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Chitore : Chittodgadh was, from 7th century the capital of the steadfast Sūryavanshi Rāṇās of Mewār (q.v.) until 1568 when Udaya Singh II, shooed out by Akbar, fled to the plains where he had previously founded Udaipur. One of the largest forts in India, Chittodgadh was built by Chitrāngada Mori, a Rajput king, on a hill 180m in height spread over an area of 691.9 acres above the plains drained by the Berach, a tributary of Banās on the other side of which is the Banāskānthā district of Gujarat, bordering Rajasthan. Encircled by soaring battlements, the gadh could only be entered after crossing seven huge well-fortified gates. It maintained 84 ponds, wells & step-wells fed by natural catchment & rainfall, enough for an army of 50,000 for four years, & of course a series of palaces & temples (the main to Mahākāli), & two ornamented victory-towers. In 1734, Bāppā conquered or received it as dowry & made it the capital of Mewār. For 834 years, with unavoidable interruptions, it remained in the possession of his descendants, the Guhilots (Gehlots) & their offshoots, the powerful Sisodias & Aheris, enabling them to block & chase away the constant waves of the blood-thirsty jihadi hordes from the west & north. In 1301, ‘Alā-ud-din Khalji Sultan of Delhi turned to Raṇathambhor which though ravaged & occupied by Qutb-ud-din & Iltutmish, had been recovered by the Rajputs & was then held by Rai Hamīr Deva. On the excuse that Hamīr had sheltered some Afghans, ‘Alā-ud-din sent his brother Ulugh Khan & his Wazir who laid siege to the fort. But while fortifying their position the Wazir was killed by a stone discharged from a catapult in the fort destroying the barbarian armies’ morale. So the Sultan rushed to Ranthambhor & tricked two of the Rai’s generals to defect to his side, but the Rai fought on. After one year of inconclusive skirmishes, Rai Hamīr Deva’s resources dwindled to such an extent that, one night the Rai lit a fire at the top of the fort & his queen herself led all their family & all the women trapped inside into the safety of those flames of Agni-deva. Then the Rai & all his men rushed on the enemy & sacrificed their lives. When he was severely wounded & realised his end was near, he cut off his head with his own sword. The episode is best preserved in the Hamīr Mahā kāvya. This was how, in July 1301, the barbarian captured Ranthambhor. The next year, ‘Alā-ud-din invaded Mewād, not merely was it the logical next target, there was Padmini, Rāṇā Ratan Singh’s queen famous for her beauty. Rāṇā Ratan Singh & his formidable his generals helped by the people inside, resisted the invaders until further resistance seemed impossible. 26 August, 1303, a funeral pyre was lighted in a cave in the hill, all women & girls led by the queen Padmini committed Jauhar, while all the males, resident, young & old, wore saffron turbans applied saffron on the forehead & joined the soldiers as they opened the huge outer gates & rushed on the Sultan’s army. However, within a few years Chittor was recovered by Rāṇā Hamīr & once again became the capital Mewār. Hamīr died c.1364, “leaving a name still honoured in Mewār as one of the wisest & most gallant of her princes & bequeathing well-established & extensive power” to his son Kshetra Simha. In 1531, Bahadur Shah of Gujarat, annexed Mālwā then ruled by Mahmud II. In 1534-35 or 1535-36, Bahadur Shah stormed Chittod, then under Rāṇā Bikramjeet Singh who beat him back. In 1567, taking advantage of internal discord after the death of Rāṇā Ratan Simha he besieged the fort of Chittodgadh. Rāṇā Udai Singh fled to the hills, leaving his capital to its fate. But there were some who under the leadership of Jaimal & Patta, staved of the imperialists from 20th October to 23rd February 1568, till Jaimal was killed by Akbar himself & Patta too fell later. According to Abul Fazl 30,000 persons were slain, still fuming Akbar’s hereditary bloodlust fell upon what James Tod calls ‘the symbols of regality’, & he demolished the fortress, carried off the gigantic kettledrums eight or ten feet in diameter – the reverberation of which proclaimed for miles around the entrance & exit of the royals from the huge gates of Chittodgadh, the massive candelabra from the shrine along with the sanctified Moorti of the presiding Goddess, & dragged them off to Ᾱgrā – as to what actually happened to all he carted off from Chittod, no historian seems to dared unearth. Rāṇā Jagat Singh rebuilt the fortress which Akbar’s son Shah Jahan demolished in 1654. Finally, Mewār’s capital had to be shifted to Udaipur on the eastern flank of Aravalli hills. Chittodgadh remains replete with historic associations & holds a very special place in the hearts of Rajputs, as it was a bastion of the clan at a time when every other stronghold had succumbed to invasion. It also contains the ancient & beautiful temple to Goddess Kali called the Kālikā Mata Temple. Being closely associated with Mirābāi & Rāṇā Pratap Singh, Chittod is revered as Bhakti aur Shakti ki nagari & annually hosts the largest Jauhar Mela commemorating the three suicidal battles & jauhars, self-immolations, by more than 13,000 women & children, the first led by Rani Padmini in 1303, the last by Rani Karṇāvati in 1534-35 or 1536-37. That day hundreds of Rajputs, including the descendants of most of the princely families, take out a procession to celebrate these events. Chittodgadh was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2013 along with five other fortresses of Rajasthan. [Based on An Advanced History of India by Majumdar et al; & Internet]