Maharana Pratap

Would you stand up against an army that's 100x your size, just to defend your land & Dharma (धर्म)?

That's what we can learn from Maharana Pratap (महाराणा प्रताप) & here's his story.

In the 16th century, the Mughal Empire, led by Akbar (अकबर), was ravaging through India but the Kingdom of Mewar (मेवाड़), governed by the Sisodia (सिसोदिया) dynasty who worshipped Eklingji (एकलिंगजी), the local form of Shiva (शिव), stood up as their toughest resistance.

Maharana Pratap's father, Uday Singh II (उदय सिंह द्वितीय), had founded Udaipur (उदयपुर) as the new capital around 1559 - which became Mewar's seat after Akbar's brutal siege of Chittorgarh (चित्तौड़गढ़) in 1567-68.

Pratap, born in 1540, took over an exhausted & fragmented kingdom in 1572 but he was up for the challenge. He went through rigorous training in statecraft, weaponry, languages, politics, warfare & horse-riding.

His fight peaked in 1576 with a clash at the Haldighati (हल्दीघाटी) pass, where he narrowly escaped death on his legendary brave horse, Chetak (चेतक).

But he made his comeback in 1582 by reclaiming around three dozen Mughal outposts in a surprise attack on the Dewair (देवैर) region, alongside his son Amar (अमर).

Meanwhile, his loyal minister & treasurer, Bhamashah (भामाशाह), expertly funded Mewar's governance & growth.

For Dharma, Pratap built the Chamunda Mata (चामुंडा माता) Temple at Chavand (चावंड) & was patron to many temples across the region. He was an extremely righteous ruler who even stood up against his own son upon hearing of the mistreatment of women in war.

He teaches us the ultimate Kshatriya Dharma (क्षत्रिय धर्म) - to defend your nation & independence even if it means sacrificing all your comforts, which inspired future leaders like Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (छत्रपति शिवाजी महाराज) to carry on the resistance against the Mughals.