Battle of Haldighati

The battle of  Haldighati was fought on 18 June 1576. The two parties were Mughal forces led by Man Singh I of Amber, and  Mewar forces led by Maharana Pratap. The Mughals didn't won the battle. Many hindus from both sides died in the battle. Mughals were unable to capture Pratap, who reluctantly retreated persuaded by his fellow commanders.

The siege of Chittorgarh in 1568 had led to the loss of the fertile eastern belt of Mewar to the Mughals. However, the rest of the wooded and hilly kingdom was still under the control of the Sisodias. Akbar wanted to get a stable route to Gujarat through Mewar; when Pratap Singh was crowned king (Rana) in 1572, Akbar sent a number of envoys entreating the Rana to become a vassal like many other Rajput leaders in the region. However, Pratap refused to enter into a treaty. This led to the battle.

The site of the battle was a narrow mountain pass at Haldighati near Gogunda in Rajasthan. Sources differ on the strength of the respective armies but probably the Mughals outnumbered the Mewar forces by a factor of four to one.At first the Mewaris were successful. But with time, they lost more and more often.  Pratap was wounded, and the day was lost. A few of his men under Jhala Man Singh covered his retreat. The Mewar troops were not chased in their retreat by Man Singh. Although Akbar considered this as lost battle and banished maan Singh from the Mughal court for some time.

Despite the reverse at Haldighati, Pratap continued his resistance against the Mughals through guerrilla warfare, and by time of his death had regained more than his ancestral kingdom.

Related pages
Battle of Dewair
Khan Khana Invasion of Mewar
Jagannath Kachhawa Invasion of Mewar

 References 

Category:Battles of the Mughal Empire