Chittorgarh Fort, (first built in 7th C), Rajasthan

Chittorgarh Fort, Rajasthan. patrika.com/

Chittorgarh Fort, Rajasthan. Chetan Meena/Getty Image.tripsavvy.com

This formidable fort may look impressive and imposing, but if you turn the dusty pages of Indian history books, in its background lurks a sad story that may make your heart sink. The fort witnessed battles where barbarity and brutality ruled the roost. This was true of many countries until the establishment of democratic system.

Chittorgarh Fort, Rajasthan.www.ttrikon.com

Built on a 180 meter tall hillock and covering roughly 700 acres of rugged terrain is a famous historical fort of Chittorgarh (Chittaurgarh) in Rajasthan. The town is a testimony to the rich legacy of Rajput,

their pride as great warriors, sacrifices and planned administration. This fort reflects all the great quality and traits of the Rajput clans and their quite known heroism and war exploits. This massive hilltop fort, steeped in history is a major tourist attraction in Rajasthan because it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that way back witnessed many political events, painful tragic events during the heyday of Mewar rulers. The controversial 2018 Bollywood Indian drama movie "Padmaavat" (based on an epic poem on the legend of Queen Padmavati, wife of 14th century monarch Maharawal Ratan Singh) as you may recall drew inspiration from the fort's history.

Meera temple Chittorgarh Fort, Rajasthan.nativeplanet.com

Enclosed in this fort is the Meera and Khumba Shyam Temple that is associated with the great devotee of Sri Krishna - poetess Meera who was an epitome of devotion to God and whose life was spent on conducting bhajans on lord Sri Krishna. Quite well-known across India, her devotional hymns have become part of the folklore and literary traditions of the region and other places.

Chittorgarh Fort, Rajasthan.patrika.com

Considered as the pride of "Pride of Rajasthan State" and its former ruling clan,s the history of this fort, it is said, goes back to the Pandavas of Mahabharata; it is believed to have been built by one of the Pandava brothers ''Bhima''. Historians say it was built during the reign of   Mauryans (Chitrangad Mori) in 7th century. It was Bappa Rawal, who established the Mewar dynasty, in the mid 8th century and later rulers of Mewar developed this strategically located outstanding fort by building additions. It is said his kingdom stretched up to Ajmir and on the SW up to part of Gujarat.

The history of this majestic fort is a poignant one written in blood shed and brave self-immolation by Rajput women. It had all links with the invasion of treacherous Muslim invasion from the Delhi rulers. The invasion of Muslim warriors from NW had begun to give insecurity among the Mewar rulers because they were notorious butchers and destroyers of both Hindu and Buddhist temples. Till the end of 13th century, the fort never faced any major enemy attack or any threats whatsoever. It is a matter of debate as to why did, in 1303, Allaudin Khilji, the brutal ruler of the Delhi Sultanate, attack the fort ? Was it to abduct the beautiful queen of Padmavati, as some sections of historians believe or was he just after the strong and strategically-positioned fort to add to his land? Anyway, the unexpected invasion by the brutal army from Delhi caused havoc, mayhem and mass massacre; the outcome was devastating. It left behind a trail of bloodshed and death of as many as 30,000 people within the fort. The ruler was either captured or killed in the battle. As for virtuous Padmavati, she, having no choice, immolated herself along with other women in the royal family. This was done to avoid being preyed upon by Allaudin Khilji and his merciless army.

Later   Mewar rulers re-eatablished the rule in 1326 and improved the fortification a lot. Rana Kumbha strengthened most of the fort's walls during his reign from 1433 to 1468. Sultan Bahadur Shah of Gujarat made a successful attack after a long struggle and during the second attack on the fort, the ruler Uday Singh II and his brother escaped to avoid   facing death and in the wake 13000 Rajput women got into the huge fire to escape harassment, rape and dishonor.
Soon, Emperor Humayun   defeated the Sultan from Chittorgarh and and this time he reinstated the inexperienced young Mewar king Rana Vikramaditya; He though he could deal with the young ruler easily.

In 1567 Mogul ruler Akbar of Delhi had an eye on this amazing fort and attacked it with a huge army. It took a while for the Mogul army to access the fort because of sturdy stone walls and they did it by way of blasting their way with mines and digging tunnels. They also used cannons to damage the fort when necessary arose. When the Mogul ruler captured it in 1568 Rana Udai Singh II had escaped from the scene, asking his commanders to take care of the battle. This time thousands of of common people were slaughtered by Akbar's army and this again resulted in the mass immolation of Rajput women inside the fort. At last, Mogul ruler Jehangir made a peace treaty with the Mewar rulers in 1616 and between 1884 and 1930 some palaces and other structures came up.

chittorgarh-fort, Rajsthan. .transindiatravels.com

Perched atop a hillock, it is not that easy to access the fort that has lots of impediments besides massive stone structures close to the gates as part of fortifications. Guarded by a watch tower over seven huge gates fitted with massive sharp iron spikes to prevent ramming of sturdy war elephants, the fort is almost self-contained. The reservoirs, chhatris, stambha, palaces and temples inside the fort get the attention of tourists. There were as many as 84 water bodies in the form of wells, ponds and step wells with the storage capacity of 4 billion liters of water in the by-gone era. But, presently, there are only 22 water bodies. The fort could withstand siege by enemies for a pretty long time. The enemy's army had to put in lots of efforts to reach the fort.
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