Indian History

1572 - Maharana Pratap ascended the throne of Mewar kingdom on 1 March, 1572.  Maharana Pratap is known for his valiant and spirited defence against the Mughal Empire under Akbar.  Maharana Pratap died at Chavand on 19th January in 1597.    Maharana Pratap was the ruler of Mewar kingdom in present day Rajasthan, from 1572 until his death in 1597. He is notable for leading the Rajput resistance against the Mughals in the legendary battle of Haldighati in 1576. 1776 - The Treaty of Purandar was a doctrine signed on 1 March 1776 by the Peshwa of the Maratha Empire and the British East India Company's Supreme Council of Bengal in Calcutta. Earlier another Treaty of Purandar was signed between Maratha leader Shivaji and Jai Singh, Mughal viceroy of Deccan, on 11 June 1665.

1572 - Death of Udai Singh on 28 February in 1572 . Son of Rana Sanga, Udai Singh was the father of Maharana Pratap.  Rana Sanga was a valiant soldier endowed with extraordinary military prowess. Born on 4th August in 1522  Udai Singh ascended the  throne of Mewar Kingdom after killing Banvir, also known as Banbeer (nephew of Rana Sanga), in 1540.  Udai Singh had founded the city of Udaipur. 1580 -  The first Jesuit mission from Goa arrived at Fatehpur Sikri on February 28, 1580 . The Jesuit delegation consisted of Anthony Monserrate, Rudolf Acquaviva and Francis Henrique .  In 1578  the Mughal emperor Akbar sent a delegation to Goa, requesting the Portuguese Viceroy to send a team of learned Catholic priests to his Ibadat Khana in Fatehpur-Sikri, where he held discussions on religious matters. 

1712  - Death of   Mughal Emperor  Bahadur Shah I  on   27 February 1712. Born  Muazzam,  Bahadur Shah I  and  Shah Alam I  ascended the Mughal throne at an advanced age of 67.     Also known as 'Heedless king' ( Shah-i-bekhabar ) due to his indifference to administration,  Bahadur Shah I was not a great administrator. By his conciliatory attitude he managed to retain the support of most of the factions and groups in the Mughal court. Second son of 6th Mughal emperor Aurangzeb , Bahadur Shah I pursued a conciliatory policy towards the Rajputs and the Marathas.  Sahu, son of Sambhaji, who had been in Mughal captivity since the fall of Raigarh, was released. Jeziah, imposed by Aurangzeb, was withdrawn. He acknowledged the independence of Mewar and Marwar. Bahadur Shah I died in 1712 during the course of his campaign against the powerful Sikh leader Banda Bahadur. Bahadur Shah I was succeeded to the Mughal throne by his...

320 – Chandragupta I is officially crowned as the first Gupta Emperor on 26 February in 320 AD.   1966 - Death of Vinayak Damodar Savarka r on 26 February 1966. Popularly known as Veer Savarkar, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar was a great revolutionary and later on a leader of the Hindu Mahasabha.  Savarkar was born on 28 May 1883 to a Marathi Hindu Chitpavan Brahmin family to Damodar and Radhabai Savarkar in Bhagur in the Nashik district in Maharashtra. He had three other siblings: two brothers, Ganesh and Narayan, and a sister named Mainabai.  In 1899 he established the first revolutionary society the Mitra Mela (Friends Association) , which was named as the Abhinav Bharat Society (New India Society) in 1904.  In 1906  Savarka r  went to England and became a member of the revolutionary group led by Shyamji Krishna Varma . On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Revolt of 1857, he wrote a famous book in which he called the Revolt the First war of Indian ...

2008 - Death of Hans Raj Khanna (H R Khanna) on 25 February in 2008.  Born on 3 July 1912 Hans Raj Khanna was an Indian judge, jurist and advocate who propounded the basic structure doctrine in 1973 and attempted to uphold civil liberties during the time of Emergency in India in a lone dissenting judgement in 1976.  He paid the price for it. He was superseded. The government appointed MH Beg as the CJI. After resigning from the Supreme Court, H R Khanna served as the central minister of law and justice for a very short period of three days in the Charan Singh Ministry after the fall of the Indira Gandhi Government, and was later made a combined opposition-sponsored candidate for election as President in 1982, losing to Zail Singh.

1739 - The Battle of Karnal was fought on February 24 in 1739 between Persian invader Nadir Shah and Raushan Akhtar who had ascended the Mughal throne under the title of Muhammad Shah in 1719. Muhammad Shah Rangila reigned from 1719 to 1748. (Muhammad Shah had earned the nickname of Rangila (merrymaker). This is because Muhammad Shah was given to pleasure. He loved to spend his time in the company of eunuchs and ladies of the harem.) Defeat of the Mughal forces in the Battle of Karnal (presently in Haryana) paved the way for the Nadir Shah's sack of Delhi. The famed Peacock Throne of Shah Jahan was taken to Persia by Nadir Shah.    1986 - Death of Rukmini Devi Arundale on 24 February in 1986. A dancer and choreographer of the Indian classical dance form of Bharatanatyam, Rukmini Devi was born on 29 February in 1904 in Madurai. An active member of Theosophical movement, Rukmini Devi Arundale was the first women nominated to Rajya Sabha in 1952.  

Rewa Kund (A reservoir, built by Baz Bahadur with an aqueduct to provide Roopmati's palace with water) Image Credit   Baz Bahadur, a contemporary of greatest Mughal emperor Akbar, was the ruler of Muslim kingdom of Malwa with his capital at Mandu which is home to an impressive array of architectural marvels. Mandu is presently in the Dhar district of the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. Perched on the southwestern edge of the Malwa Plateau at an altitude of 2000 feet the fortress town of Mandu commands panoramic views of the Nimar Plains below.  As Baz Bahadur was given to  pleasure, wine, women, and  music, Baz Bahadur loved to spend his time in the company of musicians and singers and used to indulge in sensual pursuits. He is known in history more for his love-life rather than the administrative skills and military exploits. Baz Bahadur's Palace / Image Credit Built by Baz Bahadur, ...