Chittorgarh Fort

Chittorgarh covers around three hundred hectares on a plateau rising a hundred and eighty metres above the plain, reached by a road climbing through seven gates, and it is the largest fort in India by area, one of the six Hill Forts of Rajasthan inscribed by UNESCO. Inside stand the Vijay Stambh, a nine-storey victory tower of 1448 covered in sculpture and climbable inside, the older Kirti Stambh built by a Jain merchant, the Rana Kumbha and Padmini palaces, temples, and the Gaumukh reservoir fed by a spring. The fort was besieged and taken three times, and those sieges dominate how it is presented.

What you actually see

• Vijay Stambh - a nine-storey victory tower carved inside and out.
• Kirti Stambh - the older Jain tower of fame.
• The palaces - Rana Kumbha's and Padmini's, in various states of ruin.
• The plateau scale - three hundred hectares walked or driven around.

When to go

October to March; Rajasthan summers are severe and the fort has little shade. Mornings and late afternoon give the best light on the towers. Evenings bring a sound and light show.

Honest expectations

The fort is very large and walking it all is impractical; an auto or car inside is usual. Many buildings are ruined and unlabelled. Summer heat on the plateau is dangerous.

Nearby

Udaipur lies southwest; Bundi is northeast.