" Thermopile of Mewar "

The pride of Rajsamand District, “Haldighati” in known across the globe for the chivalrous deeds of the great Maharana Pratap. 44 kilometers from Udaipur and 17 kilometers from Nathdwara it is nestled in the middle of the Aravali range. This narrow turmeric coloured mountainous region which played a stellar role in defending the honour of Mewar dynasty, is known as Haldighati.

When Mughal commander attacked this region but had to beat retreat having been licked by the forces led by Maharana Pratap . Employing the guerilla warfare technique, the Rajput forces pushed the Mughals from the royal camp at Badshah Baag to open plains of Rakt Talai (Village Khamnor ). Accustomed to warfare in open plains, the mughal forces fought with Pratap but the outcome was indecisive. Maharana Pratap, astride his favourite stead “CHETAK” attacked Man singh with his spear killed the mahout while Man Singh managed to escape. During the encounter, one of Chetak’s hind legs was wounded from sword held in the elephant’s trunk creating an emergency.

Haldighati Tourist Map

Jhala Maan of Bari Sadri took away the royal insignia from Maharana Pratap who, though wounded himself, was fighting valiantly, and made him leave the battlefield. Jhala Maan died fighting but not before he had forced the Mughal army to back off to the east . Even today, the “ Maana Talab” reminds us of this martyr. The injured stead “Chetak” ran through the mountains carrying Pratap finally across the stream near village Balicha by jumping over it .There,finding Pratap safe, the loyal stead breathed his last. It would be difficult to find another such example of a Horse’s devotion and loyalty to its master. The memorial stone and tomb of Chetak still exist adding glory to this place.
	The Government of India has commissioned the construction of Maharana Pratap National Memorial in the year 1997 and work almost completed in the year 2008.After long delay Department of Tourism inaugurated the Pratap statue,On 21st June 2009 in presence of cabinet minister Dr. C.P.Joshi and State Tourism Minister Smt. Bina Kak, Sports Minister Mangilal Garasia etc. from this day name of Haldighati would appear in golden letters on the map of World Tourism. Haldighati is also world famous for it's chaitry rose product and the( mud art) Terracota of Molela but Department of Tourism is promoting a private cottage industry by adding his information in Government publication instead of battle ground Rakt Talai and Main Haldighati Pass. The fact is in the protection of administration, this Cottage Industry is creating a new history in Balicha village as the part of Haldighati and doing trespass near National Monument.
Haldighati Tourism : 473rd Maharana Pratap Birth Anniversary Fair - 2013, Haldighati
We still required promotion according to glory of this place with rural upliftment of Village Tourism in Haldighati.

Maharana Pratap Singh Sisodia was born on 9th May,1540 at Kumbhalgarh Fort. Pratap was the heir apparent of Mewar dynasty by right being the son of the eldest of Maharana Udai Singh’s eighteen wives. Caught in the snares of love of his Bhatyani queen, Udai Singh hade made up his mind to deprive Pratap of his natural right and give the kingdom to jagmal the son of his favorite queen. He did not express his wish fearing the ability and popularity of Pratap would make the courtiers oppose such a nomination.

Udai Singh died on 28th February, 1572 in Gogunda. Conventionally, the heir apparent to the mewar throne does not participate in the funeral rites. Finding Jagmal absent, the courtiers enquired from the other son Sagar. On being informed that Jagmal is to rule the Kingdom, the courtiers made Jagmal leave the throne and crowned Pratap .

King Akbar was repeatedly making war on mewar to fulfill his imperialistic designs. He won the battle of Chittor perpetrating massive destruction and killing around 30000 civilians . This intensified  hatred for Mughals in the hearts of Pratap and his associates. To defend his honour and dignity,Pratap undertook many battles, ultimately creating history with the battle of Haldighati. Though ending indecisively,for once,the Rajputs forced the Mughals to trust to their heels. On the afternoon of 18th June 1576, the commander of Mughal forces, Man Singh came out to face Pratap.Vadi village, Which is known as Badshah Baag, was the place where Man Singh planned the assault.

Following his victory in Dewair in 1582, Pratap made Chavand his capital from where he managed the rule of Mewar. After defending the motherland from mughals, the bravest son of Mewar breathed his last in 1597.

On the birth anniversary of Pratap ever year, tribute is paid to this great son of Mewar through cultural programmes with the participation of tribal groups.

The Chetak Horse Festival was established in the year 1992 by Maharaj Narendra Singh, belonging to the royal family of mewar with the purpose to preserve, promulgate and promote the Marwari breed of Horses in India and abroad.

Since last year (2006) this fair is being organized on a larger scale by Department of Tourism and District Administration, Rajsamand, attracts tourists and stud farm owners alike. The Haldighati Tourism Society working for rural tourism andprovides adequate help to the tourists.

Nearest Airport: Udaipur (67 km.) * Railway Station : Udaipur : 44 Km, * Bus Stand : Nathdwara : 17 Km

Best Accommodation : Vishwakarma Guest House & K K Hospitality offering Village Safari and Tented accommodation on request. For Haldighati Government Transport is not available, Private Buses are available from Udaipur and Nathdwara. During your vacation in Rajasthan, Come and Stay in Haldighati. Experience the real India. More then 70% of Indians live in the countryside.

Find us on PlacesOnLine within the Landmarks and Historic sites in Udaipur section. Have you ever been our client? Review us! Share

---

Nathdwara is the World famous town for it's one of the richest " Shri Nath Ji Temple" in Mewar Kingdom of the India. In 1691,Emperor Aurangzeb decided to destroy all the hindu temples within his territory.This prompted the Maharana of Udaipur to move a particularly sacred statue of Krishna to Mathura under the name of Shri Nath Ji, in order to remove it from Aurangzeb's destructive wrath.

However the cart transporting the idol is said to have got stuck in the mud here in a small village namely "Sihad" near famous Lal Baag. Attempts to free it from the mire failed, and it was decided to build a shrine at Shri Nath Ji, since it was here that the divinity himself had chosen to come to rest. The festival atmosphere and the elaborate rituals surrounding the statue,rather than the beauty of the temple itself, whose vast white walls are covered in modern paintings, make the pilgrimage to Nathdwara worthwhile.

Nathdwara is loosing international tourist due to wrong publicity in the book namely DISCOVER RAJASTHAN published by Tourism Department in March 1997. As per this book - " Foreign tourists are not permitted inside "( Page No. 84, Number of copies published 1,00,000) but the fact is " everybody are allow in the temple ". Nathdwara is still waiting for Tourist Reception Center because round the year VIP visit is the part of local administration daily work.