35. DESTRUCTION OF SIXTY-THREE TEMPLES AT CHITTOR

On Monday, the 22nd February /1st Safar, the Emperor went to see Chittor fort; by his order sixty-three (63) Temples of the place were destroyed.

Commentary:

The temple architecture at Chittor had attained a high level of excellence and it suffered an irreparable loss on the occasion of Aurangzeb’s visit to the Fort. A number of these temples were fine specimens of temple architecture, built according to the cannons of Vastu and Shilpa-Shastra, and having exquisite sculptured figures, foliage decorations, decorative motifs, some even dating back to the 8th century, such as the Kalika Mata or Sun Temple. Among the Temples which suffered damage were also those built by Maharana Kumbha, such as Kumbha Shyam Temple.