Kumbhalgarh: Where is the fort?

There is always a rush of excitement at the first look of the monument that one is visiting! Kumbhalgarh makes you wait to get the first glimpse of the fort, increasing the anticipation. Depending on where you are, you might not see the fort even from a kilometer away. And then you see it !

It is a very well hidden fort with elaborate defense mechanism. It is also the highest fort in Rajasthan and amongst the largest fort complexes in the world. The most notable feature is the thick wall surrounding the fort, next only to the Great wall of China. The wall is 36 kilometers long and 15 ft thick at the top, wide enough for patrolling the perimeter on horses. No wonder Kumbhalgarh fort is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Kumbhalgarh was pride of all the 32 forts built by Rana Kumbha. Since 15th century it has been attacked a number of times and most of the attempts were futile. Given that the location is so well hidden within the hills, it must have been a tough task giving the fort the reputation of being impregnable. Ironically, the unconquerable Rana Kumbha was murder in this impregnable fort by his own son Udai Singh I.

Kumbhalgarh was used by the Kings of Mewar as a wartime refuge. When Chittorgarh was attacked and there was a murder attempt on the infant Prince Udai Singh II, he was smuggled to Kumbhalgarh for safe keeping by his nurse, Panna Dhai. Panna Dhai sacrificed her own infant son to save the Prince, forever mentioned as a legend of loyalty. Only once in its history was it captured by Akbar's general after a six month siege but he could hold it only for a short time before Rana Pratap reclaimed it. It later passed to British control in 1818 to be returned to Udaipur state before independence.

The guide told us an interesting and rather strange story about a Sadhu ( a hermit called Mer baba) who had lived in the region during the construction of the fort. As the story goes, the fort walls built during the day would collapse in the night for no comprehensible reason. Apparently, there was a curse which as per the sadhu could be warded off only by a voluntary sacrifice of a human being. Obviously no one volunteered to be sacrificed. Ultimately, Mer baba offered himself, with certain conditions to be followed for the construction of the starting point of the fort and the palace itself. And of course the fort had to be named after him, which is why it was then called as Kumbhalmer which later became Kumbhalgarh (garh means a fort). A couple of shrines are built inside the fort to commemorate Mer Baba.

Between the entrance in the perimeter wall and the Badal Mahal at the top, there are seven gates on a steep ramp. The ramp must have given a big advantage to the defenders when attacked. Badal mahal sits about 100 meters above the perimeter wall, we measured! This is more than a 25 storey high building. Even inside the Mahal, the stairs are very narrow with high risers, a feature seen in Udaipur Palace as well. It is was not easy to reach the top of Badal Mahal but once there, the view of both the fort and the surrounding green hills and valleys was a treat.

The fort sits at the boundary of Marwar and Mewar, two not so friendly regions of Rajasthan, and it certainly helped keep an eye on any advances made by the enemy. One can see the far off hills and also the undulating perimeter wall in these pictures.

The Mewar region had very strong presence of Jains and they played a big role in its history. They built multiple temples in this fort just as in Chittorgarh. Two of the most beautiful and elaborate Jain temple complexes, Dilwara. and Ranakpur are within the region of Mewar.

Some of the Jain temples inside Kumbhalgarh are said to predate the present fort and are controlled by Archeological Survey of India. Besides these there are multiple temple dedicated to Shiva and other deities inside the fort.

A half marathon is organized sometime in November on the thick walls of the fort. Rana Kumbha was a patron of arts and to commemorate it, Kumbhalgarh festival is held in December every year. It features local dances, music, art exhibitions and performances by renowned artists with the lovely back drop of the old stones of the fort and its temples.

Everyday, after sunset, there is a light and sound show which we were told is very good. But we were tired after the climb and with the added uncertainty due to possibility of rain shower, we did not stay back. Many hotels have spawned in the region because of the tourist inflow attracted by the fort. We stayed in a new property called Renest Hotel which is itself very beautiful, offered very nice views of the surrounding hills and also had excellent food.

September 26, 2023 Tags : Forts , Kumbhalgarh , Rajasthan

Raniwalas

Kumbhalgarh: Where is the fort?