36-562: Chetak or Cetak is the name given in traditional literature to the horse ridden by Maharana Pratap at the Battle of Haldighati , fought on 18 June 1576 at Haldighati , in the Aravalli Mountains of Rajasthan , in western India. Historical sources do not name the horse ridden by Maharana Pratap at the Battle of Haldighati on 18 June 1576, nor do they attribute any unusual feat or achievement to it. According to tradition,
72-590: A hunting accident, at Chavand on 19 January 1597, aged 56. He was succeeded by his eldest son, Amar Singh I . On his death bed, Pratap told his son never to submit to the Mughals and to win Chittor back. It is said that even Akbar was shocked to hear the news of Maharana Pratap's death. Dursa Arha , the court poet of Akbar , is said to have eulogised Maharana Pratap in the Mughal court. Maharana Pratap
108-428: A large part of Mewar. The citizens who had migrated out of Mewar started returning during this time. There was good monsoon which helped to revive the agriculture of Mewar. The economy also started getting better and trade in the area started increasing. The Rana was able to capture the territories around Chittor but could not fulfill his dream of capturing Chittor itself. Reportedly, Pratap died of injuries sustained in
144-690: A municipality since 1869. Ajmer has been selected as one of the heritage cities for the HRIDAY and Smart City Mission schemes of the Government of India . The city of Ajmer was established as "Ajaya Meru", meaning "invincible hill" in Sanskrit by a Chahamana ruler, either Ajayaraja I or Ajayaraja II . It refers to the Taragarh Hill, on which the city is situated. Over time, "Ajaya Meru" evolved into "Ajmer". It served as their capital until
180-603: A number of envoys, including one by Raja Man Singh I of Amer , entreating him to become a vassal like many other rulers in Rajputana . When Pratap refused to personally submit to Akbar and several attempts to diplomatically settle the issue failed, war became inevitable. The forces of Pratap Singh and Mughal and Rajput general Man Singh met on 18 June 1576 beyond a narrow mountain pass at Haldighati near Gogunda , modern day Rajsamand in Rajasthan . This came to be known as
216-498: A significant weakening of Pratap's power, forcing him to retreat to his hilly abode. Maharana Pratap's court at Chavand had given shelter to many poets, artists, writers and artisans. The Chavand school of art was developed during the reign of Rana Pratap. He also had renowned artists like Nasiruddin in his court. Mughal pressure on Mewar relaxed after 1579 following rebellions in Bengal and Bihar and Mirza Hakim's incursion into
252-630: A sustained campaign against the Rana in September 1576, and soon, Gogunda , Udaipur , and Kumbhalgarh were all under Mughal control. Shahbaz Khan Kamboh led multiple invasions that resulted in the subjugation of key areas in Mewar , such as Kumbhalgarh , Mandalgarh , Gogunda , and Central Mewar , bringing them permanently under Mughal rule. The Mughal Empire established its supremacy in Mewar after Shahbaz Khan's invasions. This ultimately led to
288-441: Is Bhanwar Lal Mehra and district collector is Ansh Deep. The Kishangarh Airport is the nearest airport. It is 25 km from Ajmer city. The Ajmer Airport ground breaking ceremony was done by then Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh in 2012. The airport was finally completed and inaugurated by then Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha and Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje on 11 October 2017. The airport
324-519: Is a prominent figure in both folk and contemporary Rajasthani culture and is viewed as a folk hero and celebrated warrior in that state , as well as in India as a whole. Historian Satish Chandra notes – "Rana Pratap's defiance of the mighty Mughal empire, almost alone and unaided by the other Rajput states, constitute a glorious saga of Rajput valour and the spirit of self sacrifice for cherished principles. Rana Pratap's methods of guerrilla warfare
360-424: Is operational since then and regular flights to/from Delhi , Mumbai , Hyderabad , Ahmedabad , Indore and Surat are currently available. The airport is now among main and busy airports of Rajasthan. Currently SpiceJet and Star Air operate from Ajmer Airport on daily basis. Kishangarh Airport, Ajmer is being managed and operated by Airports Authority of India (AAI). The Jaipur International Airport which
396-587: The Ana Sagar . Their most prominent building activities were in the dargah and its vicinity. Jahanara Begum and Dara Shikoh , children of Shah Jahan , were both born in the city in 1614 and 1615, respectively. Mughal patronage of the city had waned by the beginning of the 18th century. In 1752, the Scindias conquered the city, and in 1818, the British gained authority over the city. A municipality
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#1732791942121432-401: The Battle of Haldighati . Pratap Singh fielded a force of around 3000 cavalry and 400 Bhil archers. Man Singh commanded an army numbering around 10,000 men. After a fierce battle lasting more than three hours, Pratap found himself wounded and the day lost. He managed to retreat to the hills and lived to fight another day. The Mughals were victorious and inflicted significant casualties among
468-567: The Parliament of India . Ajmer Ajmer ( pronounced [ədʒmeːr] ) is a city in the north-western Indian state of Rajasthan . It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Ajmer district and Ajmer division . It lies at the centre of Rajasthan, earning it the nickname 'the Heart of Rajasthan'. Ajmer is surrounded by the Aravalli Mountains . Ajmer has been
504-577: The Punjab . After this Akbar sent Jagannath Kachhwaha to invade Mewar in 1584. This time too Mewar army defeated Mughals and forced them to retreat. In 1585, Akbar moved to Lahore and remained there for the next twelve years watching the situation in the north-west. No major Mughal expedition was sent to Mewar during this period. Taking advantage of the situation, Pratap recovered some of Mughal occupied areas of Mewar and captured thirty-six Mughal outposts. Udaipur, Mohi, Gogunda, Mandal and Pandwara were some of
540-615: The monsoon months, between June and September. Temperatures remain relatively high throughout the year, with the summer months of April to early July having an average daily temperature of about 30 °C (86 °F). During the monsoon there is frequent heavy rain and thunderstorms, but flooding is not a common occurrence. The winter months of November to February are mild and temperate with average temperatures ranging from 15–18 °C (59–64 °F) with little or no humidity. There are, however, occasional cold weather fronts that cause temperatures to fall to near freezing levels. According to
576-533: The 12th century CE. A Gujarati historic novel named Gujaratno Jay written by Zaverchand Meghani , based on various Jain Prabandhas, describes the city as sapādalakṣaṇa (સપાદલક્ષણ). Ajmer was originally known as Ajayameru . Maharaja of Parmar Rajputs founded the Ajmer city in the 11th-century, which was admired from Chahamana king Ajaydeva. Historian Dasharatha Sharma notes that the earliest mention of
612-408: The 2011 census, Ajmer had a population of 542,321 in the city, 551,101 including its suburbs. The female to male ratio in the city was 947/1,000. The literacy rate in the city was 86.52%, male literacy being 92.08% and female literacy being 80.69%. Ajmer's population growth in the decade was 18.48%; this compares to a growth figure of 20.93% in the previous decade. Divisional commissner of Ajmer
648-483: The American Episcopal Methodists have had mission establishments here. At that time there were twelve printing presses in the city, from which eight weekly newspapers were published. At the time of India's independence in 1947, Ajmer continued as a separate state with its own legislature until its merger with erstwhile Rajputana province, then called Rajasthan. The Legislature of Ajmer State
684-525: The Battle of Haldighati. The Siege of Chittorgarh in 1567-1568 had led to the loss of the fertile eastern belt of Mewar to the Mughals . However, the rest of the wooded and hilly kingdom in the Aravalli range was still under the control of Maharana Pratap. Mughal Emperor Akbar was intent on securing a stable route to Gujarat through Mewar; when Pratap Singh was crowned king (Maharana) in 1572, Akbar sent
720-630: The Mewari court, in the first volume of his Annals and Antiquities of Rajast'han or the Central and Western Rajpoot States of India . His account was based on the Khummana-Raso , and became the most commonly followed version of the tale. In it, the horse is named Chytuc, and is once referred to as the "blue horse". Pratap is at one point called the "rider of the blue horse". The story spread beyond Rajasthan , to Bengal and elsewhere. There, Pratap
756-529: The Mughals, who made frequent pilgrimages to the city to visit the dargah of Moinuddin Chishti . The city was also used as a military base for campaigns against Rajput rulers and, on a number of occasions, became the site of celebration when a campaign bore success. Mughal Emperors and their nobles made generous donations to the city, and endowed it with constructions such as Akbar's palace and pavilions along
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#1732791942121792-521: The city's name occurs in Palha's Pattavali , which was copied in 1113 CE (1170 VS ) at Dhara . This suggests that Ajmer was founded sometime before 1113 CE. A prashasti (eulogistic inscription), issued by Vigraharaja IV and found at Adhai Din Ka Jhonpra (Sanskrit college), states Ajayadeva (that is Ajayaraja II) moved his residence to Ajmer. A later text, Prabandha-Kosha states that it
828-516: The expansionist policy of the Mughal Emperor Akbar including the Battle of Haldighati and the Battle of Dewair . Maharana Pratap was born to Udai Singh II of Mewar and Jaiwanta Bai in 1540, the year in which Udai Singh ascended to the throne after defeating Vanvir Singh . His younger brothers were Shakti Singh , Vikram Singh and Jagmal Singh. Pratap also had two stepsisters: Chand Kanwar and Man Kanwar. His chief consort
864-469: The forces of Mewar but failed to capture Maharana Pratap. Haldighati was a futile victory for the Mughals, as they were unable to kill or capture Pratap, or any of his close family members in Udaipur . While the sources also claim that Pratap was able to make a successful escape, Man Singh managed to conquer Gogunda within a week after Haldighati then ended his campaign. Subsequently, Akbar himself led
900-418: The horse was called Chetak. Although wounded, Chetak carried Pratap safely away from the battle, but then died of his wounds. The story is recounted in court poems of Mewar from the seventeenth century onwards. The horse is first named Cetak in an eighteenth-century ballad, Khummana-Raso . The story was published in 1829 by Lieutenant-Colonel James Tod , a colonial officer who had been political officer to
936-459: The important areas that were recaptured from this conflict. According to the 1588 inscription near Jahazpur , the Rana gave the lands of Pander to a trusted follower called Sadulnath Trivedi. G.N. Sharma claims that the Pander inscription is proof that the Rana had occupied north-eastern Mewar and was granting lands to those who had been loyal to him. From 1585 till his death, the Rana had recovered
972-643: The line of the Sisodia Rajputs . He was crowned in Gogunda on the auspicious day of Holi . Jagmal swore revenge and left for Ajmer , to join the armies of Emperor Akbar . He was given the town of Jahazpur as a Jagir as a gift in return for his help. Pratap Singh, gained distinction for his refusal to form any political alliance with the Mughal Empire and his resistance to Mughal domination. The conflicts between Pratap Singh and Akbar led to
1008-669: The northwest of India and is surrounded by the Aravali Mountains. It is situated on the lower slopes of the Taragarh Hill of that range. To the northwest is the Nagapathar Range of the Aravali Mountain Ranges which protects it from desertification from the Thar Desert . Ajmer has a hot, semi-arid climate with over 55 centimetres (22 inches) of rain every year, but most of the rain occurs in
1044-514: The spot where Chetak supposedly fell. Maharana Pratap Pratap Singh I ( c. 9 May 1540 – 19 January 1597), popularly known as Maharana Pratap ( IPA: [məɦaːˈɾaːɳaː pɾəˈtaːp] ), was king of the Kingdom of Mewar , in north-western India in the present-day state of Rajasthan , from 1572 until his death in 1597. He is notable for leading the Rajput resistance against
1080-418: Was Ajabde Bai Punwar of Bijolia . Their eldest son was Amar Singh I . He belonged to the royal family of Mewar . After the death of Udai Singh in 1572, Rani Dheer Bai Bhatiyani wanted her son Jagmal to succeed him but senior courtiers preferred Pratap, as the eldest son , to be their king. The desire of the nobles prevailed and Pratap ascended the throne as Maharana Pratap, the 54th ruler of Mewar in
1116-588: Was annexed by the Ghurids and later was returned to Gaur Rajput rulers under condition of tribute. By the 15th century, Ajmer was captured by Mewar and in 1506, Ajja Jhala was appointed as the Governor of Ajmer. In 1556, Ajmer came under the Mughal Empire after being conquered by Mughal Emperor Akbar . It was made the capital of the eponymous Ajmer Subah . The city enjoyed special favour under
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1152-614: Was established at Ajmer in 1866. Colonial-era Ajmer served as the headquarters of the Ajmer-Merwara Province and possessed a Central jail, a large General Hospital , and two smaller hospitals, according to Gazetteer, 1908. It was the headquarters of a native regiment and of a Railway Volunteer corps. From the 1900s, the United Free Church of Scotland, the church of England, the Roman Catholics, and
1188-401: Was housed in the building which now houses T. T. College. It had 30 MLAs, and Haribhau Upadhyay was the first chief minister of the erstwhile state, with Bhagirath Chaudhary as the first Vidhan Sabha speaker. In 1956, after acceptance of the proposal by Fazil Ali, Ajmer was merged into Rajasthan to form Ajmer District with the addition of Kishangarh sub-division of Jaipur district. Ajmer is in
1224-535: Was later elaborated further by Malik Ambar , the Deccani general, and by Shivaji ". Bandyopadhyay also seconds Satish Chandra's view with the observation that Pratap's successful defiance of Mughals using guerrilla strategy also proved inspirational to figures ranging from Shivaji to anti-British revolutionaries in Bengal. In 2007, a statue of Maharana Pratap was unveiled by former President Pratibha Patil in
1260-555: Was seen as a symbol of resistance against invasion and, by extension, of nationalist resistance to British colonial occupation. Several statues and monuments to Pratap and Chetak have been raised. An equestrian statue was placed in Moti Magri Park in Udaipur by Bhagwant Singh of Mewar ( r . 1955–1984); another overlooks the city of Jodhpur . The Chetak Smarak at Haldighati in Rajsamand District marks
1296-609: Was the 8th-century king Ajayaraja I who commissioned the Ajayameru fort, which later came to be known as the Taragarh fort of Ajmer. According to historian R. B. Singh, this claim appears to be true, as inscriptions dated to the 8th century CE have been found at Ajmer. Singh theorises that Ajayaraja II later expanded the town area, constructed palaces, and moved the Chahamana capital from Shakambhari to Ajmer. In 1193, Ajmer
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