About Chittorgarh Fort in India

Chittorgarh, also called Chittaur, from the 7th century to the 16th, was the capital of Mewar under the Rajputs. Chittorgarh is the epitome of Rajput pride, romance and spirit. Chittorgarh Fort is a massive and majestic fort situated on a hilltop near Chittorgarh town in Rajasthan state in India One thing the Indian State of Rajasthan certainly has are some really magnificent old forts to look around and Chittorgarh Fort is certainly worth visiting. Chittaur evokes memories of great heroism and sacrifice by Rajput men and women in the intermittent battles that they had to fight against invaders from Northwest or Delhi. Chittaur witnessed both the ravages of war and the triumphs of the spirit. Allaudin Khilji who coveted Queen Padmini of Chittaur, invaded the city in 1303 A.D. Queen Padmini and the women of the court sacrificed themselves in a pyre of fire rather than submit to anybody.

This supreme sacrifice has been called 'Jauhar' and epitomises the fiery spirit of the Rajputs of the day. The city stands strewn with monuments and battlements as evidence of the blood and gore that it went through in medieval times.

The Chittaur fort  is the best known fort in Rajasthan. Its origins are traced to the Pandavas of Mahabharata. It is said that Bhima, one of the Pandava brothers, built the fort. Standing on 180 metershigh hill , the fort covers an area of 700 Acres. Inside it is the Meera and Khumba Shyam Temple. It is associated with Meera, a mystic poetess devoted to Lord krisna  whose life and bhajans have become part of the folklore and literary traditions of the region and several parts of India. Chittorgarh (Chittaurgarh) is the epitome of Rajput pride, romance and spirit. It reverberates with history of heroism and sacrifice, which is evident as it echoes with the tales sung by the Bards of Rajasthan. The main reason for visiting Chittorgarh is its massive hilltop fort, which is a depiction of Rajput culture and values.

It is the proud possessor of one of the largest forts to be found in Asia. Constructed by Chitrangada Mori who ruled the Rajput clan of the Mauryans during the 7th Century, Chittorgarh Fort is sat on a 180 metre high hill and overlooks the town of Chittaurgarh. The fort is 5 kilometres long and 1 kilometre wide, is accessible only by seven huge spiked gates and encompasses an area of around 700 acres. Despite it's impressive fortifications Chittorgarh Fort has been taken three times - firstly in the early 1300s by The Sultan of Delhi Allauddin Khiliji and then by Sultan Bahadur Shah of Gujarat in 1535 and finally by the Mughal Emperor Akbar-e-Azam Akbar (Akbar the Great) whose forces took the fort in February 1568 A.D. following a four month long siege.

Chittorgarh fort is also called as Water Fort. The fort had 84 water bodies, out of which only about 22 exist today. These Include talabs (ponds), kunds (wells), and baories (stepwells). All the talabs have a natural catchment. The kunds and baories are located below the talabs, so that even the seepage from the latter is not lost.

The fort spreads over 700 hectares, 40 per cent of which are given over to water bodies. The average reservoir depth is about 2 m. Taken together, this means these reservoirs can store about 4 billion litres of water.

In a year of more than normal rainfall (average annual rainfall: 700 mm), enough water would be stored to last the next 12 months. Even after water loss due to seepage and evaporation and other causes, an army of 50,000 could live in the fort for four years without fear of thirstObolokon