Maharana Pratap Jayanti 2022: This warrior wore armour weighing 72 kg

Maharana Pratap Jayanti marks the birth anniversary of Rajput warrior Pratap Singh, one of the bravest Rajput rulers of India, who ruled Mewar in Rajasthan for 35 years.

As other Rajput rulers accepted the supremacy of Akbar, he was one of the few rulers in Indian history who fought against the mighty Mughal Empire.

Going with the English calendar, his birthday falls on 9 May. However in India, his birth anniversary is celebrated, as per the Hindu calendar, on the Tritiya tithi of Jyeshtha’s Shukla Paksha.

In the year 2022, it is the 482nd birth anniversary of Maharana Pratap and the day will be celebrated on 2 June.

On his birth anniversary, let’s read about a few lesser-known facts about the 13th king of Mewar:

1. Pratap had a height of 7’5 while his weight was almost 110 kgs. 
2. Many believe that he had ability to carry two 104-kg swords. 
3. The weight of his armour was about 72 kg and the weight of his weapon was 32 kg.
4. Maharana Pratap’s father was the 12th ruler of the Mewar dynasty who founded Udaipur.
5. A few historians have noted that Maharana Pratap Singh had 11 wives and 17 kids. 
6. Maharana Amar Singh 1 was the eldest son of Pratap who later became the successor and 14th Rajput ruler. 
7. It is also said that the three sons of Pratap Singh played crucial roles in the battle against the Mughals.
8. Maharana Pratap is considered as ‘India’s first original freedom fighter’ because he fought valiantly against Akbar’s army in the battle of Haldighati and the Battle of Dewair restricting the expansionism of the Mughal empire. 
9. The warrior defeated the Akbar’s army thrice – in 1577, 1578 and 1579. Historians say that Maharana Pratap lost the battle of Haldighati but as he could not be captured it can be said that the war was incomplete. 
10. Maharana Pratap’s horse named Chetak and his loyalty stories towards the king are known across Mewar.  During Haldighati battle, Mughal force leader Man Singh I attacked Chetak and caused some fatal injuries. However, Chetak saved the life of Maharana Pratap by sacrificing his own life by jumping across a stream that was approximately 22 feet wide.
11. Maharana Pratap passed away at 56 after getting hurt in a hunting accident at Chavand on 19 January 1597.
12. In 2007, a statue of Maharana Pratap was built in the Parliament of India.