Siege of Chittorgarh (1567–1568) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Siege of Chittorgarh (1567–1568) |
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| Part of Mughal-Rajput War (1558-1576) | |||||||||
 A view of Chittor Fort today |
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Mughal Empire |
 Mewar Kingdom |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Akbar Asaf Khan Jalal Khan † Alam Khan † Quazi Ali Baghdadi † Adil Khan † Abdul Majid Khan † Wazir Khan † Mir Qasim † Hussain Quli Khan † Imteyaz Khan Syed Jamaluddin Barha † |
Jaimal Rathore † Patta Chundawat † Ishwar Das Chauhan † Rawat Sai Das Chundawat † Kalyan Singh Rathore (Kalla) † Ballu Solanki † Dodiya Thakur Sanda † awat Sahibkhan Chauhan † Raj Rana Surtan Singh Jhala † Udaibhan † |
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| Strength | |||||||||
| 1,00,000 | 7,000-8,000 cavalry and musketeers | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| Heavy (around 25,000) | Heavy (8,000) | ||||||||
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The Siege of Chittorgarh was a major military event in Indian history. It took place from October 1567 to February 1568. The powerful Mughal Empire, led by Emperor Akbar, attacked the Mewar Kingdom. After a long and difficult siege, the Mughals successfully captured the strong fort of Chittorgarh.
Akbar wanted to expand his empire. He surrounded the important Sisodia capital of Chittor in October 1567. He also said the fight was a holy war. When Akbar's army advanced, the ruler of Sisodia, Rana Udai Singh, moved to the mountains. His war advisors told him to do this. He left the fort in the care of Jaimal Rathore.
The battle lasted over four months. Both sides suffered many losses. The turning point came on February 22, 1568. Jaimal was shot by Akbar's musket and died. The next morning, on the day of Holi, the fort was captured. The Rajput defenders fought bravely until the end. Akbar announced that taking Chittor was a victory for his faith.
After the fort was taken, Akbar ordered a large killing of people in Chittor. About 30,000 civilians were killed. Many women and children were also captured. Akbar put his general, Asaf Khan, in charge of the fort. Then he went back to Agra.
Contents
Why the Siege Happened
In 1567, Emperor Akbar focused on the Rajput states in Rajasthan. He had just stopped some rebellions. Some Rajput rulers, like Bharmal of Kachhwaha, had already joined Akbar. Bharmal even sent his daughter, Mariam-uz-Zamani, to Akbar's royal family. But other Rajput families were still against the Mughals.
Akbar wanted to bring all these states under his control. Chittor was very important. It was on a key route to Malwa and Gujarat. This made it easier to reach other parts of India. So, Akbar marched with a huge army and cannons from his capital, Agra. He surrounded the fort on October 23, 1567. Some historical writings also say that Akbar attacked because Rana Udai Singh had given shelter to an Afghan rebel named Baz Bahadur.
When Udai Singh heard about Akbar's attack, he left Chittor. He took his royal family with him. His advisors told him to go to the western part of Mewar. He went to his new city, Udaipur. Some later writers said he was a coward. But writers from that time did not say this. Udai Singh left Jaimal Rathore in charge of the fort. Jaimal had about 8,000 cavalry (horse soldiers) and some musketeers (soldiers with guns).
Akbar found out that Udai Singh had escaped. He sent a force to Udaipur to capture him. But they failed to catch the Rana. They returned after taking goods from Udaipur. After this failure, Akbar sent another group of soldiers. This time, Asaf Khan led them. He also failed to capture Udai Singh. But he did take over the rich town of Rampura. This town protected the southern side of Chittor. Akbar said his troops got a lot of treasure from Rampura.
The Siege of Chittorgarh
At first, the Mughal army tried to attack the fort directly. But the fort was very strong. The Mughals had two choices. They could try to starve the people inside the fort. Or they could dig tunnels under the walls. Their first direct attacks failed. So, Akbar ordered 5,000 skilled builders, stonemasons, and carpenters to work. They built sabats (covered trenches) and dug mines to reach the walls.
They built two mines and one sabat. Many Mughal soldiers were lost during this work. Three groups of cannons also fired at the fort. A large siege cannon was also made. It was meant to break the walls once the sabat reached them.
Fifty-eight days after the siege began, the Mughal diggers finally reached the walls. The two mines exploded. This made holes in the walls. But 200 Mughal soldiers were killed in the explosions. The defenders quickly closed the openings. Akbar then moved his siege cannon closer to the walls. It was protected by the sabat.
Finally, on February 22, 1568, the Mughals broke through the walls in several places at once. They began a coordinated attack. Jaimal was repairing damage to the fort at night. Akbar shot Jaimal with a musket. This greatly lowered the spirits of the defenders. They felt the battle was lost.
On February 23, 1568, the day of the Hindu festival of Holi, the Rajputs made their final stand. They wore saffron clothes and opened the gates. Patta Chundawat led them. By night, the Mughals had captured the fort. The Rajputs had fought very bravely.
The siege also caused many losses for the Mughals. Two hundred of their soldiers were killed every day. Historical records from that time say that Akbar himself almost died several times during the siege.
What Happened Next
After taking the fort on February 23, 1568, Akbar ordered a general killing of the people in Chittor. About 30,000 Hindu civilians inside the fort were killed. Most of them were not soldiers. After this mass killing, many women and children were captured. Many Hindu and Jain temples were also damaged by Akbar's order.
Akbar had called the conflict a holy war. He later said that taking the fort was a victory for his faith. The Mughal soldiers who died in the battle were called heroes by Akbar. He also sent a victory letter on March 9, 1568. In it, he told his governors in Punjab about the campaign.
Akbar stayed at Chittorgarh for three days. Then he left for the shrine of Moinuddin Chishti. He walked there barefoot, as he had promised to do after taking Chittor. Akbar put his trusted general, Asaf Khan, in charge of the fort. Then he went back to Agra.
When he returned to Agra, Akbar put up statues of Jaimal and Patta outside his fort. Some say he did this to honor their brave fight. Others say it was to show that he had defeated them. Akbar also wrote about them in his victory letter.
The tragic fall of Chittor was a major event in Akbar's rule. It changed his relationship with the Rajput states. After Chittor was taken, most of the main Rajput kingdoms came under his control. Before this battle, they had been against him. However, Udai Singh II, the ruler of Mewar, remained free until he died four years later. His son, Maharana Pratap, later lost the Battle of Haldighati. Even though he lost all of Mewar in 1582, he used guerrilla warfare. He managed to get back western Mewar before he died. In 1615, Amar Singh I, Pratap Singh's son, agreed to Mughal rule. A year later, Emperor Jahangir allowed him to enter Chittor Fort. But there was a condition: the fort could never be repaired. This was to prevent it from being used for future rebellions.
Traditions and Memory
The Jauhar (a mass self-sacrifice by women to avoid capture) of 1568 is a famous local story. It is remembered every year on the Hindu festival of Holi. On this day, people remember the Chittorgarh massacre by Akbar. The red color of Holi is said to represent the blood that flowed that day.
See also
- Siege of Chittorgarh (1303)
