Kumbhalgarh Fort – The Great Wall of India : History, Travel Options, Timings, Hotels, Places to Visit!

September 5, 2022

All you need to know about Kumbhalgarh Fort – The Great Wall of India

Rajasthan is a city of culture and traditions. Whenever I visit Rajasthan, it reminds me of the historical cultures, royal palaces, grand forts, delicious cuisines, and others. Rajasthan is known for many things, including its deserts, camel safari, and colorful Rajasthani turbans, and is mainly famous for its forts like Amer fort, Bhangarh fort, Chittoor fort, Jaisalmer fort, Mewar fort, and Kumbhalgarh fort.

By the way, we have all heard about the Great Wall of China, right? It is approximately 8853km in length and is the longest wall in the world, we do know about this. But how many of you are aware of the second longest wall in the world? I guess there are not so many people are aware of it. Okay so let me introduce you to the world’s second-largest wall, which is known as The Great Wall of India, around 36 kilometers long. Yes, India is on the list of the world’s longest walls, after the Great Wall of China. Let’s take a look at Kumbhalgarh fort to know more about it.

Let’s take a few minutes to read the History of the fort-

Kumbhalgarh Fort was built in the 15^th century, by the Maharana Kumbha, the Rana of Mewar. The architecture of the fort is based on the Rajput military hill style. This fort is the birthplace of the legendary warrior Maharana Pratap. This remarkable place took 15 years to build by the architect Madan. If you explore the fort and carefully observe the palace, you will find that the fort is perfectly settled between the eleven peaks of the Aravalli ranges. Kumbhalgarh fort separated Mewar from Marwar and was used as the place of refuge for the rulers of Mewar at the time of danger, especially Prince Udai who illegally came into the city in 1535. Later, Prince Udai not only became the successor to the throne but also became the founder of Udaipur City.

Kumbhalgarh Fort is located at 3,600 feet above sea level on the Aravali range in Rajasthan. And the second longest wall in the World after the first longest wall, the Great Wall of China. Interestingly the fort has seven gateways all around. Moreover, the fort has 360 temples out of which 300 are Jain temples and the rest are Hindu temples. The Shiva Temple is the largest of all of them and has more than 52 canopies. The fort is one of the 6 Hill Forts in Rajasthan which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2013.

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Now the question is how to reach.

Travel Options:

So, here is the answer to your question, the closest railway station and airport is Udaipur, which is located at a distance of 84km and it only takes 2 hours to reach the fort because of the good connectivity of the roads. If your starting point is Delhi you can go via road trip at a distance of about 11 hours and 18 minutes. But I would recommend you to go via trains or flights to consume time.

Best time to visit the Kumbhalgarh fort-

You can visit during the winter months November to February, which is the best time to visit. But you can also visit during the Rainy season between July to August, during that time the weather is quite pleasant and the entire landscape is magically green. But During the summers the weather in Kumbhalgarh is quite hot and dry and the temperature can rise up to 42 degrees Celsius.

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Timings and tickets-

The fort is open for the tourists from 9 am to 5 pm with an entry fee of rs.15 and for International tourists belonging to other countries except for SAARC countries and BIMSTEC is Rs. 200. But the Tourists have to separately pay Rs.100 for the light & sound show which is conducted in Hindi language. The light and the sound show starts around 7:00 pm.

So now, where to go to Kumbhalgarh fort? There are many places in the fort where you can visit.

Badal Mahal:

Badal Mahal- the place is known as the Palace of clouds, Badal Mahal was built by Rana Fateh Singh and is the highest point of Kumbhalgarh Fort. The walls of this Mahal are decorated with paintings of the 19^th century. It is divided into two sections: the Zenana Mahal (the women’ Quarters) and the Mardana Mahal (Men’s Quarters).

Rana Kumbha Palace

Rana Kumbha Palace- you can also reach Rana Kumbha Palace through Paghara Pol. A very small room of this palace and non-decorative which suggests that it was made with the intention of being used as a refuge. But it is actually influenced by Rajput architecture.

Neelkanth Mahadev Temple

Neelkanth Mahadev Temple- It has a 6-feet high shivling, which is made of stone and is dedicated to the lord Shiva. Lord Shiva is worshipped and maintained by locals in this fort and it is said that King Rana Kumbha used to worship this deity.

Mammdev Temple:

Mammdev Temple- the temple is built by Rana Kumbha, Mammdev Temple is located below the Kumbhalgarh Fort. There are the idols of Lord Kuber inside the temple, the god of wealth. It had four huge slabs carved with the history of the kingdom of Mewar. Now those slabs are well-preserved in the museum of Udaipur. It also has a couple of memories of Rana Kumbha and Prithviraj Chauhan.

Vedi Tample:

Vedi Temple- It is situated on the premises of Kumbhalgarh Fort in Hanuman Pol. The temple stands on 36 pillars and was built by Rana Kumbha in the honor of the sacrifice of the pilgrims. Later then the temple was renovated by Maharana Fateh Singh. The temple is built in the shape of octagonal.

Where to stay?

Well, there are many places to stay near Kumbhalgarh fort, you can also stay at Kumbhalgarh Safari Camp or Kumbhalgarh Fort Resort which is located just 6 km from Kumbhalgarh Fort. Lal Bagh Resort is also there. If you are looking for a luxury resort then some of the best hotels near the fort are Aodhi hotels, Kumbha Bagh, and Tiger Valley Luxury Resort.