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{{Short description|Horse of Maharana Pratap}} |
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{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2016}} |
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2016}} |
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{{Use Indian English|date=January 2016}} |
{{Use Indian English|date=January 2016}} |
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{{about|the war horse}} |
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{{Infobox animal |
{{Infobox animal |
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| name |
| name = Chetak |
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| image = Maharana Pratap |
| image = Statue of Maharana Pratap of Mewar, commemorating the Battle of Haldighati, City Palace, Udaipur.jpg |
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| alt = dark-coloured equestrian statue on a marble plinth |
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| alt = Chetak |
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| caption |
| caption = [[Maharana Pratap]] on Chetak, commemorative statue in [[Moti Magri Park]], [[Udaipur]] |
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| species |
| species = horse |
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| breed = unknown |
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| breed = [[Kathiawari]] <ref>The Warhorse, 1250-1600 - Ann Hyland, page:-172</ref><ref>[http://hdl.handle.net/1773/2588 Cetak's breed was Kathiawari or Marwari, based on traditional accounts: Elizabeth Thelen, "Riding through Change: History, Horses and the Reconstruction of Tradition in Rajasthan", p, 60. D Space, University of Washington.]</ref> |
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| gender |
| gender = male |
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| death_date |
| death_date = June 1576 |
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| death_place |
| death_place = [[Rajsamand]], [[Rajasthan]] |
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| nationality |
| nationality = [[Udaipur State|Mewar]] |
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| |
| owner = [[Maharana Pratap]] |
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| role |
| role = |
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}} |
}} |
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'''Chetak''' was the horse of [[Maharana Pratap]], whom Pratap rode during the [[Battle of Haldighati]], June 21, 1576. Chetak died in this battle and since then has been immortalized in the ballads of Rajasthan. The [[Horses in warfare|warhorse]] was of either the [[Kathiawari]] <ref>The Warhorse, 1250-1600 - Ann Hyland, page:- 172</ref>.<ref>[http://hdl.handle.net/1773/2588 Cetak's breed was Kathiawari or Marwari, based on traditional accounts: Elizabeth Thelen, "Riding through Change: History, Horses and the Reconstruction of Tradition in Rajasthan", p, 60. D Space, University of Washington.]</ref> Folklore has it that Chetak's coat had a blue tinge. That is why Rana Pratap is sometime referred as the "Rider of the Blue Horse" in ballads.<ref name=1000fh>{{cite book|last=Glover|first=Fjh|title=1000 Famous Horses Fact and Fictional Throughout the Ages: (Not Race Horses and Not Show Jumping Horses)|year=2011|publisher=Xlibris Corporation |isbn=978-1-4568-8530-4|pages=55}}</ref> |
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'''Chetak''' or '''Cetak''' is the name given in traditional literature to the horse ridden by [[Maharana Pratap]] at the [[Battle of Haldighati]], fought on 18 June 1576 at [[Haldighati]], in the [[Aravalli Mountains]] of [[Rajasthan]], in western India.{{r|liz|page=45}} |
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==The |
== The story == |
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[[File:Chokha, Battle of Haldighati, painted 1822, detail.jpg|thumb| Detail from ''[[Battle of Haldighati]]'' by [[Chokha (painter)|Chokha]] of [[Deogarh, Rajasthan|Devgarh]], 1822, showing the attack by Pratap, mounted on Chetak, on the leader of the [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] forces, [[Man Singh I|Man Singh]] of [[Amer, India|Amber]], who is in a [[howdah]] on an elephant]] |
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{{refimprove section|date=November 2016}} |
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[[Maharana Pratap|Pratap]]'s forces were decisively outnumbered. Chetak's breed is unclear, however, it is widely believed that he was a Kathiawari horse. While mounted on Chetak, Pratap made an attempt on the life of [[Man Singh I]], the Commander of the imperial Mughal Army. When he saw that the battle's tide was turning against him, he charged towards Raja Man Singh, who was directing the battle seated on an elephant. Pratap made a frontal charge at the imperial army, hacked his way through the massed ranks of enemy combatants and reached in front of Man Singh's elephant. Once there, Chetak reared high in the air and planted his hooves on the forehead of Man Singh's elephant. Pratap threw his lance at Man Singh but the blow fell on the [[mahout]] (elephant driver) instead, who was killed instantly. In the general melee that followed, Chetak received a fatal wound on one of his legs. This was the turning point of the battle. [[Maharana Pratap]] was loath to leave a battle in between, but was prevailed upon by his faithful followers. By some accounts, one of the Jhala Maan Singh literally snatched the Royal Insignia from Maharana's person and wore them himself, thus making him a target for the [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] Army. As the Mughal army fell upon the [[Jhala]] sardar mistaking him for Maharana, Maharana left the battlefield with some of his loyal followers. [[Mewar]]'s bold gamble to siege the battle in its favor had failed. |
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Historical sources do not name the horse ridden by [[Maharana Pratap]] at the [[Battle of Haldighati]] on 18 June 1576, nor do they attribute any unusual feat or achievement to it.{{r|liz|page=45}} |
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Maharana then took Chetak out of the battlefield, running a distance of about 3 to 5 kilometres. They came upon a river, 21 feet wide, which Chetak jumped across, even with his wounded leg. Some distance ahead Chetak collapsed and became unconscious, eventually dying. |
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According to tradition, the horse was called Chetak. Although wounded, Chetak carried Pratap safely away from the battle, but then died of his wounds. The story is recounted in court poems of [[Udaipur State|Mewar]] from the seventeenth century onwards. The horse is first named Cetak in an eighteenth-century ballad, ''Khummana-Raso''.{{r|liz|page=45}} The story was published in 1829 by Lieutenant-Colonel [[James Tod]], a [[British Raj|colonial]] officer who had been [[Political officer (British Empire)|political officer]] to the Mewari court, in the first volume of his ''Annals and Antiquities of Rajast'han or the Central and Western Rajpoot States of India''.{{r|liz|page=46|tod|page2=339}} His account was based on the ''Khummana-Raso'', and became the most commonly followed version of the tale.{{r|liz|page=45}} In it, the horse is named Chytuc, and is once referred to as the "blue horse". Pratap is at one point called the "rider of the blue horse".{{r|tod|page=339}} |
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Maharana Pratap erected a small [[Chetak Smarak|monument for his horse]] at the place where Chetak fell. The cenotaph still exists at Haldighati in [[Rajsamand]] District.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://asijaipurcircle.nic.in/Balicha%20-%20Chetak%20Samadhi.html |title=Chetak Samadhi |work=Jaipur Circle |publisher=Archaeological Survey of India |accessdate=16 November 2016 }}</ref> |
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The story spread beyond [[Rajasthan]], to [[Bengal]] and elsewhere. There, Pratap was seen as a symbol of resistance against invasion and, by extension, of [[nationalist]] resistance to British colonial occupation.{{r|liz|page=47}} |
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== Everyday usage == |
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* [[Bajaj Chetak]] is a two-wheeler named after the strength of the horse. |
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== Commemoration == |
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[[File:Chetak Samadhi.jpg|thumb|The [[Chetak Smarak]] at [[Haldighati]]]] |
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Several statues and monuments to Pratap and Chetak have been raised. An [[equestrian statue]] was placed in [[Moti Magri Park]] in [[Udaipur]] by [[Bhagwant Singh of Mewar]] (''[[Reign|r]]''. 1955–1984);{{r|liz|page=47|ud}} another overlooks the city of [[Jodhpur]].{{r|liz|page=47}} The [[Chetak Smarak]] at Haldighati in [[Rajsamand District]] marks the spot where Chetak supposedly fell.{{r|asi}} |
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==See also== |
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* [[List of historical horses]] |
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== References == |
== References == |
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{{reflist |
{{reflist|refs= |
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<ref name=asi>[http://asijaipurcircle.nic.in/Balicha%20-%20Chetak%20Samadhi.html Chetak Samadhi]. Archaeological Survey of India, Jaipur Circle. Accessed April 2017.</ref> |
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==External links== |
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*[http://www.geeta-kavita.com/hindi_sahitya.asp?id=170 Excerpts from the great poem “Haldighati”, singing the Chetak's saga] |
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<ref name=liz>Elizabeth Thelen (2006). [https://digital.lib.washington.edu/researchworks/bitstream/handle/1773/2588/Elizabeth%20Thelen.pdf ''Riding through Change: History, Horses and the Reconstruction of Tradition in Rajasthan''] (senior thesis). Seattle, Washington: University of Washington. Accessed April 2017.</ref> |
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<ref name=tod>James Tod (1829). [https://archive.org/stream/annalsantiquitie01todj_0#page/n394/mode/1up/search/blue+horse ''Annals and Antiquities of Rajast'han or the Central and Western Rajpoot States of India''], volume I of II. London: Smith, Elder.</ref> |
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<ref name=ud>[http://www.udaipur.org.uk/monuments/pratap-memorial.html Maharana Pratap Memorial]. Udaipur India. Accessed April 2017.</ref> |
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}} |
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[[Category:Individual warhorses]] |
[[Category:Individual warhorses]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:Kingdom of Mewar]] |
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[[Category:Maharana Pratap]] |
[[Category:Maharana Pratap]] |
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[[Category:Horses in India]] |
[[Category:Horses in India]] |
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Latest revision as of 16:54, 23 August 2024
 | |
| Species | horse |
|---|---|
| Breed | unknown |
| Sex | male |
| Died | June 1576 Rajsamand, Rajasthan |
| Nation from | Mewar |
| Owner | Maharana Pratap |
Chetak or Cetak is the name given in traditional literature to the horse ridden by Maharana Pratap at the Battle of Haldighati, fought on 18 June 1576 at Haldighati, in the Aravalli Mountains of Rajasthan, in western India.[1]: 45
The story
[edit]
Historical sources do not name the horse ridden by Maharana Pratap at the Battle of Haldighati on 18 June 1576, nor do they attribute any unusual feat or achievement to it.[1]: 45
According to tradition, the horse was called Chetak. Although wounded, Chetak carried Pratap safely away from the battle, but then died of his wounds. The story is recounted in court poems of Mewar from the seventeenth century onwards. The horse is first named Cetak in an eighteenth-century ballad, Khummana-Raso.[1]: 45 The story was published in 1829 by Lieutenant-Colonel James Tod, a colonial officer who had been political officer to the Mewari court, in the first volume of his Annals and Antiquities of Rajast'han or the Central and Western Rajpoot States of India.[1]: 46 [2]: 339 His account was based on the Khummana-Raso, and became the most commonly followed version of the tale.[1]: 45 In it, the horse is named Chytuc, and is once referred to as the "blue horse". Pratap is at one point called the "rider of the blue horse".[2]: 339
The story spread beyond Rajasthan, to Bengal and elsewhere. There, Pratap was seen as a symbol of resistance against invasion and, by extension, of nationalist resistance to British colonial occupation.[1]: 47
Commemoration
[edit]
Several statues and monuments to Pratap and Chetak have been raised. An equestrian statue was placed in Moti Magri Park in Udaipur by Bhagwant Singh of Mewar (r. 1955–1984);[1]: 47 [3] another overlooks the city of Jodhpur.[1]: 47 The Chetak Smarak at Haldighati in Rajsamand District marks the spot where Chetak supposedly fell.[4]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h Elizabeth Thelen (2006). Riding through Change: History, Horses and the Reconstruction of Tradition in Rajasthan (senior thesis). Seattle, Washington: University of Washington. Accessed April 2017.
- ^ a b James Tod (1829). Annals and Antiquities of Rajast'han or the Central and Western Rajpoot States of India, volume I of II. London: Smith, Elder.
- ^ Maharana Pratap Memorial. Udaipur India. Accessed April 2017.
- ^ Chetak Samadhi. Archaeological Survey of India, Jaipur Circle. Accessed April 2017.