Chittorgarh - Valour Revisited. Review on Chittorgarh

When we started off for rajasthan on a long tour of 19 days, Chittor was to be a small halt on our way to Udaipur, the land of eternal romance. Little did we realize, that a day would make such a lot of difference.

We reached Chittor early in the morning from Ajmer a motley crowd of 9 people. The autorickshaws all over Rajasthan were indeed the ideal guides. Remember to take one along with you whenever you plan to visit the state. We needed two autos to help us reach our destination- the RTDC hotel. Chittor being a small town doesn’t have a lot many options regarding accommodations. Nevertheless, few new hotels might have cropped up in recent years. After freshening up a bit and adequately refueling our starving stomachs, we set off to traverse the much trodden path of the Rana’s indomitable fortress.

The auto’s we had hired whirred its way up the circuitous path of the fortress, as we gradually crossed one gate after the other of the famous 7 gates which blocked the entrance of the fort. It was beautiful. But more than that, it was simply ravishing. What made it all the more enticing was the pride which was reflected in each person’s voice as they narrated how the Rana held his own against the treachery of the Khilji’s.

As the sun gradually dimmed its glow, we stood there in the twilight facing the vast fields lying beneath us. This we were told was the battlefield where the Rana fought the khilji forces to save his pride, his dignity and his love personified in his queen, the beautiful Padmini.

Padmini’s quarters, the Victory tower, Mirabai’s palace, everything seemed to repeat the oft quoted tale of valour pitted against treachery. It was simply a lovely experience. As darkness finally settled down and we looked down on the Chittor town, thousand’s of glittering diamonds greeted our gaze. We were told that those were the local habitats and we were currently standing on the highest point of the fort.

We started our climb down and considered it as perhaps the most romantic and memorable day in our entire tour. Romance was etched in every part of the ruins. It was as if we could still hear the cries of Rajput women as they threw themselves into the fire to save their dignity.

Once we entered the town limits, our minds like elastic reverted to our earthly demands. The table was laid and all of us gorged on the delicious steaming lay out in front of us. Soon sweet exhaustion engulfed us within its folds and we dreamt about Padmini the beautiful queen of beautiful Chittor