Chittorgarh Tourism
Distance : 90km from
Udaipur, 585km from Delhi
 "[Chittor]
is within the grasp of no foe, nor can the vassals of its chiefs know
the sentiment of fear … and so intricate are its paths of ascent,
that though you might find entrance, there would be no hope of return
… for all the royal abodes of India, none could compete with
Chittor before she became a widow."
– Col. James Tod, 1832
Chittorgarh. That was the name of this city when it was built in the
8th century by Bappa Rawal (ruled 734-53AD). That was a long time ago
and was just the beginning of one of the bloodiest histories that a
fort has ever seen. Famous for its sieges by invaders, Chittorgarh
traces it origin way back to the Mahabharata, although no substantial
evidence exists for that statement. Although Chittor is attributed to
Bappa Rawal, it is the earliest fort in Rajasthan. It seems that Bappa
Rawal built on the existing foundations and introduced wells,
reservoirs, roads and strengthened its walls (see History).
¤ In and Around Chittorgarh
Apart from the fort, there are a few other places to see around
Chittor.
Bijaipur : 40km south of is
Bijaipur, a small town with a 16th century palace now converted into a
heritage hotel. off the main tourist route, walking around the palace
and in its outskirts can be quite nice, especially when the sun is
going down.
Bassi Village : Excursions into Bassi village (12km) can be
arranged by the owners of the hotel once you’ve had enough of
traditional Rajasthani singing and dancing within the palace. Bassi is
a good place to buy wooden handicrafts and the prices here are much
lower than in Chittor.
¤ Nagari- Ancient Excavation Site
Nagari, 17km from Chittor, is the site for ancient excavations from
the Mauryan age. But you won’t get to see much because sculptures
and copper coins found here have been moved to a museum in Chittor.
Chittor is not really a place to shop around if you’ve already
done the Udaipur-Jaipur-Jaisalamer circuit, but wooden handicrafts can
turn out to be good buys.
¤ Chittorghar showcases the Love Trial of Mirabai
Chittor is a fort with legends attached to it, and perhaps the most
illustrous one is that of Mirabai. The daughter-in-law of that valiant
Rajput, Rana Sanga, and the wife of Rana Bhoj, Mirabai was a bit of a
mystic. (Some historians believe that Mirabai was the wife of Rana
Kumbha). In fact, for Rana Bhoj she may well have been something of a
mystery. Not really content with her husband, she fell in love with no
other than Lord Krishna. Now Krishna was no less a warrior than any
old Rajput, for he was the one who led the Pandavas into a war which
we know of as the Mahabharata (see Mahabharata). But Krishna was a
god, and so Mirabai became an ascetic in order to reach out to him and
attain salvation. She was a poet too, and was relatively good with her
vocal chords. and in those days it was disgraceful for a woman to love
anyone else but her husband. But Mirabai stood her ground, and faith
and devotion for the Almighty took over. She left her family and
became a wanderer, singing hymns in praise of Lord Krishna. Mirabai
followed Krishna’s trail from Vrindavan to Dwarka where she
eventually died. Her hymns are still sung all over northern and
central India, and Mirabai considered a saint.
¤ Talisman of Mightiness
The other legend revolves around Rana Sanga, the Rajput who fought
Babar in 1527 in the battle of Khanwa. A dev (god) approached Chittor
to end an ancient battle between two Parihara clans, and Sanga was
courteous enough to treat him with respect and hospitality. For this
the dev granted him an amulet which had powers to protect the wearer.
He declared that as long as Sanga wore the talisman no harm would come
to him. But like Achilles and his vulnerable heel, the amulet too was
not perfect. Sanga would be safe as long as the amulet lay on his
chest, but the moment it swung around to his back, Sanga could be
killed. The dev had powers to raise the dead, and to demonstrate this
he placed a peacock feather in Sanga’s hand. Whoever the Rana
touched with this feather sprang back to life.
Convinced by the dev’s powers and protected by the amulet around
his neck, Rana Sanga sallied forth into many battles. He extended his
kingdom to Bayana in the east, and one day while bathing the amulet
slipped around to his back. Instantly a voice thundered down from the
heavens that his "mortal foe was at hand." The conclusion of
this story is not very clear, but Rana Sanga and his descendents were
rather taken with the whole idea of wearing amulets and becoming
invincible. The dev became a distinguished deity and a temple was
built to honour him. The unfortunate fact that Sanga died in 1528
probably didn’t shake his descendents faith in the dev’s
powers.
¤ Vow of Gadholias-Nomadic Blacksmiths
Those were legends, but what is the truth is the Gadholia Lohars
(blacksmiths) were so upset with Chittor being sacked again and again
that they decided to quit it after the third siege by Akbar in 1527.
They swore that they would never return unless the fort was
reconquered by Rajputs. Unfortunately, that never happened, and even
today the Gadholias spend their lives as nomadic blacksmiths.
|
