CHITTORGARH FORT

Built on top of a huge plateau, Chittorgarh is one of the largest fortresses in Rajasthan. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2013, it was the capital of Mewar between the ^7th century and 1568. The Mughal emperor Akbar finally brought down the fort after a 4-month siege and a final battle that left more than 20,000 military and civilian dead. The maharana Udai Singh took refuge in Udaipur. The austere wall dominates the city and forms a 5 km long enclosure enclosing the 600 meters wide plateau. It takes a whole day to discover the fort in its entirety, its countless temples, palaces, ruins and towers. Two to three hours are enough to appreciate its essential monuments. The monuments are quite far from each other and a motorized vehicle is essential to cover the distances. Unless you consider visiting the fort as a day hike. Visitors have reported the presence of marauders who behave inappropriately, especially with women. While not a threat to your safety, they can make the visit difficult. We did not see any such behavior during our last visit. If it does happen, please report any questionable behavior to the police and let the intruder know.

Outside the fort, the village at the top of the rise was home to the 20,000-man garrison charged with defending the fort. Still inhabited, it is a pleasant place to walk around.

Palace of Rana Khumba: on the right after Ram Pol, the penultimate gate marking the entrance of the fort. Impressive set of ruins of the ^15th century very well restored. The palace bears the name of the Rajput ruler who enlarged the existing palace. You will see a small temple dedicated to Shiva and unfortunately closed by a wire gate. It is pleasant to walk there in the middle of cows and monkeys.

Sringar Chowri Temple : Jain temple which was built by the treasurer of Rana Kumbha in 1448. It is decorated with delicate sculptures of elephants, musicians and gods.

fateh Prakash Palace: built under the governance of Fateh Sing, Maharana of Mewar from 1884 to 1930. It houses a modest museum open from 9:30 am to 5 pm (entrance fee: 10 Rs).

It is possible to go up to the tower of Victory, or Jaya Stambha, as well as to the tower of Fame, also called Kirti Shamba.

the temples of Meera and Kumbha Shyam: these two temples were built by Rana Kumbha in the ^15th century. Of Indo-Aryan style, they are easily spotted by their sikharas, or oblong roof located just above the main sanctuary. The Meera temple is associated with the mystic poetess Mirabai who devoted her life to Krishna by composing odes known as Meera Bhajans. She entered into mystic legend for surviving the poisoning orchestrated by her brother-in-law.

victory Tower: also called Jaya Stambah, it was built by Rana Kumbha to celebrate his victory over the Sultan of Malwa in 1440. It took 10 years to build and is today the symbol of Chittorgarh. 37 meters high, it is possible to climb its 9 floors, that is 157 steps, by a dark and narrow staircase. The claustrophobic ones will abstain. From the top, the view on the fort, the city and the plain is incomparable.

the Mahasati: at the foot of the tower, is the place of immolation of widows, marked by large flat stones. The custom was for a good wife to throw herself into the cremation pyre of her deceased husband. This practice called sati was outlawed by Queen Victoria in 1861. Nevertheless, the custom continued (on a small scale). The Indian Parliament passed a law in 1988 penalizing any form of assistance to this type of suicide, following the sati of a young widow of 18 years. The last officially recorded sati was in 2008.

The Mahasati was also the site of a jauhar of 13,000 women in 1535. When a fort fell, the women of the city committed suicide, so as not to become booty for the enemy.

sammidheshwar temple : located below the Mahasati, in the middle of a small garden, this ^6th century temple was restored in 1427. Do not miss the statue of Shiva with three heads.

Gaumukh tank : located behind the Sammidheshwar temple, it is fed by a spring whose water comes out of the muzzle(gaumukh) of a cow carved in the rock.

kalimata temple: to the south of the fortress stands this temple dating from the ^8th century. It was originally dedicated to the Sun God and was converted to the worship of the goddess Kali in the ^14th century. Many pilgrims go there on the occasion of the festival of Navratri.

padmini Palace: it was the summer pavilion of the queen Padmini. Legend has it that Sultan Alauddin Khilji saw her reflection in a mirror placed in the palace and found her so beautiful that he vowed to raze Chittorgarh to the ground to possess her.

Suraj Pol: this gate is located at the east of the fortress. It was formerly the main access door. The view on the immense deserted plain is worth the detour.

the Tower of the Glory : A little higher than Suraj Pol is the tower of the Glory. Built in the ^12th century by a rich Jain merchant of the city, he dedicated it to Adinath, the first tirthankar (one of the 24 revered teachers of Jainism). It is smaller than the Victory Tower and has 7 floors. At each of the corners of the base, a statue represents Adinath.