The Hero Of The Battle Of Haldi Ghati: Raja Man Singh

Whether he was a traitor or an angel for the deprived Hindus in the Mughal rule, is still debated. A man whose influence made Akbar more generous towards the Hindus.  Just as usual, the diwan-e-aam hearing was going on. Some cases were being solved while a few were getting the next date. That's when a problem came into Akbar's knowledge, which made history as well.

Suryavanshi Ruler Raja Man Singh of Amer; Image Source: collections V&A

"Oh lord, oh lord, please give us justice," said the group of people together.

"What happened to all of you?" asked Akbar, astonished.

"Jahanpanah, how long will the Hindu people suffer?" said a lady with a tear-stained face.

"Isn't it unfair to give tax to see our own god on a pilgrimage while the Muslims don't?" said another.

Hearing this newfound information, which Akbar was unaware of, he decided to consult with his nephew and the chief general of his army.

The story of this strong and brilliant warrior doesn't begin with his family name or when he was born. It all began when Shariffudin, the Mugal Governor of Mewat, was all set to attack Amer and Raja Bharmal, reached out to the Mughal emperor with a marriage alliance with his daughter. After that, Akbar ordered Shariffudin to retreat. After the two different communities and religions entered into an alliance, the son of Bharmal, Bhagwant Das, and his son, Kunwar Man Singh, were given official positions at the court of Akbar. Initially, it was protection sent for the princess of Amer, as she was the first Hindu princess to get married to a Mughal empire.

Man Singh, along with his father, Bhagwant Das, comes to the royal court of Akbar. On the other hand, the young boy kept practicing his sword skills in the practice area of the palace and spent some time with his bua sa to not let her feel alone. He caught Akbar's eye in one of those practice sessions he was having and decided to teach him the Mughal war tactics.

He grew up to be a very fine warrior and accompanied his father and Akbar on various conquests. But he played a subordinate role in it. The turning point in his life came when he was appointed as the chief commander of the army in the historic battle of Haldi Ghati in 1576. His military skills and organising capacity brought him into the limelight during the battle. In a bloody battle, he fought against his own brothers, the Rajputs, and won the war that ensued. And Maharana Pratap had to flee to the hills. The Mughals won the war under Mansingh's leadership, but he denied the soldiers from looting the place. Hearing about this, Akbar got upset, and when Mansingh came back, he was questioned by Akbar as to why he did that. To which came the reply: "I was sent to capture Mewar, not to destroy it," and he stood on his grounds without backing up. This led to the suspension of Man Singh from the court for several days.

Somehow, this brave act of Man Singh didn't leave Akbar's mind and heart and made a strong impression on his character. Akbar is known for retaining talent at his court and reappointed Maan Singh as chief general. As one of the most trusted and capable generals of the Mughal army, he was appointed to Akbar's royal court's navratnas.

"Is that true what I am hearing, Kunwar Man Singh?" asked Akbar with furious eyes as to how his own nephew didn't say a word about it till today.

A meek reply came, "ji huzur," to which Akbar was puzzled and inquired further.

"Does every Hindu have to pay this? including the ones who are also related to me? " The Hindu ministers nodded at this.

After thinking for a while, he declared, "I will abolish this jaziya tax starting from today."

Many a time, this capable ruler is bashed for serving the Mughal empire, and the advantages of Hindu ministers, being present in the royal court of Akbar are often ignored. The presence of the Hindu ministers especially as his navratnas influenced a lot of decisions in favor of Hindus. While Man Singh was made the governor of Bihar, Bengal, and Odisha in 1594, he didn't stop his religious works, and one of the notable works was the restoration of the Jagannath Puri temple.

The maulvis tried to intervene in this by giving the royal treasury as an excuse, to which Akbar made a firm statement that

"All the rules should be the same for Muslims and non-Muslims. They are all my people, and what is the use of this royal treasury if it cannot be used for their well-being? "

Many people thought of Man Singh as a Mughal servant, but little did they know that he was a devout Krishna devotee and that many Hindu temples were restored during this time period. The finest example of this could be the Govind Dev temple at Vrindavan. Many people see him in different lights, but this person contributed greatly towards the building of temples in the city of Benaras, making it the city of temples again.

He not only served under Akbar but also Jehangir too. It was heartbreaking to see that he didn't get the importance he had once upon a time during Akbar’s rule when Jehangir stepped in. A man who served with utmost loyalty faced a downfall like this and that too, when his cousin was placed on the throne. He died of old age in the year 1614.

The Historic Battle of Haldighati; Image Source: India Today