Wednesday, August 27, 2014

CHITTOREGARH - LARGEST FORT IN INDIA

Chittoregarh is a small town close to Udaipur and the drive from Udaipur is just over two hours.  When you reach the town you cannot miss to look at the Aravali Hills.  When you look at the stretch of the hills ahead of you this magnificent fort will amaze you by the sheer size.  This is one of the largest fort in Asia.
The Fort is built over an area of 8 square kilometers on a 700 Acres plot and is as old as 5th Century, i.e., more than 1500 years old.  The drive around the hills through the various gates and a walk through the palace is truly a stunning experience and it needs to be personally physically felt.  I was fortunate to have that first hand personal and physical experience of going to this fort on 20th August 2014 with my wife.
The two commemoration pillars that are standing in the hill are architectural marvels.  These are called the Victory Tower (Vijay Stambh) and Jain Deedful Tower (Jain Keerti Stambh).  Vijay Stambh is 122 feet tall and is a nine storey structure and was completed in 1448.  Keerti Stambh which stands at 75 feet and was built in 12th Century.

I was wonder struck to see the Palaces, the swimming pools, the underground tunnels, huge walls and the various structures.  It is bewildering to see this magnificent fort at a hill top that too built more than 1500 years ago at an age and time when there were no cranes, vehicles, equipment and tools.

The highlight was the Padmini Palace where you see the huge mirrors.  You can see the image of a person standing in the palace built in the middle of the tank through the large mirror.  Allauddin Khilji could see Padmini in the mirror.  The architecture of these palaces actually induced doubts about its actual times of construction.  It was truly amazing and mind boggling to stand there and witness this marvel on earth.
The Palace for the King, Palace for Queen, Summer Palace, Winter Palace, Accommodation for the Ministers, Defence Headquarters, Accommodation for the soldiers and other employees of the Royal Family, Temples, Swimming Pool, Deer Sanctuary, Victory and Keerti Towers, Compound Walls, internal passages, secret rooms, secret underground passage, Stunning views of the town at the foothill makes this entire Fort a comprehensive and complete place.



Preserving this marvelous Fort by itself is a huge task and I sincerely hope the Government of India is able to preserve this Fort (or whatever remains of the Fort) for another few centuries.  People who get to see this Fort, in my opinion, are truly fortunate.  The visit to this Fort with my wife only reinforced my thinking that there is so much to explore and see in India.

T.P.Anand
Dubai, U.A.E.
27th August 2014

2 comments:

  1. Arravali is the oldest mountain range in the World, much older than Him alabaster or The Andes. The Fort is breathtaking and a destination by itself. Fantastic pick by TP! Sriraj

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  2. srisha is the superb singer she should have been selected as finalist judes done injustice to srisha

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