01Kumbha’s Vishnu
Rana Kumbha, who ruled Mewar from 1433 to 1468, built forts and temples across his kingdom and the Vijay Stambh on this same hill. The larger temple in the compound bears his name, Kumbha Shyam, and is a tall nagara shrine with a pyramidal roof over the hall, dedicated to Vishnu. Its walls carry Vishnu’s avatars and the guardians of the directions. The murti in it today is a later installation; the earlier one did not survive the sieges.
02Meera’s shrine
Meera came to Chittor as the bride of Bhoj Raj, son of Rana Sanga, and gave her life to Krishna, whom she called Giridhar Gopal. The smaller temple, standing in front of Kumbha Shyam, is where the people of Chittor say she worshipped and sang; an image of Krishna stands in it, and a small chhatri in front holds the image of her guru, Sant Raidas, as tradition holds. The fort was sacked three times, in 1303, 1535 and 1568, and both temples carry the scars, yet worship continues.
The life of this place
- 15th centuryRana Kumbha builds the Kumbha Shyam temple.
- 1535Bahadur Shah of Gujarat sacks Chittor.
- 1568Akbar takes and sacks Chittor.
The temples stand near the Rana Kumbha palace on the fort; a single ticket covers the fort monuments.
