Chittor Fort
historic fort in Rajasthan, India
The Chittor Fort or Chittorgarh is one of the largest forts in India. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The fort was the capital of Mewar and is located in the present-day town of Chittorgarh.
Quotes
edit- Tod’s account of the fall of Chitor, one of the Rajput capitals, is as romantic as any legend of Arthur or Charlemagne; and indeed (since it is based solely upon native historians too faithful to their fatherland to be in love with truth) these marvelous Annals of Rajasthan may be as legendary as Le Morte d’Arthur or Le Chanson de Roland. In this version the Mohammedan invader, Alau-d-din, wanted not Chitor but the princess Pudmini—“a title bestowed only on the superlatively fair.” The Moslem chieftain proposed to raise the siege if the regent of Chitor would surrender the princess. Being refused, Alau-d-din agreed to withdraw if he were allowed to see Pudmini. Finally he consented to depart if he might see Pudmini in à mirror; but this too was denied him. Instead, the women of Chitor joined in defending their city; and when the Rajputs saw their wives and daughters dying beside them they fought until every man of them was dead. When Alau-d-din entered the capital he found no sign of human life within its gates; all the males had died in battle, and their wives, in the awful rite known as the Johur, had burned themselves to death.
- Will Durant and Ariel Durant, The Story of Civilization, Book I, Our Oriental Heritage (1935) (IV. ANNALS OF RAJPUTANA)
- “…The emperor prayed to the Almighty in the month of Ramzan/March of the same year saying ‘O Allah thou should come to the help of the army of Muslims.’ He further desired that the army should launch a sudden attack on the fort from all sides. The army came up like a huge pack of pigeons and, entered the fort by slaughtering those soldiers, who were guarding its gate. They pierced a group of the enemy by their arrows and killed them. Then they scaled the wall of the fort with much courage and jumped into it. Naturally the fire of battle blazed forth…
“Thus the emperor became the owner of the flag of battle, i.e. victorious and the rebels (Kafirs) became the prey of arrows. The breeze of the grace of Allah began to blow. The heart of enemy began to wreathe in pain. By the time of prayer the full volume of sound was blown and delivered the final attack on the Satans. Realizing their helpless condition that wretched race began to slaughter their women and children with their own hands, and set fire to them, reducing (them) to ashes.
“Despite all, there was only one victorious army and the vanquished one were thousands. In short, many of the misguided persons were killed by swords. The number of the dead was about thirty thousand.
“As a result of this victory, most of the persons of the army became rich, and under the emperor’s government (or in his kingdom) they became men of substance. Everyone achieved the desired object. Everybody got in his army his cherished ambition. Men of sport enjoyed the beautiful ladies. Those who were covetous of hoarding property, benefited themselves fully. Every one was very happy over the success and every soul got a fresh lease of life by this triumph...
“If proper attention is to be paid to understand the exceptional qualities and graces of the character of His Majesty, then it would become clear that the feelings and mind inside and outside are the mirror of Divine injunctions because on that day an extraordinary effect appeared from the limbs and organs of his body which is beyond comprehension. His pure heart and noble mind were turned inwards and in consequence of this purity he made a pilgrimage to the tomb of Qutb-ul-Qutabi Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti in his dream and he paid full attention and due reverence to that paradise like tomb. On Sunday, 26th of Ramazan/15th March, of the aforesaid year he went for the pilgrimage. He stayed there for ten days and then left for Agra.”- About Akbar's conquest of Chittor Fort. TArIkh-i-Akbari of Muhammad Arif Qandhari, translated into English by Tanseem Ahmad, Delhi, 1993, pp.149-51. Quoted in S.R.Goel, The Calcutta Quran Petition (1999) ISBN 9788185990583
- The Hindu architects produced buildings incomparably more rich and interesting as works of art. I have not visited Southern India, where, it is said, the finest specimen of Hindu architecture are to be found. But I have seen enough of the art in Rajputana to convince me of its enormous superiority to any work of the Mohammedans. The temples at Chitor, for example, are specimens of true classicism.
- Aldous Huxley, (1969). Jesting Pilate. The diary of a journey. quoted in : On Hinduism Reviews and Reflections - By Ram Swarup p.161-165
- The fort of Chitor is larger than that of Jodhpur and therefore less spectacular. The Jodhpur fort is perched on the summit of what is almost a crag. The hill on which Chitor is built is probably as high, but it seems much lower, owing to its great length; it is a ridge, not a pinnacle of rock. And the buildings, which, at Jodhpur, are crowded into a single imposing pile, are scattered at wide intervals over the space enclosed within the circuit of the walls of Chitor. Jodhpur is wildly picturesque, like something out of a Dore picture-book. Examined at close quarters, however, it is not particularly interesting. From a distance, Chitor is less imposing; but climb up to it, and you will find it full of magnificent buildings — temples among the finest in Upper India, great ruined palaces, towers fantastically carved from base to summit. None of these buildings is much more than five hundred years old ; but time has dealt hardly with them. The soft stone of which they are built has crumbled away under the rain and sun and wind. The sharp edges have become blunt, the innumerable sculptures are blurred and defaced. The splendours of Hindu art are only dimly seen, as though through an intervening mist, or with myopic and unspectacled eyes.
- Aldous Huxley, (1969). Jesting Pilate. The diary of a journey.
- “After he had crossed the river Bhîm, he started laying waste the country and capturing its people by sending expeditions towards Chittor everyday. He started constructing mosques after demolishing temples. He stayed 2-3 days at every halt.”
- Tabqãt-i-Akharî by Nizamuddin Ahmad. Sultãn Mahmûd Khaljî of Malwa (AD 1436-1469) Chittaurgarh (Rajasthan)
- After the conquest of Chittor in 1303, Alladin "constructed a congregational mosque. There was a temple lying in ruins." In Biana there is the Ukha mosque belonging to the Khalji period. Many mosques were built during Alauddin's invasion of the South. Farishtah claims that a mosque was built as far away as at Rameshwaram and called Masid-i-Alai and that it was in existence when Farishtah lived.137 The above examples clearly show that as per the dictates of the Quran and the injunctions of the Hadis and the Sunnah, mosques in India too were built on the sites of the idol temples and with the materials obtained from razing the shrines. ....
- Lal, K. S. (1999). Theory and practice of Muslim state in India. New Delhi: Aditya Prakashan. Chapter 3 quoting Epigraphia Indica
- On Monday, the 22nd February [1680]/1st Safar the Emperor went to view Chitor; by his order sixty-three temples of the place were destroyed.
- Aurangzeb. Saqi Mustad Khan, Maasir-i-Alamgiri, translated and annotated by Jadunath Sarkar, Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal, Calcutta, 1947, reprinted by Oriental Books Reprint Corporation, Delhi, 1986. quoted in Shourie, Arun (2014). Eminent historians: Their technology, their line, their fraud. Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India : HarperCollins Publishers.
- Different translation: ‘On 22 February the Emperor went to look at Chitor, and by his order the 63 temples of the place were destroyed.’
10 August 1680: ‘Abu Turab returned to Court and reported that he had pulled down 66 temples in Amber’. (Akhbarat. Jadunath Sarkar, History of Aurangzib, Volume III, Orient Longman, New Delhi, 1972 reprint, pp. 185–89., quoted from Shourie, Arun (2014). Eminent historians: Their technology, their line, their fraud. Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India : HarperCollins Publishers.)
- “No place on earth,” says Count Keyserling about Chitor, “has been the scene of equal heroism, knightliness, or an equally noble readiness to die.”
- Will Durant and Ariel Durant, The Story of Civilization, Book I, Our Oriental Heritage (1935)
- Before the final surrender of the citadel the Rajput ladies of the fortress lighted the fire of Jauhar in a subterranean cavern which still exists, and perished into the devouring flames to save themselves from enslavement or dishonour. Col. Tod gives a picturesque description of the heart rending scene in which a procession of chivalrous Rajput women, head- ed by the fair Padmini, queen of Ratan Singh, threw them- selves into the fire of Jauhar. ‘‘ The fair Padmini closed the throng.” writes the author of the Annals, ‘‘ which was aug- mented by whatever of female beauty or youth could be tainted by Tatar lust. They were conveyed to the cavern and the opening closed upon them, leaving them to find security from dishonour in the devouring element.’’ (...) In a single day, says Amir Khusrau, some thirty thousand Hindus were 'cut down like dry grass'. After this inhuman massacre the callous sultan ‘‘remained in Chittor for some days’’ and “‘committed every act of barbarity and dilapidation which a bigotted zeal could suggest, over- throwing the temples and other monuments of art.’’ Chittor was rechristened Khizrabad...
- K.S. Lal, History of the Khaljis (1950) p 119 ff.
- [Ala’ al-din Khalji then resolved to conquer Chitor. Amir Khusrau’s treatment is as follows :] «« Allusions to various colours.” On the day that the yellow faced rdis, from fear of the green swords, sought refuge in the red court which is marked by victory, the Sanjar of the kingdom—may he always be on the cushion of success and his fame as a warrior remain evergreen—was still crimson with rage. When he saw the green, herbage-eating rais trembling with fear like the trampled and withered grass under the royal tent, although the rai was a rebel, yet the silver of his royal manners did not allow any hot wind to blow upon him, All the sultry wind of his wrath was vented against the other rebels and he ordered that wherever a black Hindu was found he should be cut down like dry grass.’
- Amir Khusrow, Khazainu’l-Futuh. Quoted from Peter Hardy - Historians of medieval India_ studies in Indo-Muslim historical writing. (1960) p 80ff
- Many zamindars and rajas of Hindustan had become subjects of the Imperial throne. But Rana Udi Singh, Raja of Marwar, confident in the strength of his fortresses, and the number of his men and elephants, had thrown off his allegiance. Now that the Emperor had returned to the capital, with his mind at rest in respect of ‘Ali Kuli Khan and other rebels, he turned his attention towards the capture of Chitor. He accordingly began to make preparations for the campaign. The pargana of Bayana was taken from Haji Muhammad Khan Sistani, and given in jagir to Asaf Khan, who was ordered to proceed thither, and collect provisions and materials for the army. The Emperor followed to the town of Bari, with the avowed intention of hunting, and there killed a thousand animals in sport. Then he ordered his army to be brought up, and proceeded onwards [p. 169] to Mumaidana. When he reached the fort of Supar,6 he found that hearing of his approach, the men who garrisoned that fort for Rai Surjan of Rantambhor, and abandoned it and fled to Rantambhor. The fort was placed in charge of Nazar Bahadur, one of the Imperial adherents. From thence he went on to Kota, one of the parganas of that country, of which he made Shah Muhammad Khan Kandahari the governor. Next he marched to Gagrun,7 on the borders of Malwa. Mirza Ulugh and Mirza Shah, sons of Muhammad Sultan Mirza, had fled from Sambal, and had come into these parts, where they had begun a revolt, which the Emperor deemed it necessary to suppress. He therefore appointed Shahabu-d din Ahmad Khan, Shah Bidagh Khan, Muhammad Murad Khan, and Haji Muhammad Sistani to jagirs in Mandu, and charged them with that duty. When the amirs reached Ujjain, which is one of the chief places in that country, they found that the Mirzas, on hearing of the Emperor’s approach, had assembled together and fled to Gujarat, to Changiz Khan, the ruler of that country, who had been one of the adherents of Sultan Mahmud Gujarati. So the amirs obtained possession of Mandu without opposition. When the Emperor reached from Gagrun, Rana Udi Singh left several or eight thousand men to hold Chitor, under the command of a Rajput named Jai Mal, a valiant chief, who had fought against Mirza Sharafu-d din Husain, in the fort of Mirtha, as before related. The Rana himself, with all his relatives and dependents, took refuge in the hills and jungles. The fort of Chitor is seated on a hill, which is about one kos in height, and has no connexion with any other hill. The length of the fortress is three kos, and the [p. 170] width half a kos. It contains plenty of running water. Under his Majesty’s orders, the ground around the fort was portioned out among the different amirs.The royal forces were ordered to plunder and lay waste the country, and Asaf Khan was sent to Rampur,8 a prosperous to of the province. He attacked and captured the fort, and ravaged all the neighborhood. Husain Kuli Khan was sent with a detachment towards Udipur and Kombalmir,9 which is one of the chief fortresses in that country, and is the residence of the Rana. He ravaged several towns and villages, but finding no trace of the Rana, he returned to the Imperial camp. When the siege of Chitor had been carried on some time, the Emperor ordered the construction of sabats, and the digging of mines. About 5,000 builders and carpenters and stonemasons were collected, and began their work of constructing sabats on two sides of the forts. A sabat is a kind of wall which is begun at musket-shot distance (from the fort), and under the shelter of its planks strongly fastened together and covered with raw hides, a kind of way (kucha) is conducted to the fortress. The walls are then battered from it with guns, and a breach being made, the brave assailants rush into the fort. The sabat which was conducted from the royal battery (morchal-i badshahi) was so extensive that ten horsemen abreast could ride along it, and it was so high that an elephant-rider with his spear in his hand could pass under it. While the sabat was in course of construction, the garrison kept up such a fire of guns and muskets, that more than l00 of the workmen and labourers employed [p. 171] in it were killed daily, although they covered themselves with shields of bull-hide. Corpses were used in the walls like bricks. In a short time, the sabat was completed, and carried close to the fort.
The miners also carried their mines to the foot of the walls, and having constructed mines under two bastions which were near together they filled them with gunpowder. A party of men of well-known bravery, fully armed and accoutred, approached the bastions, ready to rush into the fort as soon as a breach was made by the explosion of the mines. Fire was applied to both mines at the same time, but the match of one was shorter than the other, and that made the explosion first. The bastion was blown into the air, and a large breach was effected. The storming party at once rushed to the breach, and were about to enter, when the second mine exploded, and the bastion was blown up. Friends and foes, who were contending in the breach, were hurled into the air together, and those also on whom the stones fell perished. It is notorious that stones of 200 mans were carried to a distance of three or four kos from the walls, and bodies of men who bad been burnt were found. Saiyid Jamalu-d din and….and a great number of the Emperor’s attendents, were slain, and nearly 500 picked soldiers were killed blows from the stones. A large number also of the infidels perished.
After this disaster, the pride and solicitude of the Emperor became still more intent upon the reduction of the fortress. A sabat which had been laid down in the battery of Shuja’at Khan was now completed. On the night of Tuesday, 25th Sha’ban, 975 H., the Imperial forces assembled from all sides, and the wall being breached, a grand struggle began. Jai Mal, commander of the fortress, came into the breach to encourage his men. The Emperor was seated in a gallery, which had been erected for him on the sabat, and he had a musket in his hand. The face of Jai Mal was discernible by the light which was cast upon the spot by the fire of the [p. 172] guns and muskets. The Emperor took aim at him, and so wounded him that he died upon the spot. The garrison was disheartened by the fall of their leader, and each man hurried to his own home. They collected their wives and children, property and effects, in one place, and burnt them. This proceeding in the language of the infidels of Hind, is called Jauhor. The royal forces were now massed, and they assaulted the breaches in several places. Many of the infidels rushed forward to defend them, and fought most valiantly. His Majesty, seated on the sabat beheld the exertions of his men with an approving eye. ‘Adil Muhammad Kandahari….and others exhibited great valour and daring, and received great praise. All that night the fighting went on, but in the morning, which was a glorious morning, the place was subdued. The Emperor mounted on an elephant, and, attended by his devoted followers on foot, entered the fortress. An order for a general massacre was issued, and more than 8,000 Rajputs who were in the place received the reward of their deeds.10 After noon the slaughter was stayed, and the Emperor returned to his camp, where he remained three days. Asaf Khan was appointed to rule this country, and His Majesty started for the capital on Tuesday, the 25th Sha ‘ban.
A curious incident in this siege was this: A person was sitting near the battery of the author of this book, under the shelter of a tree, with his right hand placed upon his knee. As an opportunity presented itself, he raised his thumb, covered with the stall usually worn by archers, and just at that moment a gun was fired from the fortress, and the ball passed within the length of a barley corn from his thumb, and did him no harm.
When the Emperor started to effect the conquest of [p. 173] Chitor, he vowed that if he were successful, he would make a pilgrimage to the tomb of Khwaja Mu’inu-d din Chishti, which is at Ajmir. In performance of this vow, he set off for Ajmir, and walked all the way on foot. On Sunday, the 7th Ramazan, he reached Ajmir. He performed all the observances of the pilgrimage, and made the poor and needy glad with his alms and offerings. He remained there ten days, and then departed for the capital.
- “After he had crossed the river Bhîm, he started laying waste the country and capturing its people by sending expeditions towards Chittor everyday. He started constructing mosques after demolishing temples. He stayed 2-3 days at every halt.”
- Sultãn Mahmûd Khaljî of Malwa (AD 1436-1469) Chittaurgarh (Rajasthan) in Nizamuddin Ahmad : Tabqãt-i-Akharî, in :S.A.A. Rizvi included in Uttar Taimûr Kãlîna Bhãrata, Aligarh 1959, Vol. II. p. 74-86
- He constructed the congregational mosque. There was temple lying in ruins.
- Translation of a Persian inscription. The inscription is not in situ as it belongs to a Jami Masjid, it is now found at a small mosque. It has been suggested that it originally belonged to a larger congregational mosque (Jama masjid) in Chitor. “If this guess is correct,” the epigraphist concludes, “it would mean that ‘Alãu’d-Dîn had ordered the construction in Chitor, of a congregational mosque, which was completed on the day of Sacrifice, the 10th of Dhi’l-Hijja of the year AH 709 (11 May AD 1310). Needless to say, no trace remains of any old mosque in Chitor today.”
- Epigraphia Indica - Arabic and Persian Supplement, 1959-60, p. 72-73.
- On the 13th we play phag (throw Holi color) to remember the blood that flowed on that day. Just at Chittor they do it, thirteen days after Holi...
- According to Lindsey Harlan, the jauhar of 1568 is a part of regional legend and is locally remembered on the Hindu festival of Holi as a day of Chittorgarh massacre by the Akbar army, with "the red color signifying the blood that flowed on that day". Lindsey Harlan (2003). The Goddesses' Henchmen: Gender in Indian Hero Worship
