Legends of royalty

Rajasthan is a state known for palaces and forts. One can find a fort in almost every major town. But not all of them are alike. Each one has its own uniqueness, be it in the way it was built or the history and legends associated with it.

 The fort at Kumbhalgarh is where both these aspects are well pronounced. Located at 82 km north of Udaipur in the Rajasamand district, Kumbhalgarh is nestled amongst the hills of Aravalli Range, and is home to the Kumbhalgarh Fort, an imposingly huge monument. Having been built more than five centuries ago, the fort has withstood the vagaries of nature and stands tall and strong as if it was built just yesterday. Thanks to the fine upkeep and maintenance by the Archaeological Survey of India, the monument has retained its architectural glory.

Land of forts

The fort was built by Maharana Kumbha, a stalwart king of the Sisiodia dynasty that ruled here around 15th century. In their heydays, the Mewar kings built a chain of fortresses in the Rajput kingdom, which spread over from Aravalli mountains to south and central Rajasthan.

 Maharana Kumbha, whose reign lasted from 1433 AD to 1468 AD, is said to have initiated the construction of as many as 32 forts, amongst which the fort at Kumbhalgarh stands out as the largest edifice of Mewars. At 3,600 feet above sea level, the fort is also the highest. 

The king initially wanted to build a fort at Keliwada, which was seven kilometres away from the present site. But the fort wall would fall off everyday by morning. Faced with the strange problem, the king approached a saint from the Meir caste to find a solution. The saint advised that the fort would be able to stand only if a human sacrifice is offered voluntarily. When no one came forward, the saint offered himself for the ritual and said a temple should be built where his head fell and the fort must be built where his body fell. The king agreed reluctantly and walked with the saint right up to the present entrance of the fort. Here the saint asked to be beheaded. At the spot where the saint’s head fell, a temple of Hanuman was constructed and the entrance here was named Hanuman Pol. It is believed that the beheaded body continued to walk up to the summit and fell. The fort was earlier called Kumbhal Meir after the saint.

The fort at Kumbhalgarh had seven gates as usual. Presently, five of them remain within the premises of the fort. 

Ram Pol, through which the fort is entered, is tall and well fortified with giant bastions at the flanks. The path leads westward where most of the structures, including the Kumbha Palace and the Badal Mahal, are located. The zigzagging path up the fort was built with the idea of slowing the pace of the intruding enemies. On the way, there is a two-storeyed enclosure called Jhalia ka Malia, where Maharana Pratap, another eminent Mewar king, was born.
 Change over centuries

Further up is the palace of Ranakumbha, which is a two-roomed mansion with a corridor and open courtyards. The rooms are decorated with paintings of elephants along the floor. The well-designed doors and ceilings are also attractive. The next tier of the fort houses the Badal Mahal at the summit. But this was added on later between 1884 and 1930 during the reign of Rana Fateh Singh. The two enclosures, one each for men and women, are connected with a corridor. The views of the entire valley with villages, temples and ponds is a breathtaking sight. The fort walls extend far into the horizon over the undulating terrain.

The fort walls of Kumbhalgarh have their own uniqueness. The length of the fort wall, surrounding the boundaries of the fortress, runs into 36 km. No wonder  that the wall, next only to the Great wall of China in length, is proudly highlighted by tourist guides. The high and wide walls, with frequent circular bastions, are impregnable from outside.

The fort has a plethora of temples too. Nearly a hundred Jain temples and some 60 Hindu shrines have been built across the valley. Notable among them are the Vedi Temple, built mainly for conducting rituals, and the Neelkanth Mahadev Mandir, with a five-foot linga. It would take more than a day to visit all the temples. The light and sound show in the evening is when the fortress comes alive with the history of the bygone days.