A single photo but there are multiple stories associated with the place.
This is a place in the Chittorgarh fort. It is situated close to the Vijay Stambh (Victory tower)
Story – 1: This place was a Jauhar Kund before. When a war is lost, all the women in the city will perform a mass suicide by jumping into the fire to avoid capture, enslavement and rape by the invading army.
Story – 2: This is the place where Queen Padmini (Referred to as Padmavati in movies) did Jauhar when Allauddin Khilji won over Raja Rawal Ratan Singh and captured Chittorgarh.
Story – 3: The Jauhar by Rani Padmini was not the only Jauhar that happened here. There were a total of 3 Jauhars that happened in the Chittorgarh fort.
Story – 4: In the first Jauhar was in 1303 by Rani Padmavati more than 8000 women committed suicide. The second Jauhar happened in 1534 by Rani Karnavati and third in 1568.
Story – 5: It is estimated that more than 40,000 women have died in this pit across centuries.
Story – 6: They have identified archeological evidence of burnt bones etc. in the Jauhar Kund confirming bodies were burnt here.
Story – 7: The government has now filled the Jauhar kund with mud and made a good garden on it (as seen in the picture). It looks like a beautiful garden unless someone explains the gory details about the place.
Story – 9: The royal family performs a Puja ritual every year in memory of all the people who died in Jauhar. They use the wood of Seethaphal and Sandal to perform the Puja. It was the same wood used in the original Jauhar that happened in the past.
Story – 10: Why Sitaphal wood? That’s cause 70% of the trees in the Chittorgarh fort is Sitaphal. It naturally grows there.
Story – 11: The Sitaphal that grows naturally is quite big in size and it’s exported to different places around the world. I didn’t get to taste it as it was not in season.
Endless thoughts 