Located within the complex of Chittor Fort in Rajasthan, India, the imposing Vijay Stambha or Tower of Victory was constructed by the Mewar King Rana Kumbha to commemorate his convincing victory over the combined force of Sultan Mohammad Khilji of Malwa and Sultan Kutubuddin Shah of Gujarat in 1446.

The graceful tower, a symbol of resistance of Chittorgarh, and one of the most historic monuments in the country was constructed between 1458 and 1468. Dedicated to Lord Vishnu, the 122 feet (37.19 m) tall and meticulously ornamented tower, erected on a 150 square feet (14 m sq) platform, was made of partly red sandstone and white marble. Although it is officially named Vijay Stambha, it is actually a Kirti Stmabha or a tower of fame.

Mewar had become relatively insignificant when at the turn of the 13th century; it was overrun by the armies of Alauddin Khilji. Long after that, following the assassination of his father Rana Mokal of Mewar by his nobles in a palace conspiracy, Kumbha (Kumbhkaran) became the Maharana of Mewar in 1433 AD, at the age of 16. During his reign, Sultan Mohammad Khilji of Malwa started a series of attacks on Mewar.

In 1442, after destroying the Bana Mata temple when he started for Chittor, he was intercepted by Rana Kumbha. While the first day of the Battle of Mandalgarh ended in a stalemate, on the next day, Sultan was defeated and was forced to retreat. However, he did not stop there. After freshly arranging his army, he invaded Mewar again in 1446. But, while crossing the Banas River, Rana Kumbha surprised his army by a sudden attack and defeated the Sultan completely again.

Constructed in the Rajasthani style of architecture, the beautiful Vijay has nine floors, and all the floors are equipped with a balcony. While the entire tower has intricate carvings and sculptures of Hindu deities, along with reliefs featuring different characters and stories from Ramayana and Mahabharata, its topmost floor features an image of the Jain Goddess Padmavati.

Apart from that, the word Allah is carved in Arabic nine times on the third floor and eight times on the eighth floor. All these taken together speak for the religious pluralism practiced by the Rajputs. Nevertheless, the internal part of the tower has carvings of weapons, musical instruments, and other necessary tools and items used in that period.

In addition to the ornamentations, the tower contains the names of its architect, Sutradhara Jaita, and his three sons who assisted him to complete the job, Napa, Puja, and Poma, carved on the fifth floor of the tower. To give the final touch, the topmost floor of the tower contains inscribed slabs featuring the genealogy of the Rajput rulers of Chittor, along with their glorious deeds, ascribed to Atri, the court scholar of Rana Kumbha, and his son Mahesh.

A circular staircase of 157 narrow steps leads to the terrace at the top of the tower, offering a clear view of the city of Chittor. As the night creeps in, the gleam of the colourful lights seems to magnify the glory of the historic tower and give Goosebumps to the viewers.