Maharaja Chhatrasal Bundela
He was one of the primary reasons for the fall of the Mughal Empire. He formed an independent kingdom in the heart of India: Bundelkhand against Aurangzeb. He revolted at age of 22 with just 5 horsemen & 25 swordsmen.
Maharaja Chatrasal born on 4th May 1649, was inspired by his father who started the revolt for freedom against Mughal Favorite Abu Fazl before achieving martyrdom. Maharaja started revolt at the age of 22 and formed a kingdom of his own at the of 26 against Mughal dominance. During the first ten years of his revolt, he conquered a large tract of land between Chitrakoot, Chhatarpur, and Panna on the east and Gwalior on the west. His domains stretched from Kalpi in the north to Sagar, Garah Kota, Shahgarh, and Damoh in the south. Maharaja Chatrasal is an important figure who is an example of the Fact that since Bappa Rawal in 728AD to Maharaja Chatrasal, there was always a Rajput who was fighting for our motherland.
Maharaja Chhatrasal defeated several Mughal generals namely Bahlol Khan, Rohilla Khan, Kaliq, Munawwar Khan, Sadruddin, Sheikh Anwar & Sayyid Latif. He belongs to the Bundela clan of Rajputs, born under Mughal supremacy but died as an independent king of an independent kingdom. And soon the forts of Orchha, Sagar, Damoh, Kalpi, Mahoba, Ajmer, and Vidisha were conquered by Chhatrasal. The Mughal jagirdars themselves began to pay tax to Chhatrasal now. His victory march continued as far as Malwa, Punjab, Rajasthan, establishing the Bundela kingdom. He was not only a great warrior but an able administrator too, his governance ensured his kingdom would always have a full treasury. He also gave an equal share of his kingdom to his sons Jagatraj and Hirdeshah and advised them to always follow Raj Dharma & deliver good governance.
Maharaja Chhatrasal’s parents died in a battle when he was 12, he had no money, no power, no allies but had something more precious, courage, sanskar, and the self-confidence of Veera Bhogya Vasundhara (The World is for the Brave). He was not broken in spirit. Armed with courage and faith, decided to fight back.
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