Chapter 23: The Siege of Chittorgarh
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1. The Mughal Army Marches
The rebellion had shaken the Mughal Empire. Akbar was furious.
✔ The Rajputs had defeated the Mughals at Kumbhalgarh.
✔ They had raided Mughal supply lines and destroyed outposts.
✔ Udaipur had fallen to Maharana Pratap and Avantibai.
Akbar could not tolerate this humiliation.
✔ He summoned 50,000 elite soldiers from Persia, Kabul, and Samarkand.
✔ He personally led the army, marching from Agra to Chittorgarh.
✔ His goal was simple—to crush the rebellion and wipe out the Rajput resistance forever.
The Mughal army was massive.
✔ Cavalry, war elephants, and artillery lined the horizon.
✔ Cannons capable of destroying city walls were dragged by oxen.
✔ War drums thundered, signaling the end of Rajput defiance.
But in the fortress of Chittorgarh, Maharana Pratap was waiting.
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2. The Rajput Defense
Chittorgarh was the heart of Rajputana, the symbol of their pride.
✔ The fort sat on a massive hill, with impenetrable walls.
✔ It had seven gates, each reinforced with iron and spikes.
✔ Inside, 20,000 warriors stood ready—Rajputs, Marathas, and Bundelkhandi warriors.
Maharana Pratap knew the odds were against him, but he refused to surrender.
✔ Avantibai commanded the women warriors, preparing for battle.
✔ Rajput archers took positions on the ramparts, ready to rain arrows on the Mughals.
✔ Traps were set along the fort walls, ensuring a brutal fight.
The Rajputs had one goal—to hold Chittorgarh at any cost.
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3. The Mughal Assault Begins
On the first day, Akbar ordered an all-out assault.
✔ War drums boomed, and thousands of Mughal soldiers charged the walls.
✔ Elephants with iron-plated tusks rammed the gates, trying to break through.
✔ Archers fired flaming arrows, setting the outer towers ablaze.
But the Rajputs were ready.
✔ Boiling oil was poured from the ramparts, burning the enemy alive.
✔ Boulders were dropped from the walls, crushing Mughal soldiers.
✔ Sword-wielding Rajputs fought like demons, refusing to give ground.
By sunset, the Mughal attack had failed.
✔ Over 5,000 Mughals lay dead.
✔ The Rajput defenses had held strong.
Akbar was shocked. He had underestimated the Rajputs.
But he was not done yet.
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4. Akbar's Ruthless Strategy
On the second day, Akbar changed his tactics.
✔ He ordered cannons to bombard the walls continuously.
✔ He had tunnels dug beneath the fortress, trying to collapse its foundations.
✔ He cut off all water and food supplies, hoping to starve the defenders.
For days, the cannons roared.
✔ Huge cracks appeared in the fort walls.
✔ The Rajputs ran low on arrows and food.
✔ Inside the fort, women and children began to suffer.
Maharana Pratap held an emergency meeting.
Maharana Pratap: "Akbar believes we will surrender. He is wrong."
Avantibai: "If death is our fate, then we will choose how we die."
The Rajputs vowed to fight to the last man.
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5. The Rajput Counterattack
On the seventh night, Maharana Pratap led a daring counterattack.
✔ 2,000 elite Rajput warriors rode out of the fort, disguised as Mughals.
✔ They silently infiltrated the enemy camp, cutting down guards.
✔ They set fire to Mughal supplies, burning food and gunpowder.
Chaos erupted in the Mughal camp.
✔ Elephants panicked, trampling soldiers.
✔ Mughal tents burned, turning night into a fiery battlefield.
✔ Rajputs rode back into the fort, unharmed, before Akbar could react.
The siege was turning into a disaster for Akbar.
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6. Akbar's Final Assault
Enraged, Akbar ordered his largest attack yet.
✔ On the 10th day, 30,000 Mughal soldiers stormed the walls.
✔ Cannons fired nonstop, shattering Chittorgarh's gates.
✔ Rajput warriors fought to the last breath, refusing to retreat.
The battle was a bloodbath.
✔ Avantibai fought on the ramparts, wielding twin swords, slaying Mughals.
✔ Malhar Rao Holkar led a cavalry charge, pushing the enemy back.
✔ Rajput warriors fought even after losing limbs, refusing to surrender.
But the Mughals kept coming.
✔ The walls collapsed, and Mughal soldiers poured in.
✔ Thousands of Rajputs lay dead, and the fort was nearly lost.
Maharana Pratap stood atop the fort, watching his city burn.
His heart burned with rage.
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7. Jauhar and Saka – The Rajput Code of Honor
With no way to win, the Rajputs chose Jauhar and Saka.
✔ Jauhar: The women of Chittorgarh, led by Avantibai, prepared a massive fire.
✔ Saka: The remaining Rajput warriors put on saffron robes and prepared for their final charge.
Avantibai: "We will not be taken as slaves. We will choose our own fate."
✔ 10,000 women and children jumped into the fire, choosing death over dishonor.
✔ The Rajput warriors rode out for their final battle, knowing they would die.
✔ Maharana Pratap fought like a demon, his sword dripping with Mughal blood.
The Mughals won the fort, but they did not win the war.
✔ They captured an empty, burning city.
✔ They did not capture a single Rajput woman.
✔ Maharana Pratap escaped, vowing revenge.
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8. The Aftermath – The War Continues
✔ Akbar claimed victory, but it was hollow.
✔ Thousands of Mughals were dead, and his army was exhausted.
✔ Maharana Pratap and his warriors had escaped into the Aravalli Hills.
Akbar sat in the ruined city.
Akbar: "I have conquered Chittorgarh… but not the Rajputs."
The war was not over.
✔ Maharana Pratap regrouped in the mountains, preparing for another war.
✔ The Rajput resistance spread across Rajasthan, attacking Mughal outposts.
✔ Akbar realized that no matter how many battles he won, the Rajputs would never submit.
The flame of rebellion had not been extinguished. It had only just begun.
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