AhmadFosbery49 at 02:18, 4 May 2026

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{{Short description|Afghan commander in the Battle of Haldighati (d. 1576)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Use Indian English|date=April 2017}}
{{Infobox military person
| name = Hakim Khan Suri
| image =
| caption =
| birth_date = 16th century
| birth_place = Delhi (attributed)
| death_date = 18 June 1576
| death_place = [[Haldighati]], [[Kingdom of Mewar]] (present-day [[Rajasthan]], India)
| burial_place = Khamnor/Rakht Talai, near Haldighati
| allegiance = [[Kingdom of Mewar]]
| branch = Afghan contingent in Mewar service
| service_years = fl. 1576
| rank = Commander
| commands = Vanguard of Maharana Pratap’s army
| battles = [[Battle of Haldighati]] {{KIA}}
| relations = Associated with the [[Sur dynasty]]
| known_for = Participation in the Mughal–Mewar conflict (1576)
}}

'''Hakim Khan Suri''' (died 18 June 1576) was a military commander associated with the [[Sur dynasty]] who fought on the side of [[Maharana Pratap]] of [[Mewar]] against the [[Mughal Empire]]. He commanded an Afghan contingent in the vanguard of Pratap’s forces during the [[Battle of Haldighati]], fought on 18 June 1576 in the Aravalli region of present-day [[Rajasthan]].<ref name="hooja">{{cite book |last=Hooja |first=Rima |title=A History of Rajasthan |publisher=Rupa |year=2006 |isbn=9788129118202 |pages=441–444}}</ref>

The battle took place after diplomatic efforts by Mughal emperor [[Akbar]] to secure Pratap’s submission failed, leading to a military confrontation between the Mughal army under [[Man Singh I]] of Amber and the forces of Mewar.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Battle of Haldighati – GKToday |url=https://www.gktoday.in/battle-of-haldighati/ |access-date=2026-02-19 |website=www.gktoday.in}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Prelude to the Battle of Haldighati |url=https://byjus.com/free-ias-prep/battle-of-haldighati-1576/ |access-date=19 February 2026}}</ref> Although the Mughals secured the battlefield, [[Maharana Pratap]] continued his resistance through guerrilla warfare. Hakim Khan Suri was killed in the fighting and is remembered in regional tradition as a commander who fought alongside Pratap.<ref name="vajiram">{{Cite web |date=2026-01-14 |title=Battle of Haldighati 1576, Background, Causes, Outcome |url=https://vajiramandravi.com/upsc-exam/battle-of-haldighati/ |access-date=2026-02-19 |language=en-IN}}</ref><ref name="toi2017">{{cite news |last=Khan |first=Shoeb |date=29 May 2017 |title=Afghan commander who laid down his life for Maharana Pratap |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/afghan-commander-who-laid-down-his-life-for-maharana/articleshow/58885412.cms |work=The Times of India}}</ref><ref name="hooja"/>

==Early life and background==
Hakim Khan Suri’s early life are poorly documented in contemporary primary sources.<ref>{{cite book |last=Kumar |first=Amrita |title=Journeys Through Rajasthan |publisher=Rupa |year=2012 |isbn=9788129123275}}</ref> Later regional histories and modern secondary works describe him as an Afghan (Pathan) commander associated with remnants of the [[Sur dynasty]] that had opposed Mughal expansion after the mid-16th century.<ref>{{cite book |last=Sarkar |first=Jadunath |title=Military History of India |publisher=Orient Longman |year=1960}}</ref>

==Role in Mewar and the Battle of Haldighati==
In the campaign of 1576, Hakim Khan Suri entered the service of [[Maharana Pratap]] and is recorded in historical accounts as leading the Afghan/Pathan contingent in the vanguard of Pratap's forces at [[Haldighati]].<ref name="vajiram"/><ref>{{cite book |last=Chandra |first=Satish |title=Medieval India: From Sultanat to the Mughals (1526–1748) |publisher=Har-Anand |year=2007 |page=123}}</ref>

Modern historians identify Hakim Khan as a leading commander on the Mewar side and note that he was killed during the fighting on or about 18 June 1576.<ref name="sharma1954">{{cite book |last=Sharma |first=G.N. |title=Mewar and the Mughal Emperors |publisher=Rajasthan Vidyapeeth |year=1954}}</ref>

==Death and immediate aftermath==
Hakim Khan Suri was killed in the [[Battle of Haldighati]] on 18 June 1576 while leading his contingent against the [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] forces.<ref name="sharma1954"/> Khan was beheaded during the fighting, and his head was buried at Khamnor, while his body was interred at Rakhtalai, both near the [[battlefield]] at [[Haldighati]], where memorial sites have been noted and visited by locals.<ref name="sharma1954"/> These sites attract visitors during annual commemorations such as Maharana Pratap’s anniversary and [[Martyrs' Day (India)|Shaheedi Divas]], when floral tributes are offered at his grave.<ref>{{cite news |last=Mishra |first=Sachin Kumar |date=28 Jul 2021 |title=Haldighati: Maharana Pratap’s commander Hakim Khan Suri’s tomb vandalised, repaired by locals |url=https://www.jagran.com/rajasthan/jaipur-anti-social-elements-vandalized-tomb-of-hakim-khan-suri-21872650.html |work=Jagran}}</ref>

Some regional histories describe Hakim Khan Suri as an Afghan Pathan commander ([[Senapati]]) in [[Maharana Pratap]]’s army, highlighting that the conflict was between invaders and defenders of Mewar rather than along religious lines.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-02-13 |title=Hakim Khan Suri{{!}} Pathan Who Sacrificed His Life For Maharana Pratap {{!}} Mpositive.in |url=https://www.mpositive.in/hakim-khan-suri-pathan-who-sacrificed-his-life-for-maharana-pratap/ |access-date=2026-02-19 |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Legacy==
Hakim Khan Suri is remembered in Mewar’s regional memory as a commander who fought for [[Maharana Pratap]]. A memorial near Haldighati is associated with him and is visited during commemorative observances.<ref>{{cite news |title=Highway to Haldighati: Where Chetak's leap meets truck's roar |work=The Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/highway-to-haldighati-where-chetaks-leap-meets-trucks-roar/articleshow/125953786.cms}}</ref>

The Maharana Mewar Foundation has instituted a ''Hakim Khan Sur Award'' as part of its honours programme drawing upon Mewar’s historical figures.<ref>{{cite book |last=Meininger |first=Irmgard |title=The Kingdom of Mewar: Great Struggles and Glory of the World's Oldest Ruling Dynasty |publisher=D.K. Printworld |year=2000 |isbn=9788124601440 |page=73}}</ref>

==In popular culture==
* He was portrayed by [[Nirbhay Wadhwa]] in the television series ''[[Bharat Ka Veer Putra – Maharana Pratap]]'' (2013–2015).

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Suri, Hakim Khan}}
[[Category:Maharana Pratap]]
[[Category:16th-century Afghan people]]
[[Category:1576 deaths]]
[[Category:Pashtun people]]
[[Category:Indian military leaders]]

Hakim Khan Suri - Revision history

AhmadFosbery49 at 02:18, 4 May 2026