Battle of Haldighati

On June 21, 1576 (or June 18 in other calculations), the armies of Pratap and Akbar (led by Syed Hashim) met at Haldighati, near the town of Gogunda.

Pratap's army had a contingent of Afghan warriors led by his commander, Hakim Khan Sur. A small army of the Bhils, whom the Rana had befriended, also joined the battle against the Mughals. On the other hand, the Mughal forces led by Syed Hashim boasted of numerical superiority, which vastly outnumbered the Rajputs.

At first, the Rajputs by their sheer bravery of orchestrating a full frontal attack took the Mughals by surprise. However, the numerical superiority of the Mughals and the efficiency of their artillery soon began to tell. Seeing that the battle was favoring the opponents and with the huge amount of death of soldiers on the Rajput side, Pratap's generals prevailed upon him to flee the field so as to be able to fight another day. Myths indicate that to facilitate Pratap's escape, one of his lieutenants, a member of the Jhala clan, donned Pratap's distinctive garments and took his place in the battlefield. He was soon killed. Meanwhile, Pratap was able to successfully evade captivity and escape to the hills.

Pratap was riding his trusted horse, Chetak, which despite being seriously wounded and utterly exhausted, carried his master till about 2 miles away from the battle, eventually succumbing to its injuries while jumping a nallah (stream). It is said, that Pratap's younger brother Shakti Singh, who until then was fighting on behalf of the Mughal army, followed Pratap until this point, and upon a change of heart, gave him his own horse to escape away. The other lesser-known heroes of Haldighati were the Bhil Adivasis of the Aravallis, whose valour, knowledge of terrain and intensive arrow showers  made the battle far from one-sided. In recognition of their extraordinary contribution to Rajputana and to protecting these lands, a Bhil stands alongside a Rajput on either side of the Royal Coat of Arms of Mewar.

The battle of Haldighati has commanded a lasting presence in Rajasthani folklore, and the persona of Pratap Singh, is celebrated in a folk song “O Neele Ghode raa Aswaar” (O Rider of the Blue Horse)

With the large booty at his disposal, Pratap organized another attack and Battle of Dewar followed in which army of Mewar was victorious and Pratap was able to claim back much of the lost territories of Mewar and freed much of Rajasthan from the Mughal rule. The Bhil tribals of the Aravalli hills provided Pratap with their support during times of war and their expertise in living off the forests during times of peace.