Chittor

Mention the name Chittor and it invokes images of historical and legendary tales heard in childhood of the beautiful Rani Padmini, of Rajput gallantry and courage. The eventful history of Chittorgarh also known as Chittor is evident in its ruined castles, impressive forts and magnificent royal buildings. The entrance of the city of Chittor is highly attractive with seven huge gates, namely Bhairon Pol, Lakshman Pol, Padan Pol, Hanuman Pol, Jorla Pol, Ganesh Pol and the main royal gate known as Ram Pol.
In this heritage city you can visit the amazing Chittorgarh fort, Tower of Fame or Kirti Stambh, Victory tower or Vijay Stambh, Rani Padminis Palace, Rana Kumbhas Palace and many beautiful temples like Kalika Mata Temple, Meera Temple, Shyam Temple, Maha Sati, Satbis Deori Temple and Tulja Bhawani Temple. Chittor district is a haven for wildlife and nature lovers with attractions like the Bassi Wildlife Sanctuary, Bhainsrodgarh Wildlife Sanctuary and Sita Mata Wildlife Sanctuary.
Chittor is well connected by roads and railways to cities within the state and in the neighbouring states. The nearest airport is in Udaipur.

Best time to visit: October to March
Languages spoken: Rajasthani, Hindi
Climate: Extremely hot summers and pleasant winters
Heritage sites: Chittorgarh fort, Tower of Fame or Kirti Stambh, Victory tower or Vijay Stambh, Rani Padminis Palace, Rana Kumbhas Palace, Bhairon Pol, Lakshman Pol, Padan Pol, Hanuman Pol, Jorla Pol, Ganesh Pol
Holy places: Kalika Mata Temple, Meera Temple, Shyam Temple, Maha Sati, Satbis Deori Temple, Tulja Bhawani Temple
Natures Bounty: Bassi Wildlife Sanctuary, Bhainsrodgarh Wildlife Sanctuary, Sita Mata Wildlife Sanctuary

Chittorgarh- The pride of Sisodia clan

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By the evening it is time for the light and sound show in the precincts of the fort. The starry evening sky with the stories told through light and sound across various towers and buildings in the fort make the entire history come alive. A must watch for any tourist. A fascinating experience that will take one to edge of their chairs and marvel at the fate of dauntless men, women and children, who lived and thrived here ages ago, thus ended our trip to mystical city of Chittorgarh.

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Trip to the magnificent city of lakes- Udaipur

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Rajasthan with its rich culture, grand palaces and forts has always been one of the most coveted regions aspired by Mughals and later by British. The story of Udaipur and Chittorgarh are no less. Udaipur was built by the valiant Sisodia king of the Rajputs, Maharana Udaisingh in 1553. It was the historic capital of the kingdom of Mewar. Udaipur succeeded Chittorgarh which was besieged and taken over by the Mughals. After 1818 it became a British princely state. Udaipur is popularly known as the “City of Lakes” with its numerous lakes major ones being the Fateh Sagar Lake, Pichola Lake, Swaroop Sagar Lake, Rang Sagar Lake and Doodh Talai Lake besides others. The city is flanked with ethereal gardens and mountain ranges.

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Road Journeys – Mount Abu to Chittorgarh “The Biggest Fort”

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Abu Road to Chottorgarh is 260 km on excellent tar and may take almost 4 to 5 hours in no haste & less traffic. At or around 12 noon we entered the town by rolling further 2-3 km on a link road connecting the city with the bye-pass. We decided to take a guide so that we may not waste time in road enquiries and also venture the fort area with ease. Soon we found one reasonably at Rs. 250/- and entered the Fort through one of the seven legendary POL (gates) Each gate has a distinct name and relevance, just to quote the names without digging into history, they are the Padan Pol, Bhairon Pol, Hanuman Pol, Jorla Pol, Ganesh Pol, Laxman Pol and Ram Pol. If I remember, we entered through the Ganesh Pol as there was an Idol of Ganesha at the entry.

Soon after, we discovered that the fort is much larger and magnificent than it actually appears from distant. Situated at a high hillock fortifying the entire hill with high solid rock boundary, it is spread covering close to 3 km2. The Fort was constructed by the Mauryans in the 7th century AD however, mythological beliefs claim, it was constructed by Bhima of Mahabharata. The fort boasts to be the palatial abode of many famous warriors such as Gora, Badal, Rana Kumbha, Maharana Pratap, Jaimal, Patta, etc. for many years before it was captured by the Mughals.

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Road trip to Rajasthan: Chittorgarh-Mount Abu-Haldighati-Udaipur (Part 2)

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Guru Shikhar is the highest point in Mount Abu and Rajasthan and is about 18 km from Mount Abu town. Mount Abu is on the border of Rajasthan and Gujarat and from Guru Shikhar one can view both Rajasthan and Gujarat. After the 18 km drive, there are steps to the top (something like Vaishno Devi) with shops on both the sides. There was a 360 degree view from the top and a small temple.

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Road trip to Rajasthan: Delhi – Chittorgarh (Part 1)

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Somewhere around Ajmer our GPS asked us to take a left turn on an elevated road and we dismissed it to continue ahead. We stopped about 25 km ahead from that point for petrol and enquired about directions to Chittorgarh. To our dismay, we had missed the turn and this mistake could cost us over an hour.

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A trip to Mewar – Chittorgarh

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Though I had visited the city a long time ago, I had only fade memories of the massive fort considered once upon a  time to be impregnable.Chittor seemed to me as not so clean town and unplanned in a haphazard way, quite contrast to Udaipur. After entering the town I had to ask the way to the fort from passerbys quite a few time. At last we reached the fort , entered the complex and stopped my car at ticket counter. My first enquiry was whether we can roam about in the fort in car or we had to go on foot. The answer relieved me Yeah it was in car.hahahaha……First monument that we came face to face inside the complex was that of Kumbha’s palace.

This was the place of erstwhile Maharanas of Mewar before Udaipur was founded due to paucity of water in this area, it is said. The palace consisted of underground cellars where Rani Padmini is said to have performed Jauhar Pratha. Roaming in this massive monument gave me a nostalgic feel and I  also thought about the flimsiness of life

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