RAJASTHAN
An Episode at Chitorgarh:
by Mrs. Prema Ramakrishnan
Rani Padmini's Palace
This is an episode of the period of Rana Ratan Singh and Rani Padmini of Chitorgarh fame. Allahuddin Khilji was the then ruler at Delhi and he was fascinated by Rani Padmini's beauty, having seen her mirror reflection once during one of his visits to the fort of Chitorgarh and desired to possess her at any cost.

So, he started a campaign on January 29th.1303 to lay siege to Chitorgarh Fort,an impregnable fort indeed. In spite of laying siege for seven months, his army could not make a dent in the walls of the fort as they were at a great height beyond the striking range of the cannons.

Then he hit upon a novel idea of raising a hillock beside the fort to bring the cannons within striking range of the fort walls. He offered to give one mohur (a gold coin) for every basket of mud brought by the local populace to raise the hillock.

The lure of gold was so strong that people brought in baskets of mud at great risk to themselves as many lost their lives to the raining of arrows from the fort walls but the man made hillock was ready and Allahuddin's army was able to take the cannons up the hillock within striking range and damage the fort walls and enter the fort. After a bitter battle the fort was captured on August 26, 1303. When Allahuddin entered Chitorgarh atlast, he found a desolate fort as Rani Padmini along with other Rajput women in the fort had committed Jauhar and the warriors had committed saka.

Even today, you can find a small hillock called "Mohur Magadi" beside the fort on the side where the fort walls are broken.
 
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