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below.
Chittorgah fort is the India's largest fort and the ultimate
symbol of Rajput chivalry and pride. The ascent to the
Chittorgarh fort is led by a winding road defended by seven
fortified gateways or 'pols'. There are 7 gateways to the main
gate which 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 where Jaimal
and Kalla, heroes of the 1568 reign, 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 1534 AD. The Hanuman Pol, the Ram Pol and the
Lakshman Pol have a temple in their vicinity. The Jorla Pol
has two adjacent gateways.
History of Chittorgarh Fort
Chittor is more than a ruined citadel, it is a symbol. It
stands for all that was brave, true and noble in the Rajput
tradition. Chittaur was sacked three times, and on each
occasion the rite of Jauhar was performed. Jauhar is the mass
self sacrifice in a sacred fire done by the women and children
of the Rajput kings to escape dishonour from the enemies. The
first was in 1303 when Allauddin Khilji, the Sultan of Delhi
coveted the famous Rajput beauty Rani Padmini whose face he
had seen reflecting on a mirror. Rani Padmini led the Jauhar
rather than submit to dishonour. The second was in 1533 when
the Sultan of Gujarat attacked Bikramjeet of Chittaur. Rani
Karnavati, a Bundi Princess, take the jauhar in which many
women and children perished. Her own infant son, Udai Singh,
was smuggled out of Bundi to preserve the line. Udai Singh
returned as a child to Chittaur and he lived to inherit the
throne of Chittaur. But his traumatic childhood had taught him
that discretion was certainly to be preferred to valour, so
when in 1567, Mughal emperor Akbar beseiged Chittaur, Udai
Singh escaped leaving its defence to two sixteen year old
heroes, Jaimal of Bednore and Patta of Kelwa. They died in
true Rajput tradition after the jauhar had been proclaimed and
Akbar, taking no chances, razed the fort to rubble. Chittaur
was never inhabited again but it always asserted the heroic
spirit of Rajput warriors. Udai Singh built his new capital in
Udaipur.
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 saint, 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 now known as Bhim Lat. It
is also 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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Alauddin
Khilji saw the reflection of Queen Padmini and got so
mesmerized with her beauty that he decided to possess her at
any cost leading to jauhar, mass suicide of women in the fort.
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.
Museum in Chittorgarh
Fateh Prakash Palace Museum:
Inside the historical Chittorgarh Fort, one big portion of the
Fateh Prakash Palace was converted into a museum in 1968. It
has a great collection of sculptures. The important sculptures
are of Lord Ganpati from Pangarh, Indra and Jain Ambica
statues from Rashmi village of post medieval period. Some
weapons, daggers and arms are also displayed in the museum. |
