A Journey To Discover Life

 23rd February 1568.   The sun rose on the eastern horizon, not with the hope of a new day. But, with the horror of what was to follow. The first rays of the Sun God were met by the chants of “Jai Bhavani!” that echoed in the air of Chittorgarh. The Mewaris knew it was time. Four months back, when the Mughals camped at the base of the fort, a helpless Chittorgarh had watched. Rana Udai Singh had left with his closest aides to make the new city westwards, his capital. If rumours were to be believed, he had left behind a cavalry of 8000 soldiers, under Rao Jaimal of Merta and Rawat Patta of Kelwa, to look over the fort. He had also left behind some of his lesser queens and infant princes, as an assurance to the people that Chittorgarh was invincible. Their safety and hope had lived in Kunwar Pratap. Truth be said, they had already taken the Crown Prince as their King. Ever since Ranisa had left with him till he became the Senapati, he had time and again proved to be a better lea...

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 ...