Maharana Pratap (Rana Pratap Singh)
Maharana Pratap (or Rana Pratap Singh) was one of the bravest Kings of Mewar. He is famous in Indian history for successfully fighting against the army of the Great Mughal Emperor Akbar.
Maharana Pratap was a Rajput. He was the son of the great Maharana Udai Singh, who was the founder of the city of Udaipur. He was born on 9th May, 1540.
There were many warrior Kings in the history of India, who in respect of personal valor, capacity for government, diplomatic acumen and qualities of generalship were equal to or in some respects even superior to Maharana Pratap, but the subsequent generations have accorded special honor to Maharana Pratap.
The sole reason of this was his refusal to submit to Akbar on the ground that bartering away one’s liberty to secure any honor is unworthy of a self-respecting person. He sacrificed all comforts and convenience at the altar of a noble ideal, fearless defiance of death. He refused to be cowed down by an apparently invincible power of the enemy. With a mere handful of men at his back, he defied the arms of a powerful Emperor like Akbar with such fortitude, valor and irrepressible courage and confidence that it has evoked admiration on all hands.
He won undying fame and glory because of his readiness to die for a noble cause. If in his war against Akbar the Rana had succeeded in roping in the active support of other Rajput chiefs, his credit would have been higher and he might have found it easier to defend the liberty of his land.
