The first Battle of Dewair/Diver was fought between Rajput army and Mughal army in 1582.
When people talk about Maharana Pratap, the only thing they remember is the Battle of Haldighati (18 June 1576), fought between his army and the Mughal emperor Akbar’s army led by Man Singh I of Amber.
The Battle of Haldighati was a stalemate between the two forces, but the Mughals were declared victors by India’s Marxist historians. The Battle of Dewair/Diver (1582) is shadowbanned from our history books and public discourse because of the same people for some reason, which are best known to them.
Background of the Battle of Dewair/Diver
During the Battle of Haldighati, when the Mughal forces outnumbered the forces of Maharana Pratap, he changed his strategy from open warfare to guerrilla warfare and retreated from the battlefield.
After the battle, Pratap was only left with 7,000 soldiers. On the other hand, Mughal forces have captured Kumbhalgarh, Gogunda (temporary capital of Mewar after Chittorgarh was captured by the Mughals), Udaipur & Chappan.
To subjugate Maharana Pratap, Akbar had to send many times an army of more than 1,00,000 soldiers each time between 1577 to 1582. However, he miserably failed every single time.
When Maharana needed funds to restore his army and regain its territory, his minister Bhamashah came forward. He was Rana’s minister – an office which had long been hereditary in his family. He gave the accumulated wealth of himself and his ancestors to Rana, which, with other resources, is sufficient enough for the maintenance of 25,000 men for twelve years.
First Battle of Dewair (1582)
The financial help from Bhamashah enabled Rana Pratap to form an army of around 40,000 soldiers consisting of people from all sections of society to attack the Mughals. Maharana Pratap planned the strategy for “Battle of Dewair” in the jungles of Mankiyawas, located in Aravalli hills.
One may be wondering why Dewair and not any other location. The answer is straightforward; i.e., Dewair is a strategic location. It is the entry point for the enemy forces into Mewar. Dewair valley with Aravalli hills acts as a natural fortress for Mewar.
In 1582, on the day of Vijayadashami (Dussehra), the Battle of Dewair started. Maharana was confident with his strategy of taking on the Mughals and regain lost territory.
He divided his army into two groups: one unit was led by himself and the other by his son, Amar Singh. In this war, the Mughal army was led by Akbar’s uncle Sultan Khan. Maharana and his army attacked the Mughal outpost in the village of Dewair, situated about 40 km northeast of Kumbhalgarh.
One of the memorable incidents during the Battle of Dewair was when Amar Singh attacked the Mughal commander Sultan Khan with a spear. The spear rammed both his body and the horse into the ground. The blow was so severe that none of the Mughal army soldiers was able to remove the spear from his body.
Raj Prashasti, the largest and longest stone etchings in India written by king Ranchhod Bhatt.
The spear rammed Mughal commander Sultan Khan's body and the horse into the ground when attacked by Amar Singh in the First Battle of Dewair/Diver 1582
Another memorable incident from the Battle of Dewair was when Maharana Pratap cut Mughal commander Bahlol Khan and his horse into two pieces.
Raj Prashasti, the largest and longest stone etchings in India written by king Ranchhod Bhatt
It is after this incident; the saying became famous that,
The warriors of Mewar cut the rider along with the horse in a single blow.