The
fort of Chittogarh rests on top of a 500 foot hill roughly 150 miles
southwest of the Pink City of
Jaipur located in the state of
Rajasthan near the
border India shares with
Pakistan. Today, it is a deserted
ruin but remains a
symbol of the
strength and
honor of the state of
Rajasthan.
In the early thirteenth
century Chittorgarh was built as the first capital of the royal house of
Mewar. The year 1303 brought a massive attack
masterminded by the
Sultan of
Delhi, Alaudding Khili. It is thought that the Sultan's attack was motivated by his interest in claiming the Rajput princess as his own. As defeat loomed upon them, the princess and the other women of the fort threw themselves into the
battle flames in an act of
voluntary suicide. Their male
counterparts fought to their death dressed in bright
saffron colored robes.