Chittorgarh
Chittorgarh is a major city in the state of Rajasthan in western India. It lies on the Berach River, a tributary of the Banas, and is the administrative headquarters of Chittorgarh District. It was a major stronghold of the Rajput State of Medapata. The city of Chittorgarh is located on the banks of river Gambhiri and Berach.
Chittorgarh is home to the Chittor Fort, one of the largest forts in India and Asia. It was sacked thrice; first in 1303 by Alauddin Khalji, again in 1535 by Bahadur Shah of Gujarat, and lastly by the Mughal Emperor Akbar in 1568. Chittor has been a land of worship for Meera. It is also known for Panna Dai and Rani Padmini.
Geography
Chittorgarh is located at. It has an average elevation of. Chittorgarh is located in the southern part of the state of Rajasthan, in the northwestern part of India. It is located beside a high hill near the Gambhiri River. Chittorgarh is located between 23° 32' and 25° 13' north latitudes and between 74° 12' and 75° 49' east longitudes in the southeastern part of Rajasthan state. The district encompasses 350.8 square km area of land.History
Originally called Chitrakuta, the Chittor Fort is said to have been built by Chitranga, a Mori king.The Guhila ruler Bappa Rawal is said to have captured the fort in either 728 CE or 734 CE. However, some historians doubt the historicity of this legend, arguing that the Guhilas did not control Chittor before the reign of the later ruler Allata.
Chittor has a history going back several centuries. It was an ancient centre of Jain tradition. Chittor is adjacent to the ancient city of Madhyamika. The Jain inscriptions at Mathura from the Kushana period mention a "Majjhimilla" branch of the "Kottiya" gana, indicating that it was a major Jain centre. The famous Acharya Haribhadra Suri was born in Chittor and wrote "Dhurtopakhyana" there.
Chittor was known as "Chit-Ror" at that time. Between 1251 and 1258, Balban repeatedly led troops to Chittor fort. Under the orders of Alauddin Khilji, Ulugh Khan laid siege to Ranthambore, Chittor and Bundi forts.
In 1303, the Delhi Sultanate ruler Alauddin Khilji defeated the Guhila king Ratnasimha, and captured the fort. The fort was later captured by Hammir Singh, a king of the Sisodia branch of the Guhilas. Chittor gained prominence during the period of his successors, which included Rana Kumbha and Rana Sanga. In 1535, Bahadur Shah of Gujarat besieged and conquered the fort. However, Bahadur Shah was not able to hold Chittor for long and the Sisodia's captured it within a short time of his departure.
In 1567–68, the Mughal emperor Akbar besieged and captured the fort. In 1615, as part of a peace treaty between Akbar's successor Jahangir and the Maharana of Mewar, Amar Singh I, Mewar accepted Mughal suzerainty and the fort as well as the areas surrounding Chittorgarh were given to Mewar. However, due to the military danger presented by the fort, it was never to be fortified or even repaired.
The Maasir-i-Alamgiri, written by Saqi Must'ad Khan under Mughal patronage, chronicles the reign of Aurangzeb and records that on February 22, 1680, the emperor ordered the destruction of 63 Hindu temples in and around the city of Chittorgarh.
Climate
The climate is a tropical savanna climate, showing traits of a humid subtropical climate, narrowly being precluded from being a semi arid climate, with almost all its rainfall occurring during the summer monsoon.Festivals
Maharana was born on May 9, 1540, in Kumbhalgarh in Rajsamand district of Rajasthan to Maharana Udai Singh II and Maharani Jaivanta Bai Songara. His birth anniversary is celebrated as full-fledged festival every year on the 3rd day of Jyestha Shukla phase.Special puja and processions are held in his remembrance on Maharana Pratap Jayanti day everywhere. Several cultural programs such as debate are also organized.
Meera Mahotsav
was a devout follower of Lord Krishna, one of the foremost exponents of the Prema Bhakti and an inspired poet. She was a Rajput princess born in about 1498 in Medta, Rajasthan. Her father, Ratan Singh, was the youngest son of Rao Duda, ruler of Medta, and son of Rao Duda ruler and founder of Jodhpur. Ratan Singh belonged to the Rathore clan. She was married to Bhoj Raj, ruler of Chittor.Meera Smrithi Sansathan along with the Chittorgarh district officials organise Meera Mahotsav every year on Sharad Purnima day for 3 days. Many famous musicians and singers get together for singing bhajans in this celebration. The 3 days celebration also features puja's, discussions, dances, fireworks.
Teej
Teej is one of the major festivals in Chittorgarh which is celebrated with great enthusiasm. Teej is the festival of swings. It marks the advent of the monsoon month of Shravan. The monsoon rains fall on the parched land and the pleasing scent of the wet soil rises into the air. Swings are hung from trees and decorated with flowers. Young girls and women dressed in green clothes sing songs in celebration of the advent of the monsoon. This festival is dedicated to the Goddess Parvati, commemorating her union with Lord Shiva. Goddess Parvati is worshipped by seekers of conjugal bliss and happiness.Gangaur
The Gangaur Festival is the colourful and most important local festival of Rajasthan and is observed throughout the State with great fervour and devotion by womenfolk who worship Gauri, the consort of Lord Shiva during July–August. Gan is a synonym for Shiva and Gaur which stands for Gauri or Parvati who symbolises saubhagya. Gauri is the embodiment of perfection and conjugal love which is why the unmarried women worship her for being blessed with good husbands, while married women do so for the welfare, health and long life of their spouses and happy married life.Jauhar Mela
The fort and the city of Chittorgarh host the biggest Rajput festival called the "Jauhar Mela". It takes place annually on the anniversary of one of the, but no specific name has been given to it. It is generally believed that it commemorates Padmini's, which is most famous. This festival is held primarily to commemorate the bravery of Rajput ancestors and all three which happened at Chittorgarh Fort. A huge number of Rajputs, which include the descendants of most of the princely families, hold a procession to celebrate the. It has also become a forum to air one's views on the current political situation in the country.Rang Teras – The Tribal Fair
Rang Teras is a popular tribal fest of Mewar celebrated on the 13th moon night of the month of Chaitra. A big colorful fair and huge gathering of tribal to rejoice the harvest of wheat has been celebrating Rang Teras is customary since 15th century. It is a thanksgiving festival of farmers. Farmers pay their honor to Mother Earth for providing them food for every yearIndustries
The city's industrial sector can be divided into- Northern sector - Chanderiya Lead-Zinc Smelter is one of the largest zinc-lead smelting complexes in the world. Its current metal production capacity is 610,000 tonnes per annum. In the year ended March 2013, Chanderiya produced 443,000 MT of zinc and 60,000 MT of lead. The main products are special high grade zinc, continuous galvanising grade zinc, prime western zinc and pure lead. It also produces a number of valuable by-products including silver and cadmium.
- Southern sector - Indore road - many big cement players such as Aditya Birla group, Ultratech cement, Wonder cement by RK group, JK Lakshmi cement, Lafarge Cement are among major industries of the southern industrial complex of the city. In the northern part of city Birla cement works also boasts of one of the biggest cement plants of the country.
- Northern Marble sector - The second biggest marble production hub of Rajasthan after Kishangarh, Chittorgarh has one of the biggest production and finishing industries and marble complexes and also a major exporter centre for marble in the country. RIICO industrial area at bypass road and RIICO industrial area chanderiya are big marble industry compounds. All kinds of marble like oynx, Italian marble, Kota stone, famous white marble of Rajasthan are in abundance.
- Far north - Soniyana textile industrial area is the newest development in the city in the past 10 years.
Places of interest