An uneven battle, the heroes of Haldighati & forgetting history

Today happens to be an important date in Indian medieval history. It marks the birth of one of India’s true heroes – a man whose life exemplifies valour, courage, fierce pride and self-respect - MahaRana Pratap Singh of Mewar*.

Unfortunately most of us have only the foggiest idea of his exploits, thanks to our “education”.  The MahaRana is largely ignored in the history textbooks of early years in India. Yesterday, as I was browsing the Class VII History Text Book prepared by NCERT, I noticed it did not have any mention of MahaRana Pratap. That’s right. No mention at all. Not a word. Unsurprisingly, no mention of the Battle of Haldighati either, one of the most riveting episodes of his life and struggles.

For an event that spawned a legend in the annals of Rajasthan, the battle of Haldighati was a short affair. Some say, it lasted for barely four hours. The Mughal forces greatly outnumbered MahaRana’s army (as much as 4:1 by some estimates).  Heavily outnumbered, the  Rajputs inflicted heavy casualties on the Mughals before eventually losing the battle. Haldighati proved to be a turning point in the fight against the Mughals by the Rajputs and perhaps the first breakthrough in almost fifty years.

One of the lesser known heroes of Haldighati was the Jhala Sardar, Man Singh.  The story goes that when Jhala Sardar saw his king wounded and his steed faltering, he donned the royal garments (including the Crown and royal emblem) of MahaRana Pratap, thus confusing the enemy and took the entire attack of the Mughal hordes upon himself.

The Jhala Sardar did not live to see the results of his extraordinary courage, but it was his sacrifice that let MahaRana Pratap live for another day and continue his fight against the Mughals, eventually liberating all of Mewar except Chittorgarh.  His descendants in Udaipur still proudly carry the emblem of Mewar as their coat of arms.

The other less-known heroes of Haldighati were the Bhil Adivasis of the Aravallis, whose valour, knowledge of terrain and “intensive arrow showers” made the battle far from one-sided. In recognition of their extraordinary contribution to Rajputana & to protecting these lands, a Bhil stands along-side a Rajput on either side of the Royal Coat of Arms of Mewar.

The Battle of Haldighati was the last pitched battle fought by the MahaRana against the Mughals. But the war was to continue. From his hideouts in the Aravallis, he began a long and debilitating guerilla campaign against the Mughals. The MahaRana’s hatred towards Akbar ran deep – at least partly (if not largely) explained by the ruthless massacre by Akbar of thousands of peasants and artisans that lived within the walls of Chittor after the third seige of the fort in 1567 (a  figure of 30,000 massacred is mentioned on Pg 131, “A Comprehensive History of India: Comprehensive history of medieval India” by B.N. Puri, M.N. Das).  Over the next 20-odd years, Akbar planned several campaigns to Rajputana to capture or kill Pratap. They all failed. The MahaRana’s exploits in the ravines and the hard struggle for survival in the wild is the stuff of legends. For several years, he and his family survived on wild berries and by hunting and fishing for food. Legend has it that he even ate chapatis made of grass seeds during those dark days. And it is said he did not sleep on a bed till his very end because of a vow to not rest until Chittor was free from foreign occupation.

I wonder who tells these stories to our children these days? Are they even told about these at school? Does the MahaRana get the treatment and time he deserves or is he dismissed as a Rajput king who fought against the “Great Mughals”? Is there anyone who tells our young what happened…and how the times were back then?

What about history textbooks, you may ask. I looked up one myself.  Instead of stories of valour and pride, what we have are bland sentences, such as, “In the north-east, the Ahoms were defeated in 1663, but rebelled again in the 1680s. …Campaigns against the Maratha chieftain Shivaji were initially successful. But Aurangzeb insulted Shivaji who escaped from Agra, declared himself an independent king and resumed his campaigns against the Mughals…” (Pg 49, Ch 4, Part II, “Our Pasts”)

There are at least two remarkable heroes mentioned right there in the lines above. Sadly Lachit Barphukan is even less familiar to young Indian children than MahaRana Pratap. As for Shivaji being referred to as a “Maratha chieftain”, I will leave it for another day.

What a pity that in a civilization with historical continuity that stretches back to thousands of years, most children grow up indifferent to history; some actually dreading it. Can there be anything more embarrassing?

* According to the Gregorian calendar. According to the Hindu calendar, his birth anniversary is celebrated on the Tritiya (3rd) of Shukla Paksha of Aashaadh. This year falls on 11th June.

Related: Remembering the MahaRana; Cross-posted over at ToI blogs