Jhala Bida: The Brave Rajput Who Fooled the Mughal Army & Saved Maharana Pratap

[00:00:00]During the Battle of Haldighati, when the sound of swords was echoing from all sides, one [music] warrior chose death himself to save Maharana Pratap. And this story is not widely known in India.

[00:00:11]On 18th June, 1576, the Battle of Haldighati was at its most dangerous [music] phase. On one side was the huge army of Jihadi Akbar, which was being led by Man Singh the First. On the other side, Maharana Pratap was fighting with his warriors [music] for the freedom of Mewar. Dust was rising on the battlefield, swords were clashing, and war cries were echoing everywhere. Maharana Pratap himself [music] was entering among the enemies and attacking them. His aim was clear, to protect the freedom of Mewar at any cost. In the middle of the battle, suddenly the situation changed. One leg of Maharana Pratap's beloved horse, Chetak, was injured by the sword tied to the trunk of Man [music] Singh's elephant. As soon as Chetak was injured, Maharana Pratap got surrounded by the Mughal army. There were many wounds [music] of swords and spears on his body, but even then, he was not ready to leave the battlefield. The royal umbrella placed over Maharana's head was making him an easy target for the enemies. [music] Every Mughal soldier wanted the credit of capturing or killing Maharana Pratap. At that moment, Jhala Bida took a decision which changed history. [music] He removed the royal umbrella from Maharana Pratap's head and wore it himself and jumped among the enemies [music] with nearly 350 soldiers. The Mughal army mistook him for Maharana Pratap himself [music] and turned the entire attack towards him. Now the most horrifying form of the battle appeared.

[00:01:32]Jhala Bida [music] kept fighting continuously and killed many Mughal soldiers. He knew that perhaps he would not survive alive, but he had only one aim, [music] to safely take Maharana Pratap out. Meanwhile, Maharana Pratap's soldiers took him out of the battlefield. Despite being injured, [music] Chetak also stood by his master till his last breath. By the time the Mughals came to know the truth, it was already [music] too late. Maharana Pratap had escaped safely, but Jhala Bida had attained [music] martyrdom while fighting. His sacrifice was not just the death of a soldier, but a sacrifice that protected the honor and self-respect of Mewar, which history will always remember.