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¤ The
Colossal Fort
Right in the center of the
National Park is
Ranthambhore fort, a
stronghold built in 994AD by
Sapaldaksh Chauhana to
thwart invasions by Persian
invaders. The fort has a
nice legend to it. It is
said that two princes went
on a boar hunt. They found
one alright, but as soon as
the beast spied the duo he
dove into a lake. The
princes appealed to Lord
Shiva to bring the boar out
so they could kill it. Shiva
agreed, but on the condition
that the princes would have
to build him a fort. Out
came the boar to be killed,
and the two princes went
forth and built a fort.
¤ Location
 The
fort is located on a high
cliff surrounded by jungles
and has a bloody history. In
the 14th century,
the fort became the site for
the first ever jauhar (self
immolation by women) in
Rajput history. Jauhar, put
simply, meant that wives of
Rajput warriors immolated
themselves in a huge bonfire
when confronted with defeat.
All this happened during the
reign of Raja Hammir Dev who
was fighting the Persian
forces. The women left
behind in the fort came to
know of Hammir’s death in
battle and consequently
decided to end their lives.
However, Hammir was very
much alive. On his return to
the fort and learning about
the jauhar, he beheaded
himself before a statue of
Shiva within the fort.
¤ The Great History
During the 12th century AD
the Turks were ruling Delhi
and in 1194AD Qutub-ud-Aibak
captured Ranthambhore fort
from the Rajputs. On Aibak’s
death in 1210AD Altamush was
appointed his successor who
realised that in order to
gain control over Turkish
possessions in India he
would be required to make
the Sultanate stronger than
before. By 1220 Altamush had
established the northern
frontier along the river
Indus. However, with
Qutub-ud-din Aibak’s death
the Rajputs had realigned
themselves and had come
together as a force to
reckon with. Ranthambhore
fort which they had lost to
the Turks had been regained
and Ajmer and its
surrounding areas were
secure. Delhi saw different
rulers in Altamush’s
successor Raziya Sultan and
subsequently Balban, who
were unable to make much
headway into Rajasthan, and
Ranthambhore remained in
Rajput hands.
Then came Alauddin Khilji, a
ruler of Afghan descent. The
Rajputs had mastered the art
of guerilla warfare and
counted on that to hold out
against the Sultanate, but
had not contended with
Khilji’s military tactics.
Alauddin Khilji captured
Ranthambhore fort in 1303
and destroyed the temples
within its walls. Later, the
Rajputs reclaimed the
fortress and held it till
the Mughal emperor Akbar
came along in 1569. Akbar
laid siege to the fort with
an artillery barrage which
lasted for 37 days, but
ultimately it was a ruse
which got him the fort. The
emperor disguised himself as
a common mace bearer and was
accompanied by one of his
Rajput generals, also in
disguise. Within a few hours
the fort had been taken and
Akbar acknowledged as its
ruler. Being of generous
disposition, the emperor
gifted away the fort to the
Maharaja of Jaipur.
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