Pratap Singh was led to the throne and seated on it amid thunderous hailings of the courtiers.
Chandravat himself crowned Pratap Singh and announced. “Now you are our Maharana Pratap Singh. You are our dream, glory and future. We hope that you will protect the people of Mewar and work for the glory of the Sisodiya rule.”
Maharana Pratap nodded his head.
All the chieftains and the commanders hailed ‘Maharana Pratap Singh Ki Jai’.
At the signal from Chandravat two soldiers arrived carrying an ornate sword. Chandravat fixed the sword to the waist band of Maharana. Then, he declared, “O worthy son of the Sisodiya dynasty, Maharana Pratap Singh! The sword I tied to your waist belongs to the goddess of Chittaur. When the Moguls entered the fort of Chittaur they desecrated the holy temple of ‘Goddess of Chittaur’. The goddess idol was dishonoured and smashed to pieces. The priests were beheaded. This sword is the witness to the humiliations we suffered at the hands of the enemy. It is the symbol and reminder of your duty to avenge the humiliation. The crown you wear is not a beauty ornament. It carries the weight of the great responsibility put on you by the kingdom. The responsibility that of to redeem our pride and honour.”
All the warriors present raised their swords and bowed their heads in obeisance to the newly crowned Maharana.
Maharana drew out the sword after getting up from the throne. He respectfully raised the sword with both his hands and reverently put it to his bowed forehead.
He took a pledge, “I, Rana Pratap Singh take a solemn pledge that I will shoulder the responsibility put on me by honourable Chandravatji by presenting me this holy sword. With all my might I will defend the honour of the kingdom of Mewar and its people. If required I will lay down my life to keep up my pledge. With the blessing of goddess of Chittaur I will win back Chittaur at every cost and the massacre of our people will be avenged.”
Under Maharana Pratap Mewar got recharged with a new spirit. It had got the king it deserved.
The warriors were happy and sure that now they would get a plenty of opportunities to show their mettle and create new legends.
All the other self-respecting rulers around welcomed this development.
Entire Rajput race was then divided in two camps. One belonged to those who had aligned themselves with Mogul empire of Delhi-Agra. They had become partners in the expansion of the empire. The other camp consisted of those who would not accept the domination of Moguls. They were determined to stay free. But they had little power and resources to successfully counter the Mogul pressures. For them Mewar kingdom was their best bet against the Moguls. They knew that the Sisodiyas of Mewar would not bow their heads to Moguls. For the pride and freedom Sisodiyas had so far paid heavy price but they had refused to accept defeat. Maharana Pratap Singh had all the potential to become a rallying point for all self-respecting Rajputs.
