Chittorgarh Fort

Early departure this morning from Udaipur, heading for Castle Bijaipur but stopping to visit Chittorgarh Fort en route.

You'd think we'd seen enough of Forts by now but this one was different yet again: it is the largest fort in India, and sits high above the Berach river valley in a stunning location.

There are great tales of romance and heroism associated with Chittorgarh, for example the first attack on the Fort came from Alauddin Khilji in 1303: he attacked the Fort in order to set eyes upon the beautiful Rani Padmini. She, thinking she was about to be abducted first of all tricked Alauddin Khilji and he lost 7,000 of his best warriors in the ensuing battle. His fury at this loss made her abduction more imminent and rather than surrender, she donned all her wedding finery and leapt into a fire. All the women in the Fort followed suit. The men smeared the ashes of their women on their foreheads, put on saffron robes and rushed out to confront the enemy and fought to the death. This bloody battle is said to exemplify the fiery nature of the Rajputs.

The vast area of the Fort and city is scattered with ancient monuments. There are beautiful old trees and gardens which help to give the place its air of faded beauty. The temples within the precints have some stunning decoration, much of which is 12th century and in remarkably good condition.

We carried on to Castle Bijaipur and after a quick lunch went out on safari to see wildlife, birds, vast opium fields and to meet the local people. The people were very friendly and for some short while this little girl acted as our guide. Later in the afternoon we stopped for tea at the Pangarh Lotus Lake and watched the sun go down, returning to the Castle to meet the King and the Prince of Bijaipur before dinner. They were utterly charming and completely welcoming.

This was an action packed day!