chittorgarh fort

Chittorgarh Fort, situated in the town of Chittor in the west Indian state of Rajasthan, is one of the largest ancient forts in India.

The fort covers 65 historic structures, including four palaces, 19 large temples, 20 large water bodies, 4 memorials and some victory towers.

It was also declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Chittorgarh Fort is said to have been built by a local Rajput ruler Chitrangada Mori of Rajasthan. It was originally called Chitrakut, but later names as Chittorgarh (“garh” meaning home – the fort whose home is Chittor).

Seized by various rulers, the fort was last captured by Mughal emperor Akbar in the 16th century but later returned to Rajasthani rulers after a treaty between Mughal emperor Jehangir (son of Akbar) and Amar Singh – the 14th Maharana (a royal title) of Mewar.

Chittorgarh Fort is roughly in the shape of a fish, and has a circumference of 13 km (8.1 miles) with a maximum length of 5 km (3.1 miles) and it covers an area of about 700 acres.

The fort sprawls over a hill 180 m (590.6 ft) in height spread over an area of 691.9 acres above the plains of the valley drained by the Berach River. A limestone bridge needs to be crossed over to reach the fort - this bridge spans the nearby Gambhiri River and is supported by ten arches (one of which has a curved shape while the rest have pointed arches).

The Chittorgarh Fort is surrounded by a perimeter wall 13 km (8.1 miles) long, beyond which a 45° hill slope covers it (this used to keep away the enemies/attackers from the fort in those times) The ascent to the fort passes through seven gateways built by the Mewar ruler Rana Kumbha. The names of these gates are, from the base to the hilltop, as follows:

• Paidal Pol
• Bhairon Pol
• Hanuman Pol
• Ganesh Pol
• Jorla Pol
• Laxman Pol
• Ram Pol

Chittorgarh Fort is open to visitors and tourists between 9 am to 6 pm every day. A light and sound show also happens each day here, whose timings are between 7 in the morning till 8 in the evening.

The entry tickets for the fort costs INR 15 for Indian citizens, INR 30 per head for SAARC and BIMSTEC nationals, and INR 200 for other foreign national citizens.

Chittorgarh/Chittor town is 300 km away from Rajasthan state’s capital city Jaipur, and 200 km awa from another major Rajasthani city Udaipur, which also has the closest airport to the place. Udaipur or Jaipur can be easily reached by air, train or bus and from here, Chittorgarh can be reached in 2 to 3 hours by taking a cab, bus or any mode of road transport.