Stories in Stone

Chittorgarh
Text and photographs:
Discover India Program (DIP), Chittorgarh Group
Foundation for Liberal and Management Education (FLAME)

Here’s where history has left its footprints deep

in stone and the air is light with the breath of
romance, beauty and chivalry. Within the walls
of this gigantic fort, drama after drama has
been played out, leaving behind the lingering
fragments of legends.
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 History says that the Chittor fort in southern consolidated his forces and established Mewar, making Vijay Stambha (Victory tower)
Rajasthan was built by Bappa Rawal in the 8th century Chittorgarh the kingdom’s first capital. From the 8th to
CE and it served as the capital of Mewar until it was the 16th century CE, Bappa Rawal’s descendants ruled
invaded by Akbar. Its imperial presence was enhanced over Mewar from Chittorgarh. The fort has witnessed
by the fact that it sat atop a 180 m high hill, imposing the illustrious rule of kings like Rana Kumbha and Rana
and impregnable. However, its numerous elements Sanga.
were not just put in place at the start but instead built
over the centuries of its occupation. It was equipped The first defeat befell Chittorgarh in 1303 when
with defence and civic buildings that were protected Ala-ud-din Khilji, the Sultan of Delhi, besieged the fort,
by endless walls with recurring bastions. Sprawling to capture the beautiful Rani Padmini, wife of Rana
over 289 hectares, Chittorgarh was a centre of trade, Ratan Singh. It is said that Rani Padmini’s beauty had
commerce and administration of a kingdom situated enticed Ala-ud-din Khilji to invade Chittorgarh. This
close to a highway. The fort, encompassing beautiful resulted in a battle between Khilji and Ratan Singh. The
temples, imposing royal palaces, commanding towers fort was under siege for seven months. It is believed
and hundreds of ruins, is an echo of a past that was that when both sides were exhausted, Ala-ud-din Khilji
glorious in its reaches and rich in its architecture and crafted a sly plan. He asked Ratan Singh for a glimpse
traditions. In fact, legend associates the place with the of his wife Rani Padmini in return of lifting the siege
great epic Mahabharata- this is where Bhima struck the over Chittor. Khilji was taken into Padmini’s palace in
ground so hard that water gushed out to form a large the midst of a lake and Padmini’s reflection was shown
reservoir. to him in a mirror as she sat down on the steps of
the Jal mahal. Khilji then asked Rana Ratan Singh to
Recorded data claims that the fort dates back accompany him to the last gate of the fort where he was
to 8th century CE when Bappa Rawal received it as a outnumbered and captured by the Sultan’s army. Khilji
dowry from Maan Mori. But who was Bappa Rawal? demanded Padmini in return of her husband’s freedom.
Well, his origins are disputed, but it is widely held that Padmini sent 700 palanquins of soldiers disguised as
during threatening attacks of invasions from Arabs he women along with two of her brothers- Gora and Badal.
was brought up as a Brahmin in a hermitage, where A battle ensued between the two and the soldiers of
he used to take care of the cattle. Once as he reared Chittor embraced death fighting, while Rani Padmini
his cows, sage Harita chanced upon him and predicted and other women jumped into burning pyres.
that he would become a Chattrapati. Eventually, he

Ogee pointed arches in Bhamashah haveli

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 Suraj pol

Kumbha palace

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 concept of building a palace in the middle of a water in the fierceness of Surya’s archers driving away the
body has its origins here. darkness, the grace of horses marching ahead and the
swing in Sun god’s charioteer, Arun’s whip. The wind
Rana Ratan Singh’s Palace is located away god Vayu, one of the deities that guard directions, is
from other monuments and is one of the few places beautifully represented with the flow of his hair and
that have been restored. It is accompanied by a temple flutter of wind in his banner. At present, the shrine
that has numerous sculptures of goddesses, which houses an image of goddess Kalika. Hundreds of
have been forgotten in time with their names written devotees from the nearby settlements visit this temple
in Devanagiri. every day.

There are a large number of temples in the fort, The Kumbha-Shyam complex is famous for
most of which are Hindu, while a few are Jain. Since its Meera and Krishna temples as they reinforce the
the Rajputs considered themselves to be Suryavanshis, longevity of the fort in the legends it harbours. The
the Sun god had been one of the most prominent deities Kumbha temple that was originally dedicated to the
of medieval times. Kalika Mata temple was originally Varaha avatar of Vishnu has a dome which is studded
built in honour of Surya. It was constructed in the 11th with icons of Varaha, Vishnu and other gods. Chittorgarh
century and is a stunning work of art with its beautiful not only patronised Hinduism but as trade grew and
sculptures. The artists’ imaginations have been trapped Jain merchants gained prominence in power and wealth,
Jainism was patronised too. In fact, there are many
beautiful and elaborate Jain temples in the fort. The Jain
temple close to Kirti Stambha is a splendid example
of medieval temple architecture with anekanda type of
Bhim lat talab nagara shikhara (northern style of temple tower) and
In 1533 CE, during the rule of Bikramjeet came walls studded with beautiful sculptures.
the second attack from Bahadur Shah, the Sultan of
Since the fort was always under the threat of
Gujarat. Once again jauhar was led by Rani Karanavati,
siege, it had to be well equipped with a strong water
a Bundi princess. Her infant son, Udai Singh, was
supply to sustain it for a long time. This supply was
smuggled out of Chittor to Bundi and survived to inherit
provided by eighty-four water bodies which consisted of
the throne. He was saved by his nurse, Panna Dhai, who
natural lakes and artificial reservoirs - inspiring people
sacrificed her own son to save the crown prince
to call it a ‘water fort’. Interestingly, the reservoirs have
The final ransacking of Chittor came a few been built at different levels in order to minimise water
decades later, in 1568 when the Mughal emperor seepage and they are generally built close to residences,
Shiva temple close to VIjay stambha along fortified walls and bastions palaces and havelis. The storage capacity of the water
Akbar captured the fort. Maharana Udai Singh II fled
to Udaipur where he re-established his capital. Akbar
carried away all the distinctive pieces of architecture
and sculpture and placed them in his capital. Rana Structure overlooking Jal mahal on its posterior side. It is similar to the one
Pratap, the legendary king, made the last effort to through which Khilji was shown a glimpse of Rani Padmini
win back Chittor, but he never succeeded and died a to be the oldest authentic palace, can be approached
warrior’s death, like many of his ancestors. The sun had through two gates, Badipol and Tripol that face east.
set on the glory of Chittorgarh, which has since been The palace is an architectural marvel consisting of
lying mostly in ruins. administrative areas such as the diwan-e-khaas and
diwan-e-aam and residential apartments for kings and
The fort has been built over a long period of queens accompanied by servants’ quarters. What may
time. The fortified walls, which stretch all around the go unnoticed in this palace is the excellent drainage
top of the hill, encompass a variety of monuments system consisting of narrow channels covered with
ranging from palaces, havelis and temples to bazaars, stone slabs and small bathrooms. The Kumbha palace
towers and water reservoirs. Protected by a series of has been a residence for most of the kings that ruled
seven gates that were well guarded during the ancient over Chittorgarh.
times, the fort proved to be unassailable. These gates
are locally known as pol. Padmini’s palace, known as Jal Mahal, is a
small residence set in the middle of a lake, forming a
Perhaps, the most magnificent monuments in perfect place for comfort during the scorching summers
the fort are palaces such as those of Rana Kumbha, of Rajasthan. One is instantly reminded of the massive
Padmini and Ratan Singh II. Kumbha’s palace, said lake palace of Udaipur, built much later. Probably the Ruined walls of Kumbha palace overlooking the government museum of Chittorgarh

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 But recently another centre of learning has been
unearthed near Nalanda. The place is known as
Telhara, a small village in Hilsa subdivision,
29 km west of Nalanda district headquarters.

The excavations carried out by Bihar State

Department of Archaeology, were at a place called
Bulandi mound, which is 350 feet high. Preliminary
excavation at the site has led to the discovery of pottery
and images belonging to the Gupta period (5th century
CE) and to the later Pala period (9th – 10th century
CE). Evidence of prayer halls and residential cells for
monks in the monastery has now been found in course
of the recent diggings. A three-storied concrete structure,
as mentioned by Xuan Zang has also been revealed.

A stone plaque with eight lines of inscription

Bharat Itihasa Samshodhak Mandal celebrates and a black colour terracotta seal have also been
its 100 years found there. The plaque and the terracotta seal may
reveal the time and other details of this structure.
Founded in 1910 by the doyen of historians
in Maharashtra, Itihasacharya Vishwanath Kashinath Earliest oil paintings discovered at Bamiyan
Rajwade, the Bharat Itithas Samshodhak Mandal,
known simply as Mandal, is the premier institute of An international team of conservators and
research in history not only in Maharashtra but also in archaeologists found the world’s oldest-known oil
India. No scholar, Indian or foreign, can do research paintings in a maze of caves in Afghanistan’s Bamiyan
in Maratha History without visiting the Mandal. Valley (ancient India). The team started work in the area

Compiled by: Manjiri Bhalerao

Heritage News
Main entrance to rana ratan singh palace

tanks is 4 billion litres of water which was enough to Photograph © Saili Palande-Datar
satisfy an army of 50,000 people who could live in the Jal Mahal
fort without the fear of thirst for four years.
tirthankara, Adinath, is situated on an elevated platform
As Islamic kingdoms gained a strong foothold and is 76 feet high. Rajwade devoted his life to the search for documents, five years ago, investigating ways to preserve Buddhist
in India, Rajput architecture drew heavily from their private papers, land records, coins and sculptures. art in some 1,000 caves that had been ravaged over
Though these may appear to be the highlights the years by the harsh natural environment, rampant
style of domes, windows, minarets and jaalis. The K.C. Mehendale provided the space to house this huge
of the Chittorgarh experience, much more awaits those looting, and the infamous explosions. They found that
ogee arch and the domes of various shapes at Chittor collection. Today the Mandal has around 20,000 rare
who wish to spend time exploring this historic space about 50 of the caves were once adorned with glistening
have been influenced by the architecture of Mandu, manuscripts dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries,
which is indeed more than just a single structural entity.
the southern capital of Malwa. These ogee pointed hundreds of miniature paintings, maps, 25,000 texts, murals depicting images of Buddha, bodhisattvas, and
It in fact represents the very essence of the historic times
arches that are typical of Mandu can be seen in Fatta 35,000 thousand documents in Farsi and Modi scripts female devotees. One unique scene shows the Persian
that it has survived and evolved through, preserving its
haveli and Bhamashah haveli and some of the gates and numerous documents from the Peshwa era, i.e. 18th solar deity Mithra, riding a chariot driven by four
stories in sunlit sheen of sandstone.
that lead to the fort. The most striking monuments century onwards. The museum of the Mandal boasts winged horses. The research carried out by scientists in
of Chittorgarh are two large stambhas or towers that of the collection of original letters of Shivaji Maharaj, 2008, revealed that paint samples from 12 of the caves
dominate the landscape. Building towers to signify Peshwas and also a rare document of Aurangzeb with contained “drying oils,” most likely walnut and poppy-
victory and achievements draws its origins from This article is the outcome of a research project carried out under an impression of his thumb along with sculptures, seed oils, which are key ingredients in oil-based paints.
Islamic architecture. The Vijay Stambh was built in the Discover India Program (DIP) of Foundation for Liberal and canons, cannonballs, swords and weapons of varieties. The murals at Bamiyan date to the mid-seventh century
1438 CE to honour the victory of Rana Kumbha over Management Education (FLAME), Pune, India, by a group of seven In 2010 the Mandal has completed its centenary. C.E. There is no clear material evidence of drying oils
undergraduate students.
Muhammad Khilji. It is 120 feet high and has nine being used in paintings before the 12th century C.E.
distinct storeys with openings at every phase of each - Aakrati Gupta, Nimit Shah, Bhavika Doshi, Dhirendra Chaudhari, Another centre of learning discovered near anywhere in the world. Scholars have believed for a
storey. Rana Kumbha was a devotee of Vishnu so the Mahavirsinh Rathod, Yashovardhan Maheshwary and Rujul Vora Nalanda long time that oil based paints were used in Europe
entire tower is inlaid with well-sculpted iconography of under the guidance of faculty mentor Dr. Viraj Shah. much later in medieval times. The fact that Bamiyan
Vishnu’s incarnations alongside other deities. It has a It was believed that Nalanda, Udantapuri lies on the Silk Road, where goods and ideas flowed
This article is authored by the group leader Aakrati Gupta.
narrow spiralling stairway that leads to the top storey, a (near Biharsharif) and Vikramshila (near Bhagalpur) between East and West, might have contributed to this.
small mandapa. Kirti Stambh, dedicated to the first Jain were the three universities that flourished in Bihar.

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