Travel to Chittorgarh

Legendary site of three mass suicides (johars) of the Rajput females in 1303, 1535 and 1568, Chittorgarh is the Masada of Rajasthan. It is the symbol of the courageous stance and tragic fate of the valiant defenders in the Hindu resistance against the Mughal invaders. In this ritual, known as jauhar, while the men of the fort put on saffron robes and rushed in to the battlefield to fight to the death, while the women collectively immolated themselves on a funeral pyre.

Travel to Chittorgarh, situated at a distance of about 115kms northeast of Udaipur. The massive hilltop fort of Chittorgarh (or Chittor) is the depiction of Rajput chivalry, romance and spirit. History radiates through the desolate ruins of the fort. It is evident as it echoes with the tales sung by the Bards of Rajasthan. The fort stands on a 240-hectares site on an 180m high hill that rises rapidly from the plains below and is a must visit on your travel to Chittorgarh.

The fort was besieged thrice by the invaders. The first invasion was undertaken in 1303 by Ala-ud-din Khilji of the Khilji dynasty of Delhi Sultanate. The reason for this is said to be the matchless beauty of Queen Padmini. Ala-ud-din Khilji was so enamored of her beauty he took resort to the sack of the fort. The second attack occurred in 1535 when Sultan Bahadur Shah of Gujarat besieged the fort causing immense bloodbath. About 32000 men donned the saffron robes of martyrdom and rode out to face a certain death, and the female members committed Jauhar led by Rani Karnawati. As you move on to travel within the city you get to know more and more about its rich past, which is worth mentioning.

The fort was sacked for the third time in 1568 by the Mughal Emperor Akbar who razed the fort to the ground and once again the tragic history repeated itself. Though the next Mughal emperor Jehangir restored the fort to the Rajput in 1616 but it was never inhabited. Today below the hill is spread the modern township.

Chittorgarh is well connected by both bus and rail. If you wish to travel by train, the city has rail links with Delhi, Jaipur, Ajmer, Ahmedabad, Udaipur and Kota. Buses connect Chittorgarh to the different destination in Rajasthan including Udaipur, Bundi, Ajmer and Kota.