Rani Padmini's Palace

Rani Padmini's Palace stands within Chittorgarh Fort beside a lotus pool in which its pale walls are reflected. It is linked with Padmini, the queen of Rawal Ratan Singh of Mewar, whose story is among the best known in Rajasthan.

According to the legend, the Delhi sultan Alauddin Khilji heard of her beauty and laid siege to the fort. Ratan Singh refused to give her up, and under a truce the sultan was allowed only to see her reflection in a mirror, after which the siege resumed. When the fort fell, Padmini and many other women chose jauhar, death by fire, over capture. The palace has open courtyards, linked rooms, carved windows and jharokhas looking over the gardens and water. Nearby within the fort are the 15th-century Vijay Stambha, raised by Rana Kumbha after the battle of Sarangpur, the Jain Kirti Stambha, the Meera and Kalika Mata temples and the ruins of Rana Kumbha Palace.