Chitor

   A historic stronghold in southeastern Rajasthan. It emerged as an important military and political center following the establish-ment of the rule of Guhila clan over the territory of Mewar during the ninth century. Chitor was made the capital of Mewar by the Guhila ruler Jaitra Singh (1213-1261). In 1303, 'Ala al-Din Khalji besieged Ratan Sen in the fort of Chitor, forcing him to surrender af-ter a siege of seven months. 'Ala al-Din Khalji placed Chitor under the charge of his officer Malik Shahin after having renamed the place as Khizrabad. This arrangement, however, broke down in 1316. A few years later, Hammira (1326-1364) of the Sisodiya clan estab-lished his rule over Mewar. Under the Sisodiyas, Chitor tended to be-come a symbol of Rajput resistance to the sultans of Delhi, Malwa, and Gujarat. In 1442, Rana Kumbha (1433-1468) succeeded in beat-ing back the Malwa ruler Sultan Mahmud Khalji's assault on Chi-tor with heavy losses. He had earlier defeated Mahmud Khalji in 1437 and commemorated his success by building a victory tower at Chitor. Another attack on Chitor by the Malwa ruler Nasir-al-Din (1501-1510) was repulsed by Raimal (1473-1508) in 1503.