was not welcomed. At that time, Shivaji was somewhat aware of the plot. But when he reached Aurangzeb's court and Aurangzeb ignored the gift, Shivaji realized that he had been taken prisoner. Aurangzeb placed Shivaji under house arrest in a mansion, where Jai Singh's son Ramsingh was entrusted with the responsibility of looking after Shivaji.

Shivaji Maharaj Escape

Shivaji was also clever. He feigned illness and stopped going out of the palace. Day by day he started getting sicker and started pretending that he could not get up from the bed. So Shivaji called Ramsingh and said that he wanted to give sweets to the Brahmins and the poor so that with the blessings of those people I may recover quickly. Ramsingh ordered big boxes of sweets from the palace. Shivaji and his son Shambhaji sat in the boxes of sweets and left Agra. Ram Singh (son of Shivaji's friend Jai Singh) was also involved in Shivaji Maharaj's plan.

Why was Shivaji Maharaj known as Mountain Rat?

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was also called 'Mountain Rat'. Shivaji Maharaj knew his field very well. They used to climb the mountains easily, attack the enemy suddenly and get far ahead on the other side of the mountain pass. Enemies pursued Shivaji and stayed back on the mountain. Shivaji Maharaj used to move from one mountain to another like a rat making overnight rates.

attack on soldiers

Shivaji Maharaj was of kind nature. Shivaji used to include the person who surrendered to Shivaji in his group. Since that person also had knowledge of the surrounding areas, it was easy for Shivaji to climb the mountains. Hence the British used to contemptuously call Shivaji Maharaj the mountain rat. Shivaji was also known as Guerrilla war Policy (Raid war) because of his sudden attack on the enemy.

Why is Shivaji Maharaj known as the Father of Indian Navy?

Shivaji Maharaj thought logically to protect his territory. He established a navy to protect the sea area from Arabs, Portuguese, British, sea pirates. He sent some of his trusted men to foreign to learn the technique of building sea vessels from their engineers. A commanding and disciplined navy including 200 warships was organized. The Navy was started to protect the sea area from Bhiwandi to Goa.

How did Shivaji Maharaj kill Afzal Khan?

Chhatrapati Shivaji would suddenly come out of the forests and attack the enemies, so the enemies used to plan to kill Shivaji. Once Afzal Khan planned to kill Shivaji. Afzal Khan wrote to Shivaji and invited him to meet him.

Shivaji understood that this was some trick of the treacherous Afzal Khan, so Shivaji wrote a counter letter to Afzal Khan and said that if he wants to meet, he will come but he have to come to the location which Shivaji says. Afzal Khan was all set to kill Shivaji so he came to meet Shivaji at the place Shivaji told him.

Afzal Khan, who is seven feet tall, strong, with a huge body, comes and hugs Shivaji. Shivaji was also clever before coming to meet Afzal Khan wearing a metal armor inside his clothes and a weapon like tiger claws in his fingers so as not to be seen. As Afzal Khan pressed Shivaji's body tight, Shivaji attacked Afzal Khan with his weapon in hand and killed Afzal Khan.

Names of forts conquered by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj?

Shivaji Maharaj used to rule over 370 forts. But the Mughals captured some of the forts of Shivaji Maharaj. By invading the Mughals, Shivaji recovered some of his forts.

Names of some forts are:

1. Sinhgarh
2. Shivneri
3. Sindhudurg
4. Pratapgarh
5. Torna
6. Raigad
7. Vijayaduga
8. Rajgarh, and many more

What are the causes of Shivaji Maharaj's death?

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj died on 4 April 1680 in India. If we go by Gujarati month, he died on Chaitra Punam Sunday in 1902. In the matter of Shivaji Maharaj's death, there are many theories behind this. Sages believed that Shivaji Maharaj used to ride a horse for fifteen to sixteen hours day and night. Some believed that Shivaji's third wife, Soyrabai, poisoned Shivaji Maharaj to give the throne to her child and some people also say that Shivaji Maharaj died due to severe fever for 12 days.

Conclusion:

Here I would like to conclude my article. In this article we have seen that Shivaji use to deal with his enemies, how much fast he was in solving problems, how many forts he had won and much more. We have got a lot of information about the life of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

So, readers, how did you like the history of our Freedom Fighter Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj? What did you learn from this article? Which is your favorite paragraph in this article? If you wish to add something in the article then you can tell in the comment section below.

Thank you very much for reading this article till the end.

If you enjoyed reading this article, do share it with your family, friends and colleagues.

We will come back very soon in another article with such interesting information of Indian history, till then take care and keep on reading Gaurav Sangrah.

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How much weight do Maharana Pratap wear during the war?

Hello Reader friends! how are you all ? I hope you all are healthy and happy. Today in this article we are going to know about Maharana Pratap who has written his name in golden letters in Indian History among Ancient Indian Kings:

• who fought many battles carrying lots of weight on his body.
• whose vehicle was faster than the wind.
• who regained the forts taken by the Mughals while staying in the forests.
• despite being a king, he lived in the forest and won battles by eating grass bread.

Let us get some information about the life of a great Maharana Pratap in this article.

Maharana Pratap

Who was Maharana Pratap ?

Maharana Pratap was born on 9 May 1540 in Kumbhalgarh Fort in the Sisodia dynasty of Mewar, Rajasthan. His father's name was Uday Singh and mother's name was Jaivantabai. Maharana Uday Singh had 33 children out of which the eldest son was Maharana Pratap.

At the time when Pratap was born, his eyes were as bright as a hawk's that can detect enemies. Whose body was so strong that it can overwhelm enemies. Maharana Uday Singh was very moved to hear the joy of the child by the maid. So Maharana named the child Pratap after seeing the glow on the child's face.

What was Maharana Pratap's childhood like?

Pratap's mother Jaivantabai used to tell stories of Ramayana, Mahabharata wars from his childhood, so that Pratap becomes heroic, tolerant, fearless from childhood and a kind of passion to defeat enemies is generated in him. Even today people remember the heroism of his grandfather Ranasanga, saying Jaivantabai to Pratap. She says that his  great-grandfather Bapa Rawal, whose bravery foreigners did not dare to raise their eyes to the land of India for 400 years.

In due course, Pratap was sent to Gurukul to gain education. In Gurukul, Pratap used to study very hard. There was always an exuberance, enthusiasm for learning in him. He was always trying to learn something new. Whenever Pratap spent time in Gurukul, he used to go out to meet Bhil caste people. Pratap had great feelings for the Bhils. From childhood, Pratap was learning to shoot arrows and spears from Bhils.

People of Bhil caste called baby Pratap as Kika (Kika means son). Seeing Pratap's way of walking and talking, the people of Bhils say that one day Pratap will become a great king. They considered Pratap as a king from his childhood. Pratap also loved going to blacksmiths because he was learning to make weapons from them. If any Mughal army was passing through Mewar, Maharana Pratap used to drive away the Mughals by carrying a small catapult (also known as gulel in hindi) in his childhood.

How much weight do Maharana Pratap wear during the war?

Strong like a tiger, Maharana Pratap was 7 feet 5 inches tall. When Maharana Pratap rode out on horse to fight, the earth trembled, a different kind of atmosphere prevailed.

It is said that Maharana Pratap used to carry 300 to 360 kg weight with him when he went to fight.

• Maharana Pratap's own weight was 110 kg.
• The weight of his spear is 80 kg,
• Weight of the armor is 72 kg,
• The weight of the shoe is 5 kg, and
• he used to keep 2 swords for fighting.

Maharana Pratap had one special characteristic. If the enemy came forward and the enemy had no weapon, Maharana Pratap would fight with the enemy by giving one of his swords to the enemy. He would never fight an unarmed enemy.

Under what circumstances was the coronation of Maharana Pratap done?

Rani Dhirbai was Pratap's stepmother. The throne is handed over to the eldest son only, but on the advice of Dhirbai, it was decided to make Dhirbai's son Jagmal the king. Out of respect for his father, Pratap agreed to hand over the throne to his younger brother Jagmal but chieftains and people believed Pratap as king.

Maharana Pratap used to rule in the hearts of the people. As time passed, Maharana Uday Singh's health deteriorated and he died. The people of Mewar along with Pratap were present at the funeral of Maharana Uday Singh but Jagmal was not present. Jagmal wanted the throne so at the time of his father's funeral he was preparing his coronation.

The people felt very angry hearing about this. The people refused to recognize Jagmal as king and Pratap was coronated with blood on Gogunda Mountain immediately after Maharana Uday Singh's funeral. 

After Pratap was made Rana, Pratap and the chiefs proceeded towards Kumbhalgarh. As soon as Jagmal heard that Pratap was coming to Kumbhalgarh with the army, he left the palace and fled to Akbar. After that Pratap was officially coronated in the palace. Maharana Pratap was the 13th king of Mewar and he was 28 years old at that time.

What did Maharana Pratap pledge?

All the Rajput dynasties including Gogunda and Bundi had accepted Akbar's surrender but Maharana Pratap would never bow down to Akbar. It was Maharana Pratap's dream to free Chitod from the clutches of Akbar. So Maharana Pratap had vowed that until Chittor is back in his possession, he will not stay in the palace but stay in the forests and attack Akbar with the army.

He use to eat in leaves instead of silver plate, He spent his days lying on a stone, eating grass leaves instead of delicious food. In 1568, before Pratap became king, the Mughals captured Chittor, the capital of Mewar. As soon as Maharana Pratap assumed the throne, he called a meeting and started preparations to face Akbar.

Maharana Pratap ordered to burn standing crops so that Akbar's army should not get food. Garbage was thrown in all the wells between Chittor and Udaipur so that the well water would not be fit to drink for the Mughal army.

Who was Chetak?

Chetak

Pratap bought the horse from a merchant of Kathiawar. The horse was tall in appearance, watery bright and blue in color. That horse was very dear to Maharana Pratap. That horse was named Chetak. Pratap loved the horse like his own son.

How did Rajputs fought against Mughal in Battle of Haldighati?

One day the Battle of Haldighati took place and the Rajputs fell heavily on Akbar's army. In the war, only 20 thousand Rajputs of Maharana Pratap faced 80 thousand Mughal soldiers. A very vigorous war was going on between the two. Rajputs had destroyed many enemies in sight. So when the Mughal army started fleeing from the battlefield, the Mughal general Mansingh came and said that Akbar is coming to the field.

Battle Of Haldighati

At that time, Maharana Pratap appeared on the battlefield on horse. Akbar's soldiers had heard the name of Maharana Pratap but saw him for the first time. On the battlefield, the Maharana reached the place where Mansingh was fighting on an elephant, wounding the enemies.

Maharana Pratap approached Mansingh and pulled Chetak's reins to jump on Mansingh's elephant and at the same time the he threw his spear at Mansingh. Mansingh managed to duck down so he was saved but Aerawat (the who controls elephant) was struck by a spear and was killed.

How did Chetak saved life of Maharana Pratap in that Battle of Haldighati ?

Chetak's front leg was cut off by Mansingh's sword tied to his elephant's trunk. There were many wounds on the Maharana's body, his body was bloody and his leg was also injured. So Rana's chief Jhala said that since his leg has been shot, poison will spread in the body, so he need to get medicine.

Chetak was badly injured in the war and was not in a condition to fight further. So he gave the command of the army to Jhala and went to up to the hill. The Mughals went after the Rana to capture the him. Leaving behind the Mughals in pursuit, Chetak ran for 5 kilometers, to cross a big valley, Chetak jumped 22 feet long with all his strength and saved Maharana Pratap.

Injured Chetak was very tired and falls unconscious on the ground. The valley could not be crossed by the Mughals. Seeing Chetak unconscious on the ground, Maharana Pratap's eyes watered. Chetak loses his life there. In the battle of Haldighati, Chetak saved the life of Maharana Pratap by showing loyalty, valor and devotion to his lord. Maharana Pratap was deeply saddened by Chetak's death. As the battle between the Rajputs and the Mughals continued at Haldighati, Mansingh recalled the troops and asked them to march towards Ajmer.

Why Akbar had to forget his dream  ?

Maharana Pratap just like a tiger came out of the jungles suddenly attacked the Mughals and regained his forts taken by the them. After getting back he conqured 36 forts like Mewar, Chittorgarh, Kumbalgarh, Udaipur and Gogunda. Maharana Pratap gave independence to Mewar and hoisted the Saffron flag.

Akbar realized that facing Maharana Pratap was very difficult so he went back to Delhi and stopped looking towards Rajasthan. It was Akbar's dream to capture Maharana Pratap, but that dream was not fulfilled as long as Akbar was alive. For 12 years, Maharana Pratap ruled Mewar judiciously, regaining its lost lustre.

Conclusion:

Maharana Pratap won many battles in his life but one day he died while tying a string on his bow while he was out hunting. He died on 19 January 1597 at Chawand in an accident while going hunting at the age of 56 in India. The kings of Mewar used to put leaves under the plate while eating in memory of Maharana Pratap.

In this article we have seen some interesting facts about Maharana Pratap. From his childhood to his death, about his Chetak, about his battles and many more.

So, readers how do you like the story of Maharana Pratap? What more points can be added to this article? What are your thoughts about Maharana Pratap? Share your views in the comment section.

If you enjoyed reading the article do share it with your family, friends and colleagues.

Thank you for reading this article till the end, we will meet in another article with another great Ancient Indian Kings of Indian History. Until then stay happy be healthy and keep reading our articles.

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How many times Rani Durgavati defeated her enemy ?

 Hello friends, how are you all, I hope everyone is having fun and being healthy. Today in our Gaurav Sangrah blog we are going to talk about another women freedom fighter of Indian History, Rani Durgavati:

• who ruled as Rajmata in Garhmandal.
• against which Akbar's army also had to give up three times.
• who chose to die by his own hands rather than die by the hands of the Mughals.

So let us know something about the Rani Durgavati.

Rani Durgavati

Who was Rani Durgavati ?

Rani Durgavati was born on 5 October 1524 in the palace of Rajput king Kirtivarman of Chandel (Banda, UP, India). As she was born on the day of Durgastami, she was named Durgavati. From her childhood, she was beautiful in appearance as if a nymph had descended to earth from heaven. Being the only child of Kirtivarman, Durgavati was brought up like a princess.

King Kirtivarman taught all the business of the kingdom to the princess. He arranged teachers to learn horse riding, swordsmanship, archery, etc. Durgavati used to stay with her father and helped him in the affairs of the palace. She was very agile and brave and could easily hunt wild animals. Back then, Durgavati had hunted tigers and leopards a lot.

How did Rani Durgavati got married?

When Durgavati got married, father Kirtivarman was looking for a suitable groom for Durgavati. She saw many princes but did not like any of them. Durgavati had heard the feats of Sangram Shah's son Dalpat Shah so Dalpat settled in Durgavati's heart. Thus Durgavati told her father Kirtivarman to marry Dalpat Shah.

But since Dalpat Shah's caste was different, Kirtivarman refused to marry Durgavati and Dalpat Shah. When Sangram Shah came to know about this, he invaded Chandel and Kirtivarman was defeated in that invasion. Kirtivarman then married Durgavati to Dalpat Shah, son of King Sangram Shah of Garhmandal.

When did Queen Durgavati rule Garhmandal?

The married life of Durgavati and Dalpat Shah was going on happily. Now Dalpat Shah was given the throne of Garhmandal and Durgavati became the queen. Rani Durgavati had been married for four years and had a three-year-old son. Her son was named Veernarayan Singh.

One day in the world of smiling Queen Durgavati, Dalpat Shah suddenly died due to some reason. Suddenly there was an atmosphere of mourning in the palace. Queen Durgavati declared her three-year-old son Veernarayan Singh as the king of Garhmandal because the thrown could no longer be kept vacant and she herself was ruling Garhmandal as the queen mother.

For what purpose did Rani Durgavati shifted the capital of the town ?

Queen Durgavati made many improvements in the town after taking over the rule of Garhmandal. Earlier, she shifted the capital from Singurgarh to Chauragarh for the protection of Godwana. This was done because Chauragarh was on the hills and the place seemed safe due to which the enemy cannot attack the capital immediately.

Digging well

Queen Durgavati dug many wells in the town for the convenience of the townspeople. Many dharamshalas, temples, monasteries were also built in the town. Chori Lake was built by Queen Durgavati after her trusted maid Chori. Similarly Aadhar Lake was also constructed after the name of her trusted General Aadhar Singh.

What was the purpose of Mughal invasion of Rani Durgavati's kingdom?

The rulers around Garhmandal had already surrendered to the Mughals. But Queen Durgavati saved Garhmandal from the Mughals. Seeing Garhmandal as beautiful and rich, the surrounding Mughal rulers were trying to take possession of Garhmandal. 

They also tried invading Garhmandal. But neighboring Mughal rulers were losing against Queen Durgavati. Baz Bahadur also invaded Garhmandal several times. But he was defeated by the cunning queen Durgavati.

How many times Rani Durgavati defeated her enemy ?

The news of Queen Durgavati's bravery reached the ears of many rulers. Similarly, Asaf Khan also comes to know that Garhmandal is a very rich town and its queen is very brave. Asaf Khan informed about Garhmandal through his trusted man. Asaf Khan then came to know that Durgavati, the Queen of Garhmandal, was widow and was ruling as Queen Mother.

Asaf Khan considered women to be weak. Also believed that how much a widow queen will fight. He was lacking in intention and was also fond of women. So Asaf Khan was thinking of taking Garhmandal under his control. Asaf Khan took permission from Akbar to invade Garhmandal. He wrote a letter to Rani Durgavati saying that if she don't hand over the Sarman elephant and the commander to him, he will attack Garhmandal.

Rani Durgavati rejected Asaf Khan's words and started preparing for battle. Asaf Khan, considering Queen Durgavati to be weak, invaded Garhmandal. But Queen Durgavati chased Asaf Khan away from the battlefield. In this way Rani Durgavati defeated Asaf Khan thrice in battle.

How did Rani Durgavati faced her enemie's huge army ?

Seeing Garhmandal prosperous, Asaf Khan's mind was fixed on conquering Garhmandal. So he re-invaded Garhmandal.  At that time Asaf Khan had a large army of Akbar and Queen Durgavati had few soldiers. General Aadhar Singh also told the queen to stay away from the city.

Attacking Garhmandal

But she said that it is better to die like a brave than to perish like a coward. After this Queen Durgavati entered the battlefield dressed in war dress. At that time Queen Durgavati's son Veeranarayan Singh was also fighting. Rani Durgavati was finding it difficult to face Asaf Khan because this time he had a large army of soldiers.

Even so, Queen Durgavati was fighting bravely and her son was also facing the enemies like a storm. But Veeranarayan Singh was badly injured while fighting against the enemy. So Queen Durgavati sent her son away from the battlefield to a safe place and faced the enemies herself. Facing the enemy, suddenly arrows rained on Rani Durgavati and injured her.

One of the arrows hit Rani Durgavati in the eye but Rani Durgavati pulled the arrow out with her hand. The arrow went out of the eye but the tip of the arrow remained in the eye. Rani Durgavati was unable to fight due to eye contact. So she ordered his trusted general Adhar Singh to cut off the head of Queen Durgavati. But Aadhar Singh did not want to kill her queen. Queen Durgavati herself took out her own sword and stabbed herself by it in the stomach and died.

Conclusion:

In this article we have seen how bravely Rani Duergavati faced the Mughals. She chose to die by his own hand instead of dying at the hands of Mughal Asaf Khan. She died on 24 June 1564 in India. She built the famous Khajuraho and Kalinjar forts during his reign. Even today, the Rani Durgavati's Museum can be found in Jabalpur. A university named after Rani Durgavati is also known in Jabalpur. The government has also issued a postage stamp in his name. There are many stories of heroic tales of Queen Durgavati.

So readers, how did you like the history of Rani Durgavati?  What did you find interesting in this article? Which paragraph is your favorite in this one? If you like to say something feel free to tell in comment section. Thank you very much for reading this article till the end.

If you liked reading the article do share it with your friends and family.

We will come back very soon in another article with another such women freedom fighter of Indian History in our Gaurav Sangrah blog till then take care.

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