Rana Pratap

Who was Maharana Pratap: Maharana Pratap was 16th century King who ruled Mewar, a state in north-western India. He was born on 9th May 1540 in Kumbhalgarh, Rajasthan. His father was Maharana Udai Singh II and mother was Rani Jeevant Kanwa. He was the eldest among 25 brothers and 20 sisters and was the 54th ruler of Mewar. He belonged to the Sisodiya Rajput clan.
From childhood Rana Pratap had the passion that a Kshatriya king needs to possess. In 1568, when Maharana was just 27 years old, the Mughal emperor Akbar conquered Chittor. Maharana Udai Singh, hisfather decided to leave Chittor and moved to Gogunda. Seeing this as opportunity, his half brother Jagmal took away the throne. When Jagmal was unable to manage affairs he joined the army of Akbar with an idea to take revenge with Maharana Pratap.
Maharana faced many struggles in his career. He kept on fighting with Akbar all his life. Akbar tried several ways to win over Maharana Pratap but he was always a failure. Maharana could not forget when Akbar killed 30,000 unarmed residents of Chittor only because they refused to convert to Islam. This made Maharana revolt against Akbar and he followed strict codes of Kshatriyas to fight with Akbar.





One more attribute of Maharana Pratap was his horse named Chetak. Chetak was a white horse. The horse was divine gift of God. It is described that Chetak was very faithful to Maharana. It had beautiful big eyes and with an extremely attractive appearance. It was blessed with “flying” legs. It was swift and expert.
Maharana Pratap was a hero among Hindu leaders and kings. He won several battles. He died on 29th January 1597 when he was seriously injured in a hunting accident. Maharana Pratap died fighting for his people, for his nation and protected the honor of Rajputs.


 

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj

 

 


 

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj founded the Hindu Kingdom  in the Deccan against all odds, fighting against the mighty Mughals. He inspired and united the masses to fight the tyranny of Mughal ruler Aurangzeb, by inculcating a sense of pride and nationality in them. Shivaji Maharaj successfully led and marshalled his forces to cope and overcome several major enemy invasions of his territories. He was also relentless in expand-ing his Kingdom's boundaries. 
At the age of 16, he took a pledge to establish a sovereign Hindu state. He outshines all the Rulers and Generals of Bharat in the exemplary life he lived and is thus respected by the entire cross-section of Bharatiyas. He raised a strong army and navy, constructed and repaired forts, used guerrilla warfare tactics, developed a strong intelligence network and functioned like a seasoned Statesman and General. He introduced systems in revenue collection and warned the officials against harassment of subjects. In his private life, his moral virtues were exceptionally high. His thoughts and deeds were inspired by the teachings of his mother Jijabai, and great Saints like Dnyaneshwar & Tukaram and the valiancy and ideals of the Lord Ram and Lord Krishna. He was blessed and guided by his Guru, Samarth Ramdas Swami. He was also an ardent devotee of Goddess Bhavani.
He always showed respect, defended and protected Holy men and places of worship of all religions. He allowed his subjects freedom of religion and opposed forced conversions. Shivaji Maharaj is well known for his benevolent attitude towards his subjects. He believed that there was a close bond between the state and the citizens. He encouraged all socio-economic groups to participate in the ongoing political/military struggle. The Kingdom established by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj known as 'Hindavi Swarajya' (Sovereign Hindu state) spread beyond Attock in Northwest Bharat (now in Pakistan) and beyond Cuttack in East Bharat in due course, to become the strongest power in Bharat.
The history of Bharat is incomplete without the history of the Marathas and Shivaji Maharaj is the nucleus of Maratha history. Shivaji Maharaj has been a source of inspiration and pride to the past generations and will continue to inspire generat-ions in the future too. We pay our obeisance to this great Hindu King on his birth anniversary, which falls on 19th February 2008. 


 

Shivaji Shahaji Bhosle was born in Shivner to Jijabai and Shahji. Shivaji was named so after Lord Shiva of the Hindu mythology by his mother. During the period of Shivaji's birth, the power in Deccan was shared by three Islamic Sultanates - Bijapur, Ahmednagar, and Golconda. Shivaji's father Shahaji Bhosale kept changing his loyalty between the Nizamshahi of Ahmadnagar, Adil Shah of Bijapur and the Mughals.
Since childhood, Shivaji was brave and never feared anything. There are many instances in his childhood that show he was a born ruler. At the young age of fourteen, he had the dream of building his kingdom. One day, Shivaji & his friends went to Rohireshwar temple of lord Shiva near Pune. They took oath of Independence in this temple & decided till each of them are alive, they will stand by Shivaji & fight for the ultimate goal.... independence. At the age of 16, in 1645, he took out his very first military attack and captured the Torna Fort of the kingdom of Bijapur.This was the foundation of Independent Maratha Kingdom.
Shivaji Maharaj treated Hindus and Muslim equally. He had Muslim soldiers in his army. Shivaji was not just an warrior, he was champion of downtrodden and depressed masses. He use to send his spy among the common people to know their problems and get problems solved. He had great foresight, he knew what his enemy had conspired against him and found a way to tackle them. 

Krishnadevaraya

The period of Krishnadevaraya was considered as the golden age of the Vijayanagar history. He was a great warrior, statesman, administrator and a patron of arts. His first task was to repulse the Bahmanis. He occupied Raichur doab, carried the war up to Gulbarga and returned successfully. He extended his dominion in the east and north-east by defeating the Gajapatis of Orissa in A.D.1518. 


 

Krishnadeva Raya was generous to his people and patronized arts and letters. He was very much concerned about the welfare of the people and undertook regular tours of the empire to get first hand information. 

 

Krishnadeva Raya was an accomplished Telugu scholar and wrote the celebrated Amuktamalyada. His Sanskrit works include Madalasa Charita, Satyavadu Parinaya, Rasamanjari and Jambavati Kalyana. His court was adorned by eight distinguished poets and scholars who were known as the Ashtadiggajas. Tenali Ramakrishna, the scholar who was famous for his wisdom and wit was a prominent member of Krishnadeva Raya’s court.
Krishnadeva Raya was generous to his people and patronized arts and letters. Painting, sculpture, dance and music were greatly encouraged by him and his successors. He built some of the magnificent temples in the country and was a devotee of Lord Venkateshwara of Tirupati. He was very much concerned about the welfare of the people and undertook regular tours of the empire to get first hand information.
According to Domingo Paes, the city of Vijayanagara was as large as Rome, very beautiful and the best provided city in the world.
Krishnadeva Raya built a new city near Vijayanagara and named it as Nagalapura after his mother Nagala Devi. He also constructed the Krishnaswamy and Vithalaswamy temples and a number of secular buildings in the imperial capital whose remains are still found at Hampi. The decline of the Vijayanagar Empire began with the death of Krishnadeva Raya in 1529. The kingdom came to an end in 1565. 


 

He was also a talented poet and sponsored many great poets, contributing to the golden age of Telugu Literature. He wrote Amuktamalyada, which is a philosophical work using metaphors about the oneness of Man and God. Krishna Devaraya also wrote many works in Kannada, Telugu and Sanskrit.

As a king, Krishna Devaraya is known to have built many temples in his kingdom, and re-strengthened Hinduism after its lands had fallen to Muslim sultans. His devotion to Tirumala Venkateswara was unparalleled. He visited the temple seven times and donated priceless ornaments and scores of villages to it.

Krishna Devaraya and subsequent rulers, including the East India Company, who had obtained the rights to mint coins, used the image of Lord Balaji on gold, silver and copper coins. Copper plates and epigraphy in temples record that he donated thousands of gold pagodas to  the Venkateswara temple.

Krishna Devaraya’s two-decade rule (1509-1529) was marked by the creation of mints at Tirupati, Penukonda, Mangalore, Nellore and Madurai.

His coins were known for their accuracy in terms of their weight and measure and the ruler played a key role in controlling any duplication of the coins. The predominant motifs on the Vijayanagara coins were Lakshmi-Narayana, Siva-Parvathi, Balakrishna, Sita-Rama, Brahma-Saraswati, Hanuman, Bull, Garuda, Chakra and Sword. And the denominations were: Gold: Dodda Varaha; Gadyana; Varaha; Pratapa; Katti; Chinna; Pana; Haja and Bele; Silver: Tara; Copper: Dug­gane; Kani; Jittal and Are Kasu. 


The typography of the coins on the obverse was the King’s name or title in Nandinagari or Devanagari or Kannada or Telugu script.

The titles that were used are: Sri Nilakanta; Rayagajagandaberunda and Gajavetekara.
The austere, grandiose site of Hampi was the last capital of the last great Hindu Kingdom of Vijayanagar.

Its fabulously rich princes built Dravidian temples and palaces which won the admiration of travellers between the 14th and 16th Centuries.

Conquered by the Deccan Muslim confederacy in 1565, the city was pillaged over a period of six months before being abandoned. 

Akbar the Great

 

Akbar "The Great" [1542-1605], was one of the greatest rulers in Indian history. He was born when Humayun and his first wife, Hamida Bano, were fugitives escaping towards Iran. It was during these wanderings that Akbar was born in Umerkot, Sindh, on November 23, 1542. Legend has it that Humayun prophesied a bright future for his son, and thus accordingly, named him Akbar.
Akbar was raised in the rugged country of Afghanistan rather than amongst the splendor of the Delhi court. He spent his youth learning to hunt, run, and fight and never found time to read or write. He was the only great Mughal ruler who was illiterate. Despite this, he had a great desire for knowledge. This led him not only to maintain an extensive library but also to learn. Akbar had his books read out to him by his courtiers. Therefore, even though unable to read, Akbar was as knowledgeable as the most learned of scholars.
Akbar came to throne in 1556, after the death of his father, Humayun. At that time, Akbar was only 13 years old. Akbar was the only Mughal king to ascend to the throne without the customary war of succession; as his brother Muhammad Hakim was too feeble to offer any resistance.
During the first five years of his rule, Akbar was assisted and advised by Bahram Khan in running the affairs of the country. Bahram Khan was, however, removed and for a few years Akbar ruled under the influence of his nurse Maham Anga. After 1562, Akbar freed himself from external influences and ruled supreme. 


 

Akbar, the third Mughal Emperor was only 13 when he ascended the throne upon the untimely death of his father, Humayun. He ruled under the able guidance of Bairam Khan, a prominent nobleman and won a decisive battle against the Afghans. This, the second “Battle of Paniput” assured the continuation of the Mughal Empire. In 1562 Akbar took charge as the Emperor after he removed Bairam Khan from power.

For the next 30 or so years he concentrated on expanding the Empire, which meant he was constantly at war. However, when possible he used conciliation and reward for loyalty to gain control of Kingdoms and their land. He also followed an active program of involvement and amalgamation of the various kingdoms, especially of the warring Rajputs. Unlike most Muslim rulers he encouraged marriage between Hindus and Muslims. His favorite wife (first of 33 wives), was a Hindu Princess from Rajput. By the end of his campaign Akbar had extended his empire all across North India and Afghanistan as well as the Deccan in the south.

During the early part of his rule Akbar used Nagarchain, a village seven miles to the south of Agra. At the same time he had also revamped Agra by building over 500 masonry buildings. However, in 1571 he moved his capital to the newly built city of Fatehpur Sikri. A crowded metropolis during Akbar’s reign, this city fell victim to lack of planning and was abandoned when water shortage became acute.

Akbar is credited with building the Empire into one of the richest in World history and perhaps the wealthiest of the time. Besides his gift of conquests, he was a great administrator and with the conciliatory policies towards the no Muslims, he gained the loyalty of vast majority of his subjects. The liberal bend in his character is amply evidenced by his marrying two Hindu Princesses and then allowing them to practice Hindu religious ceremonies in the Harem. 

 



Akbar and his Hindu wife Jodhbai

Akbar’s greatest gift and genius was primarily military; thus he built an empire that would engulf almost the whole of India and Afghanistan. Most of the population of India (estimated at 140 millions) were his subjects; compared to this, the whole population of Europe was only 40 Million and that of England only 5 Million. His reforms in administration and taxation were also in part responsible for the sustenance of this vast empire. The abolition of the unpopular taxation of all but the wealthiest of the non-Muslims, his conciliatory gestures to Hindu rulers and even appointing them in senior posts in his administration further improved his credibility among the masses. Finally, his patronage of literature, the arts and music despite his own illiteracy and the balanced treatment of all religions ushered in a period of prosperity rarely matched in Indian history. While Fatehpur Sikri was abandoned as the capital city, its stunning architecture remains a fitting monument to this golden age of medieval India. The influence of Akbar and his successors spanned not only architecture and garden design but the Indian music and cuisine have been transformed forever. Is it any wonder why Akbar is celebrated as “The Great”, a distinction he shares with another Indian Emperor, Ashoka? 


 


Prince Salim was one of three sons of Akbar, of a Hindu Princess from Amber; the other two sons Prince Murad and Daniyal died early of excessive drinking. During Akbar’s long rule Prince Salim rebelled and exhibited impatience and a struggle took place with his father, the Emperor. Matters were also muddied by the fact that he (Prince Salim) had an affair with a court dancer (of “Anarkali” fame and the basis of the Hindi epic movie “Mughal-E-Azham”). When Akbar died in 1605, Prince Salim ascended the throne and proclaimed himself “The World Conqueror” or Jahangir. The battles for succession in this monarchy started when Salim’s own son Prince Khusrau also vied for the throne but Jahangir managed to prevail.

Unlike his father, Jahangir did not have much success in battles, especially in the Northwest although in the Deccan, his armies did defeat Malik Ambar. The task of dealing with Malik Ambar was left in the hands of his third and favorite son, Prince Khurram (later Emperor Shah Jahan). As a result of the able administration of Akbar the Mughal treasury had unlimited funds and both Jehangir and his son Shah Jahan could afford to spend large sums in constructing monuments and gardens. Much of the administration of the empire was left in the able hands of his wife Nur Jahan, her father Itimad-ud-daula and her brother Asaf Khan. Jahangir spent much of his time relaxing in the famous gardens he built in Kashmir. Unlike his predecessor, Akbar, or his successor Shah Jahan, Jahangir left no lasting relics.