Chittor in Rajsthan is the most famous of all forts in India. It is famous for the story of Padmini taking part in jauhar when Alauddin Khilji had besieged the fort.

Actually Chittor has a history going back several centuries. It was an ancient center of Jain tradition.

• Chittor is adjacent to the ancient city of Madhyamika. The Jain inscriptions at Mathura from the Kushana period (1-3rd cent) mention a "Majjhimilla" branch of the "Kottiya" gana, indicating that it was a major Jain center.
• The famous Acharya Haribhadra Suri (6th cent) was born in Chittor and wrote "Dhurtopakhyana" there.
• There was a scholar Elacharya at Chittor from whom Vira-senacharya (9th cent) learned the ancient Shat-khandagama and Kashayapahuda. Vira-senacharya later the famous "Dhavala" and "Jayadhavala" on the basis of these books.
• It was the residence of Jinavallabha who propagated the Vidhimarga in the 12th cent.
• In the 15-17th century, it was the seat of a Bhattaraka.

Many Jain books were written in Chittor.

The Kirtistambha (tower of fame) dedicated to Lord Adinath was constructed by Baghervala merchant Sah Jija by using "nija-bhujoparjita" i.e. self earned money, according to an inscription by his great-grandson who had the monument repaired in 1489. The exact date of building of the Kirti-stambha is not known. Some believe that Sah Jija had an older tower rebuilt, perhaps from 12th cent. This tower later served as a model for the Jaya Stambha, constructed during 1458-68 by Rana Kumbha to commemorate his victory over Mahmud Khilji (Here is Jaya-Stambha).

The Chittor Kirtistambha is the only surviving tower from its period in north India. The Buddhist pagodas in China and Japan are based on the ancient towers in India.

In Karnataka, it is common for each Jain temple compound to have a stambha (column).