Few kilometers away from Chittorgarh, in the Udaipur-Chittorgarh highway, is situated an ancient temple dedicated to Lord Krishna, popularly known as Sanwariarji temple or Sanwaliya Seth Mandir. Darkness, has always been considered as something inferior or negative, may it dwell in a corner or on a skin. But very interestingly, Hinduism upholds a dark God, and takes pleasure in stories of his miraculous childhood and also in his potentials and might as an avatar of Vishnu, breathing long ago with the common people of our land. Krishna, is worshipped in different names, but the essence of love and devotion attached is the same. This particular temple also holds such an essence, in search of which many Krishna lovers arrive and pray to their heart’s content, asking, making wishes, or simply surrendering oneself to that divine grip unto which human soul finds a reason to live, a reason to serve. Guest houses are built in the campus of this temple where devotees stay and do ‘seva’, trying to compensate some sin or genuinely serving in the name of the Lord. Many people donate here for the upkeeping of the temple. But Krishna asks nothing but love, and so dearly accepts it, returns it, that you tend to coil and recoil in the web of love and harmony, and certainly shall find a fresh enthusiasm which will purify every bit of you.
Fateh Prakash Palace
Studded with a series of historical palaces, Chittorgarh stands out as an acute representation of the embodiment of nationalism, courage, chivalry and sacrifice. Fateh Prakash Palace, located near Rana Kumbha Palace, was built by Rana Fateh Singh (1884-1930). The precincts have modern houses and a small museum. A school for local children (about 5000 villagers live within the fort) is also nearby. A big portion of the palace is made into a museum way back in 1960’s. Artefacts utilized by the then kings are put to display.
The spectacle of the Royal Art Gallery showcasing the wood crafts of Bassi village, post medieval statues of Jain Ambica and Indra from Rashmi village, weapons like axes, knives, ancient shields, daggars, farsa; clay replicas of regional tribal people clad in their traditional costumes; attracts the visitors and tourists. The museum is subdivided into different sections dedicated to different antiquities. A big Ganesha idol, various frescos and a large fountain can be seen here. The palace is known for its modern architectural style. The inclination towards art and culture, tradition and past glory is entrenched in every pillar and corridor. Presently it has a large collection of paintings too, disclosing the historical facts attached to the fort.
Not to be mistaken with the Fateh Prakash Palace of Udaipur, this palace of Chittorgarh has a lot in store, depicting the day to day life of the Royal family and the villagers. The museum is closed on Friday and gazetted holidays. It is well connected with roads and railways. Do visit the palace and delve into the amazing informative realm. The palaces mottled with echoes of bravery and sombreness, royalty and naivety, faith and bloodshed portrays a picture of the magnificent Rajasthan. Come and Discover!
Gora Badal Palace
The bards of Rajasthan sing of Gora and Badal,two legendary warriors of Chittorgarh, Mewar,whose marvellous potent and command over the army has been remembered since ages.History claims that Songara Chauhan generals Gora and Badal were uncle-nephew in relation and hailed from Jalore.Sultan Alauddin Khilji (1290-1316) took Rawal Ratan Singh as a prisoner of deceit after he denied the Sultan a chance to meet Queen Padmini in person and savour her beauty by looking at her in the flesh,instead of admiring her reflection in a mirror. The atonement demanded by Khilji for the rescue of Ratan Singh was Padmini. The objectification of woman as a show piece marked by her beauty is highlighted in proper through this incident. Khilji wanted to enhance the esteem of his harem by seizing Padmini from Chittor. Padmini’s unparallel beauty called despair for her husband, her kingdom and herself.
In the war council that was held immediately after Ratan Singh was taken into captive, Gora and Badal spiritedly planned out a strategy and accordingly acted. Words were sent out to Khijli camp that Padmini would be delivered the next morning and thereby it was asked that his army should be pulled out from the trenches. As the day dawned, one hundred and fifty palanquins (covered cases in which royal ladies were carried in medieval times) left the fort and entered the enemy camp.It was thought that Padmini’s entourage of female servants had accompanied her. But here the hook was- the palanquins were armed with the best Rajput warriors.This pretentious act of agreeing to the demand of the Sultan was in fact a noose for the rival army.When the palanquins reached, Gora gave a signal to the warriors and everyone descended from the palanquins and chopped off the heads of the Muslim soldiers.General Badal and Ratan Singh galloped away safely to Chittorgarh fort. While Gora fought bravely and reached Khiliji’s tent. He was about to kill the Sultan but Khilji moved his concubine in front of himself and Gora being a Rajput could not kill a guiltless woman. Consequently he laid down his life during the skirmish.
Two domed shaped houses have been constructed south of Padmini Mahal in Chittorgarh fort to commemorate these two heroic martyrs. This palace is known as Gora Badal Palace. The story is also depicted in a wall painting inside the Eklingji mandir in Udaipur. In the collection of Pandit Gaurishankar Ojha there is a reference of Gora and Badal being a single person. However, the bards still sing of them as two warriors and going with the age old oral tradition we can say that the present ruined citadel of Chittor has a glorious past and an extraordinary impulse of heroism and sacrifice, taken to matchless heights by legendary warriors.
Thomas Carlyle has said -“The history of the world is but the biography of great men”. Indeed it is! Rajasthan is embedded with the potent and bravery of many great men with varying degrees of influence. There is a lot more to know, a lot more to explore. A visit to Chittorgarh and Gora-Badal Palace shall introduce you to the specimen of glory implanted in every corner of the fort. The dead voices of the sharpening of the swords, clicking of the shields and redefining of the strategies are still there, waiting for you to listen and cogitate upon the triumph and brilliance.
Rana Kumbha Palace
Replete with historic associations, Rana Kumbha Palace near the Vijay Stambh of Chittorgarh is a famous monument of Rajasthan. Walking through the spooky ambiance of the ruined Mahal, endowed with windows looking down from dark chambers and numerous doorways, you are reminded of the piercing cry of Rani Padmini and other women who committed Jauhar (self-immolation) in the underground cellars of the palace. This supreme heroic act of the Rajputani queen left Alauddin Khilji to find her bones and ashes instead of his prized possession Padmini after Chittor fell to the Emperor in 1303 AD.
The palace gets its name from Rana Kumbha(1433-68),the son of Rana Mokal. He was a versatile man, a brilliant poet, and a musician. He was a patron of the arts to rival Lorenzo de’ Medici, and he made Chittorgarh a dazzling cultural centre whose fame spread across Hindustan. This 15th century palace is also the birthplace of Maharana Udai Singh, the founder of Udaipur. History tells us that Rana Udai Singh’s life was saved by the selfless act of his maid Panna Dai, who forsake her own son to death in order to save the prince from Banbir. Udai Singh was carried to safety in a fruit basket while her son was callously killed by the enemy.
The palace can be entered through the imposing Badipol and also through the modest Tripolia gate both being gateways to the east. Inside the palace complex is a Ganesh temple, a Zenana( living quater for women), a water reservoir, beautiful balconies, and stables of elephant and horses. Although in a dilapidated condition, the palace marks the prosperity of Rajput architecture.
Meera Bai, the Hindu mystic poet and devotee of Lord Krishna was wedded to Rana Kumbha(Bhojraj) in 1513 before she turned 14. Her divine intent clashed with her marial responsibility from time to time and thereby her in-laws trapped her in scandals and tortures. Her worldly renunciation and fidelity to Lord Krishna echo in her compositions. Rana Kumbha Palace incorporates the palace of poetess Meera Bai . There is a museum and archaeological office across the palace at present.
As an embodiment of both strength and devotion, Rana Kumbha Palace embraces two contradicting essence at its best. Get closer to this palace and listen to the murmurs of the edifice which has seen the burning pyre consuming the brave queen Padmini and also heard the songs of Meera Bai in her ecstatic delightful trance. Valour and faith coincides and makes this palace worth mentioning in the pages of history.
Rani Padmini Palace
“Who is more beautiful, I or Padmavati?, Queen Nagamati asks to her new parrot, and it gives a displeasing reply…”(Padmavati) Rani Padmini.
Rani Padmini palace, situated inside the Chittorgarh fort, leaves behind the tincture of beauty, valour, sacrifice, honour, manoeuvre and tragedy of the past. Padmini was the second wife of the brave and noble king of Mewar, Rawal Ratan Singh and the daughter of Sinhala king Gandharvasen. Her unrivalled beauty was augmented by her preference of death to abduction and dishonour during the historic siege of Chittor in 1303 AD, by the Sultan of Delhi, Alauddin Khilji. Perched on a 180metre high hill, covering 700 acres and surrounded by 13 kilometres of battlement, the massive Chittorgarh fort holds a white, three storied palace that overlooks a pleasant lotus pool. Pavilions crown the palace roofs and a water moat delightfully surrounds it. Later the bronze gates to this pavilion were removed and transported to Agra by Akbar.
Ratan Singh was a patron of art. History traces the claims of a musician of his court named Raghav Chetan being a sorcerer and the incident of his banishment from the kingdom. This musician maliciously carried the word of Padmini’s beauty to Alauddin Khilji who was roused to covetousness. It is said that Khilji tricked Ratan Singh as a friend and demanded to see Padmini. But as per the erstwhile Rajput custom, women kept distance from unknown people. Ratan Singh however allowed Khilji to get a glimpse of Padmini in a mirror placed in the main hall of Padmini Mahal. Her reflection so overwhelmed him that he frantically wanted to make her an adornment of his harem. This resulted to a number of intrigues and the final storming of Chittorgarh fort. The self immolation (Jauhar) conducted by the beautiful queen Padmini in order to save her moral integrity define her as a valiant queen who ever breathed in the land of Rajasthan, and in the whole of India. As an aftermath, Alauddin Khilji killed thirty thousand Hindus in revenge and entrusted the fort to his son Khizr Khan.
The marvellous architectural style of this palace and its picturesque surrounding act as a forerunner of the later palaces built in the midst of water. Padmini, the epitome of beauty resided in this palace, which makes it historically significant. Today a famous tourist spot of Rajasthan, Rani Padmini Palace stands as a feminine structure engulfed by a cascade of water, which at one point of time might have reflected the grace and gallant, the strength and spruce of the queen. Chittorgarh has a number of episodes imprinted in the pages of history. Why not unleash them far better by paying a visit to this place?
Chittorgarh Fort
The Chittorgarh Fort is located in the Chittorgarh district of Rajasthan. One of the most famous historic places in India, Chittorgarh’s name is synonymous with true heroism and sacrifice. This place bore witness to the egregious vagaries of war, time and time again, the most worth-mentioning of attacks being the one by Alauddin Khilji in 1303 AD. History has it that when Alauddin Khilji heard of the pristine beauty of the then Queen of Chittorgarh, Rani Padmini, he could not contain himself. He decided that he will stop at nothing and leave no stone unturned to have her by his side. However Rani Padmini had other plans. Her chastity was dearer to her than her life. Without any second thoughts, Rani Padmini along with the other women of the court committed ‘Jouhar’, the suicidal act of burning oneself in a pyre of fire. This anecdote from history speaks volumes about the indomitable will and courage of the Rajputs. And on this great Indian land, standing proudly is the famous Chittorgarh Fort.
One of the most famous forts in Rajasthan, the Chittorgarh Fort looks down from a 180 meter high hillock and comfortably sweeps around a massive 700 acres of land. This might give you a rough idea as to how gigantic this fort is. Considered to be the largest of all Rajput forts, the Chittorgarh Fort is the blazing symbol of Rajput pride. Ranked as one of the most spectacular forts in India, the roads leading to the fort are somewhat steep and quite enervating. But does this prevent historians and travelers from making a visit to this fort and appreciating the magnificence of this grand structure? The answer is a resounding NO. With the tally of the number of tourists visiting this place increasing every year, the Chittorgarh Fort is, without an iota of doubt, one of the most celebrated forts in India. Inside the fort, expect to find water bodies (which has declined from 84 to 22), palaces (Rana Kumbha’s palace and Padmini’s Palace need special mention) and a number of temples.
Before putting a final full stop to this piece of writing on the Chittorgarh Fort, we feel it’s our obligation to let you know that the Chittorgarh Fort and the city of Chittorgarh organizes the most famous annual Rajput festival, the ‘Jauhar mela’ with the objective of celebrating the courage and remembering the sacrifice of the brave Rajputs of the yesteryears. We invite you to definitely include Chittorgarh Fort on your ‘To Visit’. Go, Get inspired!