Chittorgarh: The Stories of Sacrifices

Tracing Timeless Legends at Chittorgarh’s Rana Kumbha Palace

The history of Chittorgarh stretches back to the days of the Maurya dynasty, whose first settlements laid the cultural bedrock of the region. It was Bappa Rawal, the inaugural Dewan of Sri Ekling Nath Ji (a revered manifestation of Lord Shiva), who became the first Rajput king to rule here. Fast forward centuries, and under the reign of Rana Kumbhakarna Singh, son of Mokal, Mewar flourished as the dominant power in western India, its boundaries protected by an astonishing network of 56 forts built by the visionary, art-loving Rana Kumbha himself. Some of Chittorgarh’s most striking landmarks are its legacy.

A turn into the fort soon opens up a vista of Rana Kumbha Palace and Sringar Chauri. While visitors now use a side entrance beside Sringar Chauri (rather than the proper route via Badi Pol and the grand main gate), this detour lands you immediately in the Rani Mahal, the palace’s inner sanctum once meant for the royal women.

Sringaar Chauri: The Queen’s Garden

Don’t be fooled by local myths calling Sringaar Chauri a sun temple. Scholarly research and rare books confirm its true identity: a garden created by Rana Kumbha, first on the occasion of his sister’s wedding. For centuries after, it became the chosen venue for royal nuptials and the leisurely wanderings of Chittorgarh’s queens.

Just beside this elegant spot, the fort walls still bear scars from Mughal cannon bombardments. This very breach enabled Akbar to storm the palace, frustrated to find it stripped of its rulers: Rana Udai Singh and Kunwar Pratap had already fled.

Naulakha Bari: The Royal Treasury

At the garden’s end stands the cylindrical Naulakha Bari, once the royal treasury. Built conveniently (or riskily) close to the Pol Gates, it held the fort’s taxes and wealth until 1567, when Udai Singh hurriedly moved everything to Udaipur as Akbar’s armies loomed. You can’t help but wonder whether this proximity was a lack of military foresight or the mark of utter confidence?

Entering the Palace: Legends and Resonance

Stepping into the Rani Mahal through the side entrance, you’re greeted by remnants of a once-ornate fountain and broken guard cubicles. Guides eagerly offer tours, but unless you come armed with history books, take their stories with a pinch of salt.

Inside, echoes of the past are palpable. Here, Rani Karnavati is believed to have performed Jauhar when Humayun could not reach in time to defend against the Gujarat Sultan. And in these corridors, Panna Dai made her fateful, heart-wrenching sacrifice, substituting her son Chandan’s life to save young Kunwar Udai Singh from enemies. It’s sobering to imagine the palace halls alive with Meera’s soulful singing or the laughter of the once infant prince Pratap.

Beyond the Rani Mahal, a five-step stairway leads to a corridor that once linked the queen’s quarters to the king’s courtroom. It was along this very passage that Panna Dai escaped with Udai Singh, and through which Banbir searched for the crown prince. Alongside are rooms, many now mere shells, where tragic last stands and valiant escapes took place. Some believe explosives used during the final Jauhar destroyed their roofs; others blame Akbar’s rage at finding the palace empty for the devastation.

Exploring the Maze

Within the palace, you’ll find a labyrinth of interconnected rooms, tunnels, and arches, some intact, others crumbling. Hidden passages and maze-like layouts allowed for quick escapes, legend holds, even connecting the palace to the river.

From the Rani Mahal’s jharokhas (balconies), you can gaze out over the Dangal Sthal, a ground where sword-fighting tournaments between princes once electrified the royal court. Nearby, crumbling weapon rooms, a dais in ruins, and arched foyers all hint at the grandeur and ceremonial pomp that once flourished here.

The two-storey building tucked within the complex is shrouded in debate; some say it was the home of Rawat Chundawat, which seems unlikely, others swear it’s where Kunwar Pratap and his wife Ajabdeh Punwar lived and where Amar Singh, future king, was born.

With every step, the palace reveals its multitude of legends: the stories of brave women who performed Jauhar for honour, heroes like Panna Dai and Meera Bai, and the rise and fall of mighty Sisodia rulers. The very stones whisper these tales, leaving visitors awestruck at the profound sense of history.

The Afternoon Wind and Whispered Stories

Spending an hour here isn’t enough to grasp the depth of the palace’s soul. The architecture interconnects rooms in such a way that a walk through its winding staircase will always return you to your starting point, almost like time itself circling back through centuries. Whether in the sunlit courtyards or the shadowy corridors, the wind at sunset seems to murmur those ancient secrets. On my visit, I returned before dusk, closed my eyes, and let the breeze and the weight of centuries of valour settle over me. It’s an experience like no other, sitting quietly as the Light and Sound Show prepares to begin, the palace’s saga lingering in the air.

As the guards gently ushered us out, I knew I’d only scratched the surface of Chittorgarh’s magic.

The turn gives you a clear view of the Palace.

Srinagar Chauri

NaulakhaBari

The original main gate of the Kumbha Palace

The side entrance of the Rani Mahal

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

Entrance

The corridor leading to the courtroom from the Rani Mahal

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.

The corridor separating the Courtroom from Rani Mahal

The first-floor rooms

Broken portions of Ranimahal

Entrance to Rani Mahal main area

On the 20th of November, 2015, an over-enthusiastic version of me with a digicam in hand found herself at the entrance of the Chittorgarh Kumbha Palace. The entrance for visitors was actually from the side of the Treasury house, Naulakha Bari, and takes you right into the courtyard of the inner palace, the Rani Mahal.

As my heart played a tune, I walked through the corridors of these beautiful ruins and saw a magnificent palace once lived in by legends and heroes of the past. The winding staircase led down to the weaponry and what is believed to be a Dangal Sthal, with a view of the Prince's quarters and the Senapati Mahal, a separate housing quarter for the Senapati of the king. That made me wonder if Kunwar Pratap, who spent most of his early career here, ever lived in that house as the Senapati of Mewar under his father.

The Jharokhas of the Rani Mahal, once decorated with motifs, now stand abandoned but look over the beautiful Meera Temple premises, and one can witness a wonderful sunset from them. Some of the Jharokhas also look towards the Dangal Sthal and were probably made for the women to see princes in competition.

There are underground corridors leading to the River Gambhiri, which were once used by Panna Dhai for her escape, bombarded walls that speak of the massacre of Chittor and the courtroom and Jharokhas of public gatherings that have now been recreated.

I had stopped by one of the ruined walls, sat on the edge as the wind spoke to me, about stories untold. Of queens who lived and laughed there. Of princesses whose anklets tinkled as they ran down these deserted corridors, of love that bloomed in the jharokhas, children brought up to be heroes and a divine love this Rani Mahal once witnessed. It also spoke of the pain of sacrifice, of abandoning a home full of memories, of two Jauhar and Sakas and many unsaid stories these walls witnessed that don't make it to our books.

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

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 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

Glimpses of the Light & Sound show

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