The extremely hot weather conditions in the month of April doesn't deter lost travelers to find beauty in the city of Udaipur. The city of lakes has so much to offer and usually we feel entrapped by the peace of the blue water that embraces the whole city but there's something that sets it apart.
The Battle of Haldighati in 1576 is famous for a lot of reasons specially the undying spirit of Maharana Pratap. It was this very battle that brought great fame and glory to the king. But the part of the battle that stands out to me the most is the part about Chetak. Chetak was the dutiful horse of the great Maharana Pratap. His stories still echo around the vast empty rooms of the City Palace. The numerous infinite painting on the wall of Udaipur often signify the contribution Chetak made to his Kings infamous battle. He was said to be very similar to his king: aggressive and arrogant. With a mind of his own, he only submitted to the Maharana.
During the war of Haldighati a new tactic was being used where ina trunk was attached to the front of the horse making them resemble like a baby elephant. This would confuse the bigger elephants in thinking that there is a small baby elephant in front of them and that they shouldn't harm the animal. It became easier to injure the elephants with it too.
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What brings Chetak his undying fame is his contribution to the battle of Haldhighati which was on 21 June 1576. Udaipur, the heart of Mewar was in danger. The Mughal Emperor Akbar was on his was to capture Udaipur. Maharana Pratap and his army stood in the monstrous pass of Haldhighati which lay on the Aravalli mountains. It was about to be a battle for the ages since this was the only way for the Mughal army to reach Udaipur, which meant war was imminent.
Even thought Maharana's army had the courage to fight, they were vastly outnumbered. Though the battle lasted only 4 hours, this was enough opportunity for Maharana Pratap to want to try and kill Raja Mansingh, who at that time was the commander of the Mughal Army. He was riding an exceptionally big elephant. Chetak, wearing a trunk of a baby elephant to confuse the elephant, charged aggressively at Raja Mansingh. Chetak jumped with the hope to land his hooves on the trunk of the giant beast in front of him, so his king can take his chance to kill Raja Mansigh. Even though Chetak landed just right, unfortunately the king ended by missing Raja Mansigh and killed the soldier riding the elephant instead. However in this process, Raja Mansigh's elephants tusk went through Chetaks hind leg. This injury would cost him his dear life.
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Maharana Pratap too was wounded. So to create a distraction for the king to escape, his closest aid took his crown and started moving in a direction away from the king. This allowed chetak to carry his king to safety. Even though he was only on 3 legs, he still managed to jump over 25 feet of deep river. Only after making sure the king was safe, did Chetak collapse. He passed away in the sweet embrace of his beloved king.
The Marwari horse breed even today hold an important place in the heart of Rajasthani culture. And the credit truly goes to Chetak.
This story resonates loyalty, pride and honor to serve which is symbolic to the spirit of Rajasthan.
