7 Things to experience in Kumbhalgarh

– Where India’s Great Wall stands –

Well a country like India may have an endless list of ‘Places to See’ but we explore, write and travel together. Visiting the destinations which are somewhat special in their own ways and have some stories to relive on, we simply are curious about the places that we visit. Amongst the many stories which the people of India remember vividly, the ones in particular which reveal the legendary bravery of the Rajputs are the most common. A bunch of 10 travelers set their journey in a train in search of the story of Kumbhalgarh – now part of the UNESCO World Heritage List. Read on to know what makes this monument to be on this list.

Spotted this beautiful wall in the morning as we reached Udaipur by train.

1. Known to be the second largest wall of Asia
This humongous fort is surrounded by a long and continuous fort wall. The massive fortifications of Kumbhalgarh stretch upto 38 kms in length, thus gaining the sobriquet of the Longest Wall in India and the Second Longest in Asia (next only to The Great Wall of China)! And we loved taking a walk through the same.

The Second Longest Wall of Asia

2. One of the most voluptuously built hill forts of Rajasthan

One of the Hill Forts of Rajasthan

We deciphered the rally of old tales which just kept surprising us with various elements in this large campus. More Commissioned and personally designed by Rana Kumbha in the year 1443 AD, the fort (located at a height of 1100 metres/3600 ft) was built following a voluntary human sacrifice to appease the gods. The fort, being located in a geographically difficult terrain, was an impregnable one and amongst the numerous sieges it faced it fell only once, and that too because the defenders ran out of drinking water. Never in the 571-year old history was this fort ever ‘broken into’ by the invading armies. This fort served as the insurance policy for the Sisodiya rulers as whenever they saw trouble they sought refuge here.

3. The first and only fort with champagne bottle shaped wall which was never invaded

Atop a hill, the fort had some beautiful views to capture with your lens. Strategically designed, this fort has champagne bottle shaped fort walls built to ward off the enemy. Maharana Pratap was born in the magnificent Badal Mahal. From the walls of the fort and the (even higher) terrace of the Badal Mahal (where cool gusts of breeze are a norm) one can clearly see the Aravallis, the Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary and the sand dunes of the distant Thar Desert (on a very clear day).

The Champagne bottle cut Fort wall

4. The beautiful architecture of the Jain Temples
Baavan Deori (Baavan means 52) a temple located at a distance from the main tourist sections of the expansive Kumbhalgarh . There are around 360 temples inside the fort perimeter in total. Being a typical monsoon day it had started to drizzle and we were contemplating whether to head back and when we saw the shikhars of this temple (at a distance) we decided to dash through the rain and checkout this isolated temple which had a charm of its own.

Baavan Deori

The Temple Complex

5. A sound and light show at sunset
After a visit to the entire fort, we now get a chance to relive the history once again. With a sight of beautiful sunset, we assembled for a sound and light show.

Moods of the sun

6. A unique architecture – Ranakpur Temple

Ranakpur Temple

We also visited Ranakpur Jain temples which are hardly 32 kms. The ‘Ranakpur Jain Temple’ is a medieval temple dedicated to Sage Adinatha (Rishabh). Constructed in Maru-Gurjar architecture the temple has 1444 uniquely carved pillars. Emperor Aurangzeb’s forces could not destroy this temple because of its tough geographic location. This monument is one of the most unique temple you would ever see!

The carvings

The pillars were uniquely designed

7. A visit in Monsoons makes your drive worthwhile on NH 27
Approximately 100 kms from Udaipur on your drive on NH 27 you will love the weather, the landscapes and the lush green untouched beauty. With minimalistic food joints on the route its better you keep your hunger pangs on your bay.

View from the Badal Mahal

Stayed at a heritage property ‘Kumbhalgarh Villas’ and was offered great hospitality with lawn facing rooms

Special mention: And we had a visually creative traveler Atish Mukhopadhyay who helped us with all so perfect images to show you how beautiful Kumbhalgarh looks!

This trip was published on Rootsvida.