Chittorgarh Fort- Where women burn themselves alive #BlogchatterA2Z

What comes to your mind when you read the word 'Jauhar' ?

 
I instantly get a flashback of the scene from the movie Padmaavat when Rani Padmaavati and other Rajputana women step into the pier to burn themselves alive and practice Jauhar. 

Jauhar was a Hindu custom of mass self-immolation of women and children by burning themselves alive . This custom was followed in order to avoid capture, enslavement and rape by the invaders when there were very low chances of victory .

This custom was performed 3 times in the prestigious and renound fort of CHITTORGARH .

Chittorgarh Fort also known as Chittor (earlier the capital of Mewar) , located in Rajasthan , India is the largest fort in the Asian Continent and has also been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The fort once possessed more than 80 water bodies but now has only 22 which are replenished by nature through rainfall.

Chittorgarh Fort

The fort was originally called 'Chitrakut' and is believed to have derived its name from its builder , a ruler called 'Chitrangada Mori' . The fort underwent many sieges , the most famous ones being the Sieges of 1303 , 1534 , 1567 all leading to Jauhar. 

First Siege of 1303 by Allaudin Khilji 

If you have watched the blockbuster film 'Padmaavat' , you might be familiar with the name 'Allaudin Khilji' . During his reign , the land of Mewar , at the time known for its zinc and silver mines , was ruled by Rawal Ratan Singh. Allaudin had heard about Mewar's rich resources and was determined to grab them .

On 28th January 1303 , he started his journey with his army to capture the Chittorgarh Fort . On reaching Mewar , Khilji found the fort to be well fortified, he asked the Rajputs to surrender but they refused . This caused Khilji to surround the fort from all sides and conduct a siege which continued for 8 long moths. 

The fort was running out of basic resources like food . Considering this , Rawal Ratan Singh announced that the doors of the fort will open and the Rajputs will fight till death . The women of the fort were left with two options ; either to face dishonour from the enemy or to commit Jauhar . The second option was chosen without a doubt and thousands of women with the queen jumped in the pier burning themselves to death .

This sacrifice is still not forgotten and in order to commemorate it , the Jauhar Mela is conducted in Chittorgarh annually.

A legend also suggests that Allaudin was mesmerized by the beauty of  the Rani and that is the reason why he wanted to capture the fort of Chittorgarh. But on entering the fort , he found nothing because all women has committed Jauhar while all the men were fighting.

The Siege of 1534

Rana Sangram or Rana Sanga was the ruler of Chittorgarh , married to Rani Karnavati hailing from Bundi . They had two sons named Vikramjit and Udai Singh. 

In 1527 , Rana was killed during a fierce battle and Rani Karnavati was widowed . The emperor of Gujarat, 'Qutub-ud-din Bahadur Shah' saw this as a perfect opportunity to seize Chittor. He attacked the fort and Rani started asking other Rajputs for help while she was being advised to send her sons to Bundi for their safety .

The Rajputs were ready to fight . They wore kesari clothes and turbans , exchanged paan as a sign of parting .This tradition was termed as SHAAKH. However , Rani Karnavati knew that the Rajputs will perish . So , she chose to perform the holy sacrifice of Jauhar with other women of the fort while her sons were taken to safety by Rani's maid .

The Siege of 1567

The third siege was conducted by Akbar as he wanted to capture Mewar which would help him to establish ports in Gujarat. While he camped in the plains outside the fort , Rana Udai Singh flew away with his family for their protection . Jaimal and Patta , two Rajput warriors were left in Chittor with their army of 8000. They sensed that their victory was near impossible and so ordered Jauhar when for the third time , women jumped in the pier in the fort of Chittorgarh .  The next day , the soldiers performed Shaakh and fought till death .

 Jauhar kund at the Chittorgarh fort

It is also said that Jauhar was never committed when the wars were against Hindus , Marathas or Rajputs because then the defeated were treated with some dignity opposite to what happened with Mughals .

For a creepy fact , people still report that they hear screams of women from the Jauhar Kund....

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