On August 26, 1303, Alaud din Khilji captured Chittorgarh. On this day, he attacked and won Chittorgarh after defeating the ruling king, Ratan Singh, in a historic battle which became the reason of a massive ‘jauhar’ in which queen Padmini and other women of the palace jumped into the pyre to avoid ill-treatment at the hands of the new rulers.
The battle was considered as an unequal one because Khilji’s army was quite big as compared to the Ratan Singh’s army. After winning Chittorgarh, Khilji handed over the Chittorgarh to his son Khizr Khan.
As per the legends based on Malik Mohammad Jaisi’s poem Padmavat, Alauddin conquered Chittorgarh to obtain Padmini, the beautiful queen of Ratnasimha (also called Ratan Sen or Ratan Singh in these legends).
These legends mention the name of a man named Raghava who told Alauddin about the extraordinary beauty of Padmini.
The the siege of Chittor in 1303, also became a reason of the jauhar when queen Padmini and other women of the palace preferred sacrificing their lives over ill-treatment at the hands of Khilji and team.
They lit a huge pyre, the queen along with other women dressed up in best attire, sang religious songs and engulfed their bodies into flames. Legend says that Rani Padmavati jumped first and the other women followed her. The queen preferred ending her life than to becoming a captive to the enemy.