It took me around two and a half hours to reach the Kumbhalgarh Fort from Udaipur, Rajasthan. I took off to the place in afternoon and reached there by 6:15 pm There is a sound and light show in the fort premises that begins at 6:00 pm in the evening. I managed to make it to the show and missed just a 15 minute of it. It was all pitch dark and there were certain focus lights, which were focusing on different angles of the fort, while there was a background score along with the light show that was narrating the story of Kumbhalgarh and it's rulers.
The Kumbhalgarh Fort is a Mewar Fortress on the Aravali Hills, in Rajsamand District near Udaipur, Rajasthan. It is a World Heritage Site and was built by Rana Kumbha. Kumbhalgarh is also known to be the birth place of the great warrior of Mewar, Maharana Pratap.
With a wall that extends more than 38 kms, Kumbhalgargh Fort is among the largest wall complex in the world. Kumbhalgarh seperates Mewar and Marwar and was also used as a place of refuge at the time of battles. The view of the Fort wasn't pretty visible at night and so I along with a friend of mine, planned to take an off for the day and come back again the next morning to witness this Heroic Wonder.
We booked Kumbhalgarh Forest Retreat, a resort which was almost 6 kms from the fort. It was a wonderful place. The ambiance and the food both were great. The rooms were pretty spacious and had these big balconies. The view from there was beautiful.
We checked out from the hotel in the morning, had a complementary breakfast which was a part of the tariff. I was all set to see the architectural excellence.
I drove to the fort and on the way, I saw the huge wall of the fort which extends for over 38 kms. Whenever I see such distinguished characteristics of a historical architecture, I am amazed to see it. My thoughts go back to their era, where I think about the efforts and hardships it would have taken for them to build such a huge structure on a hill. All this and that too in an era when availability of material and transportation wasn't easy at all.
We reached the parking and then entered the fort from its's huge gate. As I entered the gate, into the fort premises, I wondered for how would I climb up the fort. Even the sight and thought of climbing that path uphill and those extended walls of the fort, made me feel tired. I still manged to take off , after drinking two bottles of lime juice.
There was ramp uphill and then there were stairs to to the top of the fort. People were seen all around, taking rest in between the path. We finally reached the top. Man!! it was beautiful. One could see the whole Kumbhalgarh from the top. Not just the city but the view of the 'Great Wall of India" was an amazing experience. It felt like, the wall had no end, it was stretching to infinity. There were a number of temples all around. It is said to have 360 temples within the fort, 300 ancient Jain and the rest Hindu.
While I was standing at the top of the fort cliff, I asked my friend to click a photograph of mine as I wished to keep a memory of the place with my presence into it.
I saw a photographer capturing the beauty of the fort and it surrounding from another end. He appeared to be a traveler from some other country as he had a guide with him, who must be narrating him the stories of the fort.
After staying there for more than half an hour and breathing in the fresh air from the top, we got down the ramp. There were some broken doors and small gardens in the way. I got a few clicks there and moved ahead.
I went down the fort and climbed the stairs to the great wall that extends to a vast 38 kms. It was a beautiful sight. There were temples and beautiful landscapes all around. The beauty of the Kumbhalgarh Fort was worth a capture. I was startled to see such a majestic structure and to hear the historical stories of bravery, sacrifice and conspiracies around the Fort of Kumbhalgarh.
It wasn't my first visit to the fort. I visited here in 2004 during a college trip with a bunch of friends. But that time, may be I wasn't having such a perspective to be seeing and appreciating things in depth. Over all these years I've grown as an individual and so have my perspective and my way of looking towards life and it's valuable stories.
I am sharing a few pics here from my trip in 2004 here. I don't think so for it would be so difficult to recognize me in these vintage shares.
The trip back in 2004 was as amazing as this one. It was a close knit group of friends, many of us are still in touch and they belong to that set, onto whom you could rely upon any day.
The trip to the Kumbahlgargh Fort was an amazing experience. Specially the view and the fresh air from the top of the fort were among the best things I loved about the fort. Not just this but the great wall, which almost appears like extending to infinity was something to be falling in love with.
I would surely wish to visit this place again and to walk through the entire 38 kms to see what falls in the way and what exists at the end of it.
- The Travel Wanderers
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