Mogul army departed from Delhi for Mewar. The leading unit consisting of 5000 soldiers had been despatched from Delhi alongwith Prince Saleem and Raja Man Singh. This army was joined by other Mogul units on the way and from the areas around Mewar. Every district under the empire maintained an army.
The Mogul army reached Mandalgarh or 3rd April, 1576. Although Prince Saleem was the Commander-in-chief yet the army practically was being led by Man Singh. He was to plan the final assault.
It was the common knowledge that the war was being waged on the initiative of Man Singh. He was assisted by several well known Mogul warriors like Gazi Khan Badakshi, Khwaza Gyasuddin, Asaf Khan, Sayyad Ahmad, Sayyad Hasim Barha, Kachhawa Jagannath, Sayyad Raju, Mitrang Khan etc.
This advance party waited for two months at Mandalgarh to allow the rest of the units to join the lead to Saleem force.
Rana Pratap received the news that Man Singh had arrived accompanied by Shakti Singh and was waiting at Mandalgarh for the Mogul forces to arrive.
He decided to confront Man Singh at Mandalgarh itself before Mogul forces got together. He revealed his idea to his military advisor Ramashah Tomar who opposed the idea. He felt that it could be dangerous to challenge Mogul soldiers in the openness of Mandalgarh. There was always a possibility of a large force arriving in the middle of a battle and they could get caught between two forces.
They had no information about the movements of the Mogul forces and their locations.
At last it was decided that Rajput force of Rana Pratap should dig in at the Kumbhalgarh fort and let the Mogul armies spread themselves over Kumbhalgarh hills. They then, could target them with missiles, arrows and other projectiles remaining at the safe height of the fort.
To reinforce his strength Rana Pratap reached Gogunda accompanied by his trusted lieutenant namely Jhala Man, Jhala Veeda, Dodia Bheem. Churavat Kishan Singh, Ramdas Rathore, Rama Shah Tomar, Bhamashah, Hakim Soor Khan etc.
By the month of the June entire components of the Mogul army had gathered and it was time to make the next move. A lac strong Mogul army laid a siege to Pratap’s capital fort city of Kumbhalgarh.
All over the hills around the fort Mogul tents were pitched. All the approaches and the exits were sealed. Shakti Singh had provided detailed lay-out of the fort city of Kumbhalgarh. Hence the siege was elaborately planned.
All the supply routes to the fort were cut off.
From the parapet of the fort Rana Pratap surveyed the Mogul infested hills around and realised that the hour of the test had come. Down on the hills Mogul tents were spread like monsoon clouds. The siege of the fort was unbreachable.
He knew that now nothing could reach the fort without the permission of the Moguls.
Rana Pratap had only 20,000 soldiers in the fort. And most of them were tribals or ill trained youth. The arms of Rana’s army were only swords, spears, daggers and arrows. The Mogul army had brought up cannons and efficient gunners. Rana had no cannon. The main weapon the Rana’s soldiers was do-or-die spirit. Their morale was high inspite of being pitted with a superior army in terms of weaponry, training and numbers.
After surveying the enemy positioning Rana Pratap got his soldiers assembled and gave them a pep talk—“Soldiers of Mewar! The festival of the sacrifice for the motherland has arrived. Kill or get killed is the prospect we face. The Mogul army is camping on the hills around like canopying monsoon clouds. They are more than five times over than us. They think that they can frighten us by showing us their numerical strength. But they forget that a few rays of light can destroy a large volume of darkness. Prince Saleem is commanding their army. He is being assisted by two of our own traitors; Man Singh and Shakti Singh. Man Singh is that corrupt Rajput who has traded his own honour to Saleem. And as you know Shakti Singh is my own brother who has shamelessly betrayed our Mewar. He has sold our secrets to Moguls. They know all the secret approaches and exist from our fort. That is the biggest tragedy. But never mind. We shall win. God and dharma is on our side. We know how to defend our home. Every one of you must take a vow to kill ten enemies each to turn the hills of Kumbhalgarh the graveyard of the Mogul soldiers.
In no way the enemy should be allowed to enter this fort. Remember what they did with Chittaur. Our valiant brother Sham Singh and Jai Singh are here with us. They are the worthy sons of the king of Vednor, Honourable Jaimal who laid down his life in defence of Chittaur. We are all ready to prove to the Mogul Prince that Rajput blood still flows in our veins. Rajputs prefer to die rather than surrender. Our brother Sangram Singh of ‘Patta’ family sacrificed his life to defend Rajput honour only at the age of sixteen…”.
Rana Pratap cited the examples of scores of other martyrs of Mewar and Chittaur. His pep talk had desired effect on the soldiers who had listened to Rana with rapt attention.
The charged up soldiers drew out their swords and screamed, ‘Our swords will go back into sheaths only after getting soaked with the enemy blood.’
Rana Pratap waited for the Moguls to attack but the enemy made no such move. It was content to wait and let the provision of the fort run out.
Man Singh didn’t want Mogul army to suffer losses by launching attack over and from the hills. He knew that sooner or later Rana Pratap would have to come out to battle or his soldiers would starve to death. Mogul army could then deal with him effectively.
Saleem wanted to launch attack and finish the job before the onset of monsoon. To him getting trapped in the hills during rainy season was no good idea. The main approach to the fort gate led through a narrow gorge called Haldighati.
How to negotiate it was the problem.
Shakti Singh came forward to lead the army through the gorge. Under the guidance of Shakti Mogul began to pour through the gorge like valley.
Rana Pratap noticed the movement of the Mogul army and at once knew that Shakti Singh was guiding them through. He muttered a curse for the traitor who knew the passage to the fort gate.
Now Rana Pratap was left with no option but to emerge out of the fort and attack the advancing army. He prepared his soldiers for a fierce attack.
The fort gates opened and Rajput soldiers spilled out with raised swords screaming battle cries. Bheel tribals took positions on high grounds and hill tops and began to shoot poisoned arrows at Mogul soldiers.
The fierce attack of Rajputs inflicted heavy casualties. Several Mogul soldiers fell down dead or injured. The rest of the soldiers charged at the Rajputs. This advance Mogul unit was made up of famed warriors called ‘Chuna-E-Harwal’. The unit was trained for frontal assault.
Man Singh was behind that unit in the centre flanked by Sayyad Barha and Gazi Khan Badakshi. They were followed by Jagannath Kachhava and Gyasuddin Asaf Khan.
On the other hand, in Rajput army Rana Pratap was in the centre on horse back. He was flanked by Ramashah Tomar, Beeda Jhala and Ramdas Rathore. Rana had brought in his full force for the crack attack leaving behind only Punja Bheel who hid among the hills with his tribal force.
Prince Saleem was in the rear of the Mogul army atop an elephant. From that height he was having a clear view of the battle being waged in front of him. He found that the front units of his army were suffering badly at the hands of Rajputs who were fighting like possessed soldiers. Saleem didn’t like it.
He ordered his gunners to target the thick pars of the Rajput formations behind Rana Pratap.
The guns boomed and suddenly death began to rain on Rana’s army. Every shell felled ten or twelve Rajput warriors. The narrow valley reverberated with the dreadful sounds of screaming of Rajputs and whistling of the shells.
The swords and spears of the Rana’s soldiers were no answer to cannon shells. The valley ground was now becoming carpeted with dead Rajputs.
The scene worried Rana Pratap. He ordered a unit of his soldiers nearby to advance and take control of the Mogul guns. Scores of soldiers rushed forward but shells blew them into fragments.
The move miserably failed. The helplessness of Rajputs saddened Rana Pratap. Anyway, Rana gave a call to his soldiers to fight on. Rajputs fought in do-or-die spirit. Rana himself rushed out of the valley and attacked Gazi Khan who was wreaking havoc at the mouth of the valley. Rana’s attack pushed back
Gazi Khan.
Thus, the battle dragged on for two days inspite of Rajputs suffering heavy toll to Mogul cannons. Moguls also had suffered losses from the poisoned arrows of the tribals.
The third day of the battle proved decisive. Rana was anguished at the causalities suffered by his army. All around lay dead or groaning Rajputs.
The clouds were thundering in the sky and on the ground cannons were rumbling.
Now Rana Pratap was looking for Man Singh with single minded attention as if he wanted to punish Man Singh for the deaths of thousands of his soldiers. But it was not easy to reach him. Man Singh was always behind the wall of his soldiers.
On that day Rana Pratap with a few of his trusted body guard warriors tore through the Moguls to reach the centre of the enemy army where he suspected that Man Singh stood. The group made way by cutting down Mogul soldiers in front and on both sides.
By the time Rana reached the centre of the enemy army most of his body guards had been killed. He was almost alone barring two surviving guards.
Then he saw Prince Saleem atop his elephant issuing directions. He was sitting behind the safety of iron curtain. Rana Pratap raced his horse at the elephant. Saleem had seen it. He asked his mahout to turn the elephant. Saleem’s guard soldiers rushed at Rana and launched attack at him. Rana defended with swords in both hands.
Suddenly he sighted Man Singh who also was atop an elephant. Rana’s blood boiled with anger, hatred and wish for revenge.
He raced his horse towards the elephant of Raja Man Singh. His horse Chetak knew what his master wanted. Rana had taken his spear in his right hand and was poised to launch it at Man Singh.
Chetak reared up and stamped his front hooves on the forehead of the elephant. Rana threw his spear but it missed the mark because Chetak’s act had made the elephant severe in panic. Meanwhile Man Singh had hid behind haudah.
Seeing Man Singh is danger Madho Singh Kachhava charged on Rana Pratap. Some more Mogul soldiers also targeted Rana who was now in grave danger. He was already bleeding badly at several places. Then, a sword fell on his arm inflicting a cut but Rana continued to fight bravely.
Rana’s maternal uncle Jhalawad king saw his nephew in grave danger and he was badly injured as well. He raced his horse towards Rana. Suddenly the uncle removed the crown from Rana’s head and put it on his own head.
He urged, “Rana, you must escape. There is now no use of carrying on the fight. You should live to fight another day.”
Maharana tried to make a feeble protest but his uncle ordered him to flee.
Chetak knew what he had to do. It galloped off the battle field with Rana on its back.
Meanwhile Jhalawad King Mannaji had been surrounded by Mogul soldiers. The Moguls attacked taking him for Rana Pratap. Mannaji fought bravely for quite some time before he was killed.
With his death Rajput soldiers fled or capitulated.
