Chittorgarh: The Stories of Sacrifices

The history of Chittorgarh travels back to the Maurya Dynasty who set up the first settlements here. Bappa Rawal, the first Dewan of Sri Ekling Nath Ji ( A manifestation of Lord Shiva) was the first King of the Rajputs here. During the time of Rana Kumbhakarna Singh, the son of Mokal, Mewar was the largest and strongest in the west. Rana Kumbha was a lover of art and music and a poet as well. He made around 56 forts around Mewar. And added some major landmarks to Chittorgarh as well.

The turn gives you a clear view of the Palace

A few feet from the ticket counter are the Rana Kumbha Palace and Sringaar Chauri. The Main entrance of the Palace was actually after passing through the Badi Pol and the large gate but now, the side entrance beside Sringaar Chauri is open for Visitors and you land up in the inner Palace or Ranimahal first.

Firstly, let me talk about the Sringaar Chauri. Some locals wrongly pointed it out as a sun temple. Searching a few books, I came across the name Sringaar Chauri. It is the garden often visited by queens of the Ranimahal. The temple-like structure in the corner was built by Rana Kumbha on the occasion of his sister's wedding and hence one assumes that this ground was also used for Royal weddings post-Rana Kumbha's time.

Srinagar Chauri

The walls of the fort, just beside Sringaar Chauri have been broken by the Cannon bombardments of the Mughals. This thus provided them with an entry into the Rana Kumbha Palace where Akbar was disappointed to find no trace of the Royal Family, Rana Udai Singh or Kunwar Pratap.

NaulakhaBari

The Sringaar Chauri ends at a large round building that was used as the Royal Treasury and is locally called Naulakha Bari. The taxes and other accounts were kept here and when Akbar set up camp in October 1567, Rana Udai Singh shifted all the wealth from here to Udaipur. If we enter through the Rana Kumbha build roads, this building comes first. I found it rather strange to believe that a king would build his treasury so close to the Pol Gates and in such a vulnerable position. Was Rana Kumbha too sure that Chittor will not be attacked or he lacked the foresight? The truth remains buried in the stones.

The original main gate of the Kumbha Palace

We entered the palace via the side entrance. And got into the Rani Mahal. Before entering I found a stone structure that was probably a fountain in the RaniMahal. There are guides available at 200 Rupees to show you around but I would recommend reading some books on the fort before you go because the guides make up their own stories only.

The side entrance of the Rani Mahal

The Fountain and probably cubicles used by guards are now broken. The Naulakha is also seen here.

On entering the Kumbha Palace Ranimahal two things instantly came to my mind, one, this is where Rani Karnavati did her Jauhar when Humayun couldn't arrive in time to save Mewar from the hands of the Gujrat Sultan. Second, Panna Dai's immense sacrifice, letting her son Chandan die to save Kunwar Udai Singh. I felt a strange coldness around me as I remembered these brave women of Chittorgarh. I was standing at their home, maybe in the same corridors, they walked through. These rooms were probably filled with Meera's melodious voices and the sound of the payals of the queens.

Entrance

The corridor leading to the courtroom from the Rani mahal

After the entrance into the Ranimahal, we find a few closed doors probably temples for the queens.

Next up was a flight of five stairs and into a corridor that separates the courthouse of the King from the Rani Mahal. This was the corridor through which Panna Dai is believed to have escaped with Udai and the same corridor through which Banbir came searching for the crown prince.

Corridor separating Courtroom from Rani mahal

Going through this corridor one finds a block of broken rooms in the back part of the Rani mahal. How were they ruined? Some say when the last Jauhar happened, the women had no time for a proper Jauhar Kund. They used explosives to blow themselves up in both the Kumbha Palace and the home of Jaimal and Patta. Such was the impact that the roofs of both buildings blew off. Others say an angry Akbar not finding the Royal Family destroyed the palace as he killed 30000 civilians who died fighting the Mughals. Whatever the reason might be, even the ruins today speak of the horror Chittorgarh faced and also about how splendid its glory was in the past.

The first-floor rooms

Broken portions of Ranimahal

Entrance to Rani Mahal main area

Jharokhas overlooking the Dangal Sthal

These cubicles represent rooms probably allotted to the young Princes in the Rani Mahal

The Rani Mahal in the palace had various underground passages almost like a Bhool Bhulaiya interconnecting the rooms with each other.

This leads to one of the Jauhar Sthals probably used by Rani Karnavati

Interconnecting tunnels led to the River people's belief.

One of the intact rooms

The Rani Mahal overlooks the Dangal Sthal, or what actually remains of it. The Jharokhas overlooks the ground where even competitions of sword fights were held between princes. One broken room beside the Dangal is marked as the weapon room and there are stairs leading to the courthouse, dias and Rani Mahal from here. A broken dais also stands in the middle of the Dangal.

The Ranimahal overlooks a corridor leading to the Dangal

Another view from the RaniMahal Overlooks the Meera Temple

Dangal Sthal and Dias

Dangal sthal overlooking the two-storeyed building

Dangal view from the courthouse

Ranimahal from the Dangal

Rani Mahal view of the weaponry in ruins

Court Room

Court House outer look

This palace has several legends attached to it. From Rana Kumbha's glory to Karnavati's Jauhar and Panna Dai's sacrifice. From Meera's devotion to Kunwar Pratap's teenage glory, everything was witnessed by this very Palace. It witnessed not-so-glorious times of the siege and Afghan attacks by Shams Khan as well.

Roaming through the palace takes about an hour if you see it fully. Unfortunately, a part of the Rani Mahal was under renovation when I visited so that part was left out. Legends have it that in the two-storey building that stands separate from the Rani Mahal inside the complex, Kunwar Pratap lived with his first wife Ajabdeh Punwar who was a Samant's daughter he had married against his father's wishes. Amar Singh, the first son and future king was born here as well. It is a small two-storeyed house. However, some guides describe that as Rawat Chundawat's home as well. But as far as I read Rawat Chundawat stayed in Baasi and not in Chittor and even if in Chittor then definitely not in the Rani Mahal complex.

The house on the extreme left is the one

As I roamed across the Kumbha Palace eagerly, the place at first seemed like a Bhool Bhulayiya until I discovered that the steps going up and down and into the corridors are actually connecting the whole place in such a way that if you start at one place you can easily come back there. There were thousands of rooms big and small, broken and intact, doorways, arches, jharokhas, and domes, talking of the glorious past of the Sisodias. The great souls who lived and grew there, the thousands of women who jumped into the sacrificial fire to save their honours. All these stories and those visions give you goosebumps.

After spending an hour here, I still felt like exploring it more. I felt the stones and the landmarks had unspoken tales of valour to share with us. The wind and the sun made it quite pleasant and you will feel like the wind is talking to you once you are in the palace. I went back in the evening, before sunset and sat there closing my eyes and enjoying the wind. I tell you, If you ever go to Chittor try reaching an hour before sunset at the Kumbha Palace and try this. It feels like you belong there. I was there until the light and sound were about to start and the guard started whistling at people to leave.