Kumbhalgarh

Location :

Kumbhalgarh is located in Rajasthan; precisely in its southern part. It is situated at about 105Kms to the west of Udaipur. It is quite a unique and an interesting destination, which attracts tourists from not only all over the country but also all across the globe. The location of Kumbhalgarh has always given it an added advantage as far as history is concerned. This fort was virtually inaccessible in the 15^th century. Rana Kumbha of Mewar designed this fortress. He designed this great defensive fortress on a hill, which was situated at a height of 3,500 feet above the earth's surface, which is approximately 1100 metres high. The person standing on the fort can easily see the approaches made by any individual from Ajmer and Marwar.
Today, because of this fort being easily accessible from Udaipur, Ajmer, Jodhpur and Pushkar and yet being beautiful, Kumbhalgarh has turned into the highly visited and an attractive tourist destination. A couple of attractions at Kumbhalgarh include the massive Kumbhalgarh fort which was constructed in the 15^th century and whose wall surrounding it is supposed to be the second longest wall after the Great wall of China. Another reason why people visit Kumbhalgarh is the wild life sanctuary, which covers an area of about 57778sq Km and is an abode to a huge variety of wildlife as well as several exotic birds.

Weather
In Summer: 42 C (Max) - 25 C (Min)
In winter: 22 C (Max) - 0 C (Min)
Rainy Season : from July to Mid Sept, and very humid (Upton 90%)
Our suggestion: Best time to come: Sep to March 

history :

under the rule of the king Rana Kumbha, the kingdom of Mewar stretched right from Ranthambore to Gwalior. The kingdom also included vast tracts of Madhya Pradesh as well as Rajasthan. About 84 fortresses have been defending Mewar from its enemies. Out of the 84, Rana Kumbha, himself, has designed about 32 of them. Of all the fortresses, which have been designed by Rana Kumbha, Kumbhalgarh has been the most impressive, famous and the massive one with a wall of the length 36Km. The fort lies at about 90Kms away from Udaipur towards its Northwest. It is situated at about 1914m above the sea level and is the most important fort after Chittorgarh.
The site where Kumbhalgarh stands once was a bastion, which belonged to the Jain descendent of Mauryan emperors of India during the second century AD. It also separated Mewar and Marwar from each other and was also use as a place of refuge for the rulers of Mewar at times of danger, especially Prince Udai, the baby king of Mewar. It was only once in the entire history that Kumbhalgarh was taken or it could not defend or breach its defense when the combined armies of Emperor Akbar, Raja Udai Singh of Amber along with the armies of Raja Man Singh of Amber and Raja Udai Singh of Marwar attacked the fort of Kumbhalgarh. That too happened because of the scarcity of drinking water.
Kumbhalgarh is the same place where prince Udai was smuggled to in 1535. This happened when Chittaur was under siege. Prince Udai who later became the successor to the throne also became the founder of the Udaipur City. The renowned Maharana Pratap, who fought against the army lead by Akbar in the battle of Haldighati in the year 1576, was also born at Kumbhalgarh.

how to reach :
By Air
Nearest airport is Udaipur (84 km).
By Bus
Kumbhalgarh is approachable by road from Udaipur (84 km) and Ranakpur(18 km).
By Train
Rail Nearest railway station is in Ratlam (Madhya Pradesh) (80 kms) connected with all the major cities of the country.
kumbhalgarh, which is situated in the southern part of Rajasthan, is a very interesting destination attracting a lot of tourists all over. A couple of the tourist destinations, which are worth seeing, are the wildlife Sanctuary, the Kumbhalgarh Fort and the Muchchal Mahavir.
Kumbhalgarh is easily accessible using various mediums of transportation. There are several ways using which you can easily reach Kumbhalgarh. If you want to travel by road then there are several buses that take you to Kumbhalgarh from Udaipur, which is very well linked to major cities in Rajasthan, Gujarat and other important neighboring states. Another option is Ranakpur, which is again merely 18Kms away from Kumbhalgarh. You also have a choice for selecting your buses from the regular ones, which are generally taken by the localites, or the deluxe buses, which are the air-conditioned ones.  Many buses from Ajmer, Pushkar, Jodhpur and Udaipur pass through Kumbhalgarh.

If you wish to travel by train in order to reach your destination then several trains from Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Jaipur, Jodhpur and Ajmer pass through Phalna, which is the nearest junction to reach Kumbhalgarh.
As far as traveling by air is concerned, the nearest airport to Kumbhalgarh is at Udaipur. The airport is known as the Dabok Airport and it is situated just about 85Kms away. The airport is serviced by the regular flights from cities like Mumbai, Delhi and Jaipur. You can also take a flight to Jodhpur in order to reach Kumbhalgarh since Jodhpur is just 102 Kilometers away from Kumbhalgarh.
For traveling within Kumbhalgarh you can make use of either the cycle rickshaws or the tongas, which are easily available.

fort wall :

Rana Kumbha who found the fort of Kumbhalgarh got it constructed in the 15^th Century. Kumbhalgarh Fort was one of the very few forts in history, which never got conquered. One of the most important reasons stated for it is the aggressive or the hostile landscape of the fort. A thick wall that is 36Kms long surrounds this remarkable fort. The perimeter of the wall is assumed to be the longest after the Great Wall Of China. The wall stretches across the Aravali Mountains. The fort is about 1100m high from the sea level and offers a marvelous view of the surrounding area. The main attractions of the fort consist of mesmerizing palaces along with about 360 different types of temples inside it with 300 being the Jain temples and the remaining being the Hindu temples.
light is on only for one hour during whole year to see the beauty of longest wall after china

13 mountain peaks surround the fort of Kumbhalgarh, 7 huge gates guard the fort and immense watchtowers further strengthen it. The Badal Mahal Palace is right at the top of the fort. The palace has beautiful rooms and is painted in the colours of green, white and turquoise, thus providing an interesting contrast to the raw and grim fortress. Kumbhalgarh is also the place where the great warrior of Mewar, the legendary Maharana Pratap was born.
The Mewar Fortress in the Rajsamand district of Rajasthan was renovated and enlarged again by Maharana Fateh Singh in the 19^th Century. Now it is accessible to the public and tourists as a museum. The fort is easily accessible and is just about 60Kms away from the city of Udaipur.
It is also said that the Maharana of Kumbhalgarh failed to build the fort's wall for several times. Then later after they consulted a pilgrim about this problem, he advised that them to behead him and to build up a temple wherever his head fell. He also asked them to build the wall where his body laid. Following his advice the wall, which is the second largest wall in the world, was built.

Rajsamand Lake, Kumbhalgarh

 one of the most important places to watch at Kumbhalgarh is its wildlife sanctuary. You will never be disappointed once you visit this fortress city because there are several other attractions that cannot be missed out and are definitely worth visiting. Amongst all of them, Rajsamand Lake is one of the most famous one and the most popular excursions around Kumbhalgarh. It is a place visited and enjoyed by people belonging to any class and any age group. It is enjoyed by one and all including the kids; who need a place to play, their parents who come to relax and unwind from their busy schedules and their grand parents who just come to enjoy the scenic beauty.
The Rajsamand Lake, which is situated in Rajasthan, is situated on the way to the Kumbhalgarh city. A marvelous dam was built in the 17^th century on this beautiful looking lake. The bank of this lake has a beautiful view and is full of Cenotaphs also called as chhatris. The bank also has several stunning arches commonly known as torans by the people of Rajasthan. There are also a large number of pavilions, which give a gorgeous view to the tourists and the localites staying around.
The bank of the Rajsamand Lake also has a rest house, which has been constructed and built up by the Department of Irrigation. The lavish looking rest house is further decorated with a magnificently laid out garden having several trees and distinct plantations. The garden looks colourful. The main attractions of the lake are the stunningly carved sculptures and the Sanskrit verses which are vividly inscribed in the store.
credit of video to valpard



see the beauty during night
credit to Clackiebakkie