The
origin of Chittorgarh can be traced to the seventh century.
Earlier it was known as Chitrakut, after a local Rajput
chieftain named Chitrang. It remained the capital of
the local Sisodia clan of Rajputs from the eighth to
the 16th century. Th e history of this town is written
in blood and sacrifice. Muslim rulers sacked it three
times in the medieval period. The first was by Ala-ud-din
Khilji, the Sultan of Delhi in 1303. Khilji laid siege
of this hill fort to capture the beautiful Padmini,
the queen of Chittorgarh. When the situation worsened,
Bhim Singh, the ruler of Chittorgarh, led his men donned
with saffron robes of sacrifice, and rode out of the
fort to certain death. Inside the fort, women, including
Padmini and the children, committed mass suicide or
jauhar by immolating themselves on a huge pyre, rather
than losing their honor at the hands of the enemy.
In the  middle of the 15th century, Chittorgarh gained
eminence when the legendary Rajput ruler, Rana Kumbha,
ruled it. He built the Vijay Stambh (Victory Tower)
to commemorate his victory over Mahmud Khilji, the ruler
of Malwa, in 1440. Chittorgarh was sacked again in 1535
by Bahadur Shah, the Sultan of Gujarat. The jauhar that
followed the siege saw the death of 13,000 women and
32,000 Rajput soldiers. The third and final siege took
place in 1568 at the hands of the great Mughal emperor
Akbar. Jaimal and Kalla, two Rajput generals, valiantly
defended the fort but with their death and deteriorating
situation, jauhar was performed. However, Maharana Udai
Singh II, the ruler of Chittorgarh, fled to Udaipur
and re-established his rule. The Mughal emperor Jahangir
returned Chittorgarh to its rulers in 1616. |
Bijaipur
: 40 km from Chittorgarh, is an important tourist
spot, with its fort converted into a hotel.
Ancient temples at Menhal :
on Bundi–Chittorgarh road, which is 48 km from Bundi.
Ancient Hindu and Buddhist monuments
: which is 17 km north of Chittorgarh in nagri.
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