How Did Maharana Pratap Die? The Hunting Accident at Chavand

Last updated: 5 November 2026

Quick answer: Maharana Pratap died at his capital, Chavand, on 19 January 1597, aged 56, from injuries suffered in a hunting accident. He was not killed in battle or by the Mughals. On his deathbed he is said to have made his son Amar Singh promise never to submit to Akbar. His cremation site at Bandoli, near Chavand, is marked by a chhatri.

How did Maharana Pratap die? Twenty-one years after Haldighati, the king who never bowed to Akbar died not on a battlefield but of wounds from a hunt, in the hill capital he had built while recovering most of Mewar. Here is what the records and traditions say about his last days.

Maharana Pratap’s Death at a Glance

How was Maharana Pratap injured?

The earliest Mewar traditions say he was hurt while hunting near Chavand. The most common version has him pulling a heavy bow hard enough to injure himself internally; other versions describe a fall in rough hill country while chasing a tiger or a lion. Whatever the exact accident, he did not recover. He died a few days later at Chavand, at 56.

There is no credible source for the claims, seen on some websites, that he was poisoned, killed by Mughal soldiers or died in battle. Akbar had stopped campaigning against Mewar after 1585, and Pratap spent his last twelve years recovering territory and building up Chavand.

Maharana Pratap’s last years at Chavand

After Haldighati in 1576 he spent years in the Aravalli hills, fighting a guerrilla war. The victory at Dewair in 1582, which James Tod later called the “Marathon of Mewar”, turned the tide. Once Akbar shifted his attention to the north-west in 1585, Pratap retook most of Mewar except Chittor, Ajmer and Mandalgarh, and made Chavand his capital. He built a Chamunda temple there, and his court sheltered poets and painters; the Chavand school of Mewar painting began under his patronage.

What did Maharana Pratap say before he died?

Mewar tradition, recorded by James Tod in the 1820s, says the dying Rana was troubled that his son Amar Singh might give up the struggle and live in comfort. His chiefs swore that Mewar would never submit while they lived, and only then did he die in peace. The words are tradition, not an eyewitness record, but the charge itself, never to bow to the Mughals and to win back Chittor, is consistent across the sources.

Amar Singh fought on for years before Mewar finally made peace with Jahangir in 1615 on unusually honourable terms. Chittor itself was returned, but the Maharanas were excused from attending the Mughal court in person.

How did Akbar react to Maharana Pratap’s death?

A well-known tradition says Akbar was moved by the news, and that the poet Dursa Arha, who served at the Mughal court, recited verses in praise of Pratap in Akbar’s presence. The story appears in Rajasthani bardic literature rather than in the Mughal chronicles, so it should be read as tradition.

Frequently Asked Questions

How did Maharana Pratap die?

He died of injuries suffered in a hunting accident at Chavand, his capital, in January 1597.

When did Maharana Pratap die?

On 19 January 1597. Some sources give 29 January.

At what age did Maharana Pratap die?

He was 56. He was born on 9 May 1540.

Was Maharana Pratap killed by Akbar?

No. Akbar never captured or killed him. He died of a hunting injury 21 years after Haldighati.

Where is Maharana Pratap’s samadhi?

His chhatri stands at Bandoli, near Chavand, in Udaipur district, Rajasthan.

Who succeeded Maharana Pratap?

His eldest son, Amar Singh I, who ruled Mewar from 1597 to 1620.

Sources and Further Reading

• James Tod, Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan (1829–32).
• Gopinath Sharma, Mewar and the Mughal Emperors.
• Satish Chandra, Medieval India: From Sultanat to the Mughals.
• Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, “Maharana Pratap ki Chhatri”.

Related: How Did Akbar Die? · Mughal Family Tree · Indian Rulers Timeline