Kumbhalgarh Fort is a Mewar fortress on the westerly range of Aravali Hills, in the Rajsamand district, near Udaipur, Rajasthan state in western India. It is a World Heritage Site included in Hill Forts of Rajasthan. It built during the course of the 15th century by Rana Kumbha. 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.
Kumbhalgarh in its current form was built and ruled by Rana Kumbha and his dynasty who were Hindu Sisodia rajputs descendents. Kumbhalgarh in its present form was developed by, and believed to have been designed by a famous architect of the era Madan. Rana Kumbha's kingdom of Mewar stretched from Ranthambore to Gwalior and included large tracts of erstwhile Madhya Pradesh as well as Rajasthan. Out of the 84 forts in his dominion, Rana Kumbha is said to have designed 32 of them, of which Kumbhalgarh is the largest and most elaborate.
Built on a hilltop 1,100 m (3,600 ft) above sea level on the Aravali range. The fort of Kumbhalgarh has perimeter walls that extend 36 km (22 mi), making it the second longest wall in the world after the Great Wall of China. 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 see kilometers into the Aravali Range. The sand dunes of the Thar Desert can be seen from the fort walls.
• Places to visit:
» Lakela Boting
» Fish Point (Hamar Pal)
» Parshuram Mammadev Temple
» Veeron ka Math
Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary is a major attraction for the tourists coming to Udaipur. It surrounds the fort and is spread over an area of 586 km. Spreading across the Aravalli Range, Kumbhalgarh sanctuary covers parts of Rajsamand, Udaipur and Pali districts. The sanctuary makes home to many endangered species of wildlife. The sanctuary provides natural abode to many creatures like Wolf, Leopards, Sloth bear, Hyena, Jackal, Jungle cat, Sambhar, Nilgai, Chausingha (the four horned antelope), Chinkara and Hare. In fact, Kumbhalgarh is the only sanctuary of Rajasthan, where you can trace wolf engaged in its activities.
This sanctuary inhabits more than forty wolves in number. In the summers, one can easily find pack of wolves strolling around water sources in the sanctuary. If you find your interest in birds, then here you can see a nice variety of birds too. In the park, you can see Grey Jungle Fowl, which is usually inhibited. Peacocks and Doves also gain attention by their own charm. Apart from this, birds like Red Spur Owls, Parakeets, Golden Oriole, Bulbul, Dove, Grey Pigeons and White Breasted Kingfisher are traceable near the water holes at TIGER VALLEY RESORT, Kumbhalgarh.
