JOIN USKumbhalgarh Fort’s walls are second longest in the world after China’s Great Wall. To my embarrassment, I hadn’t heard of it despite living just 630 km away from the historical site for almost 30 years.
One of the six hill forts of Rajasthan, Kumbhalgarh was added to UNESCO World Heritage Sites list in June 2013. Juggling schedules, towards the end of July, I left the blistering Delhi heat, expecting fiery weather in Rajasthan as well. But to my surprise, monsoon in Mewar heralded blissful temperatures.
Driving 23 km north from Udaipur, traversing picturesque, undulating hills, my first stop was Eklingji. The two-storied marble shrine has a four-faced idol of Lord Shiva, who is deemed the Eternal Ruler of Mewar. Thus, Mewar’s successive princely ‘custodians’ are called maharanas, never maharajas. This unbroken tradition began with Bappa Rawal, founder of Mewar in 734 AD and continues till date, with Shriji Arvind Singh Mewar as the present-day maharana.
Striking architecture
Next, I headed for the ruins of Sahastra Bahu (thousand-armed) temples, situated barely three km from Eklingji in Nagda, the first capital of Mewar. Skirting the large, 15th-century lotus-filled Baghela Talab that is surrounded by hills, I noticed a pillared mandap or shrine submerged in the lake. These lesser-known temples stand upon a high plinth in splendid isolation. According to the Archaeological Survey of India website, Sahastra Bahu temples were built in the late 10th century AD.
Most outer walls of the temples are plain, save decorative jali work, alongside sculptures of Vishnu, Ganesha and Shiva-Parvati. However, inside the Vishnu temple, I was spellbound by the extravagant carvings that covered every inch over doorways, pillars, ceilings, torans, mandap, eaves even, including elaborate friezes depicting scenes from Ramayana.
Travelling 75 km northwest, the steady rain falling in the lap of luxuriant Aravallis gathered into gushing streams, slowing me down. Passing Kelwara, I arrived in Kumbhalgarh, located on Bhorat Plateau, one of the highest ranges in the Aravallis. Built in 1443-1458 by Maharana Kumbha, Kumbhalgarh’s colossal fort straddles the Aravallis at 1,100 metres above sea level.
The gigantic boulder-shaped bastions take my breath away.
A steep climb inside the fort leads me to the highest point, Badal Mahal, a 19th century addition. I explored Kumbha Palace, its roof partly caving in. I also came across Maharana Pratap’s birthplace in 1540 AD, and the massive water harvesting and storage systems, thanks to which inhabitants could survive several months during a siege. Jaffrey said only once in its history has Kumbhalgarh succumbed to invaders, but then, that was against the combined forces of Jaipur, Gujarat, Marwar and Akbar’s Delhi.
The legendary story of Panna Dai’s extraordinary loyalty and ultimate sacrifice came alive in a small quadrangle lined with little rooms. Having rescued Prince Udai from an assassination attempt in Chittorgarh, she had smuggled him to safety here.
Temple trysts
Within the sprawling 36-km fortification, a living village remains extant. Scattered around are 300 Jain temples and 60 Hindu temples built by Maharana Kumbha and his successors, many of which lie in ruins. Jaffrey spoke of a foreign tourist who had set off to explore Kumbhalgarh’s Great Wall; it had taken all day to trudge the stretch.
If immense valour and palace intrigue is the stuff of interest at Kumbhalgarh, then exquisite harmony and artistic magnificence are kept alive at Ranakpur’s famous Jain temple, built during Maharana Kumbha’s reign. Torrential rains had caused road diversions and I ended up driving for two hours to reach Ranakpur, which is technically only 50 km away.
Chaturmukh Jain Temple’s exterior belies its interior’s grandeur. The structure has a lofty bearing, as it is built on a high plinth, with an ascent of over two dozen steps. A profusion of tall, thin spires in greyish-white marble flank the central three-storey mandap. Inside, as one intricately carved marble panel after another unfolded before my eyes, I fell into a hushed silence. A helpful priest explained that this temple is dedicated to Adinatha Tirthankara.
He pointed out the rich and unusual features: the 1,444 pillars (most of which are ornately carved without repetition of design), the deity being visible without obstruction from any point inside the temple, the large circular panel with 108 snakes gracefully carved into a complex maze, a three-dimensional figure of a human with four animal bodies (compactly carved within geometric and floral patterns), natural light streaming in from balconies everywhere, the ancient Rayan tree, etc.
While leaving the temple premises, I dutifully paused on the steps to make a wish below kalpataru carving, with the belief that my wish will be fulfilled.