Y Pratap resisted Akbar? | Record of 'Divine Intervention(!)'

history_geek thumbnail
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Posted: 9 years ago
#1
I am back with a new post that is a pre-cursor to the Battle of Haldighati series.

The show has ended , but since i continue to write about Maharana Pratap. Hence, sharing my post here, for those who wish to read about him.

The topic is :
Why Maharana Pratap Chose to Resist Akbar || With Rajput & Mughal Accounts of "Divine Intervention" of Akbar in 1578

http://mariam-uz-zamani.blogspot.in/2015/12/why-maharana-pratap-fought-with-akbar.html#.VnwT-U9VW1s

Sometime back, there was a debate about the relative merits and demerits of Mughal Emperor Akbar and Mewar King MahaRana Pratap and who between them was the greater of the two. Articles of differing viewpoints were posted passionately. But they all missed the crucial point - " Why there was a struggle between them" ?

After all, fighting persistently with a very powerful enemy over a long duration is not what anyone with a reasonable amount of sense would choose to do. The debate was centred around the notion of Greatness in relation to the two mighty contemporary personalities.

In this post, I have presented my views on the possible reasons why MahaRana Pratap resisted the suzerainty of Mughal Emperor Akbar. Understanding the relations between the two and the reasons why the MahaRana continued his life-long struggle against Akbar in spite of acute hardships to his people and family, is essential to understanding why the Battle of Haldighati was fought and what its aftermath was.

While i was puzzling over this, i came across a research paper by the noted historian and former President of Indian History Congress, whose major area of interest was the history of Rajasthan. In his research paper, he presented strong reasons for MahaRana Pratap's aversion to the idea of submitting to Akbar and not wishing to become his vassal. Obviously, we all love our independence and so did the MahaRana. But this was not the only factor. The paper by him raises some other pertinent points.

Among other reasons, he mentioned how a Rajput noble was treated (read "punished") by Akbar. A little known fact about Akbar is that he was prone to lose his temper suddenly over small things. And there are many instances, such as the one covered in this post, when Rajput nobles suffered great humiliation due to his erratic mood swings. The paper also revealed some interesting conclusions when we read Mughal and Rajput records.

Don't miss this post, especially for those who are admirers of either Akbar or Maharana Pratap or both.

Link : http://mariam-uz-zamani.blogspot.in/2015/12/why-maharana-pratap-fought-with-akbar.html#.VnwT-U9VW1s

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Ramya_98 thumbnail
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Posted: 9 years ago
#2
Another informative historic post by you! It seems really interesting,.So, there were other reasons too for maharana pratap resisting akbar.🤔
RES*
ritu_0117 thumbnail
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Posted: 9 years ago
#3
Thanks abhay for this wonderful post. Just keep on pming your writings I enjoy reading it.
Rest res for later.
Abhay why don't you come on asoka forum. You all of a sudden vanished. I thought you will be there in ashoka forum after mp went off air.
twilightlover29 thumbnail
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Posted: 9 years ago
#4
Abhay
Thank you so much for bringing up this topic as I wanted to ask you about the same

Akbar mistreated Rajputs and yet they accepted him as the ruler- I find that an act of cowardice
I understand that the desire for peace but at this cost?

The Rajputs I feel were more interested in living and though there were a few who did stand by their principles I feel disgusted that they still bore Akbar's lunatic behaviour
The instances mentioned make me think of the Jagmal they showed on the show though Jagmal was a pure coward if we go by the show's portrayal

Abhay why do you think that those who accepted Akbar's rule did so like didn't they ever feel guilty of not fighting back?
Nonie12345 thumbnail
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Posted: 9 years ago
#5
Thanks for article Abhay😃
I admire Maharana pratap so much😳
Loved the fact that his people supported him in his struggle that shows how his people loved him❤️
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Posted: 9 years ago
#6

Originally posted by: ramya06

Another informative historic post by you! It seems really interesting,.So, there were other reasons too for maharana pratap resisting akbar.🤔
RES*



Yes !
Respect is a reason along with independence. :)

history_geek thumbnail
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Posted: 9 years ago
#7

Originally posted by: ritu_0117

Thanks abhay for this wonderful post. Just keep on pming your writings I enjoy reading it.

Rest res for later.
Abhay why don't you come on asoka forum. You all of a sudden vanished. I thought you will be there in ashoka forum after mp went off air.



Thanks Ritu.
I don't watch the show on Asoka, but enjoy the history part. I have made few history posts about Asoka also. You can read, here are the links.

Blog Posts :

Mauryan Emperor Asoka Killed 99 brothers to get the Throne | Fact or Myth ? And other Questions | A Discussion


Family of Emperor Ashoka Maurya
Story of Bindusara , Dharma and Asoka
Chanakya


I was active there for some time.
Here are my Forum Posts :

Asoka killed 99 brothers to get the throne | Fact or Myth ? | A Debate
STORY of Bindusara, Dharma and Ashoka
Chanakya

BTW, I hope to continue writing about MP and others.

RadhikaS0 thumbnail
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Posted: 9 years ago
#8
Abhay

Awesome post!

I admire both Akbar and Pratap - both as warriors and as strong personalities who were like giants among the other rulers of that time. The struggle between them for a quarter of a century is the stuff legends are made of and i have often wondered what could have sustained Pratap over all those years to continue to resist the Mughal advance into Mewar. It is no mean feat to keep one's people happy and loyal when the threat of war is constantly looming overhead. He brought in relative stability and security to their lives and had their unquestioned allegiance which helped him to face off Akbar.

Pratap's strategy of guerilla warfare has been adopted and adapted by several others over the years when they have been fighting more powerful adversaries.

I had mentioned the following reasons in the blog post (Link: Peace Efforts by Akbar Before the Haldighati Battle)

An interesting question comes up now. So just why were the Rajputs so against submitting themselves in front of the Mughal emperor if it ensured safety for their kingdom and its people? Was it a case of their personal ego overriding the interests of the public, or were there some issues which require a deep insight ?


Let us look at the scenario when a Rajput king accepted Akbar as his sovereign, to understand the answer to this question.

-> Any Rajput king who submitted to Akbar had to surrender his possessions to the emperor and receive them back as a jagir for the Mansab to which he was appointed.

-> His land was in reality an imperial jagir and the Rajput king could be sent anywhere in the Mughal empire by imperial orders. Readers would be aware, for instance, how Raja Man Singh served Akbar in various places across the Mughal empire.

-> The Rajput king's army was at the command of the emperor and the emperor could even change the line of succession in the Rajput kingdom.

-> Besides rendering a personal homage to the Mughal Emperor, it was essential for the Rajput king either to be present at the imperial court himself or to keep his eldest son in attendance on the emperor.

-> Along with all these statutes came another unwritten injunction. Almost every Rajput king who submitted to Akbar had to enter into a matrimonial alliance with Akbar - this was a policy. For instance, Jaisalmer, Bikaner and, of course, Amer, established such matrimonial alliances with Akbar. {There were rare exceptions to this custom, such as the Hada (Chauhans) Rajputs of Ranthambore.}

-> There were also other minor indignities like mounting guard on the imperial camp and to keep standing when in court. {The Hadas were granted exemption from such practices too and were even allowed to carry their weapons in the Mughal court, an act that was forbidden for most nobles.}


The incident mentioned in the article about Akbar's treatment of a Rajput noble and a young boy is in line with the reasons stated above. Akbar believed a lot in his own divinity or at least in his own absolute supremacy over the people of Hindustan. We need to look beyond Persian histories to know about the other side of his personality. Let's leave that discussion for another day. :)

Right now, the discussion is about Pratap's antagonism towards Akbar - and I completely support Pratap's stand here. He did everything in his power to retain the independence of his motherland without compromising on ethics. Akbar's treatment of Rajputs only served to strengthen his belief that Mewar should never come under Mughal rule.




Edited by RadhikaS0 - 9 years ago
Kaana thumbnail
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Posted: 9 years ago
#9
Hey Abhay, how are you doing? Wish you a wonderful New Year!

Just caught up with the article. As always well researched, very impressive, extensive and detailed.

Its nice to see a Rajasthani chronicle there too instead of just Fazl or a Badayuni. I feel this way we would get all perspectives and a balanced view.

Regarding Akbar's madness, I agree with your note that sometime some people may not know what they say or do in rage. Agreed. But whatever they say or do will have to be based on their core beliefs and inner true nature. If you would remember, this was my argument back for Chittor massacre as well. That is why I even questioned if all Hindu / Rajput alliances and favors were politically driven in a Hindu majority country. The exceptions could be due to exceptional relationships.

Kaana thumbnail
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Posted: 9 years ago
#10
And I am so happy to see your posts coming in. When the forum closed I was so sad that I would be missing your posts.

Please do continue and do PM :-)

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