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There was an elephant called Ramprasad in Maharana Pratap's army. Akbar, loved this elephant, he asked for it many times, but the Maharana refused.
So it happened that after the Battle of Haldighati when the Mughal forces led by Raja Maan Singh defeated Maharana Pratap, this elephant was captured. The giant beast was taken to Akbar who was delighted. Akbar gave homage to a Pir, who he believed had brought them victory in the battle. So, he renamed the Elephant PirPrasad.
Source- Maharana Pratap by Dr Bhawan Singh Rana. The same book from where I quoted the Mughal princesses info.
I assure you, this Elephant thing is no laughing matter, this is serious stuff. Elephants were the tanks of that era, and huge, well disciplined bull elephants were priceless. A lot depended on their ability to maintain composure and not panic in the face of enemy attacks. Since they were the lead elephants, other elephants took their cue from them, as long as the lead elephant kept calm, the other elephants would remain calm too.
This book has many interesting tidbits and a detailed life history of Maharana Pratap. Really worth buying and it costs just 95 Rs.
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