The Chittorgarh Fort, also called the Chittod Fort, is one of the biggest forts’ in India. The fort was the seat of power of Mewar state in Rajputana. Located in the present-day city of Chittorgarh, 233 km from Ajmer, midway between Delhi and Mumbai on the National Highway No. 8; it is spread across a hill 180 mtrs (590.6 ft) high with expanse of 280 hectare.
The fort was strategically built above the plains of the valley drained by the Berach River, Chittod fort covers 65 historic structures including 4 palaces including Rana Kumbha Palace and Rani Padmini Palace, 22 large water bodies, 19 large temples, 4 memorials and 2 victory towers.
Chittorgarh fort is the epitome of the bravery and courage of the Rajput Kings. The former home of Mewar rulers of Sisodia clan, it is also one of the most important milestones of history. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the fort used to be the capital of royal Mewar state. The forts numerous palaces, temples, gates, and towers within its precincts to describe every detail of the bygone era. Chittorgarh fort also called as Water Fort, as it had 84 water bodies once, but now there are only 22 of them left.
The water bodies were fed by natural catchment and rainfall, and had a combined storage of 4 billion litres that met water requirement of 50,000 people inside the fort. The fort stood witness to the siege and invasion of Allauddin Khilji in 1303 for the lust of Rani Padmini of Chittorgarh when he defeated Rana Ratan Singh, when this huge water supply came in for good use. The fort withstood several sieges in the 14th and 15th century as well, although it ended with the Rajput defeat. In 1535 siege Bahadur Shah defeated Bikramjeet Singh, and in 1567 siege, Akbar defeated Maharana Udai Singh II, all of which resulted in women committing Jauhar.
The fort also had to face repeated assault from Mughal empire, when Maharana Pratap refused to submit to Mughal Emperor Akbar. Akbar defeated Maharana Pratap at the Battle of Haldighati on 16th June, 1576 to capture the fort forever. Though Maharana Pratap escaped, he continued to make efforts to recover his lost territories. Though in his lifetime he recovered much of his lost territory and many forts but Akbar had massively reinforced the Chittorgarh fort with thousands of troops that meant he never succeeded in his lifetime to recover the fort.
However, after death of Akbar, his son Jahangir, also the next Mughal emperor returned the fort to Maharana Pratap’s son Amar Singh in early 1606, extracting a promise of peace and no hostility. Originally built by local Mori or Maurya ruler named Chitrangad Mori in 7th century A.D, the Chittorgarh Fort in Rajasthan is one of the largest forts in India. Bappa Rawal, the Guhila ruler is said to have captured Chittorgarh fort in either 728 AD or 734 AD. The earliest Guhila inscription discovered at the Chittor fort is from the reign of Tejasimha from mid-13th century; that mentions “Chitrakuta-maha-durga” or the great fort of Chittor.
Despite this, the fort was eventually deserted in light of introduction of artillery in the 16th century, and the capital of Mewar state was shifted to a more secure city of Udaipur, located on the eastern flank of the Aravalli hill range. The Chittorgarh Fort, located in southern part of Rajasthan is a fine example of the popular Rajput architecture. The fort still has many structures that were built by later rulers of Maurya clan. Chittorgarh Fort reverberates with tales of sacrifice, heroism and epitomizes the valiant Rajput culture and its values in real sense.
There is a 1 km long road that leads to the Chittorgarh Fort and is quite steep, from the town below to the west end main gate of the fort, called Ram Pol. The ascent to the fort passes through 7 different gateways, all of which were built by the Mewar ruler Rana Kumbha (1433–1468). These gates from the base to the hilltop are called, the Paidal Pol, the Bhairon Pol, the Hanuman Pol, the Ganesh Pol, the Jorla Pol, the Laxman Pol, and the Ram Pol, the final and main gate respectively. The fort is located above the town of Chittorgarh also known as the ‘Lower Town’ which was setup in 1568 AD. Within the fort, a circular road provides access to all the gates of the fort and monuments that are located within the fort.
The fort is surrounded by 4.5 kms walls studded with integrated circular enforcements that were constructed using dressed stone masonry in lime mortar. Chittorgarh Fort’s two major attractions are the 2 huge multistoried towers, namely Vijay Stambh and Kirti Stambh. While ‘Vijay Stambh’ means ‘Tower of Victory; the ‘Kirti Stambh’ means ‘Tower of Fame’. Vijaya Stambha or Tower of Victory, was erected by Rana Kumbha between 1458 and 1468 to commemorate his victory over Mahmud Shah I Khalji, the Sultan of Malwa, in 1440 AD.
Kirti Stambha or Tower of Fame is a 72 feet high tower; adorned with Jain sculptures on the outside and is believed to have been built in the 12th century by Jijaji Rathod, a Bagherwal Jain merchant. It is dedicated to Adinath, the first Jain Tirthankar. In the lowest floor of the tower, figures of the various Tirthankars of the Jain religious order can be seen. Today to attract the tourists, both the towers are illuminated in the evening for a ‘sound and light’ show which makes them look even more beautiful. The timings for the ‘sound and light’ are from 7:00 PM onwards; and entry fee is INR 50 per head for adults and INR 25 per head for children.
Apart from the towers, palaces; there are many temples within the premises of the fort, most notable being Kumbha Shyam Temple, Kalikamata Temple, Kshemankari Temple, Adbuthnath Temple, and Meera Bai Temple. The Chittorgarh fort and city together host, one of the biggest Rajput festivals, called the “Jauhar Mela”. It takes place annually on the supposed anniversary of one of the jauhars, believed to have been committed by Rani Padmavati; when mass self-immolation was committed by more than 13,000 ladies and children of the soldiers who laid down their lives in the battle against Khilji in 1303.
This festival commemorates the bravery of Rajput and all three jauhars which happened at Chittorgarh Fort across various centuries. During the festival, huge number of Rajputs, including descendants of most of the royal families of Rajputana, take out a procession to celebrate the Jauhar. It is said that the ruined city of the ‘Cold Lairs’ from world famous ‘The Jungle Book’ written by Rudyard Kipling, where Mowgli was taken to, after being kidnapped; was possibly inspired from Chittorgarh Fort. It is noted that Rudyard Kipling personally visited the ruined fort in 1887.
However, he later changed the setting of the story to the hills and jungles of Seoni district in Madhya Pradesh. The Chittorgarh fort was refurbished in 1905 during British era. As with other parts of Rajasthan, the best time to visit the fort in the winter season from October to March. Mornings and evening are cooler and less crowded and are the best time to visit the fort, and the fort is open to visitors from 9:45AM – 6:30PM. The Chittorgarh fort can be reached easily from Udaipur, the nearest major city connected by rail, road and air with all major cities of India.
