Chittorgarh Fort

Chittorgarh (Chittaurgarh) is the epitome of Rajput pride, romance and spirit. It reverberates with history of heroism and sacrifice, which is evident as it echoes with the tales sung by the Bards of Rajasthan. The main reason for visiting Chittorgarh is its massive hilltop fort, which is a depiction of Rajput culture and values.

The fort of Chittor is regarded as one of the most outstanding forts of the country and is indeed the "Pride of Rajasthan State". The formidable fort is perched atop a 180 meter high hillock covering a massive area of 700 acres and is a standing sentinel to the courage and valour of Chittorgarh. It is belived that the fort was build by the Mauryans in 7th century and further strucres were added to it by the successive Mewar rulers.

The one mile long serpentine road to the fort is quite steep and exhaustive. The fort is approached through seven huge gateways or 'pols', which are guarded by watch tower and massive iron spiked doors.

Chittorgarh Fort is also called as Water Fort. The fort had 84 water bodies, out of which only about 22 exist today. These Include talabs (ponds), kunds (wells), and baories (stepwells).

All the talabs have a natural catchment. The kunds and baories are located below the talabs, so that even the seepage from the latter is not lost. The fort spreads over 700 hectares, 40 per cent of which are given over to water bodies. The average reservoir depth is about 2 m. Taken together, this means these reservoirs can store about 4 billion litres of water.

In a year of more than normal rainfall (average annual rainfall: 700 mm), enough water would be stored to last the next 12 months. Even after water loss due to seepage and evaporation and other causes, an army of 50,000 could live in the fort for four years without fear of thirst.

Getting There

Numbers of private bus services are available in Chittorgarh, connecting all major cities in India. There are regular bus services from Chittorgarh to other cities in Rajasthan and India. Bus services operate for Delhi, Mount Abu, Jaipur, Indore, and Ajmer.

The nearest airport is the Maharana Pratap Airport at Udaipur, about 90 km from Chittorgarh.

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