CHANDIGARH:Governor of Punjab Mr VP Singh Badnore today said that the mighty force led by Akbar didn’t get anything else from the historic battle of Haldighati except an elephant named Ramaprasad.
Kicking off the discussion on topic ‘Who was the victor of battle of Haldighati’ here at the Military Literature Festival, the Governor, who was joined by Lieutenant General KJ Singh, Major General Ranbeer and Prof Abhimanyu, said that Mewar was one eighth of the total terrain of erstwhile Rajputana whereas the Mughal Emperor Akbar had tremendous resources at his disposal. He said that due to fierce resistance given by Maharana Pratap and his army the Mughal emperor was never able to win Mewar and even the battle of Haldighati was a fatal blow to the emperor. Citing examples to prove his point, Mr Badnore said that Rajput King Maan Singh and Bakshi Asif Ali who were part of expedition were banished from Emperor’s court and were never given any Mansabdari.
Likewise, the Governor said that there were no celebrations for the victory by the Mughals adding that even Maharana Pratap constructed a huge temple at place where his horse Chetak had died during the battle, which reflected that even after the battle he was the king or the victor. He said that as a fact of matter Mewar always enjoyed independence and even when others had accepted the suzerainty Akbar MEwar stood against it. Mr Badnore said that it was a matter of great pride and satisfaction that Maharana Pratap imbibed a legacy of resistance and spirit of standing up against the might amongst the countrymen.
Meanwhile, the speakers unanimously agreed that the battle of Haldighati was a clash of Titans and a decisive battle which was turning point in the history of medieval history. They said that Maharana knew that he was flag bearers of Mewar pride as his grandfather Rana Sangha too had given bitter taste to Babur, the grandfather of Akbar. They said that so Maharana Pratap choose guirella warfare due to which Rajasthan exhibited sole example of resisting the mighty Mughal empire.
They said that it was a fact that after the battle of Haldighati, Maharana Pratap won 32 other forts in the region which reflected his valour and sharp acumen. They said that even the people of Mewar never believed that they have lost the battle due to which Mughal superiority was never accepted.