With the modern town of Chittor at the foot of the hill, imposing
Chittaurgarh Fort rises 150 m above the surrounding region and
runs to an approximate length of 3 km covering an area of 60 acres
and peripheral length of 13 km. Standing tall in one of the oldest
cities in Rajasthan, the Chittaurgarh Fort perched on a 152-m-high
rocky hill. The town of the brave, Chittaurgarh is known for its
massive fort atop a hill, which can be singled out for its glorious
past.
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Architecture
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The ascent to the Chittaurgarh Fort takes one through zigzag paths
interrupted at intervals by seven enormous gateways or 'pols'.
There are 7 gateways to the main gate are Padan Pol, Bhairon Pol,
Hanuman Pol, Ganesh Pol, Jorla Pol, Lakshman Pol, and Ram Pol.
The Suraj Pol is the gate on the east. On the climb, there are
two chhatris (small domed canopies, supported by pillars) where
Jaimal and Kalla, heroes of the 1568 seige, fell during the struggle
against Akbar.
Near
the Padan Pol is the memorial of Rawat Bagh Singh who joined hands
with King Vikramaditya to fight against Sultan Bahadur Shah of
Gujarat when Chittor fort was attacked the second time. The Bhairon
Pol is named in the memory of Bhairondas Solanki who also fought
against Sultan Bahadur Shah in AD 1534. The Hanuman Pol, the Ram
Pol, and the Lakshman Pol have a temple in their vicinity. The
Jorla Pol has two adjacent gateways.
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History
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70 miles east of Udaipur lies the famed but ruined fortress of
Chittaur, the Rajput's 'holy of holies', physical symbol of chivalry
and the sacrifice of thousands of men and women who died in three
gruesome massacres and mass suicides by jauhar or self-immolation
by women. Mewar (Udaipur) was the only house that stead fastly
refused to either capitulate to the Mughals or give it's daughters
in marriage to them. The first massacare took place in 1303, when
Chittaur was besieged by Allauddin Khilji, who was besotted by
the beauty of the legendary rani Padmini.
The
fort has checkered history, it has witnessed some of the bloodiest
battles in history. The antiquity of Chittaurgarh is difficult
to trace, but it is believed that Bhim the legendary figure of
the Mahabharta, visited this place to learn the secrets of immortality
and became the disciple of a sage, but his impatience to perform
all the rites deprived him of his goal, and out of sheer anger
he stamped on ground creating water reservoir, this reservoir
is called as Bhim Lat. Later on, it came under the Mauryas or
Muri Rajputs, there are different opinions as to when it came
under the Mewar ruler, but it remained the capital of Mewar till
1568, when it was shifted to Udaipur. It is believed that Bappa
Rawal the legendary founder of the Sisodia clan, received Chittaur
in the middle of 8th century, as a part of the dowry after marriage
with the last Solanki princess, after that his descendants ruled
Mewar which stretched from Gujarat to Ajmer, upto the 16th century.
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Tragedies
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Chittaurgarh embodies romance and chivalry. The stories told of
the ruined Fort Chittor evokes awe and respect to this day. The
fort fell more than once and each time the inhabitants fought
literally to the last man and the women committed Jowhar, or mass
immolation, to escape the ignominy of capture. The most famous
instance, which is now a part of folklore, occurred in 1303 when
the legendary Rajput beauty, Rani Padmini committed Jowhar with
thousands of womenfolk to escape dishonor at the hands of the
soldiers of Allaudin Khilji, Sultan of Delhi. A second instance
occurred in 1533 when Bikramjeet of Chittaur was defeated by the
Sultan of Gujarat - many women and children sacrificed themselves
in the Jauhar led by Rani Karnavati. Chittorgarh stands today
as a symbol of Rajput courage and pride.
The
third siege of the fort took place in AD 1567 with the Mughal
ruler Akbar arrayed against the might of the Rajputs. It is believed
that Akbar got annoyed with Udai Singh for sheltering the then
ruler of Malwa. This was a bloody war with jauhar being performed
for the third time. The tales of valor of Jaimal and Kalla are
still alive in the local folklore. It is believed that Akbar was
so impressed by the valor of Jaimal and Kalla that he got their
statues installed at the Agra Fort.
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Prime
Attractions
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Vijay Stambh(Victory Tower) The imposing 37 metres
high structure with nine storeys, covered with exquisite sculptures
of Hindu deities. It was built in 1440 AD by Maharana Kumbha,
a powerful ruler of Mewar to commemorate his victory over the
Muslim rulers of Malawi and Gujarat.
Kirti Stambh (Tower of Fame) The22 metres high
tower built by a wealthy Jain merchant in the 12th century AD.
The tower is dedicated to Adinathji, the first of the Jain Tirthankaras
and is decorated with figures of the Jain pantheon.
Padmini's Palace Built beside a pool, the palace
is a magnificent one. It was here that Rana Ratan Singh showed
a glimpse of queen Padmini to Alauddin Khilji. Rani Padmini stood
in 'Zanana Mahal' - a pavilion in the centre and her reflection
was visible to Alauddin Khilji in a mirror placed in the main
hall. After having glimpse of the legendary beauty, Alauddin went
to the extent of ravaging Chittaur in order to possess her.
Bassi
Wildlife Sanctuary 50-sq-kms sanctuary near Bassi, supports
a population of panthers, wild boars, antelopes, mongoose and
migratory birds.
Prior permission has to be obtained from the District Forest Office,
Chittaurgarh before visiting the sanctuary.
Sita Mata Sanctuary, Dhariyavad This thickly
wooded jungle sprawls over the Aravalli ranges and the Malawi
plateau with three rivers flowing through the forest. According
to legend, Sita, wife of Lord Rama stayed in this jungle in Rishi
Valmiki's Ashram after she was exiled by Lord Rama. The common
fauna that can be sighted here includes Leopard, Hyena, Jungle
Fox, Porcupine, Sambhar, Wild Bear, four-horned Antelope, Nilgai
and Flying Squirrel.
Menal (90-km) On the Bundi-Chittaur Road, amid
the natural beauty is Menal, famous for its ancient Shiv temples,
picturesque water falls and dense forests.
Meera Bai Temple The temple where Meera Bai worshipped
Lord Krishna is built in north Indian style on a raised plinth
with a conical roof and beautiful inner sanctum. An open colonnade
around the sanctum has four small pavilions in each corner.
