Chittorgarh: Where History Whispers in the Wind

Chittorgarh is famous for its legendary fort, which faced many battles and withstood many sieges. Today, it’s a sprawling 700-acre UNESCO-protected monument – a living testament to Rajput valor, sacrifice, and architectural brilliance.

Love the architecture of the place
Love the architecture of the place

Chittor is a nice day trip from Udaipur, which takes approximately 2 hours each way. The fort itself will probably take another couple of hours. Visiting earlier in the day is recommended as it gets very hot. But that means, if you want to watch the light and show, you have no choice but to hang around the town (where there isn’t much to see) the whole day. You could decide to shop, but Udaipur is a far better shopping destination.

After some discussion, we decided to do just the day tour and skip the light and sound show, which I think is fine. I generally find light and sound displays quite bombastic and not worth the time.

The fort is located at the top of a small hill. It’s fairly close to the town and not as isolated and ruggedly beautiful as Kumbalgarh. Still, the views of the city were quite nice.

The fort’s walls are massive, and the history behind all the rooms is fascinating. Get a guide to tell you all the local legends. We were humbled by the stories of Jauhar (self-immolation) and Saka (massacre) associated with the fort. Though tragic, these acts of defiance against invaders showcase the Rajput commitment to honor. Read up on the story of Alauddin Khilji and Rani Padmini before you visit – the guides will go into all the story’s details and tell you in which part of the fort these incidents occurred.

The highlight of the place was the beautiful palace (rumored) of Rani Padmini. Located a little isolated from the main complex, the only way to it appears to be through an underground tunnel, which we weren’t allowed to go. Despite that, it was still lovely to see from the outside.

The beautiful but isolated palace of Rani Padmini
The beautiful but isolated palace of Rani Padmini

And this last palace of Rani Padmini culminated our visit to Udaipur, Kumbalgarh, and Chittorgarh. We headed out to the airport to catch our flight back to Bangalore. It was a short but action-packed three-day weekend filled with palaces, forts, shopping, and culture. Overall, a wonderful time!

Tags from the story
,
Join the Conversation

3 Comments

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    1. says: Nish

      I could feel goosebumps imagining all that had happened there in the past. And it’s still such a rock, solid construction. Amazing!