Kumbalgarh Travel Guide

It is within easy reach of Udaipur, Jodhpur, Ajmer and Pushkar - yet off the well trodden tourist routes - Kumbhalgarh is an attractive destination.

In Kumbha's time the kingdom of Mewar spread from Ranthambore to Gwalior, including vast tracts of present-day Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. Mewar's rulers became patrons of all that was best in Indian martial and fine arts, architecture and learning. Of the 84 fortresses defending Mewar, 32 were designed and built by Rana Kumbha. Of these, Kumbhalgarh with its 36-kilometer long wall and soaring towers is the most impressive.

It defined the boundaries between Mewar and Marwar and became a refuge for Mewar's rulers in times of strife. Its steel gray ramparts encircle the fertile Shero Mallah Valley, with ancient monuments cenotaphs, ponds and flourishing farms.

Badal Mahal
The exterior walls of the fort cover an area of several square miles. The rows of the inner bastion rise to the summit to be crowned by the Badal Mahal or the Cloud Palace of the Ranas built by Rana Fateh Singh in the late 19th century. This palace has several apartments furnished in pastel colours in the 19th century style. The views from the Badal Mahal across the deserts of Marwar are simply fabulous. Long serpentine lines of the fort walls with loop holed and crenellated parapets seem to disappear in the surrounding jungles and ravines.

Mandalgarh Fort
It is yet another fort built by Kumbha. The fort is a vast area of ruins without much human population. The lake and the town lie below the ramparts.

Achalgrah Fort
This Fort near Mount Abu was also built by Kumbha for the defence of Mewar. This great ruler is credited with nearly 32 forts in Mewar.

Haldighati
Haldighati is a small village in the Aravali Hills about 44 km north of Udaipur. An interesting geographical feature of the pass is its soft yellow soil, which when crumbled resembles the turmeric (haldi), which gives the place its name Haldighati.
The place witness the famous battle of 1576 fought between Rana Pratap, the heroic son of King Udai Singh, and the massive forces of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. A beautiful Chhatri or canopy with white marble columns dedicated to Rana Pratap stands here.

Mamadev Kund
Mamadev temple and the Kund were again built by Rana Kumbha in the year 1460. The temple stands exactly below the fort and once had four large slabs with several inscriptions on them. The writings gave the history of Mewar from the time of Guhil, the founder of Mewar dynasty, till Rana Kumbha, a great builder of forts and temples. The temple houses an image of Kuber (God of Wealth) and also has two Chhatri's (cenotaphs) in memory of Rana Kumbha and the famous warrior Prithviraj Chauhan. Very near the temple is a large Kund or reservoir close to which is the Chhatri cenotaph) of Prithvi Raj the knight-errant of Mewar.

Kali Temple
East of the Royal Chhatri's is a temple dedicated to Goddess Kali.

Ranakpur Temple
The Ranakpur Jain Temple was built during the reign of the liberal and gifted Rajput monarch Rana Kumbha in the 15th century. The basement is of 48,000 sq. feet area that covers the whole complex. There are four subsidiary shrines, twenty-four pillared halls and domes supported by over four hundred columns. The total number of columns is 1,444 all of which are intricately carved with no two being alike. The artistically carved nymphs playing the flute in various dance postures at a height of 45 feet are an interesting sight. In the assembly hall, there are two big bells weighing 108 kg whose sound echoes in the entire complex. The main temple is a Chaumukh or a four-faced temple dedicated to Adinath. The three other Jain temples in the same complex, including a temple of the Sun God, are all well worth a visit. One kilometer away from the temple complex is the temple of Amba Mata.

Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary
The sanctuary is worth a visit. A rich variety of wildlife like the panther, sloth bear, wild boar, four-horned antelope and scientifically bred crocodiles in the lake within the sanctuary are the major attractions of this sanctuary. During winters, the sanctuary becomes home to birds like flamingoes, cormorants, spoonbills and egrets, which stay there through the winter months and fly back once summer arrives.