Chittorgarh Fort

Chittorgarh Fort, India

Low-angle view of Chittorgarh Fort ramparts glowing in the early morning sunrise over the Rajasthan plains.

Rajasthan's great hilltop fort, a UNESCO site of palaces, temples and towers rising above the plains of Mewar.

The place

Chittorgarh Fort sits on a hill that rises about 180 m above the plains of southern Rajasthan, so it is visible long before the town itself. The word garh means fort, and this was once the capital of Mewar. The complex covers around 280 hectares, large enough that a visit is closer to a full walk than a short tour. Its 65 recorded structures include four palaces, a long list of temples, many water bodies and several victory towers. The Berach River drains the valley below, and the upper ramparts give a wide view over how the fort dominated the land around it.

The site was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2013, as part of a group of six hill forts in Rajasthan, so it is often listed alongside Amber and Kumbhalgarh. The town sits in the south of the state, on the national highways that link Delhi and Mumbai, and the fort is reached by a winding road up the hill. A full morning is a sensible minimum. Paths are uneven, the open stretches have little shade, and the monkeys that live on the fort are best watched from a distance. Water, a hat and sturdy shoes matter more than the crowds, because the climb and the heat are the real challenge.

Its story

Chittorgarh was first known as Chitrakut, and the name Chittorgarh, meaning fort, came later. Local tradition credits its founding to the Mori ruler Chitrangada Mori, and one legend says the name itself comes from him. Fragments of small Buddhist stupas, dated on the basis of their script to the 9th century, have been found at the edge of the Jaimal Patta lake, which suggests the site was occupied long before the great walls went up.

The Guhila ruler Bappa Rawal is traditionally said to have taken the fort in 728 or 734 CE. Versions differ: one account has it arriving as a dowry, another has him defeating the Mori rulers after an Arab invasion of north-western India around 725 CE. Some historians doubt that the Guhilas held Chittor so early, pointing to the reign of the later ruler Allata as the first firm evidence. Either way, the fort became the seat of Mewar for centuries.

Its later history is a sequence of sieges. The fort passed between Rajput houses and sultans, and its garrisons faced attacks that ended in the jauhar, a mass self-immolation of women when defeat seemed certain. Rana Kumbha, who ruled in the fifteenth century, is credited with much of the building that survives. The Vijay Stambh tower commemorates his victory over the Sultan of Malwa in 1440, and the tower itself was raised between 1458 and 1468. The Meera Temple, built in 1449, is another of his works. In 2013 UNESCO recognised the site within a group of Rajasthan hill forts, which brought the old walls back into wider view.

What to see

Culture

Chittorgarh Fort is closely tied to Rajput memory, and the Jauhar Meala is the clearest expression of that. Held each year on the anniversary of one of the jauhars, it is generally understood to commemorate the jauhar associated with Padmavati, the most famous of the three that took place at the fort. Descendants of many princely families take part in a procession, and the gathering has also become a forum for people to air their views on current politics, so the mood can be earnest and sometimes charged. Many of the fort's Hindu and Jain sites remain active places of worship. Men and women are expected to dress modestly, and covering shoulders and knees is the simplest way to show respect at shrines. Ask before photographing people at prayer or in the procession, and keep your voice low inside sanctums.

What to wear

Traditional dress around Chittorgarh follows the wider Rajasthani pattern. Women wear the ghagra, a full pleated skirt, with a fitted blouse and a long odhni, the shawl-like scarf often made in bright cotton or silk. Bandhani, a tie-dye technique using tiny knotted dots, is the textile most associated with the state, and bandhani odhnis still appear at festivals and weddings. Men traditionally wore a dhoti or a turban, the pagri, which remains common at weddings and ceremonies.

Day to day, people in Chittorgarh wear shirts, trousers, kurtas and jeans, with a mix of saris and salwar kameez for women. The turban survives mainly on ceremonial occasions and among older men in rural areas. At the Jauhar Meala some participants dress in traditional clothing, which is a striking sight but not a dress code for visitors.

For a visit, dress for the heat first. Loose cotton or linen in light colours keeps the sun off, and a hat and sunglasses matter on the open stretches. Cover shoulders and knees for the temples and shrines, and carry a scarf that can double as a head covering. Choose closed, sturdy shoes with good grip for the uneven stone paths and steps, since the climb is the physical part of the day.

What to eat

Plan it

Best time. The most comfortable months are roughly December to February, when highs are about 33 to 37°C, since much of the fort is open ground and October and March still reach about 40°C. Avoid April to June, the hottest months, and the heavy monsoon rains of July and August.

How long. 2–3

Getting there. The nearest airport is Maharana Pratap Airport at Udaipur, about 90 km away. Chittorgarh railway station connects to Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Ajmer, Kota, Udaipur and Delhi, and the last leg to the fort is by taxi or auto-rickshaw.

Budget. low

Tips

Etiquette

Nearby

Sources