Primary sourcePainting1590-1595
Jauhar of Rajput Women at Chittor
Unknown · 1590-1595
A Mughal court painting from the Akbarnama showing the 1568 siege of Chittor and the jauhar (mass self-immolation) of Rajput women, the disaster that shaped the Mewar Pratap later ruled.
Depicts the 1568 fall of Chittor, the disaster in Mewar's history that preceded and shaped Pratap's reign.
About this source
What it is
This miniature painting comes from the Akbarnama, the official chronicle of the Mughal emperor Akbar's reign, made by unknown court artists between 1590 and 1595. It shows the siege of the Rajput fortress of Chittor, with women shown engulfed in flames (an act called jauhar) and soldiers fighting with cannons below.
Why it matters
The siege of Chittor in 1568 was a catastrophe for Mewar, the kingdom Pratap Singh later ruled from 1572. Although Pratap is not shown here, this event shaped the kingdom and its conflict with the Mughals that defined his reign. As a Mughal-made image, it shows how Akbar's court wanted this victory remembered, from the winning side's point of view.
Look closer
- Whose perspective does this painting take — the attackers' or the defenders'?
- What does the choice to depict the jauhar tell you about how the Mughal court saw the Rajputs?
- What is missing from this image that a Rajput artist might have included?
This painting 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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