Chittor Fort (the literal translation of the Hindi Chittorgarh), also known as Chittod Fort, is one of the largest forts in India. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The fort was the capital of Mewar and is located in the present-day city of Chittorgarh. It sprawls over a hill in height, spread over an area of above the plains of the valley drained by the Berach River. The fort covers 65 historic structures, which include four palaces, 19 large temples, 20 large water bodies, 4 memorials, and a few victory towers.
In 2013, at the 37th session of the World Heritage Committee held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, the group of six Hill Forts of Rajasthan, including Chittor Fort, was declared a World Heritage Site.
Geography
The city of Chittorgarh, located in the southern part of the state of Rajasthan, is from Ajmer, midway between Delhi and Mumbai on National Highway 48, which forms part of the Golden Quadrilateral road network. Chittorgarh is situated where National Highways No. 76 and 79 intersect.
The fort stands on a hill that rises abruptly above the surrounding plains, and the fort is spread over an area of . It is situated on the right bank of the Berach River (a tributary of the Banas River) and is linked to the new town of Chittorgarh (known as the 'Lower Town') developed in the plains after 1568 AD when the fort was deserted following the introduction of artillery in the 16th century, and therefore the capital was shifted to the more secure Udaipur, located on the eastern flank of the Aravalli hill range, where heavy artillery and cavalry were not effective. Mughal Emperor Akbar attacked and sacked this fort, which was but one of the 84 forts of Mewar.
A winding hill road of more than length from the new town leads to the west end main gate of the fort, called Ram Pol. Within the fort, a circular road provides access to all the gates and monuments located within the fort walls.
The fort that once boasted 84 water bodies now has only 22. These water bodies are fed by natural catchment and rainfall, and have a combined storage of 4 billion litres that could meet the water needs of an army of 50,000. The supply could last for four years. These water bodies are in the form of ponds, wells, and stepwells.
History
Chittorgarh (garh means fort) was originally called Chitrakut. It was constructed by the Mori ruler Chitrangada Mori. According to one legend, the name of the fort is derived from its builder. Several small Buddhist stupas dated to the 9th century based on the script were found at the edge of Jaimal Patta lake.Chittorgarh, Shobhalal Shastri, 1928, pp. 64–65
The Guhila ruler Bappa Rawal is said to have captured the fort in either 728 CE or 734 CE. One account states that he received the fort in dowry. According to other versions of the legend, Bappa Rawal captured the fort either from the Moris. Historian R. C. Majumdar theorizes that the Moris were ruling at Chittor when the Arabs invaded north-western India around 725 CE. The Arabs defeated the Moris, and in turn, were defeated by a confederacy that included Bappa Rawal. R. V. Somani theorized that Bappa Rawal was a part of the army of Nagabhata I. Some historians doubt the historicity of this legend, arguing that the Guhilas did not control Chittor before the reign of the later ruler Allata. The earliest Guhila inscription discovered at Chittor is from the reign of Tejasimha (mid-13th century); it mentions "Chitrakuta-maha-durga" (the great fort of Chittor).
Under the orders of Alauddin Khilji, between 1251 and 1258, Balban repeatedly led armies to attack and lay siege to Chittor fort, as well as Ranthambore and Bundi forts.Al-Hind the Making of the Indo-Islamic World, p. 230Al-Hind The Making of the Indo-Islamic World · Volume 1, p. 230The History of India, as Told by Its Own Historians, p. 370Tabakat-i-Nasiri, p. 124
Siege of 1303
In 1303, the Delhi Sultanate or Delhi Sultans ruler Alauddin Khalji led an army to conquer Chittorgarh, which was ruled by the Guhila king Ratnasimha. Alauddin captured Chittor after an eight-month-long siege. According to his courtier Amir Khusrow, he ordered a massacre of 30,000 local Hindus after this conquest. Some later legends state that Alauddin invaded Chittor to capture Ratnasimha's beautiful queen Padmini. Still, most modern historians have rejected the authenticity of these legends. The legends also state that Padmini and other women committed suicide by jauhar (mass self-immolation). Historian Kishori Saran Lal believes that a jauhar did happen at Chittorgarh following Alauddin's conquest, although he dismisses the legend of Padmini as unhistorical. On the other hand, historian Banarsi Prasad Saksena considers this jauhar narrative as a fabrication by the later writers, because Khusrow does not mention any jauhar at Chittorgarh. However, he has referred to the jauhar during the earlier conquest of Ranthambore.
Alauddin assigned Chittorgarh to his young son Khizr Khan (or Khidr Khan), and the Chittor fort was renamed "Khizrabad" after the prince. As Khizr Khan was only a child, the actual administration was handed over to an enslaved person named Malik Shahin.
Rana Hammir and successors Khizr Khan's rule at the fort lasted till 1311 AD, and due to the pressure of Rajputs, he was forced to entrust power to the Sonigra chief Maldeva, who held the fort for 7 years. Hammir Singh usurped control of the fort from Maldeva, and Chittor once again came under rajput rule. Hammir, before he died in 1378 AD, had converted Mewar into a fairly large and prosperous kingdom. The dynasty (and clan) fathered by him came to be known by the name Sisodia after the village where he was born. His son Rana Kshetra Singh or Rana Kheta succeeded him and ruled with honour and power. Rana Kheta's son Rana Lakha (Lakshya), who ascended the throne in 1382 AD, also won several wars. His famous grandson Rana Kumbha came to the throne in 1433 AD and by that time the Muslim rulers of Malwa and Gujarat had acquired considerable clout and were keen to usurp the powerful Mewar state.
Rana Kumbha and clan
There was a resurgence during the reign of Rana Kumbha in the 15th century. Rana Kumbha, also known as Maharana Kumbhakarna, son of Rana Mokal, ruled Mewar between 1433 AD and 1468 AD. He is credited with building up the Mewar kingdom assiduously as a force to reckon with. He built 32 forts (84 fortresses formed the defense of Mewar), including one in his own name, called Kumbalgarh. His younger son, Rana Raimal, assumed the reins of power in 1473. After Raimal's death in May 1509, Sangram Singh (also known as Rana Sanga), his younger son, became the ruler of Mewar, which brought in a new phase in the history of Mewar.
Chittorgarh Under Rana Sanga Rana Sanga ascended the throne in 1509 after a long struggle with his brothers, Prithviraj and Jaimal. He was an ambitious king under whom Mewar reached its zenith in power and prosperity. Rajput strength under Rana Sanga reached its zenith and threatens to revive their powers again in Northern India.History of Rajasthan by Deryck O.Lodrick He established a strong kingdom from Satluj in Punjab in North till Narmada River in South in Malwa after conquering Malwa and the Thar desert to the west and until Bayana in the east. In his military career, he defeated Ibrahim Lodhi at the Battle of Khatoli and managed to free most of Rajasthan. Along with that, he marked his control over parts of Uttar Pradesh, including Chandwar. He gave the part of U.P to his allies, Rao Manik Chand Chauhan, who later supported him in Battle of Khanwa. After that, Rana Sanga fought another battle with Ibrahim Lodhi, known as Battle of Dholpur, where again the Rajput confederacy was victorious. This time, following his victory, Sanga conquered much of the Malwa along with Chanderi and bestowed it on one of his vassals, Medini Rai. Rai ruled over Malwa with Chanderi as his capital. Sanga also invaded Gujarat with 50,000 Rajput confederacy joined by his three allies. He plundered the Gujarat sultanate and chased the Muslim Army as far as the capital Ahmedabad. He successfully annexed Northern Gujarat and appointed one of his vassals to rule there. Following the series of victories over Sultans, he successfully established his sovereignty over Rajasthan, Malwa, and large parts of Gujarat. After these victories he united several Rajput states from Northern India to expel Babur from India and re-establish Hindu power in Delhi. He advanced with a grand army of 100,000 Rajputs supported by a few Afghans to expel Babur and to expand his territory by annexing Delhi and Agra. The battle was fought for supremacy of Northern India between Rajputs and Mughals. However, Rajput Confederation suffered a disastrous defeat at Khanwa due to Babur's superior generalship and modern tactics. The battle was more historic than First Battle of Panipat as it firmly established Mughal rule in India while crushing re-emerging Rajput powers. The battle was also earliest to use cannons, matchlocks, swivel guns and mortars to great use.
Rana Sanga was taken away from the battlefield in an unconscious state by his vassals Prithviraj Singh I of Jaipur and Maldeo Rathore of Marwar. After regaining consciousness, he took an oath to never return to Chittorgarh until he defeated Babur and conquered Delhi. He also stopped wearing a turban and used to wrap a cloth over his head. While he was preparing to wage another war against Babur, he was poisoned by his own nobles who did not want another battle with Babur. He died in Kalpi in January 1528.
After his defeat, his vassal Medini Rai was defeated by Babur at Battle of Chanderi, and Babur captured the capital of the Rai kingdom Chanderi. Medini was offered Shamsabad instead of Chanderi as it was historically important in conquering Malwa, but Rai refused the offer and chose to die fighting. The Rajput women and children committed self-immolation to save their honor from the Muslim army. After the victory, Babur captured Chanderi along with Malwa, which was ruled by Rai.
Post Rana Sanga Siege of 1535
Bahadur Shah, who came to the throne in 1526 AD as the Sultan of Gujarat, besieged the Chittorgarh fort in 1535. The fort was sacked and, once again, the medieval dictates of chivalry determined the outcome. Following the escape of the Rana Vikramaditya, his brother Udai Singh II and the faithful maid Panna Dai to their maternal relatives land of Bundi, it is said that their mother Rani Karnavati led 13,000 Rajput women in committing jauhar (self-immolation on the funeral pyre) as 3,200 Rajput warriors rushed out of the fort to fight till death (Saka) and died in the ensuing battle.
Siege of 1567
The final Siege of Chittorgarh came 33 years later, in 1567, when the Mughal Emperor Akbar attacked the fort. Akbar wanted to conquer Mewar, which was being ruled by Rana Uday Singh II, to gain easy access to the Gujarati ports and establish a trade route.
Shakti Singh, son of the Rana who had quarreled with his father, had run away and approached Akbar when the latter had camped at Dholpur preparing to attack Malwa. During one of these meetings, in August 1567, Shakti Singh deduced from a remark made in jest by Emperor Akbar that he intended to wage war against Chittorgarh. Akbar had told Shakti Singh in jest that since his father had not submitted himself before him like other princes and chieftains of the region, he would attack him. Startled by this revelation, Shakti Singh quietly rushed back to Chittorgarh and informed his father of the impending invasion by Akbar. Akbar was furious with the departure of Shakti Singh and decided to attack Mewar to humble the arrogance of the Ranas.