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Primary sourceArtifact7th–16th century

Chittorgarh Fort

7th–16th century

The ancestral capital of Pratap Singh's Sisodia dynasty, lost to Akbar in 1568 and never recovered despite being his lifelong goal.

The lost ancestral capital of Mewar that Pratap Singh spent his reign trying, unsuccessfully, to recover.

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A tall, multi-tiered sandstone tower covered in dense carvings of figures and ornamental patterns, rising against a blue sky with white clouds. Trees appear at the lower left corner.
Chittorgarh Fort, Rajasthan, India.

About this source

What it is

Chittorgarh Fort is a large hill fortress in Rajasthan that served for centuries as the capital of the Sisodia rulers of Mewar, with construction and additions spanning from the 7th to the 16th century.

Why it matters

Chittorgarh was the ancestral seat of Pratap Singh's family, but it fell to the Mughal emperor Akbar in 1568, before Pratap became ruler. Recovering Chittorgarh became the defining, unfulfilled ambition of his reign, and his refusal to submit to Akbar in order to pursue this goal is central to his historical reputation as a symbol of resistance.

Look closer

  • Why might losing an ancestral capital matter so much to a ruler and his people?
  • What does it mean that Pratap Singh never achieved this goal in his lifetime?
  • How might a building like this be used today to tell stories about resistance and identity?

This artifact is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Maharana Pratap on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Illuminated opening page of a manuscript in Persian script. At top is an ornate gold and blue illuminated frontispiece with floral arabesques, a central cartouche and arched panels. Below are three columns of black calligraphy on cream paper, framed by gold and red borders.Book

Primary source

Akbarnama

Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak · c. 1590

Title page of the 1865 Calcutta printed edition of the Muntakhab al-Tawarikh of Abd al-Qadir Bin-i Maluk Shah al-Badaoni, edited by Captan W. N. Lees LL.D. and Munshi Ahmad Ali, printed at the College Press.Book

Primary source

Muntakhab-ut-Tawarikh

Abd al-Qadir Bada'uni · 1595

Long stone defensive wall with crenellated battlements and rounded bastions climbing a hillside under a clear blue sky, with rough-cut stone masonry in the foreground and a bush at right.Artifact

Primary source

Kumbhalgarh

1592

Back cover of a dark navy blue hardbound book. A white library barcode label at top left reads 'UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO' with barcode number 3 1822 00719 8328. A dark patch and light blue label appear on the left edge.Book

Secondary source

Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan

James Tod · 1829–1832

Detail of a painted battle scene: a rider on a horse with a red-decorated elephant head-piece attacks toward a howdah-mounted figure on a grey elephant. Crowds of soldiers with turbans, spears and shields fill the foreground and background. Chains link the elephant's legs.Painting

Secondary source

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Chokha · c. 1810–1820

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