Haunting Stories of Kumbhalgarh Fort Rajasthan
The driver dropped us right in front of the gates of Kumbhalgarh Fort! From where I stood, it was hard to scan the entire 36km length of the fort wall.
But I was impatient. After all that I had read about this mighty fort of India and its long wall length being second to Great Wall of China, I had this secret desire to walk the Kumbhalgarh Fort wall. I was glad I could make it within the visiting hours of Kumbhalgarh Fort.
(Kumbhalgarh Fort Timings – Monday to Sunday, 9am to 5pm)
Hill Forts of Rajasthan
Rajasthan is a land of forts! How many states in India can boast about this?
Hill Forts of Rajasthan includes fort of Chittorgarh, Kumbhalgarh, Sawai Madhopur, Jhalawar, Amer Fort in Jaipur, and Jaisalmer. They are included in World Heritage Site list by UNESCO since July 2013. They are mentioned as supreme examples of examples of Rajput military hill architecture.
There was no doubt regarding inclusion of Kumbalgarh Fort our Rajasthan road trip. I could cover 4 forts in this list of 6 hill forts. The Wiki mentions:
The fort has perimeter walls that extend 36 kilometers in length, claimed to be the longest in the world after The Great Wall of China.
And by some queer coincidence this fort has 360 temples within the fort walls. In addition to these 6 forts there are 78 more forts dotting several hills around Rajasthan.
Kumbhalgarh Fort History
What I had studied in school didn’t seem interesting at all. And I know my kids too don’t find history interesting. But I was really glad to see them take up their history books to relate to what they had seen.
Also I suggest hire a guide at the fort. The manner in which they relate the stories of the fort can kindle even the laziest sleeping brain to excitement. A board put up by the ASI there reads: “Attributed to Maharana Kumbha, this fort was built in 1443-1458 AD under the supervision of architect Mandan”. The guide took over from here and narrated us incidents and dates of attack on this mighty fort.
Some important dates…
Our guide rattled out some important dates associated with the fort as we climbed up to the top of the fort. Of course, his narration was punctuated with several interesting stories and pointing out the places of importance within the fort.
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- Pictures of Kumbhalgarh Fort Wall
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- Aravalli Hills
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- Kumbhalgarh Fort Wall Images
1457AD – Ahmed Shah I of Gujarat made a futile effort to conquer the fort. Since it was believed then that Banmata deity in the fort protected it, none could conquer the fort. So, in an act of vengeance Ahmed Shah destroyed the beautiful temple.
1458-59 and 1467 – there were more futile attacks by Mahmud Khalji.
1576 the only time Kumbhalgarh Fort went into the hands of enemies… that too because of water shortage – emphasized the guide. Shabhbaz Khan, Akbar’s general took control of Kumbhalgarh fort.
1585 – Recaptured by Maharana Pratap
1818 – the fort was taken over by the Marathas.
The light show of the fort after 7 in the evening.
Location
The fort is located in the Aravalli ranges, at a height of 1100 meters and so well camouflaged by the hills, that till you reach the main entrance of the fort you will not be able to sight it.
A huge muscular fort with walls 15 feet wide waiting to be explored; we were there at around 4 in the evening, gentle wind was blowing across, clear sky and a slow setting sun; what more could we ask?
We did a road trip from Jodhpur to Kumbhalgarh via Ranakpur Jain Temple. Distance Jodhpur to Ranakpur Jain Temple – 154km, Ranakpur Jain Temple to Kumbhalgarh – 55km.
Haunting Stories of Kumbhalgarh Fort
As we went higher and higher crossing the seven gates, the sights around and below got even more breathtakingly beautiful. And as is with every fort, this mighty fort too was full of tales, some sweet, some treacherous.
Foundation of Kumbhalgarh Fort
Initial efforts to build the fort kept failing. The wall would collapse even before the construction could start. Then on advice of a priest, the king sought voluntary human sacrifice from his subjects to overcome the obstacle in construction work. None but a hermit (Meher Baba), who was passing that way, offered himself for the sacrifice. He was ritually decapitated and his head rolled down the hill. Then as per guidance and advice from the priest the king built a temple where the rolling head stopped. And started the wall where the body fell.
Hearing this or reading this one thing, but seeing the temple in real gave me goose bumps. Imagine the head of that hermit remains buried here!
Rana Kumbha murdered by his own son
What a twist of fate that the mighty king had to face death in the hands of his own son! In a patricide, Rana Kumbha was killed by his son Udaysimha (Udai Singh I) and that too while he was offering prayers in 1468AD. But the murder did not take place in this fort. Udai Singh I treacherously murdered his father Kumbha in Eklingji Temple in Chittor.
Home to infant Prince Udai Singh II
Then there is this story of how Panna Dai, a maid, sacrificed her own son to protect the future king of Mewar, Prince Udai Singh II. She smuggled the infant prince to Kumbhalgarh Fort risking her own life in 1535AD. Rajasthan has many such stories of valor and sacrifice.
Lamp of Kumbhalgarh Fort
Another story narrated by the guide was that: Rana Kumbha burned massive oil lamps every evening. His intention was to give light during night, to farmers working below.
However it is believed that Queen of Jodhpur was attracted by this light and she abandoned her husband and set off for Kumbhalgarh Fort. Rana Kumbha very intelligently averted the embarrassing confrontation by making the queen his sister.
I insisted on knowing the queen’s name but the guide couldn’t name her.
Betrayal and Invasion
The fort is said to have lost a battle only once and the reason was shortage of water. It is believed the betrayal by 3 gardeners led to the invasion of the fort. And also armies under the mighty combination of Mughal King Akbar, Raja Udai Singh of Marwar, Raja Man Singh of Amber, and the Mirzas in Gujarat.
What to see in Kumbhalgarh Fort?
Most pleasing fact about visiting Kumbhalgarh Fort is that the fort exists the same way as it was centuries back. It is like walking in to the pages of history. The fort is spread over a huge area, its wall extending 36km.
There are 360 Jain and Hindu Temples within the fort. Obviously it is difficult to cover all of them in a span of few hours. Even if you rush it can easily take an hour or more to go up the fort till Badal Mahal and then climb down.
The entire stretch has a well laid out road and disabled friendly too. There are several gates along the way; they are locally called ‘pol’. Through Arret Pol, Halla Pol and Hanuman Pol in south you can approach the inner bastions. And then on you have Ram Pol, and Vijay Pol, which are the main entrances.
The difference in color of walls is for light show. The inner walls are more polished and whiter. Higher up you will see Bhairav Pol, Chaugan Pol, Nimboo Pol, Phagra Pol… and each has their own importance. Notice that they get narrower as you go up, and beyond a point elephants and horses cannot enter.
Badal Mahal and Kumbha Palace
Frankly Kumbhalgarh Fort doesn’t have any strikingly beautiful mahal or palace inside. Badal Mahal, Kumbha Palace which were residences of Kings and Queens looked so pale to me.
Probably I was comparing them with Moti Mahal of Jodhpur! But the views around are mesmerizing. On a rainy day, Kumbhalgarh Fort must be the most romantic place on earth!
Light Show in Kumbhalgarh Fort
The stony stern muscular fort comes alive at night to tell stories of yester years! There is a light and sound show every evening for 45 minutes. Beautiful narration of history of the fort! Thereafter the fort is lit for an hour. You have to buy separate tickets for this. Inside the fort the paths aren’t well lit, better to be armed with a torch.
Standing there and admiring the architectural marvel I was wondering, how did they manage to get the boulders so high up? Can we recreate a similar structure with all our technology today?
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Loved the narration made it interesting been there several times.
Loved the post. I have missed out on Kumbhalgarh. Hope to visit it some time soon.
Ohh wow thank you for your all information, i think you know very much about Kumbhalgarh, Rajasthan. Your explain so much and easily. Thank you Again.
Amazing post, knowing the history and the incidents it has generated an eagerness to visit, added in my wish list.
Captures are fantastic.
Another amazing fort from rajasthan, want to go there as soon as possible
Great to read about Kumbhalgarh Fort. Amazing pics.
A most important post! Thank You
Fantastic post by you.Narrated the history of Kumbhalgarh in a beautiful manner.Visiting soon in some days from now.I think two days stay is enough at Kumbhalgarh.
i so regret not seeing this even though stayed in rajasthan for two years.
Nice article.
I also happen to visit this place. And it is one of the less traveled place. But really amazing.
A good Q… “..I was wondering, how did they manage to get the boulders so high up?”
It’s amazing. With no giant cranes available, how this was achieved. People then had too much brains..!!!
Wow! Thanks so much for showing us your part of the world!
Wow! I am amazed by the architectures in the last 2 pics!
What lovely shots of the fort lit at night. And terrific ones of the interiors too. Thanks again, Indrani.
I learn so much from blogging. Your photos and photo tour was superb. My favourite was the fort lit at night. How massive those walls are..
Thank you for sharing.
an impressive fort and some very good architecture…..it must have been a nice trip for you!!
I can’t get enough of that architecture! Amazing photos, I always enjoy visiting your blog.
forts take u to a world beyond history texts..I hear the past in the walls..great pics Indrani
This architectural artwork is stunning. Even with modern technology…we would start to cry out impatiently!!
The evening shots are beautiful. The 3rd picture from the bottom when enlarged..has some beautiful aqua colors and that bright green glass..I am just loving all of it!!
The world is full of so many marvelous places to see.
Fantastic. Out of this world.
That was some journey and a place with serious history. The lightshow was most fantastically captured.
Absolutely breathtaking!
What an absolutely gorgeous site — and your pictures are amazing. I’m ashamed to admit that I hadn’t heard of this before, but I would really like to see it in person.
Thanks for visiting my site.
I want to visit this place one day. Awesome photos and post.
thank you for the lovely tour! incredible stuff!
you make a wonderful tour guide with great facts and photos.
How absolutely beautiful! Like you said yourself: “Breathtakingly beautiful!”
It’s always a pleasure to come to your blog. Thanks for sharing.
Amazing Pictures Indrani…I am sure the night view at the fort, would be a spectacular one.
An incredible part of the world with so many wonderful image.
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Keep an eye on your links. Some nasty websites hook up.
Magnificent pictures indeed – thank you for showing us these great photos!
Wow this is extremely beautiful. What a fantastic place to visit with some awesome energy and history to it. I’ve never seen or heard of it before. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. Great photos.
Like Deborah, I had no idea there was another great wall! What a great and informative post and terrific photos! Thank you so much for all the history! and getting the up close look at the details was awesome. Thank you!
The lighting is amazing. Interesting history too …
That’s an amazing fort and interesting post about it. Great shots.
I have been in several old Forts and all are wonderful and full of historical stories, but maybe this is the best of all of them. Thanks for taking us on a tour.
Indrani: That is a wonderful palace to share. It is really extensive and has wonderful design.
Wow very beautiful. Did not know there’s another wall after the Great Wall of China. I visited the great wall twice and I would said it is fantastic and amazing. Your photo of the second wall showed another amazing wall. Happy Tuesday.
simply awesome. it glows when lighted how delightful.
Those are outstanding shots, thanks for sharing.
Cheers!
Regina In Pictures</a
I had no idea there was another large wall in the world. Shows just how easy it is to be ignorant of things around our planet! I wonder if it too can be seen from space. It’s lovely, much prettier than the other more famous wall (sorry, China!)
That looks like a really well protected treasure!
I guess such masterpieces can not be recreated in modern times. I love forts. They narrate stories of the past and their architectural splendour is fascinating. Good photography Indrani.:)
simply amazing…..the architecture is also superb……your photogrpahs proved that….and above all the information you put here is worth reading….
looks like you did some very serious sight-seeing!
What an amazing place. i had never heard of it. Thanks for the great post.
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