Chittorgarh Fort: A Local’s Guide to What to See, Timings and Tickets

01Chittorgarh Fort at a glance

02Chittorgarh Fort timings

The fort road is part of a living town, so you can drive up at any hour. The ticketed monuments, the museum and the show keep their own hours.

Timings checked September 2026. They can shift with the season and on holidays, so ask at the counter or message us before you go.

03Chittorgarh Fort ticket price

One Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) ticket covers the ticketed monuments inside the fort for that day. Keep it with you. It is checked at more than one place. Citizens of SAARC and BIMSTEC countries pay the same rate as Indian visitors. A service charge of about 10% is added to the ticket price.

Light and sound show tickets carry a small service charge of about 2.5% on top. Rates checked September 2026; they are revised from time to time.

04The seven gates on the way up

The road from the town climbs the western face of the hill in zigzags and passes through seven gates, called pols. Each one was a line of defence. Your car drives through all of them, so there is no steep walk, but ask the driver to stop at Bhairon Pol, the second gate. That is where our visit always begins.

05Start at Veer Kallaji Rathore’s shrine

Most visitors drive straight past the lower gates to reach the palaces on top. I always stop here first, because the story told at Bhairon Pol explains everything you will see later on the hill.

In the winter of 1567, the Mughal emperor Akbar laid siege to Chittorgarh. Maharana Udai Singh II had moved into the hills to keep Mewar alive, and he left the fort in the hands of two commanders: Rao Jaimal Rathore of Merta and Patta Sisodia of Kelwa. For months they held out.

In February 1568, Jaimal was hit in the leg by a musket shot while he was repairing a broken section of the wall at night. Mughal chronicles say Akbar fired the shot himself. By morning the defenders knew the fort could not be held. The women performed jauhar, and the men put on saffron and opened the gates for a last battle: the third saka of Chittor.

Jaimal could not stand. His young nephew, Kalla Rathore, lifted him onto his shoulders, and the two rode into battle together, each with a sword in each hand. To everyone who saw them, it looked like a single warrior with four arms. That image is why Kallaji is remembered as the four-armed warrior. Local tradition goes further still and says Kalla kept fighting even after he was beheaded.

Both fell near Bhairon Pol. Two chhatris stand there today: Kalla’s with four pillars and Jaimal’s with six. Next to them is the shrine of Veer Kallaji Rathore, who is worshipped as a folk deity across Mewar and beyond. People from the villages still come here to pray and to make vows.

Spend 15 to 20 minutes here. Offer a prayer at the shrine if you wish, look at the chhatris, and then carry on up through Hanuman Pol to Ram Pol.

06What to see inside Chittorgarh Fort

This is the order our drivers follow after Ram Pol. The road runs south past the palaces and Vijay Stambh to Padmini Palace, comes back up the eastern side past Suraj Pol and Kirti Stambh, and returns through the fort village to Ram Pol. One loop, no going back and forth. The times are how long to spend at each stop, and the numbers match the map.

• 35 min2. Rana Kumbha PalaceThe oldest palace on the fort and the heart of old Mewar. Maharana Udai Singh II, the founder of Udaipur, was born here, and this is where Panna Dhai is said to have saved him as a baby by giving up her own son. The light and sound show is held here in the evening.
• 30 min3. Fateh Prakash Palace museumBuilt by Maharana Fateh Singh in the early 20th century, just across from Kumbha Palace. Weapons, sculpture from around the fort and paintings. Closed on Mondays.
• 15 min4. Sattais Devri Jain templesClose to the museum, a group of Jain temples from around the 11th century dedicated to Adinath. The name means twenty-seven shrines; the main temple and a few smaller ones remain, with finely carved pillars and ceilings. Chittor was an important Jain centre, and Kirti Stambh later on the loop is Jain too.
• 20 min5. Kumbha Shyam and Meera templesTwo temples in one courtyard, built in the time of Rana Kumbha. The smaller one is linked to Meera Bai, the poet-saint who was married into the Mewar family and spent her years here singing to Krishna.
• 30 min6. Vijay Stambh (Tower of Victory)A nine-storey tower about 37 m tall, built by Rana Kumbha to mark his victory over Mahmud Khilji of Malwa in 1440. Every surface is carved with gods and goddesses. Climbing inside is currently not allowed.

Vijay Stambh, the Tower of Victory, inside Chittorgarh Fort · Photo via Wikimedia Commons

• 15 min7. Jauhar Sthal and Samadhishwar templeThe open ground next to Vijay Stambh is remembered as the place of jauhar. The Samadhishwar Shiva temple beside it has a large three-faced carving of Shiva.
• 20 min8. Gaumukh KundSteps lead down the cliff to a deep tank fed by a spring that flows from a rock shaped like a cow’s mouth. It was the fort’s water supply during long sieges. The steps are steep, so take them slowly.

Gaumukh Kund water tank below the cliff at Chittorgarh Fort · Photo via Wikimedia Commons

• 15 min9. Kalika Mata templeBuilt as a Sun temple around the 8th century and later dedicated to Goddess Kali. Look at the carved pillars and the old Surya figure on the doorway.
• 25 min10. Rani Padmini PalaceA small white palace beside a pool, with a pavilion in the water. The story goes that Alauddin Khilji was allowed to see Rani Padmini only as a reflection, and that this is where it happened. Historians still debate the legend, but it is the story everyone knows.

Rani Padmini Palace beside its pool at Chittorgarh Fort · Photo via Wikimedia Commons

• 15 min11. Kirti Stambh (Tower of Fame)An older, smaller tower, about 22 m tall, built by a Jain merchant in the 12th century and dedicated to Adinath, the first Tirthankara. Quieter than Vijay Stambh and just as finely carved.

Kirti Stambh, the Jain Tower of Fame, at Chittorgarh Fort · Photo via Wikimedia Commons

• 15 min12. Rana Ratan Singh PalaceOn the quiet northern side of the fort, beside the Ratneshwar lake. Fewer visitors come this far, so it is a calm place to sit for a few minutes and look over the water.
• 10 min13. Bayan Mata (Ban Mata) templeIn the fort village, on the way back from Ratan Singh Palace. Bayan Mata is the kuldevi of the Guhil, later Sisodia, rulers of Mewar. Tradition says Bappa Rawal first installed her here. The temple was burnt in the Malwa attack of the 1440s and rebuilt with a new idol brought from Gujarat. Families of the old Mewar clans still come here in Navratri. From here the road takes you back to Ram Pol and down the hill.

With a little extra time, the fort also has the Tulja Bhavani temple, the deer park and Chitori Burj at the southern end, and viewpoints along the wall over the town and the Gambhiri river.

07Chittorgarh Fort history in short

Tradition says the fort was founded by Chitrangada Maurya in the 7th century, and that Bappa Rawal made it the seat of Mewar in the 8th century. For about 800 years it was Mewar’s capital. It fell three times, and each fall ended in a saka: the men rode out to fight to the last, and the women chose jauhar rather than capture.

After 1568, Maharana Udai Singh II built his new capital in the hills at Udaipur, and Mewar never returned to Chittor. So when you drive from Udaipur to Chittorgarh, you are going back to where the story of Udaipur began.

08Light and sound show

The show is held in the ruins of Rana Kumbha Palace after sunset. It tells the story of the fort, from Bappa Rawal to the three sakas, with lights on the old walls and a recorded narration.

• When: after sunset, around 7 PM. There is usually a Hindi show and an English show, one after the other.
• Length: about an hour.
• Tickets: about ₹170–190 for Indian adults, ₹80–100 for students and ₹345–365 for foreign visitors, plus a small service charge. Buy them at the counter near Kumbha Palace or online before the show.
• Off season: a show can be cancelled if too few people turn up. We confirm it for you on the day.

Staying for the show means you reach Udaipur late at night, about three hours later than a normal day trip. That is why it is an add-on on our Chittorgarh taxi round trip, not part of the standard plan.

09One-day plan from Udaipur

Chittorgarh works well as a day trip. This is how we plan it. The exact times depend on when you leave, and our booking box works them out for you.

• StartLeave Udaipur after breakfastEast on NH-27, a smooth four-lane highway. About 2 to 2.5 hours.
• OptionalSanwariya Seth, MandphiyaA short detour for darshan on the way. The temple closes around midday, so it only works on an early start.
• ArriveBhairon Pol and KallajiStop on the way up. Then drive on through Ram Pol.
• 3–4 hrsInside the fortFollow the loop above. Break for lunch in town before or after, as you like.
• ReturnBack to UdaipurYou reach your hotel in the evening. With the light and sound show, you are back late at night.

Moving on from Udaipur rather than coming back? We also do a one-way drop to your Chittorgarh hotel or the railway station.

10How to reach Chittorgarh Fort from Udaipur

A same-day taxi round trip starts at ₹3,500 in a sedan, including fuel and driver. Highway tolls and entry tickets are extra. You can build your trip, add Sanwariya Seth or the light and sound show, and see the full day plan on our Udaipur to Chittorgarh taxi page.

11Before you go

• Wear good shoes. You walk on old stone, and the steps to Gaumukh Kund are steep and uneven.
• Carry water and a cap. There is very little shade on top, even in winter.
• Dress for temples. Shoulders and knees covered, and shoes off at Kallaji, Meera and Kalika Mata temples.
• Mind the langurs. Keep food in the car and don’t feed them.
• Avoid Monday if the museum matters to you.
• Hire a guide if you want the full story. Approved guides wait near Kumbha Palace. Fix the fee first.