Chittorgarh--the name itself evokes memories of a great and valiant fort of the great Rajputs of Rajasthan.
It revives memories of the beautiful queen Padmini, on whom fell the eyes of Allauddin Khilji, making him so infatuated with her that he wanted her at all cost.
When the Rajput king of Chittorgarh did not accept, he attacked Chittorgarh fort with a huge Mughal army.
The rajputs fought as bravely as they used to fight, but could not continue as all supply lines to the huge fort situated on the hill, had been cut off by the Mughal army.
Rather than be taken captors by the victorious Mughals, all the ladies of the Fort along with queen Padmini committed ’’jauhar’’(plunged in to the fire and gave up their lives).
The fort is also associated with the memories of ’’Meera bai’’, a devotee of Shri Krishna. she was a queen of the Rana of Chittorgarh, but preferred to sing devotional songs or ’’bhajans’’ which portrayed her love for Lord Krishna-’’mere to girdhar Gopal,
dusro na koyi’’.
Meaning that there was no one else in her life but Shri Krishna-referred to as ’’Girdhar Gopal’’.
When one visits the fort of Chittorgarh, one is overawed by the huge area it covered enclosed within its walls.
The fort rises above the city of Chittorgarh.
The area inside is vast with old fort walls;the ’’vijay sthamb’’-victory tower; the small pond with the ’’sheesh mahal’’-it is said that Alauddin Khilji had his first view of Padmini, in the sheesh mahal, from a mirror in a room situated outside, which showed her to him in the mirror; the remains of the palace;the Meera Mandir(temple) and the huge gates.
The rural area near Chittorgarh still grows opium poppy.
Small quantity -bead like- of Opium is still offered to visitors/guests in some marriages, as a customary practice.
One may still see a small girl of five wedded to a man of thirty on the ’’Akshaya Tritiya’’ day, in this area, near Udaipur.
The visit to Chittorgarh makes one go back to the past and wonder about the valiant and great Rajput kingdoms of Rajasthan and their decline due to the Mughals.