Akbar under his expansionist policy, besieged the strategic Sisodia capital of Chittor in October 1567 and further gave a religious colour to the struggle by declaring it as a Jihād against the infidels.

On Akbar's advance, Sisodia ruler Rana Udai Singh moved to the mountainous principality of his kingdom (on the advice of his war councils) and placed the fort under the command of Jaimal Rathore.

After over four months of seesaw action during which the Mughal forces suffered heavy casualties, the battle eventually broke the deadlock when Jaimal succumbed to a musket shot of Akbar on 22 February 1568.

After the subjugation of the fort, Akbar ordered a general massacre of Chittor's population in the course of which 30,000 Hindu civilians were slaughtered and a large number of women and children were enslaved.

[1] Due to the political importance of Chittor for a stable route to Malwa and Gujarat and for further inroads into the Deccan, Akbar advanced with a vast army and artillery from his capital Agra and besieged the fort on 23 October 1567.

[2][3] The contemporary Persian chronicles and his courtiers, also blamed Rana Udai Singh for providing refuge to the Afghan rebel Baz Bahadur as a reason of their invasion.

[4] On hearing about Akbar's encroachment into his territory, Udai Singh along with the royal family on the advice of his war councils and ministers fled to the western belt of Mewar in his newly established city of Udaipur.

[11] Thus, on 23 February 1568 on the day of Hindu festival of Holi,[12] the Rajputs dressed in saffron garments opened the gates for the last stand (Sakha) under the leadership of Patta Chundawat and eventually by night, the fort was captured by the Mughals after a gallant resistance.

[19][20][21][22] Akbar who earlier gave a religious colour to the conflict by declaring it as a Jihād, subsequently proclaimed the conquest of the fort as the victory of Islam over infidels.

(translated by Ishtiyaq Ahmad Zilli)[30] Fearful of the approach of the imperial standards he (Udai Singh) left his uncle Sahidas, Jaimal, Udaibhan and Patta who are renowned for their valour among the infidels, may Allah forsake them and lead them to the abode of Perdition, and who are considered to be equal to a thousand horsemen in intrepidity and power:- The violent fate of Chittor turned out to be a watershed in Akbar's conquest of the north Indian plain and in his relations with the Rajput states.