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History Of Chittorgarh

Published on Monday, February 12, 2018 by Chittorgarh.com Team | Modified on Saturday, March 14, 2020

History of Chittor
Mewar State Logo

The history of Chittor is one of the most stirring chapters in Indian history for it was there that the flower of Rajput chivalry sprang to life and the immense stretch of its sacred walls and ruined palaces relate the saga of innumerable sieges and heroism which has almost become a myth now.

Chittorgarh was one of the most fiercely contested seats of power in India. With its formidable fortifications, Bappa Rawal, the legendary founder of the Sisodia dynasty, received Chittor in the middle of the eighth century, as part of the last Solanki princess's dowry. It crowns a seven-mile- long hill, covering 700 acres (280 hectares), with its fortifications, temples, towers and palaces.

From the eighth to the 16th century, Bappa Rawal's descendants ruled over an important kingdom called Mewar stretching from Gujarat to Ajmer. But during these eight centuries the seemingly impregnable Chittor was surrounded, overrun, and sacked three times.

In 1303 Allauddin khilji, Sultan of Delhi, intrigued by tales of the matchless beauty of Padmini, Rani of Chittor, of her wit and charm, decided to verify this himself. His armies surrounded Chittor, and the sultan sent a message to Rana Rattan Singh, Padmini's husband, to say that he would spare the city if he could meet its famous queen. The compromise finally reached was that the sultan could look upon Padmini's reflection if he came unarmed into the fort. Accordingly, the sultan went up the hill and glimpsed a reflection of the beautiful Padmini standing by a lotus pool. He thanked his host who courteously escorted Allauddin down to the outer gate-where the sultan's men waited in ambush to take the rana hostage.

There was consternation in Chittor until Padmini devised a plan. A messenger informed the sultan that the rani would come to him. Dozens of curtained palanquins set off down the hill, each carried by six humble bearers. Once inside the Sultan's camp, four well-armed Rajput warriors leaped out of each palanquin and each lowly palanquin bearer drew a sword.In the ensuing battle, Rana Rattan Singh was rescued-but 7,000 Rajput warriors died. The sultan now attacked Chittor with renewed vigor. Having lost 7,000 of its best warriors, Chittor could not hold out. Surrender was unthinkable. The rani and her entire entourage of women, the wives of generals and soldiers, sent their children into hiding with loyal retainers. They then dressed their wedding fine , slid their farewells, and singing ancient hymns, boldly entered the mahal and performed jauhar.

The men, watching with expressionless faces, then donned saffron robes, smeared the holy ashes of their women on their foreheads, flung open the gates of the fort and thundered down the hill into the enemy ranks, to fight to the death.The second sack or shake (sacrifice) of Chittor, by which Rajputs still swear when pledging their word, occurred in 1535, when Sultan Bahadur Shan Of Gujarat attacked the fort.


Rana Kumbha
Rana Kumbha

Rana Kumbha

Rana Kumbha (1433-68) was a versatile man a brilliant, poet and musician. He built mewar upto a position of assailable military strength building a chain of thirty forts that girdled the kingdom But, perhaps more important was a patron of the arts to rival Lorenzo de Medici, and he made Chittorgarh a dazzling cultural center whose fame spread right across Hindustan.

Rana Sanga

Rana Sanga

Rana Sanga

Rana Sanga (reigned 1509-27) was a warrior and a man of great chivalry and honor reign was marked by a series of continual battles, in course of which he is said to have lost one arm and had been crippled in one leg and received eighty-four wounds on his body. The last of his battles was again Mughal invader, Babur, in 1527. Deserted by one ofgenerals, Rana Sanga was wounded in the battle and shortly after.

Maharana Pratap
Maharana Pratap


Maharana Pratap

Over the next half-century, most other Rajput rulers allowed themselves to be wooed the Mughals; Mewar alone held out. In 1567 Emperor Akbar decided to teach it a lesson: he attacked Chittorgarh razed it to the ground. Five years later Maharana Pratap (reigned 1572-97) came to rule Mewar - a king without a capital. He continued to defy Akbar, and in 1576, confronted the imperial armies at Haldighati.

The battle ended in a stalemate and Maharana Pratap and his followers withdrew to the craggy hills of Mewar, from where they continued to harrass the Mughals through guerilla warfare for the next twenty years. Maharana Pratap made his descendants vow that they would not sleep on beds, nor live in palaces, nor eat off metal utensils, until Chittorgarh had been regained.In fact, right into the 20th century the maharanas of Mewar continued to place a leaf platter under their regular utensils and a reed mat under their beds in symbolic continuance of this vow.

To read more about Maharana Pratap, please Click Here.

Rani Padmini
Rani Padmini

Rani Padmini

In 1303 Allauddin khilji, Sultan of Delhi, intrigued by tales of the matchless beauty of Padmini, Rani of Chittor, of her wit and charm, decided to verify this himself. His armies surrounded Chittor, and the sultan sent a message to Rana Rattan Singh, Padmini's husband, to say that he would spare the city if he could meet its famous queen. The compromise finally reached was that the sultan could look upon Padmini's reflection if he came unarmed into the fort. Accordingly, the sultan went up the hill and glimpsed a reflection of the beautiful Padmini standing by a lotus pool. He thanked his host who courteously escorted Allauddin down to the outer gate-where the sultan's men waited in ambush to take the rana hostage.

There was consternation in Chittor until Padmini devised a plan. A messenger informed the sultan that the rani would come to him. Dozens of curtained palanquins set off down the hill, each carried by six humble bearers. Once inside the Sultan's camp, four well-armed Rajput warriors leaped out of each palanquin and each lowly palanquin bearer drew a sword.In the ensuing battle, Rana Rattan Singh was rescued-but 7,000 Rajput warriors died. The sultan now attacked Chittor with renewed vigor. Having lost 7,000 of its best warriors, Chittor could not hold out. Surrender was unthinkable. The rani and her entire entourage of women, the wives of generals and soldiers, sent their children into hiding with loyal retainers. They then dressed their wedding fine , slid their farewells, and singing ancient hymns, boldly entered the mahal and performed jauhar.

To read more about Rani Padmini, please Click Here.




Chittorgarh And Jainism

Chittorgarh is ancient center of Jain tradition. Here are few facts about Chittor:

  1. Chittor is adjacent to the ancient city of Madhyamika. The Jain inscriptions at Mathura from the Kushana period (1-3rd cent) mention a 'Majjhimilla' branch of the 'Kottiya' gana, indicating that it was a major Jain center.
  2. The famous Acharya Haribhadra Suri (6th cent) was born in Chittor and wrote 'Dhurtopakhyana' there.
  3. There was a scholar Elacharya at Chittor from whom Vira-senacharya (9th cent) learned the ancient Shat-khandagama and Kashayapahuda. Vira-senacharya later the famous 'Dhavala' and 'Jayadhavala' on the basis of these books.
  4. Chittor was the residence of Jinavallabha who propagated the Vidhimarga in the 12th cent. In the 15-17th century, it was the seat of a Bhattaraka.

To read more about Jainism at Chittorgarh, please visit चित्तौड़गढ़ & जैन धर्म - 1. जैन धर्म का गौरव स्थल.

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8 Comments

8. ANGREJ KUMAR GUPTA   I Like It. |Report Abuse|  Link|December 26, 2023 7:27:39 PMReply
This site is loosing its fate by supporting manipulate IPOs co.Its recommend APPLY listing on below IPO Rates.
7. SNEHDEEP SINGH   I Like It. |Report Abuse|  Link|October 17, 2023 6:49:26 PMReply
Sir, u must include Biruwadi mata, known as Annapurna Biruwadi, in ur history article, because without her blessings conquest of Chittor was not possible for Sisodiya rulers. She is also known as Kuldevi/Aradhya Devi of Mewar. There is a temple of Biruwadi mata in Chittor fort also. She helped sisodiya rulers by guiding them in war nd giving them many horses for fighting against invaders.
एक कहावत है
आवड़ टूथी भाटियो, गिगाई गौड़
श्री बिरुवाड सिसोदिया, मां करणी राठौड़।
इसमें राजपुताने की विभिन्न कुलदेवियो या आराध्य देवियों का वर्णन है, जिसमे सिसोदियो की बिरुवाड़ी माता को कुलदेवी/आराध्य देवी बताया गया है।
6. vani   I Like It. |Report Abuse|  Link|September 12, 2022 3:07:02 PMReply
The area where the present-day fort is located was known as Chitrakut in ancient India. There are no unambiguous indications of the fort's inception because of how old it is. However, there are a number of possibilities that are still up for discussion. The prevailing idea holds that the fort was constructed by a local Maurya king named Chitrangada Mori. According to legend, Bhima, the great Mahabharata warrior, produced a body of water that was located next to the fort. According to legend, Bhima once used all of his power to strike the ground, which caused a sizable reservoir to form. The fabled reservoir originally used to be located in Bhimlat Kund, a man-made reservoir near to the fort.
5. Amit Tandon   I Like It. 2|Report Abuse|  Link|December 6, 2019 10:28:34 PMReply
Akbar was one of the most cruel and dirty Muslim ruler, he massacared 30,000 unarmed hindus and responsible for Johar of 16,000 hindu women. Stop calling Akbar the great, he was one more barbarian.
5.3. Bhakth   I Like It. |Report Abuse|  Link|November 26, 2021 10:37:04 AM
Samuel send the proof of Jesus ...till then all your religious followings are also bullshit ...and if u love mugals then marry your sister to one and then see how u enjoy ...
5.4. Aniket Sahu   I Like It. |Report Abuse|  Link|August 14, 2022 6:00:07 PM
Akbar ek hatyara tha
4. Jayesh Bhagwanji Chitroda   I Like It. |Report Abuse|  Link|March 22, 2022 5:47:05 PMReply
This entire history is wrong the educated business people Known As Rajputs where writing themselves into the history books when they where only established as Rajputs during British colonial years. The hatred against Muslim sounding names was provided by the immigrants during the European Black Plague during the 14th century. As they are witness to the one family that rules and owns all of the world. As it was only divided in 1736. The mystery of my own heritage today is becoming very apparent as the entire world is recognising the Real Chitroda (Myself) with Royal Imperial history in every Country. This leaves the Rajputs and Brahmin/Brahmans to obviously look stupid in trying to add there claim to my international heritage. Indians must wake up to the false history of India and understand Indian Hindu Khumbar Scientific fact and history.
4.1. Meetali Singh   I Like It. |Report Abuse|  Link|July 17, 2022 11:26:04 AM
You were alive at medival period I believe to vouch your thoughtless comment
3. Casey Ram   I Like It. 3|Report Abuse|  Link|November 30, 2018 2:14:34 PMReply
It is so interesting to read the history. Thanks for taking the time and effort to gather all the information and post here.
3.1. Saumyaditya Bose   I Like It. |Report Abuse|  Link|February 9, 2022 8:31:17 PM
1998-2002: My MSc+MTech fieldwork was in Zawar Mines, HZL. Most probably in summer. I just fell in love with the rugged+beautiful terrain, geological treasures, sizzling days+cool nights, ancient temples+villages made of clay smelters, Udaipur's architecture, daal+baati+thick lassi, and hardy+proud people.
2. ColdBurger   I Like It. 1|Report Abuse|  Link|August 24, 2021 1:00:47 AMReply
Why this site was named Chittorgarh.com? intriguing.!
2.1. Team Chittorgarh.com   I Like It. 1|Report Abuse|  Link|November 15, 2021 12:46:03 PM
Dear ColdBurger,
Chittorgarh is a historic city in Rajasthan. The Chittorgarh.com website was built to provide information about Chittorgarh city and its history.

The founder of this website had an interest in the stock market and he started publishing his IPO research on this website. People liked it. Over the years the website became a popular destination for IPO investors.
1. SHASHIPAL SINGH   I Like It. 3|Report Abuse|  Link|December 14, 2019 3:28:36 PMReply
Akbar was a mass murderer , it wrong to show him as a noblie ruler in history books .