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Siege of Chittorgarh (23 October 1567 – 23 February 1568) was a part of military expedition of
Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...
under
Akbar Abu'l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar (25 October 1542 – 27 October 1605), popularly known as Akbar the Great ( fa, ), and also as Akbar I (), was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Hum ...
against the
Mewar kingdom Kingdom of Mewar, sometimes known as Udaipur State, was ruled by the Sisodia dynasty. It was an independent kingdom in Rajputana region of India. It was established around the 7th century as minor rulers of the Nagada-Ahar region of Udaipur a ...
that began in 1567 in which the Mughals successfully captured the fort of Chittorgarh after a hard-pressed siege that lasted for several months. Akbar, as part of his expansionist policy, besieged the politically important Sisodia capital of
Chittor Chittorgarh (also Chittor or Chittaurgarh) is a major city in Rajasthan state of 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 ...
in October 1567 and gave a religious colour to the struggle by declaring it as a
Jihād Jihad (; ar, جهاد, jihād ) is an Arabic word which literally means "striving" or "struggling", especially with a praiseworthy aim. In an Islamic context, it can refer to almost any effort to make personal and social life conform with Go ...
against the infidels. On Akbar's advance, Sisodia ruler Rana Udai Singh fled to the mountainous principality of his kingdom (on advice of his war councils) and placed the fort under the command of
Jaimal Rathore Jaimal Mertiya (1507–1568) was the ruler of Merta. He was cousin of the Hindu saint Mirabai and became the ruler of Merta after the death of his father, Rao Veeram Dev. His father was perceived as the strongest king of the east in his time. ...
. After over four months of seesaw action in which the Mughal forces suffered heavy casualties, the battle eventually break the deadloack when Jaimal succumbed to a musket shoot of Akbar on 22 February 1568. The fort was captured the next morning on the day of
Holi Holi (), also known as the Festival of Colours, the Festival of Spring, and the Festival of Love,The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) p. 874 "Holi /'həʊli:/ noun a Hindu spring festival ...". is an ancient Hindu religious festival ...
after a gallant resistance by the Rajputs. The sack of Chittor was proclaimed by Akbar as the victory of
Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the ...
over infidels. After the subjugation of fort, Akbar ordered a general massacre of Chittor's population in which 30,000 Hindu civilians were slaughtered and several women and children were taken as prisoners. He handed the fort to his trusted general Asaf Khan and returned to
Agra Agra (, ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital New Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra ...
.


Background

In 1567,
Akbar Abu'l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar (25 October 1542 – 27 October 1605), popularly known as Akbar the Great ( fa, ), and also as Akbar I (), was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Hum ...
after putting down the revolts of Uzbeks turned his attention towards the Rajput states of Rajasthan. The
Kachwaha The Kachhwaha or Kachawa is a Rajput clan found primarily in India. Sometimes families within the clan ruled a number of kingdoms and princely states, such as Jaipur, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Alwar and Maihar. Subclans Rajawat, S ...
ruler
Bharmal Raja Bharmal, also known as Bihari Mal, Bhagmal and Bihar Mal ( 1498 – 27 January 1574), was the 22nd Rajput ruler of Amber, which was later known as Jaipur, in the present-day Rajasthan state of India. His daughter, Mariam-uz-Zamani ( ...
already accepted his supremacy by sending his daughter Heer Kunwar into the Mughal Harem, although all other families except Amber were still hostile towards the Mughals. Thus, Akbar undertook vigorous expansionist policy to brought them under his sway. Owning to the political importance of
Chittor Chittorgarh (also Chittor or Chittaurgarh) is a major city in Rajasthan state of 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 ...
for a stable route to
Malwa Malwa is a historical region of west-central India occupying a plateau of volcanic origin. Geologically, the Malwa Plateau generally refers to the volcanic upland north of the Vindhya Range. Politically and administratively, it is also sy ...
and
Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...
and for further inroads into the Deccan, Akbar advanced with a vast army and artillery from his capital
Agra Agra (, ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital New Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra ...
and besieged the fort on 23 October 1567. The contemporary Persian chronicles and his courtiers, also blamed Rana Udai Singh for providing refuge to the Afghan rebel Baz Bahadur as a reason of their invasion. On hearing about Akbar's encroachment into his territory, Udai Singh along with the royal family on advice of his war councils and ministers fled to the western belt of Mewar in his newly established city of Udaipur. Some later writers accused him of cowardice and unworthy heir of
Rana Sanga Sangram Singh I (IAST: Rāṇā Saṅgrāma Siṃha; c. 1482 – 1528 CE), popularly known as Rana Sanga or Maharana Sanga, was an Indian ruler from the Sisodia dynasty. He ruled Mewar, the traditional territory of Guhilas (Sisodias) in presen ...
, although no contemporary Persian author gave such impression. Udai Singh placed the fort under the command of
Jaimal Rathore Jaimal Mertiya (1507–1568) was the ruler of Merta. He was cousin of the Hindu saint Mirabai and became the ruler of Merta after the death of his father, Rao Veeram Dev. His father was perceived as the strongest king of the east in his time. ...
with 8,000 cavalry and some musketeers. When Akbar learnt of Udai Singh escape, he dispatched a force under Hussain Kuli Khan towards
Udaipur Udaipur () ( ISO 15919: ''Udayapura''), historically named as Udayapura, is a city and municipal corporation in Udaipur district of the state of Rajasthan, India. It is the administrative headquarter of Udaipur district. It is the historic ...
to capture him, although he failed to capture the Rana and returned after plundering Udaipur and its surrounding districts. After the failure of Hussain Quli Khan, Akbar sent another contingent under Asaf Khan to capture Udai Singh. While he too failed to capture the Rana, though, he sacked the wealthy town of Rampura (renamed it to Islampur) which guard the southern flank of Chittor. According to
Akbar Abu'l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar (25 October 1542 – 27 October 1605), popularly known as Akbar the Great ( fa, ), and also as Akbar I (), was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Hum ...
, the Mughal troops returned with enormous spoils and "sent many worthless infidels to the abode of perdition".


Siege

Initially, the Mughals tried to attack the fortress directly but the citadel was so sturdy that the only options available to the Mughals were to either starve out the occupants of the fort or to somehow reach the walls and sap beneath them. After initial aggressive attempts at reaching the wall failed, Akbar ordered a complement of 5,000 expert builders, stonemasons, and carpenters to construct ''sabats'' (approach trenches) and mines to reach the walls. Two mines and one sabat were constructed after significant casualties while three batteries bombarded the fort. A large siege cannon was also cast to breach the walls once the sabat reached the objective. Fifty-eight days after the siege began, the imperial sappers finally reached the walls of Chittorgarh. The two mines were exploded and the walls were breached at the cost of 200 of the assault force. But the defenders soon sealed the opening. Akbar then steadily brought his siege cannon closer to the walls under the cover of the sabat. Finally, on 22 February 1568, the Mughals were able to breach the walls at several locations simultaneously to begin a coordinated assault. While Jaimal was repairing the damage to the fort in night, Akbar killed Jaimal through a musket shot which shattered the morale of the defenders who considered the day lost. On the night of 22 February 1568, several Rajput women at various places inside the fort committed
Jauhar Jauhar, sometimes spelled Jowhar or Juhar, was a Hindu practice of mass self-immolation by women, in the Indian subcontinent, to avoid capture, enslavement and rape by an invading army, when facing certain defeat during a war. Some reports of ...
(self-immolation by fire) to protect their honour from the Mughals. Thus, on 23 February 1568 on the day of Hindu festival of
Holi Holi (), also known as the Festival of Colours, the Festival of Spring, and the Festival of Love,The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) p. 874 "Holi /'həʊli:/ noun a Hindu spring festival ...". is an ancient Hindu religious festival ...
, the Rajputs dressed in saffron garments opened the gates for the last stand (Sakha) under the leadership of Fateh Singh Sisodia (Patta) and eventually by night, the fort was captured by the Mughals after a gallant resistance. The siege also resulted in heavy casualties on the Mughal side, where two hundred of them were killed every day. The contemporaneous Persian accounts mentioned several instances during the siege where Akbar himself barely evaded death.


Aftermath

After capturing the fort on 23 February 1568, Akbar ordered a general massacre of Chittors population in which 30,000 Hindu civilians inside the fort who were largely non-combatants were slaughtered. After the mass slaughter, many women and children were enslaved followed by desecration of many
Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
and
Jain Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...
temples on Akbar's order. Akbar who earlier gave a religious colour to the conflict by declaring it as a
Jihād Jihad (; ar, جهاد, jihād ) is an Arabic word which literally means "striving" or "struggling", especially with a praiseworthy aim. In an Islamic context, it can refer to almost any effort to make personal and social life conform with Go ...
, subsequently proclaimed the conquest of the fort as the victory of
Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the ...
over infidels. The Mughal soldiers who died in the combat were hailed as Ghazis by Akbar. He also issued a victory letter on 9 March 1568 where he addressed his governors of
Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi Language, Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also Romanization, romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the I ...
about the campaign (quoted by Andre Wink) Akbar stayed at Chittorgarh for three days before leaving for the shrine of
Moinuddin Chishti Chishtī Muʿīn al-Dīn Ḥasan Sijzī (1143–1236 CE), known more commonly as Muʿīn al-Dīn Chishtī or Moinuddin Chishti, or by the epithet Gharib Nawaz (),Blain Auer, "Chishtī Muʿīn al-Dīn Ḥasan", in: ''Encyclopaedia of Islam, TH ...
(bare footed), as part of his oath to visit the shrine after the conquest of Chittor. Akbar handed the charge of the fort to his trusted general Asaf Khan and returned to Agra. On returning to
Agra Agra (, ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital New Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra ...
, Akbar erected the statues of Jaimal and Patta outside his fort either to honour their doughty resistance or to humiliate them as his doorkeepers. Akbar, also commented upon them in his victory letter. (translated by
Ishtiyaq Ahmad Zilli Prof. Ishtiyaq Ahmad Zilli (born 2 May 1942) is a historian, Islamic, Quranic scholar and professor (retired) at Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh India. He is director/secretary of Darul Musannefin Shibli Academy Darul Musannefin Shibli A ...
) The violent fate of Chittor turned to be a watershed in Akbar's conquest of north Indian plain and in his relations with the Rajput states. The reduction of Chittor, brought almost all of the leading Rajput kingdoms under his sway who were hostile towards him prior the battle. However,
Udai Singh II Udai Singh II (4 August 1522 – 28 February 1572) was the Maharana of Mewar and the founder of the city of Udaipur in the present-day Rajasthan state of India. He was the 12th ruler of the Kingdom of Mewar. He was the fourth son of Rana Sang ...
, the Rana of Mewar, continued to remain at large until his death four years later. His son
Maharana Pratap Pratap Singh I, popularly known as Maharana Pratap (c. 9 May 1540 – 19 January 1597), was a king of Mewar from the Sisodia dynasty. Pratap became a folk hero for his military resistance against the expansionism of the Mughal Empire under A ...
lost the
Battle of Haldighati The Battle of Haldighati was a battle fought on 18 June 1576 between the Mewar forces led by Maharana Pratap, and the Mughal forces led by Man Singh I of Amber. The Mughals carried the day after inflicting significant casualties on Mewar fo ...
. Though losing the entire Mewar until 1582, through guerrilla warfare, he managed to regain western Mewar until his death. In 1615 Amar Singh I, the son of Pratap Singh, accepted Mughal suzerainty and a year later
Jahangir Nur-ud-Din Muhammad Salim (30 August 1569 – 28 October 1627), known by his imperial name Jahangir (; ), was the fourth Mughal Emperor, who ruled from 1605 until he died in 1627. He was named after the Indian Sufi saint, Salim Chishti. Ear ...
, as a goodwill gesture, allowed him entry in
Chittor Fort The Chittorgarh (literally Chittor Fort), also known as Chittod Fort, is one of the largest forts in India. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The fort was the capital of Mewar and is located in the present-day city of Chittorgarh. It sprawl ...
under the condition that it will never be repaired, as it might be used a bastion for future rebellions.


Traditions

The Jauhar of 1568 is a part of regional legend and is locally remembered on the Hindu festival of
Holi Holi (), also known as the Festival of Colours, the Festival of Spring, and the Festival of Love,The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) p. 874 "Holi /'həʊli:/ noun a Hindu spring festival ...". is an ancient Hindu religious festival ...
(on the day Chittor was sacked) as a day of Chittorgarh massacre by Akbar, with "the red color signifying the blood that flowed on that day".


In popular culture

Mughal conquest of Chittor was part of
Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...
television series ''
Bharat Ka Veer Putra – Maharana Pratap ''Bharat Ka Veer Putra – Maharana Pratap'' () is an Indian historical fiction series produced by Contiloe Entertainment. It is based on the life of Maharana Pratap, a sixteenth century ruler of Mewar kingdom. It starred Sharad Malhotra, Ra ...
'' based on life of
Maharana Pratap Pratap Singh I, popularly known as Maharana Pratap (c. 9 May 1540 – 19 January 1597), was a king of Mewar from the Sisodia dynasty. Pratap became a folk hero for his military resistance against the expansionism of the Mughal Empire under A ...
. The series depicted the besieging of fort in over twenty episodes tittled as ''Chittor par Sankat''.


Footnotes


Citations


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Siege of Chittorgarh
Chittorgarh Chittorgarh (also Chittor or Chittaurgarh) is a major city in Rajasthan state of 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 stronghol ...
Chittorgarh Chittorgarh (also Chittor or Chittaurgarh) is a major city in Rajasthan state of 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 stronghol ...
Chittorgarh Chittorgarh (also Chittor or Chittaurgarh) is a major city in Rajasthan state of 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 stronghol ...
Chittorgarh Chittorgarh (also Chittor or Chittaurgarh) is a major city in Rajasthan state of 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 stronghol ...
History of Rajasthan 1567 in India 1568 in India Chittorgarh district Conflicts in India Chittorgarh Fort