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Kumbhalgarh Fort : The Overview
Kumbhalgarh Fort is located in Rajsamand district of Rajasthan,India. The wall of the fort is 38km long and the fort is the second largest after the Chittorgarh Fort in India and is the second largest wall of World after the Great Wall of China. The fort was built by Maharana Kumbha in the 15th century and is the birthplace of Maharana Pratap.
The mighty fort is 3600 ft tall and 38km long and surrounds the area of Udaipur. The fort is further declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is under the group Hill Forts of Rajasthan. It is located strategically on the western Aravalli hills.
Rana Kumbha constructed the Kumbhalgarh Fort in 1458AD. It took around fifteen years to compete the construction. The fort was built on the ruins of Jain king Samprati, the grandson of Ashoka. The construction of the fort separated Mewar from Marwar. The Rajput kings used the fort as a refuge if they feel danger in their forts or palaces.
History of Attraction
- The brilliant Kumbhalgarh fort is said to be the birthplace of Maharana Pratap. The fort further consists of inscriptions on the foot of idols in Hanuman Pol that provides details of construction of the fort.
- The Badshahi Bavdi is a stepped tank that was built by the general of Akbar to provide drinking water to the army troops in 1578. The fort initially faced many problems during construction but was resolved by performing a human sacrifice and the main gate of the fortress which is the Hanuman Pol, contains the shrine and a temple to thank and remember the great sacrifice of a warrior.
- The Fort contains a number of gates, temples, palaces and many other structures which the tourists can watch during their visit. The fort originally was constructed by Rana Kumbha but later Rajput rulers added many structures to the fort.
- Out the various architectures laid down in Kumbhalgarh Fort the famous one are mentioned below:-
- Arait PolHulla
- PolNimbu Pol
- Hanuman Pol
- Ram Pol
- Ganesh Temple
- Vedi Temple
- Neelkanth Mahadev Temple
- Parsvanath Temple
- Bawan Devi Temple
- Mamadeo Temple
- Rana Kumbha Palace
- Badal Mahal
- Jhalia ka Malia
Attacks & The Fort
Alauddin Khilji attacked the fort and invaded it in 1303. Another attack was done by Ahmed Shah of Gujarat but it was made unsuccessful. Ahmed Shah destroyed the Banmata temple as it was believed that the deity saved the fort from attacks. Mahmud Khilji attacked the fort in 1458, 1459, and 1467 but could not succeed in winning the fort.
The combined forces of Emperor Akbar, Raja Uday Singh of Marwar, Raja Man Singh of Amer, and Mirzas of Gujarat also attacked the fort. The Rajputs surrendered due to shortage of water. Shahbaz Khan, a general of Emperor Akbar, took control of the fort. In 1818, Marathas took over the fort.
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Published Date :August 1, 2023 @ 8:39 pm
