Chittor

The Fort Of Chittor Is Regarded As One Of The Most Outstanding Forts Of The Country And Is Indeed The “pride Of Rajasthan State”. The Formidable Fort Is Perched Atop A 180 Meter High Hillock Covering A Massive Area Of 700 Acres And Is A Standing Sentinel To The Courage And Valour Of Chittorgarh. It Is Belived That The Fort Was Build By The Mauryans In 7th Century And Further Strucres Were Added To It By The Successive Mewar Rulers. The One Mile Long Serpentine Road To The Fort Is Quite Steep And Exhastive. The Fort Is Approached Through Seven Huge Gateways Or pols, Which Are Guarded By Watch Tower And Massive Iron Spiked Doors. Chittorgarh Fort Is Also Called As Water Fort. The Fort Had 84 Water Bodies, Out Of Which Only About 22 Exist Today. These Include Talabs (ponds), Kunds (wells), And Baories (stepwells). All The Talabs Have A Natural Catchment. The Kunds And Baories Are Located Below The Talabs, So That Even The Seepage From The Latter Is Not Lost.

Vijay Stambha Is A Huge Nine Storey Tower Which Was Built By Maharana Kumbha To Commemorate His Victory Over The Muslim Rulers Of Malwa And Gujarat In 1440. The Tower Is 122 Ft (37 M) High And Stands On A 10 Ft (3.0 M) High Base. There Are Sculptures And Carvings On The Exterior Walls Of The Tower. The Tower Is Visible From Any Section Of The Town Below. And For Reaching Tower Top One Have To Climb 157 Steps; One Can Take Great View Of The Surroundings. The Inside Walls Of The Tower Are Carved With Images Of Gods, Weapons, Etc

Rana Kumbha’s Palace Is Near The Vijay Stambh. This Is The Birthplace Of Maharana Udai Singh, The Founder Of Udaipur. His Life Was Saved By The Heroic Act Of The Maid Panna Dhay, Who Replaced Her Son In Place Of The Prince, With The Result That Her Son Was Killed By Banbir. She Carried The Prince Away To Safety In A Fruit Basket. Rani Meera Bai Also Lived In This Palace. This Is The Place Where Rani Padmini Committed Jauhar With The Other Ladies In One Of The Underground Cellars.

Dedicated To Adinathji, The 1st Jain Tirthankara, It Is Adorned By The Figures Of The Digambars. A Narrow Stairway Goes Through Seven Storeys Of The Tower To The Top. The 22 Metres High Tower Was Built By A Wealthy Jain Merchant In 12th Century Ad

A Deep Tank Filled By A Spring Coming From Gaumukh Or ‘cow’s Mouth’, Situated At The Edge Of The Cliff. It Is Considered To Be Sacred And You Can Feed Fishes.

The Ruined Edifice Of Great Historical And Architectural Interest, Being The Most Massive Monument In The Fort Of Chittaur. The Palace Is Believed To Have Underground Cellars Where Rani Padmini And Other Women Committed Jauhar. Every Day In The Evening A Light And Sound Show About The History Of Chittaurgarh Is Organized In English And Hindi Within This Palace Complex.

It Is Built Beside The Lotus Pool With A Pavilion That Changed The History Of Chittaur. Ala-ud-din Khilji, The Sultan Of Delhi, Saw The Reflection Of Queen Padmini From Here And Got So Mesmerized By Her Beauty, That His Quest Of Possessing Her Led To A Bloody Battle Which Saw Maharana Ratan Singh (husband Of Maharani Padmini) Fighting The Last Battle Of His Life And Padmini Committing Johar. The Epitome Of Beauty, The Cleopatra Of Rajasthan, Became An Eternal Legend In The History Of Chittaur As Also Of Mewar State.

The Temple Where Meerabai Worshipped Lord Krishna Is Built In North Indian Style On A Raised Plinth With A Conical Roof And Beautiful Inner Sanctum. An Open Colonnade Around The Sanctum Has Four Small Pavilions In Each Corner.

The Kalika Temple Is Located Very Close To The Padmini’s Palace. The Splendid Sculpture Of The Temple Is One Of The Major Attractions For Tourists. It Was Constructed By Bappa Rawal During 700 A.d. It Is Dedicated To Kalika Which Is An Incarnation Of Goddess Durga. The Temple Is Also Known As Devi Mata Temple. The Temples Also Have Figures Of The Sun God On Its Walls, Shrine And Gates. The Idol Of Kalika Goddess Was Installed By Maharana Hamir Singh I. The Visit To The Temple Will Also Reveal Significant Events Related To Maharana Pratap And Other Heroes Of The Region.

The Fateh Prakash Palace In Chittorgarh Is One Of The Most Popular Palaces In Rajasthan. The Palace Reflects A Lot About The Grandeur And Splendor Of Rajput Era. The Splendid Architecture Of The Place Is Also A Great Attraction For The Tourists As They Get To Learn A Lot About The Salient Features Of Rajasthani Architecture. T Ere Is A Big Ganesh Idol, A Fountain, And Different Frescoes Which Are To Be Seen To Be Believed. This Palace, Now A Museum, Has A Rich Collection Of Sculptures From Temples And Buildings In The Fort.