Maharana Pratap lacked control, was impatient, claims textbook

Jaipur: Negative comments in Rajasthan Board of Secondary Education textbooks regarding legendary warrior Maharana Pratap and his father Udai Singh II have riled not only the erstwhile Mewar royals but also politicians and common people who have voiced their strong disapproval for the "twisting of historical facts".

While the Maharana has been described as someone who "lacked control and was impatient due to which he lost the Haldighati battle to Akbar", his father and Mewar ruler Maharana Udai Singh has been dubbed a "murderer".

The Class XII textbook claims on page number 101 that Maharana Pratap lost in the Haldighati battle as he was impatient and lacked moderation and control. The chapter entitled 'Muslim Invasion, Aim and Impact' further claims that the army head should always adopt patience even in adverse situations, something which Maharana Pratap lacked.

Also, facts related to the Haldighati battle have been removed from the social science textbooks.

In the Class X textbook 'Rajasthan ka Itihaas aur Sanskriti', Maharana Udai Singh II has been termed as a man who murdered one Balvir to capture the Mewar kingdom. Many history books, on the other hand, point out that Balvir had died somewhere in Maharashtra after he fled Mewar. Mahendra Singh Mewar of the erstwhile Mewar royal family said that "attempts to tarnish the image of Rajput warriors Maharana Pratap and Udai Singh will not be tolerated".

"Who are these people who want to change the history of Haldighati," he questioned. The Haldighati battle was fought between Moghul emperor Akbar's army led by Man Singh of Amber and Maharana Pratap's Rajput warriors in June 1576.

Another Mewar family scion, Vishvaraj Singh, condemned the changes in historical facts.

"History distorted to an absurd extent and included in textbooks for schools. Abundant display of ignorance and crass, boorish mentality of the decision-making authority(s) in peddling distortions to suit their own agenda. History itself will not be kind to them, nor to those who accept their ways," he said.

He said that people have come out against the state government by rejecting these changes to our rich history. "It can't be changed overnight by a book," he told IANS.

Lakshyaaraj Mewar, also a member of the erstwhile royal family, was also annoyed and said that both Maharana Pratap and Udai Singh II have been known as "real warriors who kept their nation intact till their last breaths".