At a glance
- Classes: counted as a giri, eran, parikh and paridh durg, and among the sainya durgs.
- Saying: 'Garh to Chittorgarh, baki sab gadhaiya' (Chittorgarh is the fort; the rest are mere forts).
- Padmini: the RBSE book names her jauhar among Chittor's events; most modern historians treat her story as a later legend, since the earliest records of 1303 do not mention her.
- Return: Jahangir gave the fort back to Mewar under the treaty of 1615 (Rajasthan Tourism: 1616).
Facts
| Place | Chittorgarh city, on the Mesa plateau |
|---|---|
| Hill | About 180 m high; about 700 acres |
| Founding | Legend: begun by Bhim, the Pandava. Tradition: built by Chitrang (Chitrangad) Maurya, who named it Chitrakot. Bappa Rawal took it in the 8th century |
| Gates | Seven, on a winding road more than a kilometre long; the last is Ram Pol |
| Wall | About 13 km round |
| Other name | Khizrabad, given by Alauddin Khalji after his son Khizr Khan |
The three sakas
| Year | Attacker | What happened |
|---|---|---|
| 1303 | Alauddin Khalji | The fort fell after a siege of about eight months; the ruler was Ratan Singh (Ratnasimha). |
| 1534 (many histories: 1535) | Bahadur Shah of Gujarat | The fort was sacked; by tradition Rani Karnavati led the jauhar. |
| 1567–68 | Akbar | Jaimal Rathore and Patta Sisodia led the defence and fell fighting. |
Inside the fort
- Vijay Stambh: built by Rana Kumbha to mark his victory over Mahmud Khalji of Malwa; dated 1440–48; architect Jaita and his sons; shown on a ₹1 Indian stamp of 15 August 1949.
- Kirti Stambh: a Jain tower dedicated to Adinath, the first Tirthankara, built in the 12th century by a Jain merchant, Jija.
- Gaumukh reservoir: a spring-fed tank, its water flowing from a rock shaped like a cow's mouth.
- Palaces: the ruined Rana Kumbha palace, and Fateh Prakash palace of Maharana Fateh Singh, now a museum.
- Kalika Mata temple: an 8th-century sun temple, later rebuilt as a temple of Kali.
Remember: often mixed up
- StoreysVijay Stambh nine · Kirti Stambh seven.
- Padmini or KarnavatiPadmini belongs to the legend of 1303 · Karnavati's jauhar to Bahadur Shah's attack.
- Jaimal and Pattadefenders of 1567–68 · their elephant-rider statues stand at Suraj Pol of Junagarh, Bikaner.
Test yourself: asked in exams
CET Graduation Level 2022 · Q15
In which year was first commemorative stamp on ‘Vijay Stambh’ of Chittorgarh released?
- (1)1974
- (2)1949
- (3)1986
- (4)1956
Show answer
✓ (2) 1949
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