Rao Poonja

Battle of Haldighati
Painting of the traditional account of the battle by Chokha of Devgarh, 1822
Date 18 June 1576 Location Khamnor, Haldighati, 7 kos from Goganda 24°53′32″N 73°41′52″E / 24.8921711°N 73.6978065°E / 24.8921711; 73.6978065Coordinates: 24°53′32″N 73°41′52″E / 24.8921711°N 73.6978065°E / 24.8921711; 73.6978065 Result Mughal victory
Belligerents
Kingdom of Mewar	Mughal Empire
Commanders and leaders
Pratap Singh I (WIA) Hakim Khan Sur † Dodia Bhim Singh † Ramdas Rathor † Ram Sah Tonwar † Bhama Shah Tarachand Bida Jhala † Punja	Man Singh I Sayyid Hashim of Barha (WIA) Jagannath Kachhwa Ghias-ud-din Ali Asaf Khan Madho Singh Kachhwa Mulla Qazi Khan (WIA) Rao Lonkarn Mihtar Khan
Strength
3,000 cavalry 400 archers	5,000–10,000 men
Casualties and losses
1,600 dead	150 dead 350 wounded
Location within Rajasthan

The Battle of Haldighati was a battle fought on 18 June 1576 between cavalry and archers supporting the Rana of Mewar, Maharana Pratap; and the Mughal emperor Akbar's forces, led by Man Singh I of Amber. The Mughals were the victors and inflicted significant casualties among the Mewaris but failed to capture Pratap, who escaped.

The grim Siege of Chittorgarh in 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 was still under the control of the Rana. Akbar was intent on securing a stable route to Gujarat through Mewar; when Pratap Singh was crowned king (Rana) in 1572, Akbar sent a number of envoys entreating the Rana to become a vassal like many other Rajput leaders in the region. When the Rana refused to personally submit to Akbar, war became inevitable.

The site of the battle was a narrow mountain pass at Haldighati near Gogunda in Rajasthan. Maharana Pratap fielded a force of around 3,000 cavalry and 400 Bhil archers. The Mughals were led by Raja Man Singh of Amber, who commanded an army numbering around 5,000–10,000 men. After a fierce battle lasting more than three hours, Pratap found himself wounded and the day lost. While a few of his men bought him time, he managed to make an escape to the hills and lived to fight another day. The casualties for Mewar numbered around 1,600 men. The Mughal army lost 150 men, with another 350 wounded.

The Battle of Haldighati was a futile victory for the Mughals, as they were unable to oust Maharana Pratap. While they were able to capture Gogunda and nearby areas, they were unable to hold onto them for long. As soon as the empire's focus shifted elsewhere, Pratap and his army came out of hiding and recaptured the western regions of his dominion.

After his accession to the throne, Akbar had steadily settled his relationship with most of the Rajput states, with the exception of Mewar, acknowledged as the leading state in Rajasthan. The Rana of Mewar, who was also the head of the distinguished Sisodia clan, had refused to submit to the Mughal. This had led to the bloody Siege of Chittorgarh in 1568, during the reign of Udai Singh II, ending with the loss of a sizeable area of fertile territory in the eastern half of Mewar to the Mughals. When Rana Pratap succeeded his father on the throne of Mewar, Akbar dispatched a series of diplomatic embassies to him, entreating the Rajput king to become his vassal. Besides his desire to resolve this longstanding issue, Akbar wanted the woody and hilly terrain of Mewar under his control to secure lines of communication with Gujarat.