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23 (twenty-three) is the natural number following 22 and preceding 24.

In mathematics[link]

Twenty-three is the ninth prime number, the smallest odd prime that is not a twin prime. Twenty-three is also the fifth factorial prime, the third Woodall prime. It is an Eisenstein prime with no imaginary part and real part of the form 3n − 1.

Twenty-three is the sum of three other, consecutive, prime numbers; 5, 7 and 11. It is the first prime number showing this characteristic.

The fifth Sophie Germain prime and the fourth safe prime, 23 is the next to last member of the first Cunningham chain of the first kind to have five terms (2, 5, 11, 23, 47). Since 14! + 1 is a multiple of 23 but 23 is not one more than a multiple 14, 23 is a Pillai prime. 23 is the smallest odd prime to be a highly cototient number, as the solution to x − φ(x) for the integers 95, 119, 143, 529.

Twenty-three is the aliquot sum of two integers; the discrete semiprimes 57 and 85 and is the base of the 23-aliquot tree.

23 is the first prime P for which unique factorization of cyclotomic integers based on the Pth root of unity breaks down.

The sum of the first 23 primes is 874, which is divisible by 23, a property shared by few other numbers.^[1][2]

In the list of fortunate numbers, 23 occurs twice, since adding 23 to either the fifth or eighth primorial gives a prime number (namely 2333 and 9699713).

23 also has the distinction of being one of two integers that cannot be expressed as the sum of fewer than 9 cubes of integers (the other is 239). See Waring's problem.

23 is a Wedderburn–Etherington number. The codewords in the perfect (non-extended) binary Golay code are of size 23.

According to the birthday paradox, in a group of 23 (or more) randomly chosen people, the probability is more than 50% that some pair of them will have the same birthday.

There were 23 problems on David Hilbert's famous list of unsolved mathematical problems, presented to the International Congress of Mathematicians in Paris in 1900.

In base 10, 23 is the second Smarandache–Wellin prime, as it is the concatenation of the base 10 representations of the first two primes (2 and 3) and is itself also prime. It is also a happy number in base 10. 23! is 23 digits long in base 10. There are only three other numbers that have this property: 1, 22, and 24.

The natural logarithms of all positive integers lower than 23 are known to have binary BBP-type formulae.^[3]

In science[link]

• The atomic number of vanadium.
• The atomic mass number of the stable isotope of sodium.
• Normal human sex cells have 23 chromosomes.^[4] Other human cells have 46 chromosomes, arranged in 23 pairs.^[5]
• Scientific notation for the avogadro constant is written as 6.02214179(30)×10²³ mol^-1.^[6]
• Nobel Prize-winning economist John Forbes Nash, the inspiration for the film A Beautiful Mind, was obsessed with the number 23 and it featured prominently in his nervous breakdown. He claimed that Pope John XXIII was in fact himself, the evidence being that 23 was his favourite number. Nash also published only 23 scientific articles.
• 23 is the width of the Arecibo message, sent to space in search for extraterrestrial intelligence.

In technology[link]

23 is the TCP/IP port used for telnet and is the default for the telnet command.

In religion[link]

• Psalm 23, also known as the Shepherd Psalm, is possibly the most quoted and best known Psalm.^[7] Psalms is also the 23rd book in the Douay–Rheims Bible.
• In Islam, the Qur'an was revealed in a total of 23 years to Muhammad.^[8][9]
• Muslims believe the first verses of the Qur'an were revealed to the Islamic prophet Muhammad, on the 23rd night of the 9th Islamic month.^[10]
• In Abhidharma, the number of anomalous generic types (of a possible 72) - e.g., events are considered sui generis because they are not reducible to either mind or matter — is 23.
• Principia Discordia, the sacred text of Discordianism, holds that 23 (along with the discordian prime 5) is one of the sacred numbers of Eris, goddess of discord.
• The Ancient Chinese believed that numbers conveyed sexuality with even numbers representing femininity and odd representing masculinity. Prime numbers were considered the most masculine and special status was conferred on 23 as it contained not only two consecutive prime numbers (2 and 3) but also the only even prime number.

In popular culture[link]

Sports[link]

Michael Jordan, a star basketball player for the NBA, wore the number 23 on his jersey

The number 23 has been worn by and sometimes retired for a number of few prominent athletes. Michael Jordan wore number 23 when he played professional basketball with the Chicago Bulls and, later, the Washington Wizards -- except immediately following his comeback from baseball, when he wore number 45, and for one game in the 1990-91 season against the Orlando Magic when his jersey was stolen and he wore the number 12. Australian cricketer Shane Warne wore the number 23 during his career; Don Mattingly of the New York Yankees wore number 23; the New York Yankees retired the number in 1997. Ryne Sandberg, of the Chicago Cubs, wore number 23, which was retired on August 28, 2005. Bob Nystrom of the New York Islanders wore number 23 and has had the number retired in his honor. Bob Gainey, ex-General Manager and former player for the Montreal Canadiens, had his number 23 retired February 23, 2008. Australian Football Player Lance Franklin from the Hawthorn Hawks wears the number 23. The all star NHL player Alexander Edler also wore number 23

Manchester City F.C. retired their number 23 shirt in 2003 following the death of Marc-Vivien Foé who had held this squad number at the club. Foé collapsed and died while playing for Cameroon on June 26, 2003. Belgian team Brugge did the same when their number 23, François Sterchele, died in a car accident on May 8, 2008.

Upon signing for Real Madrid from Manchester United in 2003 David Beckham found the number 7 shirt that he had always worn at Manchester and while on England duty occupied by Madrid hero Raúl. He declined the offer of the number 4 shirt recently vacated by departing captain Fernando Hierro and instead picked the number 23 in reference to Michael Jordan.^[11][12] When he then moved to MLS team Los Angeles Galaxy in 2007, he again chose to wear the number 23 jersey. Later, when he was on loan at AC Milan during the American off-season, he wore the reversed number 32 instead as the number 23 was already in use at the club.

In Darts, 23 is "the lowest score you cannot get with a single Dart".

Music[link]

• Alfred Harth uses the number 23 in his artist name Alfred 23 Harth, or A23H, since the year 1+9+8+5 = 23.
• Several songs and albums use the number 23 as their titles, including Tristan Prettyman's debut album, the eleventh song from Tool's fourth full-length studio album 10,000 Days, "Viginti Tres" (Latin for twenty-three).
• Blonde Redhead have the album '23' and the song with the same name.
• Jimmy Eat World's song "23" appeared on their album Futures. The number also appears in the songs "Christmas Card" and "12."23".95" as well as on some items of clothing produced by the band.
• Four tet and Yellowcard both have songs titled "Twenty-Three".
• The Posies have a record called Dear 23
• The Church's 2009 studio album is called "Untitled 23"
• Spiral Tribe From its inception, the group was obsessed by the number 23. Members sometimes recorded under the moniker of SP23, and the record label itself was called Network 23.
• Carbon Based Lifeforms released a 2011 album titled "Twentythree."
• Noah23 has several albums which reference the number 23.
• Luna's song "23 Minutes in Brussels" (featuring Tom Verlaine) appears on their album "Penthouse".

Film and television[link]

• 23 is the jersey number of Nathan Royal Scott - a character on the WB/CW television series One Tree Hill.
• 23 is a German film about Karl Koch
• The Number 23 is a 2007 film starring Jim Carrey.
• 23 is one of The Numbers - 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, and 42 - featured in Lost.
• The 1980s TV series Max Headroom was set at Network 23.
• In The Matrix Reloaded, the Architect tells Neo it is of utmost importance to choose 23 people to repopulate Zion.
• In Jeepers Creepers, the Creeper appears every 23 years for 23 days to feast on human flesh.
• In the film Vantage Point, all flashbacks take place 23 minutes before the assassination attempt on the president.
• As revealed in Japanese film L: Change the World, 23 is the maximum number of days a person may live before he dies by the cause of writing his name in Death Note. Main protagonist L of the film L: Change the World, signs his name in Death Note so to die after 23 days.
• In Monty Python's Life of Brian there are 23 crosses on Calvary.
• In The Big Lebowski, the main characters deliberately use only lane 23 at the bowling alley.
• In Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Chewbacca sneak into detention block AA23 to rescue Princess Leia. The rescue attempt is botched and Leia escapes only by dodging Stormtroopers' laserfire. A police robot called 23 is included in Star Wars director George Lucas' first film, THX 1138.

Other fields[link]

• The 23 Enigma plays a prominent role in the plot of the Illuminatus! Trilogy by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson.
• The 23, in South Africa, refers to the 23 conscientious objectors who publicly refused to do military service in the Apartheid army in 1987. The following years the number increased to 143 (in 1988) and 771 (in 1989), with Apartheid being dismantled from 1990 onwards.^[13]
• Julius Caesar was stabbed 23 times.^[14]
• In The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, within the first dungeon, a deku scrub states "The order is...2 3 1. Twenty-three is number one!" as a hint to defeating his brethren deeper in the dungeon.
• X-23 is a character in the Marvel Universe. She is named for being the 23rd attempt to create a female genetic twin of Wolverine after attempts to create a male clone failed.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: 23 (number)

• Article in the British newspaper The Mirror regarding the power of the number 23
• A Portal for 23 Knowledge and Culture
• 23 facts, 23 images, 23 gallery, and links to other 23'svep:23 (lugu)

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2012)

Maharana Pratap
The Ruler of Mewar
Reign	1568–1597
Born	May 09, 1540
Birthplace	Kumbhalgarh, Juni Kacheri, Pali
Died	January 19, 1597 (age 57)
Predecessor	Maharana Udai Singh II
Offspring	3 sons and 2 daughters
Royal House	Sisodia, Suryavanshi Rajput
Father	Maharana Udai Singh II

Maharana Pratap or Pratap Singh (May 24, 1540 – January 19, 1597) was a Hindu ruler of Mewar, a small region in north-western India in the present day state of Rajasthan. In popular Indian culture, Pratap is considered to exemplify the qualities like bravery and chivalry to which Rajputs aspire, especially in context of his opposition to the Akbar. The struggle between Rajput confederacy led by Pratap Singh, and the Mughal Empire under Akbar, has often been characterised in popular Hindutva culture as a struggle between Hindus and the 'invading' Muslims, much on the same lines as the struggle between Shivaji and Aurangzeb a little less than a century later. However, notably, unlike Shivaji, Pratap Singh has also symbolised the pride and prestige of upper caste Hindus in northern India, because of the obvious differences between their lineages - but this allegation have little truth because much of Pratap's own soldiery were recruited from among tribal people like Bhils and backward castes like Lohars, while his own upper caste contemporaries like Man Singh of Amber supported Mughals.

However, most scholars now agree that such a characterisation of this conflict is incorrect, for the conflict was between two political entities, and not social or religious identities. This is especially true in context of the fact that many of the Mughal generals that Pratap Singh fought with, were Hindus and ethnically of the same stock as Pratap Singh himself. Most notable of these, and most successful against Pratap Singh was Man Singh, the ruler of Amber. In fact some of the key allies that Pratap Singh had, were in fact the Afghan Muslims of Bihar and Bengal, all of whom were descendents of Lodhi dynasty, which had been defeated by Mughals under Babur in 1526 A. D. In fact, one of the most trusted foot soldiers of Pratap, Hakim Khan Sur belonged to the Sur dynasty of Sher Shah Sur which again, had been defeated by Akbar earlier. Furthermore, some of the immediate relatives of Pratap Singh had themselves allied with Mughal rule. The ultimate defeat of the Rajput confederacy, was not by any direct Mughal conquest; rather it had been a slow dissolution of the confederacy itself, as more and more number of Rajput chieftains and rulers were accommodated in a largely syncretic Mughal Empire. It is therefore, important to understand that the stand off between Akbar and Pratap Singh, was largely politico-psychological in its nature, and had almost nothing to do with the religion, ethnicity or language.

But these arguments cannot explain how even Aurangzeb, a essentially Islamic ruler himself had plenty of Hindu soldier and Shivaji, an essentially Hindu ruler had plenty of Muslim soldiers. Also statements made by Pratap Singh himself. Pratap is said to have lamented that "If there had been no Udai Singh between himself and Rana Sanga, he would not have let Turks master Hindustan." He saw Mughals as foreigners who had invaded India and that is why he refused to surrender. His own father Udai Singh had condemned house of Man Singh for their marriage with unclean foreigners and Pratap Singh himself said that he will call Akbar only a "Turk" and not an emperor. Also Pratap Singh's dogged resistance even when he had to wander in jungles of Aravallis and his persistent refusal to surrender even after being reduced to starvation during run after Haldighati do not point to a person who fought for power politics, but rather to a person with a sacred mission. His own vow giving up all comforts of palace life till he recaptured all his kingdom from Mughals and his life long observance of that vow also speak of his steadfast patriotism and determination rather than power politics. Similar kind of observation can be pointed out to his repeated refusal to accept lucrative offers from Akbar in shape of jagirs and suberdaris.

Accession[link]

Maharaja Pratap Singh II of Mewar Hunting Boar ca. 1750-1775. Opaque watercolor, gold, and silver on paper.

In 1568, during the reign of Udai Singh II, Chittor was conquered by the Mughal Emperor Akbar after the third Jauhar at Chittor. However, Udai Singh and the royal family of Mewar escaped before the capture of the fort and moved to the foothills of the Aravalli Range where Udai Singh founded the city of Udaipur. Rana Udai Singh wanted Jagmal, his favourite son, to succeed him but his senior nobles wanted Pratap, the eldest son, to be their king as was customary. During the coronation ceremony Jagmal was physically moved out of the palace by the Chundawat Chief and Tomar Ramshah and Pratap was made the King, the Rana of Mewar. Folklore has it that Pratap did not want to go against the wishes of his father but Rajput nobles convinced him that Jagmal was not fit to rule in the troubled times of the day, but it is quite possible that what occurred was a bitterly contested struggle for succession: something characteristic of most South Asian kingdoms of the age.

Though the chief reasons for resentment between Pratap Singh and Akbar, two very visionary rulers is unclear, it is now largely agreed that it had to do with disagreements over the status of Mewar within the Mughal Empire, were it to at all accept Mughal suzerainty. The tensions were further characterised by the fact that Babur and Rana Sanga, grand fathers to Akbar and Pratap respectively, had earlier bitterly contested the control over the Gangetic plains and the Doab. It is evident that there were had been some measures of reconcilliation, like acceptance of ambassadors and representatives between the two courts. However, none of these could ever be taken to any logical end.

Conflict[link]

Chittorgarh (Chittor fort), Pratap's ancestral home, was under Mughal occupation. Living a life on the run, the dream of reconquering Chittor (and thus reclaiming the glory of Mewar) was greatly cherished by Pratap, and his future efforts were bent towards this goal. In essence Pratap remained king only on paper as he never ruled any land in his lifetime.

Nearly all of Pratap's fellow Rajput chiefs had meanwhile entered into the vassalage of the Mughals. Even Pratap's own brothers, Shakti Singh and Sagar Singh, served Akbar. Indeed, many Rajput chiefs, such as Raja Man Singh of Amber (later known as Maharaja of Jaipur) were serving as army commanders in Akbar's armies and members of his council. Akbar sent a total of six diplomatic missions to Pratap, seeking to negotiate the same sort of peaceful alliance that he had concluded with the other Rajput chiefs. This is clearly evidential of the ends sought by each of the two rulers: for Akbar, having an independent or semi independent kingdom, within his otherwise consolidated empire was politically unsound and militarily dangerous; for Pratap Singh, on the other hand, to accept vassalage with little in return was a political suicide, and a steep fall for Mewar in the region's power structure.

Battle of Haldighati[link]

On June 21, 1576 (June 18 by other calculations), the two armies met at Haldighati, near the town of Gogunda in present-day Rajasthan. While accounts vary as to the exact strength of the two armies, all sources concur that the Mughal forces outnumbered Pratap's men.

Statue of Maharana Pratap of Mewar, commemorating the Battle of Haldighati, City Palace, Udaipur

However, the numerical superiority of the Mughal army and their artillery began to tell. Seeing that the battle was lost, Pratap's generals prevailed upon him to flee the field ( so as to be able to fight another day. Myths indicate that to facilitate Pratap's escape, one of his lieutenants, a member of the Jhala clan, donned Pratap's distinctive garments and took his place in the battlefield. He was soon killed. Meanwhile, riding his trusty steed Chetak, Pratap was able to successfully evade captivity and escape to the hills.

But Chetak was critically wounded on his left thigh by a mardana (Elephant Trunk Sword) while Pratap had attempted to nail down Man Singh. Chetak was bleeding heavily and he collapsed after jumping over a small brook few kilometres away from the battle field. A famous couplet narrates this incident of the battle:

Aage nadiya padi apaar, ghoda kaise utare paar

Rana ne socha is paar, tab tak chetak tha us paar

English Translation :

Lies the boundless river ahead, How will the horse cross it?

While Rana thought on his side, Chetak was that side!

The battle of Haldighati has commanded a lasting presence in Rajasthani folklore, and the persona of Pratap Singh is celebrated in a famous folk song “O Neele Ghode re Aswar” (O Rider of the Blue Horse).

A monument to Chetak is at the site of the steed's death. The impact of the battle on the Mughal army was also significant.

==Generals==.

Jhala Man Singh[link]

Jhala Man Sinh (also known as Jhala Sardar) set an example of extraordinary valour, bravery and sacrifice in the struggle for freedom. In the battle of Haldi Ghati in 1576, upon seeing Maharana Pratap wounded (three wounds were inflicted, sword, spear and shot by a musket) and unconscious on his horse, Chetak; Jhala immediately took the Crown and royal emblem of Pratap, thus confusing the enemy into thinking that he was Pratap and took the entire attack of the Mughal hordes upon himself. Ultimately his life to save the life of Pratap . It is because of this sacrifice that Pratap continued to fight on against the Mughals and eventually reestablish and liberate all of Mewar except Chittor.

In Present day Udaipur, the descendants of Jhala still carry the emblem of Mewar as their coat of arms as conferred upon them by Maharana Pratap.

Tomars[link]

Raja Ram Shah Tomar of Gwalior was married to a daughter of Rana Udai Singh, sought refuge in Mewar after he lost Gwalior to Mughals. He along with 300 of his men fought the battle of Haldighati. His only remaining son was sent to Bikaner so the line could survive, everyone else gave up their life for the cause of Mewar.

Bhim Singh Dodia[link]

Bhim Singh Dodia, one of the Mewar nobles who took part in Maharana Pratap Singh's war council at Gogunda (1576) prior to the Battle of Haldighati.

Charan Kesa And Jaisa[link]

Two Charan warlords from the Soniana Village of Mewar, fought in the vanguard of Pratap's Army and were subsequently killed in action.Seven others Charans also laid down their lives for the cause.

Bhama Shah (or Bhamashah)[link]

Bhamashah made a mark in the history of Mewar. Son of Bharmal Kawadiya and born 450 years ago, he set an example of honesty, faith and duty. He was not only Pratap's treasurer, but also fought like a soldier when the need arose. Maharana Pratap was able to properly maintain his army of 25,000 soldiers for 12 years only because Bhamashah had gifted not only his property, but also a collection of 25 lakh rupees and 20,000 gold coins from Maalpura during a financial crisis. Bhamashah also served Maharana Amar Singh. Thereafter his son Jeev Shah was treasurer of the Maharana. At the time of his death Bhamashah asked his wife to handover the detailed record of royal treasury to Maharana Amar Singh then he left for heavenly abode.

Punja Bhil[link]

Provided his support to Maharana Pratap, to win the Deawar battle.

Aftermath[link]

Pratap retreated into the hilly wilderness of the Aravallis and continued his struggle. His one attempt at open confrontation having thus failed, Pratap resumed the tactics of guerilla warfare. Using the hills as his base, Pratap continued small raids and skirmishes against the outlying chekcposts, fortresseses and encampments of his adversaries, some of whom included the Hindu vassals appointed by the Mughals in the wake of Pratap Singh's defeat.

During Pratap's exile, he received much financial assistance from Bhamashah, a well-wisher. The Bhil tribals of the Aravalli hills also provided Pratap with their support during times of war and their expertise in living off the forests during times of peace.

Personal life[link]

Rana Pratap had 14 Ranis. Guhilot are descendants of Guha, Sisodia's are descendants of Hamir Guhilot of Sisoda village and Ranawats are descendants of Rana Udai Singh who under the changed strategic realities of the period,abandoned the vulnerable Chittaurgarh and established a new capital of Mewar at Udaipur. The patronymic change in name is usually followed by a major migration of population or battle.

Final days[link]

Maharana Pratap died of injuries sustained in a hunting accident. He died at Chavand, on January 19, 1597, aged fifty-seven. It is said that as he lay dying, Pratap made his son and successor, Amar Singh, swear to maintain eternal conflict against the Mughals. Thus, his strained circumstances did not overpower Pratap even in his declining years. It is said that he also did not sleep on a bed because of a vow he took that until Chittor was freed he would sleep on the floor and live in a hut despite the fact that he had reconquered almost his entire kingdom from Akbar.

Maharana Pratap's son, Amar Singh, fought 17 wars with the Mughals but he conditionally accepted them as rulers.

Character[link]

Rajsthani, especially Marwari folklore has held Pratap Singh in much regard, most of which cannot be said to be unfounded. An incident, often recounted is one where, before the Battle of Haldighati started, Man Singh was out hunting with a few hundred retainers. Pratap's Bhil spies reported this to him at his camp a few kilometers away. Some of Pratap's nobles suggested that they seize the opportunity to attack and kill Man Singh. Pratap refused, demonstrating his sense of rectitude.

In another incident, the womenfolk of Abdur Rahim Khankhana, a Mughal officer, fell into the hands of Pratap's son, Amar Singh. At this point of time, Khankhana was actually on the march against Pratap, and was camping at Sherpur in order to make preparations for an assault against Pratap. Nonwithstanding all this, Pratap commanded his son Amar Singh to arrange for the safe conveyance of the Mughal ladies to their camp. Khankhana was so affected by this incident that he refused to campaign against such a chivalrous monarch. He petitioned Akbar to be relieved of his post and was subsequently (in 1581) appointed guardian of Akbar's own son, Salim. Also it is believed that the slogan " Jo dridh rakhe dharm, ne tahi rakhe kartar was spoken by Abdur Rahim Khankhana, who is also known as "Rahim das" in Hindi poetry.

Legacy[link]

Most important of Pratap Singh's legacy was in military field - after Haldi-Ghati, he increasingly experimented and perfected guerrilla warfare and light horse tactics. His innovative military strategy ---- use of scorched earth, evacuation of entire populations along potential routes of enemy march, poisoning of wells, use of mountain forts in Aravallis, repeated plunder and devastation of enemy territories along with harassing raids on enemy baggage, communications and supply lines --- helped him recapture most of Mewar (except Chittor) by time of his death and enabled him to successfully tackled vastly stronger armies of Akbar. Harassing warfare perfected by Pratap Singh would in due course was adopted by Malik Ambar of Ahmednagar ^[1] who taught and deployed local Marathas to fight invading Mughal armies, thus preparing them for future warfare against Mughals. Though Pratap Singh failed to overcome Mughals in his life time, indirectly and in long run, his military techniques paved way for downfall of Mughal empire.

References[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Maharana Pratap Singh of Mewar

• Maharana Pratap - Mewar's greatest hero
• Battle of Haldighati
• Maharana Pratap. Diamond Pocket Books (P) Ltd.. 
• Maharana Pratap
• Maharana Pratap The Film Maharana Pratap The Film
• ^Rajasthan Ptrika Newspaper - President of India unveiling the Music of Film. [1]
• ^ Mayapuri Magazine Feature (Edition 1947, January 26) (President releasing the Music of Film) (Page 13 ) [2]
• ^ Mayapuri Magazine Interview with Director (Edition 1947, January 26) (Page 23 & 24) [3]
• ^UdaipurTimes [4]
• IN.com [5]
• Bollywood Sargam [6]
• [7]

External links[link]

• Biography of Rana Pratap Singh in Hindi, English & Sanskrit - PDF
• Official Website for the Royal Family of Udaipur
• Maharana Pratap : The light and life of Hindu Community
• Rajput India
• Maharana Pratap Biography in Hindi