Francois Bernier (17th century) described entrance of Red Fort:

“… two large elephants of stone, placed at either side of the principal gate. On one of elephants is a seated statue of Jemel [Jaimal Rathore]…on other is the statue of Polta [Patta Sisodia]… These are the brave heroes who, with their still braver mother, immortalised their names by the extraordinary resistance which they opposed to the Ekbar [Akbar].” 

Jaimal and Patta were great Rajput warriors who died protecting Chittorgarh in 1567-68 against Mughal forces (दिल्लीश्वरेणार्कवरेण युद्धवा ययौ दिवं जैमलकः पतश्च). GH Ojha noted that Akbar had ordered the erection of two memorials commemorating the memorial of Jaimal and Patta outside the chief gate of Agra fort. These memorials were later taken away to Delhi.

By 1568, Akbar forces had captured two famous forts of Mewar (i.e.  Mandalgarh and Chittorgarh) from then Maharana Uday Singh (father of Maharana Pratap). GH Ojha writes that after the fall of Chittorgarh, Maharana Uday Singh used to live in the fort of Kumbhalgarh and used it as a base along with the nearby fort of Gogunda, since Udaipur was still not completely established by that time.

NOTE: Maharana Kumbhakarṇa (r. 1433-1468 CE), popularly known as Maharana Kumbha, had built the great Kumbhalameru Fort / Kumbhalgarh (Rajprashashti Inscription: कुम्भकर्णः अथ भूपः अभूत् दुर्गकुम्भलमेरुकृत्”).

After the death of Maharana Uday Singh in Gogunda (1572), his eldest and most ablest son of Uday Singh i.e. Pratap Singh ascended the throne of Mewar with the support of the Nobles. In 1573, Akbar sent Kunwar Man Singh as an emissary to Udaipur, in order to win over Maharana and to make him accept the suzerainty of Mughals. He was unsuccessful. After Man Singh, Raja Bhagwant Das of Amber and Raja Todarmal were also sent to Udaipur for the same purpose BUT the proud Maharana was well aware of the legacy of his illustrious clan and all these missions were unsuccessful in changing the mind of Maharana. Finally in 1576, the memorable battle between Maharana Pratap & Akbar’s forces was fought at some distance from Haldighati near the village of Khamnaur (Rajprashasti Inscription: “अकब्बरप्रभो पार्श्वे मानसिंहस्ततो गतः गृहीत्वा तद्बलं ग्रामे खंमनौरे समागतः”). Abul Fazl’s Akbarnama also called it as the Battle of Khamnaur.

Akbar chose Kunwar Man Singh as the commander of the Mughal imperial army. Iqbal-Nama gives the understanding that Man Singh was selected as the Commander because his ancestors had earlier owed allegiance to the Maharanas of Mewar and thus, Maharana Pratap would be provoked by Man Singh’s commandant of the army and may come in open conflict. Akbarnama mentions the reason for choosing Man Singh as the Commander: “Kunwar Man Singh who was among the first in the court for wisdom, loyalty and bravery … was nominated for the service.”

Khandan-i-Timuria: True Islamic king is bound to look on jubilantly when his infidel subjects cut each other’s throats, for “whichever side may be slain, Islam is the gainer.”

On 3rd April 1576, Mughal forces left Ajmer and soon reached Mandalgarh (where it stayed for 2 months for additional reinforcements). Around the end of May, Mughals marched towards Gogunda and encamped at Molela, situated at the banks of river Banas. Maharana gathered his armies, marched from Gogunda and encamped at a distance of 3 Kos from Mughal camp (as per Vir Vinod). Maharana’s movements were so secret that Man Singh had no idea that the enemy was so near. Infact, Nainsi-ri-khyat mentions that once Mansingh, when he went on a hunting excursion, was seen by the spies of the Rana. On getting this report, Rana was persuaded by his chiefs for immediate action, But he did not relish such a cowardly act. Finally, The battle was fought at some distance from Haldighati near the village of Khamnaur in  June 1576.

Al Badayuni in his work Muntakhab-ut-Tawarikh writes that when Mahārāṇā Pratāpa and Hakim Khan Sur charged out at Mughal army in Battle of Haldīghāṭī, the first attack was so fierce that Mughal army started fleeing from battlefield, along with Mughal generals like Qazi Khan & Sheikh-sons of Sikri,  and din’t stop till 5-6 kos (कोस) beyond river. Badayuni further comments: “Flight from overwhelming odds is one of the traditions of the Prophet.” Advance body of Mughal army mixed up together and sustained a complete defeat. Raja Ram Shah of Gwalior performed “prodigies of Valor” against Mughal army.

Thus, Mewar forces succeeded in disarraying the front line, advance guards and left & right wings of Mughal army. The Mughal Centre was attacked by Ram Shah Tomar and it was there that he performed “Prodigies of valor.” The Mewar army pushed itself to the Mughal centre and a fierce fight was fought. Maharana on his horse Chetak came within a striking distance of Man Singh, who was seated on Elephant. Maharana flung his spear at Man Singh. Some accounts say that it missed Man Singh and Chetak’s legs were injured by the sword held in the trunk of Man Singh’s elephant. Vir Vinod mentions that assuming Man Singh was killed, Maharana returned from the battlefield.

Al Badayuni, on other hand, states that active operation of Maharana on the battlefield attracted Mughal reserve forces on him which began to pour showers of arrows on him. Thus, Rana retreated to high mountains. BUT interestingly, Al Badayuni also mentions:

“…when the air was like a furnace and no power of movement was left in the soldiers, the idea became prevalent that the Rana, by stealth and stratagem, must have kept himself concealed behind the mountains. This was the reason why they (Mughals) made no pursuit, but retired to their tents and occupied themselves in the relief of the wounded.”

This statement of Badayuni clearly tells us that the Mughals didn’t even dare to pursue the retreating Maharana out of fear that Rana would attack them. Apparently, the immediate condition of Mughal army was pathetic after the battle.

As per primary sources, both sides claim victory. Raj Ratnakar mentions that Man Singh was injured by Maharana”s attack and hence out of fear, the Mughal army fled and Maharana emerged victorious from Battlefield. Jagannatharaya Inscription mentions – “कृत्वा करे खड्गलतां स्ववल्लभां प्रतापसिंहे समुपागते प्रगे सा खंडिता मानवती द्विषच्चमूः संकोचयंती चरणौ पराङ्मुखी” i.e. “When Pratap Singh came to the battlefield in the morning with his beloved sword in hand, the enemy’s army scattered & started running away.” Rana Raso also mentions the victory of Maharana in this battle. Moreover, the leftover Mughal army after battle kept itself dormant in Gogunda, where they weren’t even able to sustain themselves with supplies due to constant fear of Rajputs. Due to this distressed state of Mughal army, Man Singh & other mughal generals were asked to return. On return of Man Singh, Akbar dismissed him temporarily from the court due to mismanagement of the army in the conquest of Mewar. Rana Pratap was issuing grants within a couple of months of Battle of Haldighati, whereas Mughals stationed in Gogunda were harassed with frequent skirmishes and supplies blocked, until they were recalled.

Al Badayuni noted, Akbar’s imperial commanders were so apprehensive about night-attacks by the Maharana and his men, that on taking possession of Gogunda, Mughal soldiers were ordered to barricade streets, dig a trench around Gogunda to serve as a dry moat, and raise crude walls all around, up to a height that Mewari horse riders could not leap over. 

Soon, the grand Mughal amirs (nobles) were reduced to killing their horses for meat, the only other food available being mangoes and some wild fruit that grew within Gogunda – and not enough of those either. Upon learning of the distressed state of his army in Kokandah (as Gogunda was spelt in Mughal court records), Emperor Akbar recalled Man Singh, Asaf Jah Khan and Qazi Khan from Gogunda in September 1576. Man Singh and Asaf Khan were temporarily excluded from court.

These accounts prove that the claim of Mughals doesn’t carry sufficient weight. The Rajput sources mentioning the account of their victory cannot be disregarded as such because the Muslim sources themselves claim the pathetic condition of Mughal army. By analysing the facts we may say that no party succeeded in achieving “complete victory” and  Mansingh’s campaign failed in its primary objective. Thus the result of this battle conclusively to be called DRAWN.

Popular misconception is that Maharana after the battle lost everything and led a miserable life. BUT this is absolutely untrue. AL Shrivastava comments: “He (Maharana Pratap) returned to Kumbhalgarh and began to take active interest in consolidating the parts which had suffered ruin in the central part of Mewar. Two copper-plate inscriptions dated the 5th of the bright-half of Bhadrapad, V. S. 1633, (just three months after the battle of Haldi-Ghati) which he issued from Kumbhalgarh granting the villages of Pipli and Sathana in Central Mewar to Balbhadra, establish the fact that he was reviving his authority over the parts which have fallen prey to the aggrandising activity of the enemy and was creating a body of his supporters in that area to check the Mughal influence.”