Chittorgarh Fort is the largest fort in Rajasthan, though I am not sure how the “large” is measured. It stands as the memory of the bravery of Mewar rulers and sacrifices made by women and children. The Mewar kingdom lost this fort thrice; to Allauddin Khilji, Bahadur Shah and Akbar. Every defeat resulted in Jauhar – mass self-immolation of thousands of women and children to save themselves from enemy forces. A very gruesome history. After Akbar sacked the fort, Chittorgarh was “nothing but an immense crematorium”.
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| Kumbha Palace in Chittorgarh fort |
Chittorgarh was the last leg of our recent trip to Rajasthan. We had an evening and half of the day before heading to Udaipur airport. Despite planning for a good amount of time in Chittorgarh, we had to rush at the end. There was so much to see in the fort!!
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| View of Vijaya Stamba with ruins of a temple |
The gargantuan fort looms over the town of Chittorgarh. The perimeter wall is 13 km long. Unlike the Kumbhalgarh Fort, all monuments in Chittorgarh fort can be reached by vehicle. As we climbed up the fort through series of hairpin bends, we crossed some massive gates. At the top, we had to pay the entry fee before proceeding further. The entry fee was just 15 rupees with no charges for photography. The tickets were checked only in a couple of monuments.
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| Shani temple |
Having reached Chittorgarh in the noon, we focussed our attention on Shani Dev temple and Kumbha Palace at the fort entrance. The Palace was almost in ruins but still provided a glimpse of the past. It provided some good opportunities for us to photograph.
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| Sunset ay Chittorgarh fort |
Our plan in the evening was to watch the “Sound and Light” show. Usually, two shows are held every evening (depends on the crowd). But on Tuesday and Friday, the first show is reserved for the people arriving on the “Palace on wheel” train. It was Friday, and we had to wait for some time before we could enter. The show mainly concentrated on the history related to Rani Padmini, who committed Jauhar to escape from Allauddin Khilji; Rani Karnavati who fought against Bahadur Shah of Gujarat but committed Jauhar after defeat; Panna Day, a maid who sacrificed her son to save the Mewar dynasty; Meera Bai, the queen who chose to become saint-poet; Rana Kumbha and Maharana Pratap, the most admired rulers of Mewar. Overall a good show.
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| Kumbha Palace during Sound and Light show |
The next morning, we visited some of the important monuments:
Meerabai Temple is associated with saint-poet Meerabai. Though she was a queen, she disregarded social and family conventions and dedicated her life to Lord Krishna and composed songs of devotion.
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| Meera Temple |
Jain temples – Though most of the monuments inside the fort belong to Hinduism, there is a significant number of Jain temples like Sattaees Devari, Shringar Chauri and Sat Bis Devri. It depicts the religious tolerance of Mewar rulers.
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| Jain Temples |
Vijay Stambha, the tower of victory is the most prominent structure in the fort. This was built by Rana Kumbha to commemorate his victory over the Sultan of Malwa. Yet another example of religious tolerance of the Meward rulers considering that the top story of the tower has Jain Goddess and also “Allah” carved in Arabic on few floors. We could not see the internal details of the tower as the public was not allowed inside.
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| Vijaya Stamba |
Gaumukh reservoir formed by a spring at the edge of the fort. It is said to be one of the main sources of water. It is near Siddeshwara Temple.
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| Gaumukh Reservoir |
Padmini’s palace – This is the place where Allaudin Khilji had glimpse of Rani Padmini’s beauty. In the mad rage to posses her, he went to destroy Chittor but could not succeed as she committed jouhar after the defeat of Rajputs. This was the only place where we were asked to show the tickets!!
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| Padmini Palace |
The gate through which the Mughal armies entered the fort.
Kirthi Stambha – Smaller than Vijay Stambha, it is dedicated to Adinath, the first Tirthankara of Jainism. A Jain temple exists next to the tower.
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| Kirthi Stambha |
For a person interested in history, the Chittor fort is not the one to be missed. It is about 110 km from Udaipur and 90 km from Udaipur airport. Chittorgarh town itself is not touristy, but there are many places to stay and eat.
AJEYA RAO
Wow the visuals are impressive. It is also nice to read a bit of Queen Padmini, Can't wait to see Bansali's depiction of the Padmavati and Khilji story on big screen.
2travelling sisters
Beautiful architecture of Chittorgarh and what a harsh past it had been! Loved your narration and the captures are amazing!
aravindgj
Ajeya,
Thanks. Yes, the story about Padmini is interesting and at the same time tragic.
2travelling sisters,
Thanks for your comments.
Sapna
It's impressive fort and monuments are scattered.
You captured very well.
Sagar V
Tumba sogasagi moodibandide e nimma baraha. Beautiful clicks lot with your detailed description. Enjoyed the reading.
aravindgj
Sapna,
Thanks.
Sagar,
Thanks.