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Photo: Prudence Upton
L-R Julia Baird, Kathy Lette, Catherine Deveny, Emily Maguire and Tara Moss
Julia Baird is an author, broadcaster and journalist. She has just returned from the United States, where she worked as a columnist and deputy editor of Newsweek. Her writing has appeared in a range of publications including The Daily Beast, Harpers Bazaar, The Guardian, the Philadelphia Inquirer, The Monthly, The New York Times and The Sydney Morning Herald. Her first book was Media Tarts: How the Australian Media Frames Female Politicians. She is currently writing a biography of Queen Victoria.
Kathy Lette first achieved succès de scandale as a teenager with the novel Puberty Blues. After several years as a newspaper columnist and television sitcom writer in America and Australia, she wrote 10 international bestsellers including Foetal Attraction, Mad Cows and How to Kill Your Husband (and other handy household hints). Her novels have been published in 14 languages. She lives in London with her husband and two children.
Catherine Deveny is a comedian, writer, social commentator and author. She is known for her work as a columnist with The Age, as a regular on ABC radio and QandA, for her sell-out Melbourne Comedy Festival one-woman show God Is Bullshit, and her work with over 20 charities. Her seventh book and first novel is The Happiness Show. She has three little boys and lives in an atheist kibbutz with her partner and gay husband.
Emily Maguire is the author of three highly acclaimed novels and two non-fiction books. Her articles and essays on sex, feminism and literature have been widely published. She is the recipient of the 2007 Edna Ryan Award for her writing about women's issues and in 2010 was named as a Sydney Morning Herald Young Novelist of the Year.
Tara Moss is a novelist, TV presenter and journalist. She is the author of seven bestselling novels: Fetish, Split, Covet, Hit, Siren, The Blood Countess and The Spider Goddess. She is published in 17 countries in 11 languages. Tara hosts the documentary TV series Tough Nuts: Australia's hardest criminals on the Crime & Investigation Network, and the author-interview show Tara in Conversation on 13th Street Universal. She is a UNICEF goodwill ambassador and patron for BFHI. Her next novel is Assassin.
Foto: Dsk135
Modelo: Kerkus
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About 40 percent of Philadelphia public school students drop out before graduating. Mighty Writers aims to change that statistic by teaching students to communicate with confidence, at school and in life.
The Art of the Brick Exhibition at the ArtScience Museum, Marina Bay Sands by Nathan Sawaya. This piece of artwork using 3200 pieces of LEGO bricks to create.
Source: Scan of the cover of book in our collection.
Shelfmark: XJE.570.
Date: 1908.
Repository: Local Studies at Swindon Central Library.
Susara Publications Pvt Ltd, No: 180/43, People's Park, Colombo-11. Off: 0112 430 721 / 0112 335 708 / 0114 339 867 / 0114 339 868 Fax: 0112 334 597. Web: www.susarapublications.net
Caption: Writer's tent.
Citation: H.S. Bender Photographs. HM4-083 Box 1 Folder 3 Photo 45. Mennonite Church USA Archives - Goshen. Goshen, Indiana.
Strobist: 580 EX into large silver umbrella camera right, 430 EX into small silver umbrella camera left. Triggered with the ST-E2.
I look for inspiration wherever I am-for photographs.
This to me is writing at it's best, a thousand words-worth so it matters that I'm feeling open to my environment.
What do you focus on for a good shot?
Part of a photo series about the german writer and illustrator Dieter Schaefer. Taken with a Leica Monochrom.
I live in a world of fantasy
so keep your reality away from me.
I see what I want,
I want what I see,
and that is all okay by me.
(Itzah C. Kret)
Just playing around with some markers. If you are interested, you may read about it right here:
dkmart.typepad.com/dkm-art/2011/04/a-few-little-doodles-f...
American novelist, adventure include THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS (1826),that co-habitation of Indian and settler the natural world and the Indian are fundamentally good an ideal and an actual place of habitation so as an innovation on rights,The novels of James Fenimore Cooper evoked a sense of the past and gave it a local habitation was in the long run of impossible co- habitation of Indian and settler .THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS (1826), James Fennimore Cooper's best known novel. A message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
Józef Ignacy Kraszewski (28 July 1812 – 19 March 1887) was a Polish writer, publisher, historian, journalist, scholar, painter, and author who produced more than 200 novels and 150 novellas, short stories, and art reviews, which makes him the most prolific writer in the history of Polish literature and the seventh most prolific in the world.[citation needed] He is best known for his epic series on the history of Poland, comprising twenty-nine novels in seventy-nine parts.
The son of a nobleman, Kraszewski studied at the University of Vilna between 1829 and 1830. He was imprisoned from 1830 to 1832 for participating in a secret patriotic organization. Banished from Congress Poland in 1863, he settled in Dresden, where he remained until 1884. Throughout his life he was active in publishing and journalism. He began publishing in 1830, gradually evolving from a romantic to a realist writer. His literary legacy consists of about 600 volumes of prose, poetry, drama, literary criticism and works on history and philosophy. A major Polish novelist, Kraszewski is known for his cycle of novels on the history of Poland (29 novels in 78 volumes), written between 1876 and 1887, of which the best from an artistic standpoint are The Countess Cosel (1874), Brühl (1875), and An Ancient Tale (1876). Kraszewski's "peasant" novels, including Ulana (1843) and Ostap Bondarczuk (1847), deal with the painful problems of the serf society and community. Outstanding among his social novels on contemporary themes are The Magic Lantern (1843–44) and Morituri (1874–75). The classic Polish realist writers regarded Kraszewski as their forerunner and mentor, however as a novelist writing about the history of Poland, Kraszewski is generally regarded as second only to the Nobel Prize winner Henryk Sienkiewicz.[1]
Kraszewski was considered a real cultural institution uplifting the Polish spirit during the country's partition.[2]
Contents
1 Biography
1.1 Early life and studies
1.2 Adulthood and literary career
1.3 Exile, later life and death
2 Character and style
3 Adaptation
4 Works
5 See also
6 References
7 External links
Biography
Early life and studies
Childhood home in Romanów
Kraszewski was born on 28 July 1812 as the oldest son of Jan Kraszewski and Zofia Kraszewska née Malska. He was born to a noble family whose manor was located in Dołhe near the town of Pruzhany, however, he was born in Warsaw because of his mother who came there in 1812 in fear of the military activities of Napoleon's army heading for Moscow. He spent his childhood in his grandmother's mansion in Romanów in the Podlasie region, where he would come back eagerly when he was young (nowadays the J. I. Kraszewski Museum is located there). From 1822 he went to schools in Biała Podlaska, Lublin and Świsłocz, and in 1829 he commenced studies in Wilno: first he studied medicine, then – despite his father's disapproval – literature. After the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising in November 1830, he and a group of his friends were arrested and he was kept in a Russian prison for more than a year, and, once released, he stayed in Vilna under strict police surveillance. When he was finally allowed to come back to Dołhe, Kraszewski continued the literary work he had started in Vilna and completed his education (as the Russian authorities had closed down the local University). The habit of avid but careful reading of literature and reviews from all around Europe would not leave him till his death.
Adulthood and literary career
Photograph of Kraszewski taken before 1886
In 1838 he married Zofia Woroniczówna, related to the late primate and poet J. P. Woronicz. He did this against the will of his father, who thought his son wanted to reach too high. Once married, the couple settled in Wołyń. In 1853 – already parents to four children – they moved to Żytomierz. From now on Kraszewski concentrated on his literary work, though he did not avoid other activities (he became the superintendent of a high school, the director of a theatre and the Charity Association). As a result of his dispute with conservative public opinion on his critical assessment of the gentry's attitude towards peasants, in 1859 he accepted the proposal of Leopold Stanisław Kronenberg, a wealthy Polish banker of Polish-Jewish origin from Warsaw, to become the editor of the "Gazeta Warszawska" and he moved with his family to Warsaw. Owing to his editorial skills, the number of the "Gazeta" subscribers within half a year rose from 500 to 8000, but at the same time he had to stand the vicious remarks of anti-Semites. Just before the outbreak of the January Uprising, he was politically active and thus, when the military activities began, he was announced persona non grata in Warsaw by the Petersburg-submissive local authorities and was forced to emigrate, leaving his family in Warsaw. He went to Dresden, where he lived till 1884.[3]
Exile, later life and death
In Dresden he became a one-person Polish institution helping the political refugees, and organising literary life and information about Poland. With the death of many great poets of Romanticism, he became the unquestionable literary authority and the favourite of the public. In 1870 as the editor of "Tydzień" he expressed his skepticism about the dogma, approved at the First Vatican Council, that the pope is infallible as far as questions regarding the faith are concerned. That made him unpopular among the national orthodox church authorities, but he did not lose popularity among his readers. In 1879 in Kraków week-long celebrations on the 50th anniversary of the beginning of his literary career were held. In 1883 he was arrested in Berlin and charged with collaboration with French military intelligence, and a year later he was sentenced by the tribunal in Leipzig to three and a half years of imprisonment in a fortress. He served the sentence in the Magdeburg Fortress. As a result of his illness he was temporarily released on bail and went to Italy to improve his health, and after the earthquake there he sought refuge in Geneva in 1886. There, already suffering from cancer, he contracted pneumonia, which was the direct cause of his death on 19 March 1887. His body was brought to Kraków and placed in the vault where the meritorious were buried in the Church of St. Michael the Archangel and St Stanislaus Bishop and Martyr and Pauline Fathers Monastery.[4]
Character and style
An Ancient Tale by Kraszewski, 1876
In German and Polish: "Józef Ignacy Kraszewski-in this Dresden building, in 1879–1885, lived and wrote the great Polish writer, a man of great industry and a great contributor to Polish culture."
Kraszewski was one of the most prolific Polish writers of all times. His works comprise more than 220 novels (in the nineteenth century published in about 400 volumes), around 150 novellas, short stories and literary pictures, some 20 theatre plays, more than 20 volumes of historical studies (including the 3-volume Historia Wilna ["History of Vilnius"] and the 3-volume Polska w czasie trzech rozbiorów 1772–1799 ["Poland during the Three Partitions 1772–1799]), a few volumes on his travels, more than 10 volumes of social, political and literary journalism [including 5 volumes of Rachunki (1866–69)], more than 6 volumes of poetry, including a 3-volume epos on the history of Lithuania, more than 20 volumes of his translations from 5 languages (English, French, German, Latin and Italian), several thousand columns, press articles and reviews, which, when printed as books, would have to be collected in more than 100 volumes. He wrote many letters – their number is estimated to reach tens of thousands; just a little part of them have been published so far. He was an editor and a publisher. He prepared for publication and published over 40 volumes of historic documents and works of other writers. In the years 1841–51 he edited in Wołyń, and published in Wilno the bimonthly "Athenaeum" (66 volumes), in the years 1859–63 after he moved, Kraszewski was the editor of the daily "Gazeta Warszawska" (from 1861 "Gazeta Polska"), and in 1870–71 in Dresden he edited "Tydzień".
Despite all that, he was not a man who would be interested just in covering paper with print or writing. He was deeply interested in drawing landscapes and architecture (he illustrated his reports from his travels himself; more than 1600 of his pictures have survived until the present day), took up amateur oil painting, collected old prints (there were more than 6000 works in his collection). Kraszewski loved music. He considered playing the piano for one hour every day to be an extraordinary pleasure for him, and his reviews of concerts or opera performances are characterised by solid professionalism. He travelled widely: he visited the whole of pre-partition Poland and almost the whole of Europe. Throughout his adult life he took an active part in political activities, which resulted in him being sent to prison twice. He participated in dozens of social events, and more than once he had to stand up against public opinion.
Page from Kraszewski's 1875 novel Brühl
In his novels he would emphasise loyalty to the real world, thus he would use mimesis, but combined it with his fascination with romanticism. Very well-educated in the field of European literature and aesthetics, he regarded highly not only Balzac, Dickens, Gogol, and later Zola, but also Stendhal, even before he came to be appreciated in his own country, but his heart was always with Adam Mickiewicz. His first works would be influenced by English sentimentalism, especially that of L. Sterne and the French frenetic romantics in the style of the young Victor Hugo or German fantasy in the style of E.T.A. Hoffmann. The group of works closest to the ideals of Romanticism were his novels on the conflict of an artist with reality and on the life of folk people. In some of his works he would concentrate on women's matters (Całe życie biedna 1840, Szalona 1880, Sama jedna 1881), and in dozens – the issues regarding the gentry or the magnates (Latarnia czarnoksięska 1843-4, Interesa familijne 1852, Dwa światy 1854, Morituri 1873). He refers to the 1863 Uprising in a series of political novels written under the name of B. Bolesławita (Dziecię Starego Miasta 1863, Moskal 1865, Żyd 1866 and others). Kraszewski would extend the subject matter of his works, diversify the plot conventions (biography, travel, romance, sensation, etc.) and stylistic forms (realistic way of expression, purpose narration, parable, diary, tale, journal).He also appreciated small literary prose forms, such as, for example, pictures, philosophical sketches and novellas. His works would discuss all the major social and moral issues of his times and would include all the literary motifs favoured by the readers.[5]
Until 1863 he would concentrate on topical issues, during his stay in Dresden – on historical ones. Before he left the country he had written 20 historical novels, while in exile – more than 80. Unlike W. Scott he would give priority to the historical truth over fiction, and opted for criticism against the past. In this spirit he wrote Zygmuntowskie czasy (1846) and Diabła (1855), and in Dresden the so-called Saxon series (Hrabina Cosel 1873, Brühl 1874 and others) as well as a group of over 20 other novels on the eighteenth century (including Bezimienna 1869, Sto diabłów 1870 and Bratankowie 1871). He was successful in using tale narration in many of his works. His most famous enterprise within the genre of historical novels, was the series of 29 novels on the history of Poland. He started it with Stara baśń (1876) – which referred to the legendary epoch. From the very beginning the novel enjoyed great popularity, and was later his most often republished work (up to 2000 it was published more than 60 times). Next he wrote about the Piast dynasty (among others Boleszczyce 1877, Król chłopów 1881), the Jagiellonians (Semko 1882, Matka królów 1883 and others) and the oriental rulers (i.e. Boży gniew 1886). The series was completed with the posthumously published Saskie ostatki (1889).
Kraszewski's literary activities were characterised by patriotic intentions, tinged with antipathy toward the aristocracy, affinity with the gentry (whose vices he would castigate, but whom he considered to be the mainstay of national awareness) and a tendency to idealise the peasants. The realist writers of Poland's "Positivist" period, notably including Bolesław Prus, regarded him as their teacher. Single-handedly he created a whole library of novels, which in the second half of the 19th century were appreciated not only in Poland—where he was popular even in the twentieth century—but in the majority of European countries. Over a hundred of his novels have been translated into foreign languages. Before Henryk Sienkiewicz, he was the most often translated Polish author.
Adaptation
In 2003 the first book in the series, Stara Baśń (An Ancient Tale, 1876), was made into a successful feature film directed by Jerzy Hoffman starring Bohdan Stupka, Michał Żebrowski and Daniel Olbrychski.
Works
Józef Ignacy Kraszewski
Sceny i charaktery z życia powszedniego (1878)
Barani Kożuszek (1881)
Biografia Sokalskiego organisty Kotlety
Boża czekoladka (1858)
Boża opieka. Powieść osnuta na opowiadaniach XVIII wieku
Bracia rywale
Bratanki
Brühl (1874)
Budnik (1847)
Całe życie biedna
Caprea i Roma (1859)
Cet czy licho?
Chata za wsią (The Cottage outside the Village, 1842)
Czarna Perełka (1871)
Czasy kościuszkowskie
Czercza mogiła
Cześnikówny
Cztery wesela
Diabeł (1855)
Dola i niedola. Powieść z ostatnich lat XVIII wieku (1864)
Dwa światy (1856)
Dziad i baba
Dziadunio (1868)
Dzieci wieku (1857)
Dziecię Starego Miasta (1863)
Dziennik Serafiny (1876)
Dziwadła
Emisariusz
Ewunia
Głupi Maciuś
Grzechy hetmańskie. Obrazy z końca XVIII wieku
Herod baba
Historia kołka w płocie (1860)
Historia o bladej dziewczynie spod Ostrej Bramy
Historia o Janaszu Korczaku i o pięknej miecznikównie: powieść z czasów Jana Sobieskiego (1874)
Historia Sawki (1842)
Hołota
Hrabina Cosel (1873, e-book)
Interesa familijne
Jak się pan Paweł żenił i jak się ożenił
Jaryna (1850)
Jermoła (Iermola, 1857)
Jesienią
Kamienica w Długim Rynku
Kartki z podróży
Kawał literata (1875)
Klasztor
Klin klinem
Komedianci
Kopciuszek
Kordecki
Kościół Świętomichalski w Wilnie
Król i Bondarywna. Powieść historyczna
Krzyż na rozstajnych drogach
Krzyżacy 1410
Kunigas (1881)
Kwiat paproci
Lalki: sceny przedślubne
Latarnia czarnoksięska (1843–1844)
Listy do rodziny
Lublana
Ładny chłopiec
Ładowa Pieczara (1852)
Macocha
Maleparta
Męczennicy. Marynka
Męczennicy. Na wysokościach
Milion posagu
Mistrz Twardowski (1840)
Mogilna. Obrazek współczesny
Morituri (1874–1875)
Moskal: obrazek współczesny narysowany z natury (1865)
Na bialskim zamku
Na cmentarzu – na wulkanie
Na tułactwie
Na wschodzie. Obrazek współczesny (1866)
Nad modrym Dunajem
Nad Sprewą
Nera
Niebieskie migdały
Noc majowa
Ongi
Orbeka
Ostap Bondarczuk (1847)
Ostatni z Siekierzyńskich (1851)
Ostrożnie z ogniem
Pałac i folwark
Pamiętnik Mroczka (1870)
Pamiętnik panicza
Pamiętniki
Pan i szewc
Pan Karol
Pan Major
Pan na czterech chłopach (1879)
Pan Walery
Panie kochanku: anegdota dramatyczna w trzech aktach
Papiery po Glince
Pod Blachą: powieść z końca XVIII wieku (1881)
Poeta i świat (1839)
Polska w czasie trzech rozbiorów 1772–1799
Pomywaczka: obrazek z końca XVIII wieku
Powieść bez tytułu (1854)
Powrót do gniazda (1875)
Półdiablę weneckie
Profesor Milczek
Przed burzą
Przygody pana Marka Hinczy. Rzecz z podań życia staroszlacheckiego
Pułkownikówna
Ramułtowie
Raptularz pana Mateusza Jasienickeigo. Z oryginału przepisany mutatis mutandis
Resurrecturi
Resztki życia
Roboty i prace: sceny i charaktery współczesne
Rzym za Nerona (1865)
Sąsiedzi
Sceny sejmowe. Grodno 1793 (1873)
Sekret pana Czuryły. Historia jednego rezydenta wedle podań współczesnych opowiedziana
Serce i ręka (1875)
Sfinks (1847)
Sieroce dole
Skrypt Fleminga
Sprawa kryminalna
Stara baśń (An Ancient Tale)
Stańczykowa kronika od roku 1503 do 1508 (1841)
Stara Panna
Staropolska miłość
Starosta warszawski: obrazy historyczne z XVIII wieku
Starościna Bełska: opowiadanie historyczne 1770–1774
Stary sługa
Sto Diabłów
Syn marnotrawny (1879)
Szalona (1880)
Szaławiła
Szpieg (1864)
Śniehotowie
Tomko Prawdzic
Trapezologion
Tryumf wiary. Obrazek historyczny z czasów Mieczysława I-go
Tułacze (1868)
U babuni
Ulana (1842)
W baśń oblekły się dzieje
W pocie czoła. Z dziennika dorobkiewicza (1884)
W starym piecu
Warszawa 1794 (1873)
Wielki nieznajomy
Wielki świat małego miasteczka
Wilczek i wilczkowa
Wspomnienia Odessy, Jedysanu i Budżaku: dziennik przejażki w roku 1843 od 22 czerwca do 11 września
Wspomnienia Wołynia, Polesia i Litwy
Z chłopa król
Z siedmioletniej wojny (1875)
Z życia awanturnika
Zadora
Zaklęta księżniczka
Zemsta Czokołdowa
Złote jabłko
Złoty Jasieńko
Zygmuntowskie czasy. Powieść z roku 1572 (1846)
Zygzaki
Żacy krakowscy w roku 1549 (Kraków Students in 1549)
Żeliga
Żyd: obrazy współczesne (The Jew: Contemporary Pictures, 1866)
Żywot i przygody hrabi Gozdzkiego. Pan starosta Kaniowski
Żywot i sprawy Imć pana Medarda z Gołczwi Pełki z notat familijnych spisane (1876)
Series "Dzieje Polski" ("The History of Poland") — 29 novels about Poland's history, in chronological order (1876–90)
Adama Polanowskiego dworzanina króla Jegomości Jana III notatki
Bajbuza: czasy Zygmunta III
Banita: czasy Stefana Batorego
Biały książę: czasy Ludwika Węgierskiego
Boleszczyce: powieść z czasów Bolesława Szczodrego
Boży gniew: czasy Jana Kazimierza
Bracia Zmartwychwstańcy: powieść z czasów Chrobrego
Dwie królowe
Historia prawdziwa o Petrku Właście palatynie, którego zwano Duninem: opowiadanie historyczne z XII wieku
Infantka
Jaszka Orfanem zwanego żywota i spraw pamiętnik: Jagiełłowie do Zygmunta
Jelita: powieść herbowa z r. 1331
Kraków za Łokietka: powieść historyczna
Król Chłopów: powieść historyczna z czasów Kazimierza Wielkiego
Król Piast: (Michał książę Wiśniowiecki)
Królewscy synowie: powieść z czasów Władysława Hermana i Krzywoustego
Lubonie: powieść z X wieku
Masław
Matka królów: czasy Jagiełłowe
Na królewskim dworze: czasy Władysława IV
Pogrobek: powieść z czasów przemysławowskich
Saskie ostatki: August III
Semko: czasy bezkrólewia po Ludwiku
Jagiełło i Jadwiga
Stach z Konar: powieść historyczna z czasów Kazimierza Sprawiedliwego
Stara baśń (An Ancient Tale, 1876)
Strzemieńczyk: czasy Władysława Warneńczyka
Syn Jazdona: powieść historyczna z czasów Bolesława Wstydliwego i Leszka Czarnego
Waligóra: powieść historyczna z czasów Leszka Białego
Za Sasów
Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy (1828-1910), usually referred to in English as Leo Tolstoy, was a Russian writer. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential authors of all time. Wikipedia
Best known for War and Peace and Anna Karenina.
Chittorgarh Fort (Hindi/Rajasthani: चित्तौड दुर्ग Chittorgarh Durg) is the largest fort in India and the grandest in the state of Rajasthan. It is a World Heritage Site. The fort, plainly known as Chittor, was the capital of Mewar and is today situated several kilometres south of Bhilwara. It was initially ruled by Guhilot and later by Sisodias, the Suryavanshi clans of Chattari Rajputs, from the 7th century, until it was finally abandoned in 1568 after the siege by Emperor Akbar in 1567. It sprawls majestically over a hill 180 m in height spread over an area of 280 ha above the plains of the valley drained by the Berach River. The fort precinct with an evocative history is studded with a series of historical palaces, gates, temples and two prominent commemoration towers. These monumental ruins have inspired the imagination of tourists and writers for centuries.
The fort was sacked three times between the 15th and 16th centuries; in 1303 Allauddin Khilji defeated Rana Ratan Singh, in 1535 Bahadur Shah, the Sultan of Gujarat defeated Bikramjeet Singh and in 1567 Emperor Akbar defeated Maharana Udai Singh II who left the fort and founded Udaipur. Each time the men fought bravely rushing out of the fort walls charging the enemy but lost every time. Following these defeats, Jauhar was committed thrice by more than 13,000 ladies and children of the Rajput heroes who laid their lives in battles at Chittorgarh Fort, first led by Rani Padmini wife of Rana Rattan Singh who was killed in the battle in 1303, and later by Rani Karnavati in 1537 AD.
Thus, the fort represents the quintessence of tribute to the nationalism, courage, medieval chivalry and sacrifice exhibited by the Mewar rulers of Sisodia and their kinsmen and women and children, between the 7th and 16th centuries. The rulers, their soldiers, the women folk of royalty and the commoners considered death as a better option than dishonor in the face of surrender to the foreign invading armies.
GEOGRAPHY
Chittorgarh, located in the southern part of the state of Rajasthan, 233 km from Ajmer, midway between Delhi and Mumbai on the National Highway 8 (India) in the road network of Golden Quadrilateral. Chittorgarh is situated where National Highways No. 76 & 79 intersect.
The fort rises abruptly above the surrounding plains and is spread over an area of 2.8 km2. The highest elevation at the fort is 1,075 m. It is situated on the left bank of the Berach river (a tributary of the Banas River) and is linked to the new town of Chittorgarh (known as the 'Lower Town') developed in the plains after 1568 AD when the fort was deserted in light of introduction of artillery in the 16th century, and therefore the capital was shifted to more secure Udaipur, located on the eastern flank of Aravalli hill range. Mughal Emperor Akbar attacked and sacked this fort which was but one of the 84 forts of Mewar,but the capital was shifted to Aravalli hills where heavy artillery & cavalry were not effective. A winding hill road of more than 1 km length from the new town leads to the west end main gate, called Ram Pol, of the fort. Within the fort, a circular road provides access to all the gates and monuments located within the fort walls.
The fort that once boasted of 84 water bodies has only 22 of them now. These water bodies are fed by natural catchment and rainfall, and have a combined storage of 4 billion litres that could meet the water needs of an army of 50,000. The supply could last for four years. These water bodies are in the form of ponds, wells and step wells.
HISTORY
Chittorgarh Fort is considered to be the largest fort of India in terms of area. It is stated that the fort was constructed by the Mauryans during the 7th century AD and hence derives its name after the Mauryan ruler, Chitrangada Mori, as inscribed on coins of the period. Historical records show Chittorgarh fort as the capital of Mewar for 834 years. It was established in 734 AD by Bappa Rawal, founder ruler in the hierarchy of the Sisodia rulers of Mewar. It is also said that the fort was gifted to Bappa Rawal as part of Solanki princess’s dowry in the 8th century. The fort was looted and destroyed at the hands of Emperor Akbar in 1568 AD and subsequently never resettled but only refurbished in 1905 AD. Three important battles were fought for control of the fort; in 1303, Ala-ud-din Khilji besieged the fort; in 1535, Sultan of Gujarat Bahadur Shah besieged the fort; and in 1568, Mughal Emperor Akbar attacked the fort. Not that there were only defeats at the fort. Excluding the periods of siege, the fort had always remained in possession of the Sisodias of the Guhilot (or Gehlot/Guhila) clan of Rajputs, who descended from Bappa Rawal. There were also success stories of establishment of the fort and its reconstruction after every siege, before it was finally abandoned in 1568, all of which are narrated.
Chittor is cited in the Mahabharat epic. It is said that Bhima, the second of the Pandava brothers of Epic Mahabaharata fame, known for his mighty strength gave a powerful hit with his fist to the ground that resulted in water springing up to form a large reservoir. It is called Bhimlat kund, an artificial tank named after Bhima. Folk legend also mentions that Bhima started building the fort.
BAPPA RAWAL
The earliest history linked to the Bappa Rawal's fort is that of the Huna Kingdom of Sialkot (of Mihir Kula 515-540 AD) that was destroyed by Yashodharman. This was subsequently seized by a new dynasty of kshatriyas called Tak or Taxaka. According to historians, the Taxak Mori were the lords of Chittor from a very early period. After a few generations, the Guhilots supplanted them. From 725 to 735 AD, there were numerous defenders who appear to have considered the cause of Chittor their own, the Tak from Asirgarh. This race appears to have retained possession of Asirgarh for at least two centuries after this event and one of its chieftain Bappa Rawal was the most conspicuous leader in the lineage of Prithvi Raj. In the poems of Chandar he is called the "Standard, bearer, Tak of Asir."
SIEGE OF 1303
Ala ud din Khilji, Sultan of Delhi, rallied his forces against Mewar, in 1303 AD. The Chittorgarh fort was till then considered impregnable and grand, atop a natural hill. But his immediate reason for invading the fort was his obsessive desire to capture Rani Padmini, the unrivalled beautiful queen of Rana Ratan Singh and take her into his harem. The Rana, out of politeness, allowed the Khilji to view Padmini through a set of mirrors. But this viewing of Padmini further fired Khilji’s desire to possess her. After the viewing, as a gesture of courtesy, when the Rana accompanied the Sultan to the outer gate, he was treacherously captured. Khilji conveyed to the queen that the Rana would be released only if she agreed to join his harem. But the queen had other plans. She agreed to go to his camp if permitted to go in a Royal style with an entourage, in strict secrecy. Instead of her going, she sent 700 well armed soldiers disguised in litters and they rescued the Rana and took him to the fort. But Khilji chased them to the fort where a fierce battle ensued at the outer gate of the fort in which the Rajput soldiers were overpowered and the Rana was killed. Khilji won the battle on August 26, 1303. Soon thereafter, instead of surrendering to the Sultan, the royal Rajput ladies led by Rani Padmini preferred to die through the Rajput’s ultimate tragic rite of Jauhar (self immolation on a pyre). In revenge, Khilji killed thirty thousand Hindus. He entrusted the fort to his son Khizr Khan to rule and renamed the fort as 'Khizrabad'. He also showered gifts on his son by way of
a red canopy, a robe embroidered with gold and two standards one green and the other black and threw upon him rubies and emeralds.
He returned to Delhi after the fierce battle at the fort.
RANA HAMMIR & SUCCESSORS
Khizr Khan’s rule at the fort lasted till 1311 AD and due to the pressure of Rajputs he was forced to entrust power to the Sonigra chief Maldeva who held the fort for 7 years. Hammir Singh, usurped control of the fort from Maldeva by “treachery and intrigue” and Chittor once again regained its past glory. Hammir, before his death in 1364 AD, had converted Mewar into a fairly large and prosperous kingdom. The dynasty (and clan) fathered by him came to be known by the name Sisodia after the village where he was born. His son Ketra Singh succeeded him and ruled with honour and power. Ketra Singh’s son Lakha who ascended the throne in 1382 AD also won several wars. His famous grandson Rana Kumbha came to the throne in 1433 AD and by that time the Muslim rulers of Malwa and Gujarat had acquired considerable clout and were keen to usurp the powerful Mewar state.
RANA KUMBHA & CLAN
There was resurgence during the reign of Rana Kumbha in the 15th century. Rana Kumbha, also known as Maharana Kumbhakarna, son of Rana Mokal, ruled Mewar between 1433 AD and 1468 AD. He is credited with building up the Mewar kingdom assiduously as a force to reckon with. He built 32 forts (84 fortresses formed the defense of Mewar) including one in his own name, called Kumbalgarh. But his end came in 1468 AD at the hands of his own son Rana Udaysimha (Uday Singh I) who assassinated him to gain the throne of Mewar. This patricide was not appreciated by the people of Mewar and consequently his brother Rana Raimal assumed the reins of power in 1473. After his death in May 1509, Sangram Singh (also known as Rana Sanga), his youngest son, became the ruler of Mewar, which brought in a new phase in the history of Mewar. Rana Sanga, with support from Medini Rai (a Rajput chief of Alwar), fought a valiant battle against Mughal emperor Babar at Khanwa in 1527. He ushered in a period of prestige to Chittor by defeating the rulers of Gujarat and also effectively interfered in the matters of Idar. He also won small areas of the Delhi territory. In the ensuing battle with Ibrahim Lodi, Rana won and acquired some districts of Malwa. He also defeated the combined might of Sultan Muzaffar of Gujarat and the Sultan of Malwa. By 1525 AD, Rana Sanga had developed Chittor and Mewar, by virtue of great intellect, valour and his sword, into a formidable military state. But in a decisive battle that was fought against Babar on March 16, 1527, the Rajput army of Rana Sanga suffered a terrible defeat and Sanga escaped to one of his fortresses. But soon thereafter in another attack on the Chanderi fort the valiant Rana Sanga died and with his death the Rajput confederacy collapsed.
SIEGE OF 1534
Bahadur Shah who came to the throne in 1526 AD as the Sultan of Gujarat besieged the Chittorgarh fort in 1534. The fort was sacked and, once again the medieval dictates of chivalry determined the outcome. Following the defeat of the Rana, it is said 13,000 Rajput women committed jauhar (self immolation on the funeral pyre) and 3,200 Rajput warriors rushed out of the fort to fight and die.
SIEGE OF 1567
The final Siege of Chittorgarh came 33 years later, in 1567, when the Mughal Emperor Akbar invaded the fort. Akbar wanted to conquer Mewar, which was being ably ruled by Rana Uday Singh II, a fine prince of Mewar. To establish himself as the supreme lord of Northern India, he wanted to capture the renowned fortress of Chittor, as a precursor to conquering the whole of India. Shakti Singh, son of the Rana who had quarreled with his father, had run away and approached Akbar when the later had camped at Dholpur preparing to attack Malwa. During one of these meetings, in August 1567, Shakti Singh came to know from a remark made in jest by emperor Akbar that he was intending to wage war against Chittor. Akbar had told Shakti Singh in jest that since his father had not submitted himself before him like other princes and chieftains of the region he would attack him. Startled by this revelation, Shakti Singh quietly rushed back to Chittor and informed his father of the impending invasion by Akbar. Akbar was furious with the departure of Shakti Singh and decided to attack Mewar to humble the arrogance of the Ranas. In September 1567, the emperor left for Chittor, and on October 20, 1567, camped in the vast plains outside the fort. In the meantime, Rana Udai Singh, on the advice of his council of advisors, decided to go away from Chittor to the hills of Udaipur. Jaimal and Patta, two brave army chieftains of Mewar, were left behind to defend the fort along with 8,000 Rajput warriors under their command. Akbar laid siege to the fortress. The Rajput army fought valiantly and Akbar himself had narrowly escaped death. In this grave situation, Akbar had prayed for divine help for achieving victory and vowed to visit the shrine of the sufi saint Khwaja at Ajmer. The battle continued till February 23, 1568. On that day Jaymal was seriously wounded but he continued to fight with support from Patta. Jayamal ordered jauhar to be performed when many beautiful princesses of Mewar and noble matrons committed self-immolation at the funeral pyre. Next day the gates of the fort were opened and Rajput soldiers rushed out bravely to fight the enemies. Jayamal and Patta who fought bravely were at last killed in action. One figure estimates that 30,000 soldiers were killed in action. Akbar immediately repaired himself to Ajmer to perform his religious vow.
RETURN OF THE FORT TO MEWAR
But in 1616, Jehangir returned Chittor fort to the Rajputs, when Maharana Amar Singh was the chief of Mewar. However, the fort was not resettled though it was refurbished several centuries later in 1905 during British Raj.
PRECINCTS
The fort which is roughly in the shape of a fish has a circumference of 13 km with a maximum width of 3 km and it covers an area of 700 acres. The fort is approached through a zig zag and difficult ascent of more than 1 km from the plains, after crossing over a bridge made in limestone. The bridge spans the Gambhiri River and is supported by ten arches (one has a curved shape while the balance have pointed arches). Apart from the two tall towers, which dominate the majestic fortifications, the sprawling fort has a plethora of palaces and temples (many of them in ruins) within its precincts.
The 305 hectares component site, with a buffer zone of 427 hectares, encompasses the fortified stronghold of Chittorgarh, a spacious fort located on an isolated rocky plateau of approximately 2 km length and 155m width.
It is surrounded by a perimeter wall 4.5 kilometres long, beyond which a 45° hill slope makes it almost inaccessible to enemies. The ascent to the fort passes through seven gateways built by the Mewar ruler Rana Kumbha (1433- 1468) of the Sisodia clan. These gates are called, from the base to the hill top, the Paidal Pol, Bhairon Pol, Hanuman Pol, Ganesh Pol, Jorla Pol, Laxman Pol, and Ram Pol, the final and main gate.
The fort complex comprises 65 historic built structures, among them 4 palace complexes, 19 main temples, 4 memorials and 20 functional water bodies. These can be divided into two major construction phases. The first hill fort with one main entrance was established in the 5th century and successively fortified until the 12th century. Its remains are mostly visible on the western edges of the plateau. The second, more significant defence structure was constructed in the 15th century during the reign of the Sisodia Rajputs, when the royal entrance was relocated and fortified with seven gates, and the medieval fortification wall was built on an earlier wall construction from the 13th century.
Besides the palace complex, located on the highest and most secure terrain in the west of the fort, many of the other significant structures, such as the Kumbha Shyam Temple, the Mira Bai Temple, the Adi Varah Temple, the Shringar Chauri Temple, and the Vijay Stambh memorial were constructed in this second phase. Compared to the later additions of Sisodian rulers during the 19th and 20th centuries, the predominant construction phase illustrates a comparatively pure Rajput style combined with minimal eclecticism, such as the vaulted substructures which were borrowed from Sultanate architecture. The 4.5 km walls with integrated circular enforcements are constructed from dressed stone masonry in lime mortar and rise 500m above the plain. With the help of the seven massive stone gates, partly flanked by hexagonal or octagonal towers, the access to the fort is restricted to a narrow pathway which climbs up the steep hill through successive, ever narrower defence passages. The seventh and final gate leads directly into the palace area, which integrates a variety of residential and official structures. Rana Kumbha Mahal, the palace of Rana Kumbha, is a large Rajput domestic structure and now incorporates the Kanwar Pade Ka Mahal (the palace of the heir) and the later palace of the poetess Mira Bai (1498-1546). The palace area was further expanded in later centuries, when additional structures, such as the Ratan Singh Palace (1528–31) or the Fateh Prakash, also named Badal Mahal (1885-1930), were added. Although the majority of temple structures represent the Hindu faith, most prominently the Kalikamata Temple (8th century), the Kshemankari Temple (825-850) the Kumbha Shyam Temple (1448) or the Adbuthnath Temple (15th- 16th century), the hill fort also contains Jain temples, such as Shringar Chauri (1448) and Sat Bis Devri (mid-15th century) Also the two tower memorials, Kirti Stambh (13th-14th century) and Vijay Stambha (1433-1468), are Jain monuments. They stand out with their respective heights of 24m and 37m, which ensure their visibility from most locations of the fort complex. Finally, the fort compound is home to a contemporary municipal ward of approximately 3,000 inhabitants, which is located near Ratan Singh Tank at the northern end of the property.
GATES
The fort has total seven gates (in local language, gate is called Pol), namely the Padan Pol, Bhairon Pol, Hanuman Pol, Ganesh Pol, Jodla Pol, Laxman Pol and the main gate named the Ram Pol (Lord Rama's Gate). All the gateways to the fort have been built as massive stone structures with secure fortifications for military defense. The doors of the gates with pointed arches are reinforced to fend off elephants and cannon shots. The top of the gates have notched parapets for archers to shoot at the enemy army. A circular road within the fort links all the gates and provides access to the numerous monuments (ruined palaces and 130 temples) in the fort.
During the second siege, Prince Bagh Singh died at the Padan Pol in 1535 AD. Prince Jaimal of Badnore and his clansman Kalla were killed by Akbar at a location between the Bhairon Pol and Hanuman Pol in the last siege of the fort in 1567 (Kalla carried the wounded Jaimal out to fight). Chhatris, with the roof supported by corbeled arches, have been built to commemorate the spots of their sacrifice. Their statues have also been erected, at the orders of Emperor Akbar, to commemorate their valiant deaths. At each gate, cenotaphs of Jaimal (in the form of a statue of a Rajput warrior on horseback) and Patta have also been constructed. At Ram Pol, the entrance gate to the fort, a Chaatri was built in memory of the 15 year old Patta of Kelwa, who had lost his father in battle, and saw the sword yielding mother and wife on the battle field who fought valiantly and died at this gate. He led the saffron robed Rajput warriors, who all died fighting for Mewar’s honour. Suraj Pol (Sun Gate) provides entry to the eastern wall of the fort. On the right of Suraj Pol is the Darikhana or Sabha (council chamber) behind which lie a Ganesha temple and the zenana (living quarters for women). A massive water reservoir is located towards the left of Suraj Pol. There is also a peculiar gate, called the Jorla Pol (Joined Gate), which consists of two gates joined together. The upper arch of Jorla Pol is connected to the base of Lakshman Pol. It is said that this feature has not been noticed anywhere else in India. The Lokota Bari is the gate at the fort’s northern tip, while a small opening that was used to hurl criminals into the abyss is seen at the southern end.
VIJAY STAMBHA
The Vijay Stambha (Tower of Victory) or Jaya Stambha, called the symbol of Chittor and a particularly bold expression of triumph, was erected by Rana Kumbha between 1458 and 1468 to commemorate his victory over Mahmud Shah I Khalji, the Sultan of Malwa, in 1440 AD. Built over a period of ten years, it raises 37.2 metres over a 4.4 m2 base in nine stories accessed through a narrow circular staircase of 157 steps (the interior is also carved) up to the 8th floor, from where there is good view of the plains and the new town of Chittor. The dome, which was a later addition, was damaged by lightning and repaired during the 19th century. The Stamba is now illuminated during the evenings and gives a beautiful view of Chittor from the top.
KIRTI STAMBHA
Kirti Stambha (Tower of Fame) is a 22 metres high tower built on a 9.1 m base with 4.6 m at the top, is adorned with Jain sculptures on the outside and is older (probably 12th century) and smaller than the Victory Tower. Built by a Bagherwal Jain merchant Jijaji Rathod, it is dedicated to Adinath, the first Jain tirthankar (revered Jain teacher). In the lowest floor of the tower, figures of the various tirthankars of the Jain pantheon are seen in special niches formed to house them. These are digambara monuments. A narrow stairway with 54 steps leads through the six storeys to the top. The top pavilion that was added in the 15th century has 12 columns.
RANA KUMBHA PALACE
At the entrance gate near the Vijaya Stamba, Rana Kumbha's palace (in ruins), the oldest monument, is located. The palace included elephant and horse stables and a temple to Lord Shiva. Maharana Udai Singh, the founder of Udaipur, was born here; the popular folk lore linked to his birth is that his maid Panna DaiPanna Dhai saved him by substituting her son in his place as a decoy, which resulted in her son getting killed by Banbir. The prince was spirited away in a fruit basket. The palace is built with plastered stone. The remarkable feature of the palace is its splendid series of canopied balconies. Entry to the palace is through Suraj Pol that leads into a courtyard. Rani Meera, the famous poetess saint, also lived in this palace. This is also the palace where Rani Padmini, consigned herself to the funeral pyre in one of the underground cellars, as an act of jauhar along with many other women. The Nau Lakha Bandar (literal meaning: nine lakh treasury) building, the royal treasury of Chittor was also located close by. Now, across from the palace is a museum and archeological office. The Singa Chowri temple is also nearby.
FATEH PRAKASH PALACE
Located near Rana Khumba palace, built by Rana Fateh Singh, the precincts have modern houses and a small museum. A school for local children (about 5,000 villagers live within the fort) is also nearby.
GAUMUKH RESERVOIR
A spring feeds the tank from a carved cow’s mouth in the cliff. This pool was the main source of water at the fort during the numerous sieges.
PADMINI´S PALACE
Padmini's Palace or Rani Padmini's Palace is a white building and a three storied structure (a 19th-century reconstruction of the original). It is located in the southern part of the fort. Chhatris (pavilions) crown the palace roofs and a water moat surrounds the palace. This style of palace became the forerunner of other palaces built in the state with the concept of Jal Mahal (palace surrounded by water). It is at this Palace where Alauddin was permitted to glimpse the mirror image of Rani Padmini, wife of Maharana Rattan Singh. It is widely believed that this glimpse of Padmini's beauty besotted him and convinced him to destroy Chittor in order to possess her. Maharana Rattan Singh was killed and Rani Padmini committed Jauhar. Rani Padmini's beauty has been compared to that of Cleopatra and her life story is an eternal legend in the history of Chittor. The bronze gates to this pavilion were removed and transported to Agra by Akbar.
OTHER SIGHTS
Close to Kirti Sthamba is the Meera Temple, or the Meerabai Temple. Rana Khumba built it in an ornate Indo–Aryan architectural style. It is associated with the mystic saint-poet Mirabai who was an ardent devotee of Lord Krishna and dedicated her entire life to His worship. She composed and sang lyrical bhajans called Meera Bhajans. The popular legend associated with her is that with blessings of Krishna, she survived after consuming poison sent to her by her evil brother-in-law. The larger temple in the same compound is the Kumbha Shyam Temple (Varaha Temple). The pinnacle of the temple is in pyramid shape. A picture of Meerabai praying before Krishna has now been installed in the temple.
Across from Padmini’s Palace is the Kalika Mata Temple. Originally, a Sun Temple dated to the 8th century dedicated to Surya (the Sun God) was destroyed in the 14th century. It was rebuilt as a Kali temple.
Another temple on the west side of the fort is the ancient Goddess Tulja Bhavani Temple built to worship Goddess Tulja Bhavani is considered sacred. The Tope Khana (cannon foundry) is located next to this temple in a courtyard, where a few old cannons are still seen.
JAUHAR MELA
The fort and the city of Chittorgarh host the biggest Rajput festival called the "Jauhar Mela". It takes place annually on the anniversary of one of the jauhars, but no specific name has been given to it. It is generally believed that it commemorates Padmini’s jauhar, which is most famous. This festival is held primarily to commemorate the bravery of Rajput ancestors and all three jauhars which happened at Chittorgarh Fort. A huge number of Rajputs, which include the descendants of most of the princely families, hold a procession to celebrate the Jauhar. It has also become a forum to air one's views on the current political situation in the country.
This is Gary Montague’s writing desk, placed against the wall in a den of sorts just off the living room in a basement suite. He has a view to the right through a patio window into a well-groomed backyard where evergreens stand tall at the edge of a shallow ravine. To get there, follow Emerson Way to Walpole Crescent and turn right at Medwin Place. Oh yeah, first you have to be in North Vancouver.
Gary’s writing space is as ordered as his drawer of socks. The physical objects that define his life must be placed in order every night before he goes to bed. He pays meticulous attention to detail, as if his words might get away on him or stray into the wrong story. Several years ago he faced a life-threatening and self-defining bout with cancer. Every one of his days is sure evidence of the future. The objects in his life form a ship’s manifest that he checks daily. He is an extraordinary drummer, precise and energetic