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¤ The Colossal Walls
Standing on a rocky plateau on a 500
feet high hill, the 700 acre fort
went through three sieges, and each
time Chittor turned out the loser.
But that did not mean that the fort
was inferior to any other in
Rajasthan. It was just that that the
Rajputs had a habit of riding out to
meet the enemy outside the safety of
their walls instead of allowing the
enemy to launch the first assault.
The first time the fort was stormed
in 1303AD, it was purely for matters
of the heart. Alauddin Khilji fell
in love with Rani Padmini the moment
he heard of her and decided to take
Chittor and subsequently Padmini. He
did get Chittor but Padmini was
nothing more than ashes in a huge
jauhar (mass suicide by fire) which
left 30,000 women burnt alive by
choice.
The second siege came 232 years
later in 1535 from Muhammad Shah of
Gujarat, and this time it was
outright war. Chittor fell again,
and 13,000 women and children died
in a different kind of jauhar. The
fortress was on the brink of being
seized by Bahadur Shah and there was
no time to arrange for a bonfire.
Gunpowder was brought out from the
magazines and laid out in
excavations in the ground. A
tremendous blast took the lives of
women and children this time.
The final assault was by Akbar in
1567, and it was fatal for Chittor.
The seven gates of Chittor were
opened and 8,000 Rajputs rode out in
their saffron war robes once again
to die at Mughal swords. Tradition
repeated itself within the walls of
Chittor, and women and children
sallied forth into flames. When
Akbar entered the fort, it is said
that there was not a living soul
left inside. After this final sack
the backbone of Chittor was broken,
and its ruler Rana Udai Singh fled
to lay the foundations of Udaipur.
Chittor never recovered and the fort
was taken over by nature.
¤ Fort
Palaces
Rana Kumbha was the one who
officially built Chittor, and his
palace is the oldest monument within
the fort walls. The palace was built
from 1433-68 in plastered stone, and
the entrance is through Suraj Pol
which directly leads into a
courtyard. On the right of Suraj Pol
is the Darikhana or Sabha (council
chamber) behind which lies a Ganesha
temple and the zenana (living
quarters for women). A massive water
reservoir is located towards the
left of Suraj Pol. Ruined houses
towards the south of the palace may
have been used by lesser nobles, or
were probably used by palace
attendants. Below the central
courtyard is a subterranean chamber
where Rani Padmini committed jauhar
with the rest of the women of
Chittor when Alauddin Khilji
besieged the fort. But perhaps the
most remarkable feature of the
palace is its splendid series of
canopied balconies. The complex also
houses stables for elephant and
horses, but is now in ruins.
¤ Other
Attractions
¤ Fateh
Prakash
Near Kumbha’s palace is Fateh
Prakash, the most modern building in
Chittor. Built in the early 20th
century, the palace was the home for
Maharana Fateh Singh, Chittor’s
ruler who died in 1930. A part of
the building has now been converted
into a museum but the rest of it is
closed to visitors.
Timings :
The museum is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
except on Fridays.
¤ Kunwar
Pade ka Mahal
was the palace of the prince of
Chittor, and was built in 1450.
Interestingly, this palace
incorporates for the first time in
Rajput architecture the use of ogee
arches. These S-shaped arches later
became an essential part of Rajput
architecture and were widely used in
palaces, step wells and temples. In
the prince’s palace can be seen some
of the beautiful blue tiles that
went into decorating most of the
palaces here. Prolific use of the
ogee arch can also be seen in Rana
Ratan Singh’s palace built from
1527-32. Ratan Singh was Padmini’s
husband, and his palace is styled on
Rana Kumbha’s royal residence.
¤ Rani
Padmini’s Palace
is a compact three storeyed white
building, but what is seen today is
a 19th century reconstruction of the
original. The palace is surrounded
by water, and the inevitable
chhatris (pavilions) crown its
roofs. This was perhaps the
forerunner of the concept of
jagmahals (palaces surrounded by
water), and it was from here that
Akbar carried off huge bronze gates
and installed them in Agra. Close by
is Bhimlat kund, an artificial tank
dedicated to the strongest of the
Pandava brother, Bhima (see
Mahabharata).
¤ Palaces
of Jaimal and Patta
The palaces of Jaimal and Patta were
the last two buildings to be built
in Chittor fort, and calling them
palaces is really misleading.
Compared to other palaces in
Rajasthan, they are small and of not
much architectural significance.
Both these havelis (houses) are
built very frugally, taking into
consideration that they were
constructed more as simple
residences than splendid palaces.
Both lie in ruins now, and their
facades are minimal and hardly bear
any resemblance to the palaces of
Rana Kumbha or Padmini.
Towards the south of these two
havelies is the three-storeyed tower
called Chonda house built in early
15th century, and now in ruins.
Chonda was the founder of the
Chondawat clan and gave up his
throne on the insistence of his
father.
¤ Main Gate
Ways To Fort
A limestone bridge supported by ten
arches across the Gambheri river
leads into the fort. Nine of these
arches are pointed, and by some
mishap one was built as a curve. The
road to Chittor is arduous and a
kilometer long, with seven imposing
gateways forming defensive
entrances. Padal Pol the first gate,
is where Bagh Singh was cut down in
the second siege by Bahadur Shah in
1535.
Here it must be remembered that
gateways to a fort in Rajasthan were
no diminutive ones – they were
massive stone structures with
reinforced doors to ward off
elephants and even cannon shots. The
gates of Chittor are of special
architectural interest, for it was
here that for the first time that
defense surpassed décor. The arches
are pointed, and the top of the
gates are notched parapets from
where archers could shoot at their
tormentors.
None other than Emperor Akbar
dedicates two of the seven gates to
Chittor’s brave defenders. Bhairon
Pol was where Jaimal fell by the
Emperor’s bullet, and Patta died at
Ram Pol, the fort’s main gate which
was built in 1459. It is crowned by
two little chhatris (pavilions), and
the roof is supported by a corbeled
arch. Each side of the gate consists
of a small hall. On returning to
Agra Akbar ordered the construction
of statues of the valiant warriors
to commemorate their deaths.
Cenotaphs for both Jaimal and Patta
were also built by Rajputs at each
gate. A statue of a Rajput warrior
on horseback, lance in hand, is
Jaimal’s cenotaph, while another
colonnaded cenotaph lies nearby,
dedicated to Raghudeva of Mewar.
 The
eastern wall is entered through
Suraj Pol (Sun Gate). Hanuman Pol
lies before Ganesh Pol, and then
come two gates joined together in a
peculiar manner. The upper arch of
the Jorla (Joined Gate) is connected
to the base of Lakshman Pol, a
feature never seen anywhere else in
India.
¤ Fort
Temples
In the western side of the fort is
an ancient Tulja Bhawani temple in
honour of goddess Tulja, held sacred
by the scribes of Chittor. Adjacent
to this temple is an open courtyard,
the tope khana (cannon foundry) of
yester years where a few old cannons
can still be seen.
¤ Naulakha
Bhandar- Treasure Store
The Naulakha bhandar (nine lakh
treasury) built by Rana Kumbha is a
small citadel in itself, and it was
here that all the wealth of Chittor
was hoarded. The bastion once had
lofty walls and towers to guard it,
but now lies in ruins. The Naulakha
bhandar is also said to have been
the residence of Banbir, the
usurper.
¤ Shringar
Chaori Jain Temple
In northeastern corner there is a
small domed temple called the
Shringar Chaori with detailed
carvings of gods and goddesses on
the outside. This richly sculpted
Jain temple was built into the fort
wall in 1448 in honour of Shantinath,
a Jain fordmaker.
The palace of the Ranas, built by
Rana Raimal, is a plain edifice with
notched battlements, following the
style of original Rajput
architecture devoid of any Mughal
influence. This palace was the home
for the very first rulers of Chittor,
or that of the Moris from whom
Chittor was seized.
Within the courtyard surrounding the
palace is another temple, this one
for Devji. Rana Sanga had a special
affinity for Devji, and on each of
his forays outside Chittor to engage
the enemy he would first visit the
temple. On a victorious return,
Sanga would once again pay homage to
the deity (see Chittor
introduction).
¤ Mira Bai
Temple
 Two
massive temples also lie within the
fort. One was built by Rana Kumbha
and the other by Mira Bai, the
saint-poetess and Krishna’s devotee.
The masonry for these temples was
brought from the ruins of ancient
shrines near Chittor. Rana Kumbha’s
Vrij temple (1450AD) is dedicated to
Varah, the god with the body of a
man and the head of a boar. Near
these temples are two kunds or
reservoirs, each measuring 125 feet
in length, 50 feet across and 50
feet deep. However, they were not
meant to store water and were
constructed for the wedding of a
Chittor princess to a prince of
Gagron. They were filled with oil
and ghee (clarified butter) which
was served out to attendants and
guests.
Near Mirabai’s temple is the
cenotaph of Mirabai’s guru Shri Rai
Das. Inside the cenotaph is a statue
depicting five human bodies fused
together with one head, signifying
that there are no caste differences
and even outcasts can reach out to
god.
¤ Kallika
Mata temple
Bappa Rawal built the Kallika Mata
temple sometime during the 8th
century for Surya, the Sun god.
Alauddin Khilji destroyed it in the
first sack of Chittor, but Rana
Hammir rebuilt it as a Kali temple
in the 14th century. The temple
consists of five chambers, all
devoid of their original roofs. The
walls of this temple are plain but
the cornices are decorated with
lotus symbols. The inner sanctum’s
walls depict the Sun god Surya in
nichés surrounded by consorts and
angels. The moon god Chandra is also
shown in sculptures in the walls
which rise up into a flat ceiling
supported by quadrangular pillars,
also intricately carved and
bracketed at the top. The doorframe
of the inner sanctum has four
ornamental bands with Surya forming
the central theme of its carvings.
The entire frame is flanked by an
elaborate panel in which are carved
figures of deities around a main
figure of the sun god. The temple
still retains the flavour of the
Gupta style of architecture, and an
inscription within the edifice
informs us that it was built by king
Manabhanga.
¤
Kumbhashyama temple
The Kumbhashyama temple is similar
to the Kallika temple but in is
honour of the god Krishna.
Simplicity is the main theme, but
nichés in the walls are filled with
diamonds and carry images of gods
and goddesses as well as the eight
regents of Chittor. The upper walls
are decorated with a frieze of
entwined loops. A major part of the
temple seems to have been restored,
but the inner chamber still retains
its originality.
The 16th century Adbhutnath temple
demonstrates a style which emerged
in the 10th century.
Here, images of gods tend to be
differently portrayed than in other
temples. Heads are almost circular
and the statues’ limbs form a
tubular shape, making the images
look like crude toys. The main image
of Mahesha or Lord Shiva is made of
wood and is an unrefined depiction
of the Destroyer god. His face is
flat and two more adjoining faces
are turned forward in an obvious
display of the lack of dimension.
¤ Brahma
Temple
Rana Kumbha’s Brahma temple is not
really that of the Creator of the
Universe, and is in honour of
Kumbha’s father, Mukul. Apparently
Brahma was never worshipped here,
and the temple was only named after
him since a bust of Mukul stands in
the centre of the solitary chamber.
Adjoining this temple is Charbagh, a
garden of cenotaphs where the ashes
of each one of Chittor’s rulers –
from Bappa Rawal to Udai Singh II,
the founder of Udaipur – are kept.
¤ Mahasati
The Ranas of Chittor were cremated
in the Mahasati, a small terrace
surrounded by stones marking satis
(widows burnt with the bodies of
their husbands).
¤ Gaumukh
Beyond the Charbagh is Gaumukh, a
perennial fountain formed in the
mouth of a `cow’. The `cow’ is
actually a cleft in a rock face
through which water flows out into a
reservoir. Near the Gaumukh is the
Rani Bindar tunnel which leads into
the subterranean chamber where Rani
Padmini committed jauhar
during Alauddin Khilji’s siege of
Chittor.
Within the same complex is the
Sammidheshwara temple in which light
enters from four different
directions. The temple walls are
short and take the form of blind
balustrades. Small pillars support
the roof on the outside while
columns support the dome of the
inner chamber. This central chamber
is largely open on all sides and its
columns meet in arches in the upper
reaches.
¤ Towers of
Glory
 The
most imposing monuments in Chittor
are the dual towers that stand as a
grim reminder of the jaded grandeur
of Chittor. Vijaystambha or Victory
Tower was erected by Rana Kumbha
from 1457-58 after he defeated the
combined armies of Malwa and
Gujarat. The tower is 122 feet high
and its summit spans an area of more
than 17 feet. Nine storeys ascend
into the sky from the 35 feet broad
base on a 42 feet broad platform.
Each of the nine storeys have
doorways leading into colonnaded
balconies. Designed by an architect
called Jaita in the Jain revivalist
style, the tower is built of quartz
and compact limestone abundantly
found in Chittor. The colonnaded top
storey has a statue of a kanya
(young girl) surrounded by gopis
(milkmaids) in dancing postures
playing various musical instruments.
Black marble tablets in this floor
contain shlokas (verses) tracing the
genealogy of Chittor rulers.
However, most of the slabs have been
defaced and only one is still in its
original condition. The fifth floor
contains reliefs of the builders of
the tower, and a simple staircase
which leads right up to the top
connects all the storeys.
¤
Kirtistambha
The secondary tower in Chittor is
the huge Kirtistambha (Tower of
Fame) originally dedicated to
Adinath, the first Jain saint. 75
feet high and 39 feet wide at the
base, the Kirtistambha is also
richly decorated with Jain motifs.
Similar to Vijaystambha, this tower
is also built of quartz, is seven
storeys high with a chunkier façade.
A number of Jain inscriptions can be
found within and outside the tower,
dating it to 896AD.
Mohair
Margi
Mohair Margi is a little hill raised
under orders from Akbar during his
siege of Chittor in 1567. The Mughal
army was engaged to raise a hill as
high as the fort walls so that they
could fire cannons into Chittor. For
this purpose earth was excavated and
dumped near the walls. Legend has it
that Akbar paid one gold mohur
(coin) for each basket of mud since
the task meant certain death.
Eventually the mound did reach as
high as the fort walls and Akbar was
able to seize Chittor. |
