Chittor

Chittor rises above the plains of Mewar on a long rocky hill, its walls enclosing palaces, temples and reservoirs. For centuries it was the seat of the Guhila and Sisodia rulers of Mewar, and the sieges it endured made it the best-remembered fortress of the Rajputs. Alauddin Khalji took it in 1303 after eight months and renamed it Khizrabad for his young son, but the Rajputs forced out the Delhi garrison, and Hammir Singh won the fort back and rebuilt Mewar.

From Hammir's line came Rana Kumbha, who ruled from 1433 to 1468, built thirty-two forts for Mewar's defence and raised the Vijay Stambh, the Tower of Victory, inside Chittor. Rana Sanga, who took the throne in 1509, stretched his power from Malwa to the edge of Punjab, and in 1527 led the Rajput host against Babur at Khanwa, where cannon and matchlocks broke it. In 1535 Bahadur Shah of Gujarat sacked Chittor. Queen Karnavati led the women of the fort in jauhar, mass self-immolation, while the garrison rode out to die. Akbar besieged the fort from October 1567. The defenders held out for four months until their commander Jaimal fell to a musket shot on 22 February 1568, and the fort was taken with great slaughter. Rana Udai Singh had already withdrawn to the hills, and Mewar's court later settled at Udaipur.