Kumbhalgarh Fort is a Mewar fortress
in the Rajsamand District of Rajasthan state
in western India.
It is an World Heritage Site included in Hill Forts of Rajasthan. Built during the
course of the 15th century by Rana Kumbha and
enlarged through the 19th century, Kumbhalgarh is also the birthplace of Maharana
Pratap, the great king and warrior of Mewar. Occupied until the late 19th
century, the fort is now open to the public and is spectacularly lit for a few
minutes each evening. Kumbalgarh is situated 82 km northwest of Udaipur by
road. It is the most important fort in Mewar after Chittaurgarh.
Built on a hilltop 1100 metres above sea level, the fort of
Kumbhalgarh has perimeter walls that extend 36 kilometres. The
frontal walls are fifteen feet thick. Kumbhalgarh has seven fortified gateways.
There are over 360 temples within the fort, 300 ancient Jain and the rest Hindu. From the
palace top, it is possible to look tens of kilometers into the Aravalli
Range. The sand dunes of the Thar desert can be seen from the fort walls.
According to legend, in 1443, the Maharana of Kumbhalgarh,
Rana Kumbha, was initially repeatedly unsuccessful in attempts to build the
fort wall. A spiritual preceptor was consulted about the construction problems
and advised the ruler that a voluntary human sacrifice would solve whatever was
causing the impediment. The spiritual advisor advised building a temple where
the head should fall and building the wall and the fort where the rest of his
body lay. As can be expected, for some time no one volunteered, but one day, a
pilgrim (some versions suggest a soldier, and some, that the spiritual
preceptor and the pilgrim were one and the same) volunteered and was ritually
decapitated. Today the main gate of the fortress, Hanuman Pol, contains a
shrine and a temple to commemorate the great sacrifice.
According to popular folklore, Maharana Kumbha used to burn
massive lamps that consumed fifty kilograms of ghee and a hundred
kilograms of cotton to provide light for the farmers who worked during the
nights in the valley.
Its wall is the second largest wall in Asia.
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