Ratan Singh Palace

Ratan Singh Palace is a modest royal residence inside Chittorgarh Fort, associated with Maharana Ratan Singh II, who ruled Mewar from 1527 to 1531. It was meant as a retreat where the royal family could escape the heat of Chittorgarh's summers, and it has a calmer character than the fort's battle-scarred monuments.

The palace is a rectangle of honey-coloured sandstone ringed by high walls, with little ornament. The main gateway has a tall arch topped by two pillared chhatris, and an eastern entrance leads past the Ratneshwar Mahadev temple into a series of courtyards, garden remains, private rooms and the Darikhana, an audience hall with views across the fort. Some believe its plain, well-placed walls also served as a watch post, and local stories speak of secret passages that could have been used as escape routes during a siege.