Chittorgarh - Carrying the Flag of Rajput Honour

The Great Martyrdom Of Rajputs !!!
The Chittaurgarh is known as one of the old city of colorful Rajasthan. The forts and palaces of Citttaur are glorious tales of valor and sacrifice in India. Its is the soil of great martyrdom, the Rajputs, who have seen the battle field from close quarters and have witnessed number of deaths in the Warfield. The brave Rajputs proved that they would rather embrace death than bow before a foreign power. Thousands of Rajputs warriors shed their blood to protect there motherland from enemies hand, who try to conquer their land. Chittaurgarh is located in the south east of Rajasthan, near the Madhya Pradesh border. Whereas it is little far from rest of the destination points in the royal state of Rajasthan. It is about 588 Km far in the south west area from Delhi (National capital of India) and 113 Km from Udaipur by Road.

The Tales of Valor and Sacrifice !!!
The chittaur have enjoyed a great history in India. The strong Rajputs were first defeated by Ala-ud-din Khilji in the year 1303, the pathan king of Delhi. who surrounded the royal monuments of Rajputs in order to capture the beautiful Rani Padmini, the wife of Bhim Singh. The enemy was so powerful that the Rani predicted that the defeat was inevitable, therefore the gorgeous and courageous Rani Padmini committed Jauhar ( Self Immolation) in a span of few minutes when chittor was about to loss, The Bhim Singh led the orange -clad noblemen out to their deaths. The Jauhar committed by the royal women of Rajputana will always be remembered as the depressing sacrifices forever in the history of India. Jauhar, is a practise of self immolation, that are committed by the women of royal Rajputana, when it was not possible to stop their enemies from capturing the land. In the year of 1535 A.D Bhadur Shah, the then sultan of Gujarat, besieged the Chittaurgarh fort, this time the massacre was large. More than 13,000 Rajput women and 32,000 Rajput warriors died including the deceleration of Jauhar act.

The Monuments Of Brave History !!!
Chittaurgarh has enjoyed a great history in the times of Rajputs. Beside the Chittaur fort there are enormous memorable forts and palaces, that attracts thousands of tourists every year from all over the world. Some of the monuments are still standing strong on the wheels of time, whereas some are lost forever in the soil.

The Rana Kumbha Palace is the most massive monument in the forts of chhitaur, here you can see a great historical and architectural work of immense interest. While you enter the fort you will first witness the stables of horses and elephants. Beside this is the temple of lord shiva. The palace is believed to have underground vaulted cellar, where Rani Padmini and other royal women of Rajputana committed Jauhar at the time when Chittor was about to loss.

Afterwards came the museum and the archaeological office , and the Nau Lakha Bhandar ( treasury building). The chittaur's other famous monument is the Tower of Fame or Kirti Stambha, it is 22 m high and was build by the wealthy Jain merchant in the 12th century. On the four walls of decorated tower palace, you can see the naked figures of various tirthankars indicating a sign of sky clad monument. Little far from here is a narrow stairway that leads through the seven storeys of the tower.

If you are visiting Chittaur for the first time than do visit the popular episodes from the two great epics- Ramayana and Mahabharata, that are build inside the Vijay Stambha or The Tower of Victory. This palace is imposing 37 m high structure with nine storeys within the fort, the royal palace is covered with the exquisite sculptures of hindu deities, which are worth seeing. It was build in 1440 by the powerful ruler of Mewar, Maharana Kumbha. The king build the palace to commemorate his victory over the Muslim ruler of Gujarat and Malwa. Yet another place of attraction is the Padmini Palace, it is build beside a large lotus pool with a pavilion in its center, continuing from the south origin. The legends of Chittor relates that, at the time when Rani Padmini sat on these pavilions, the pathan king of Delhi Ala-ud-din Khilji was permitted to see her reflection on the mirror in the palace The regal beauty of Rani Padmini influenced him to destroy chittor in order to possess her. Across the Padmini Palace there is Kalika Mata Temple, that is one of the oldest and was build in the 8th century. The temple was originally devoted to surya, but later on converted into a temple to the goddess Kali.

Getting There !!!
Airways : Chittaurgarh does not have an air base, however the nearest airport is Udaipur, lying 90 km away. Udaipur Airbase is well connected by a daily flight to Delhi, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Mumbai and Aurangabad.

Railways : Chittaurgarh Railway Station is located on the western banks of Gambheri River. It has good links with the major cities of Rajasthan and India. There are several trains like Chetak Express and Neemach, which connect Ajmer, Delhi, Agra and Kota. There are also rail connections to Ahmedabad and Udaipur from Chitaurgarh.

Roadways : The main roadways bus stand of Chittaurgarh is located on the western banks of Gambheri River. It is well linked to National Highway No-8, linking all the major cities of Rajasthan and India. Chittaurgarh can be reached by two an half hours drive from Udaipur. Some of the important distances from Chittaurgarh are Jaipur 309 km, Delhi 570 km, Ahmedabad 422 km, Mumbai 973 km.

Local Transport : The most commonly used transport inside Chittaurgarh is Auto-rickshaws, tongas, bicycles and local city buses. One can easily access various excursion by adapting any mode of transportation, which are available throughout the city.

Chittaurgarh Attractions !!!
The Royal Chittaur Fort !!!
According to legends, Bhim, one of the pandava hero, is credited with the original construction of the fort. Most of the Chittaur attractions is settled inside its magnificent fort. This bewitching fort has crinkled labyrinthine of over 1 km, that leads through all the massive gates. The fort looks massive in structure with the number of gateways inside it. This splendid fort was originally build by the Maurya Rulers in the 7th century. This royal fortress is 180 m tall, hence occupy a large area of 700 acres. The tablets and the chhatris inside the fort are excellent reminder of Rajput traditions. The main gates are Padal Pol, Bhairon Pol, Hanuman Pol and the Ram Pol. This alluring fort is blessed with eye popping, but soothing monuments of ancient times, which holds a beauty of immense historical interest for tourist. Whereas the fort offers panoramic view from the rooftop, here one can see good views over the town, country side and the huge cement factory from the western end of the fort, one can also approach to nearby villages located in a walking distance from the fort.

Chittaurgarh Excursions !!!
There is so much to see and explore, once you reach the nonpareil soil of chittaur, which have delightful views on offer. The Rajasthan tourism department organize several tour packages for tourist to catch the glimpse of Chittaurgarh. One of the most ancient town in Cittaurgarh is “Nagri”, lying 17 km in the north of Chittaur. Here one can see number of Hindus and Buddhist, who remained here since the time of Mauryan and Gupta periods. Once in Nagri, you might be lucky to find some copper and silver coins, as in the recent times many old copper coins and sculptures have been discovered, which are now preserved in Chittaurgarh Museum.

Another heart throbbing excursion near Chittaurgarh is Menal and Bijolia. Menal is a beautiful complex of Lord Shiva, located on the way Bundi to Chittaurgarh, nearly falls 48 km from Bundi. It was originally build in the Gupta periods. This stunning shrine has an impressive water fall, which is a major attraction for tourist in rainy season. Whereas Bijolia is a cluster of temples, lying 16 km far from Menal. It was one a group of 100 temples, most of these are now disappeared due to destruction caused by Mughal invaders. Today Bijolia is only left with three main temples, one of which has a huge icon of Lord Ganesh. However, while visiting Menal and Bijolia, one can also ply to Mandalgarh, where the third fort of Mewar dynasty is build, originally constructed by Rana Kumbha. This rugged fort lie in ruins, hence occupy a large area. Whereas the lake and the town lie just below the rampart of fort.