Khumbalgarh Fort

This is the highest fort and is considered the most formidable in Rajasthan. Even the mighty Mughals couldn't capture it alone and it took the combined armies of Delhi, Amber and Marwar to breach its defenses. Standing majestically on a 1,914m high ridge and representing the past glory of the Rajput rulers, the Fort also provides a panoramic view of the countryside from the top. The fort was built in the 15th century AD by Maharana Kumbha (1419 - 63 AD) and is the principal fortification after Chittorgarh.

Kartargarh

Kumbhalgarh fort has a fort within itself. Named Kartargarh, the inner fort has a palace built by Maharana Fateh Singh after he had pulled down the old palace built by Rana Kumbha. Some remains of the old palace are still there below the new one which includes the portion that had been occupied by Prithvi Raj. Kartargarh has 365 temples and shrines including the one with a huge Shivlinga dedicated to Lord Shiva.

Fort Wall

This is the second biggest wall in the world after The Great Wall of china. Encompassed by a 37 km long wall with seven huge gates and 25 feet thick ramparts, this impregnable construction was used to attack breaching army from its immense watch towers. As a part of backup plans, if the enemy was ever successful in breaching the fortress, they say there was an underground passage leading to a secret escape tunnel near the fifth gate. Hanuman Pol, Ram Pol, Bhairava Pol, Paghra Pol, TopKhana Pol, and Nimboo Pol are the remaining six gates. Everything piece of construction was built with the sole purpose of repelling all attacking armies

Nimboo Pol

Fascinating chambers are built on the western side of the last gate the ‘Nimboo Pol’. According to history, infant, Udai Singh was robbed from Bundi and hidden in these chambers with his faithful maid Panna Dai to save him from the murderous intentions of his uncles who desired the throne. Udai Singh ascended the throne of Mewar with Kumbhalgarh as his residence and later established Udaipur, the beautiful lake city.

Aret pol

This is the first and the most defying gate of Kumbhalgarh fort. Aret Pol used to send mirror signals to all other gates in the times of emergency. This name is taken from a small village Aret which was near to this gate.

Hulla Pol

This was also known as the 'Gate of Disturbance'. The gate is so named because in 1567 the war with the Mughal army had reached this spot which resulted in a great turmoil.The marks of cannon shots can still be seen on the gate.

Hanuman Pol

This is third gate of Kumbhalgarh fort and contains a shrine dedicated to the god Hanuman. It also houses an image which Maharana Kumbha, said to have been brought back from Mandore in Marwar.

Bhairava Pol

Bhairav Pol, the fourth gate, records the name of an exiled prime minister during 19th century. This gate stands majestically and gives a proof of art and technique of that period.

Paghra Pol

Paghra Pol, the fifth gate is also called the "Stirr-up Gate" which was erected when the cavalry assembled before the battle. The star watch tower in the neighborhood is an early structure and has eight meter wide walls.

Topkhana Pol

Topkhana Pol, the sixth pol, is also called as the "Cannon Gate". It has an under ground passage that leads to a secret escape tunnel, this was constructed considering the safety factors of the fort.

Ram Pol

There are two gates Ram Pol and Vijay Pol and in between these two pols there are three stone statues. It is said that three ladies of Malin dynasty helped the enemies by telling them the secret gate to enter the fort. As punishment they were buried alive in the wall and the statue was made of these ladies in front of that wall to ensure that no one repeats this again.

Fateh Prakash Palace

This palace is famous for its durbar hall and also advanced ventilation systems built within the kitchen, chimney and toilets. The Fatehprakash palace upstairs has a durbar hall, decorated with lime plaster and paintings, a zanana covered with flora and fauna paintings and a Ganesh temple in the courtyard. Terraces and windows offer panoramic hill views from over 3800 ft above sea level.

Vijay Stambha

Rana Kumbha commissioned the construction of an imposing, 37 m high, 9 storied Victory Tower called "Vijay Stambha" which was completed in 1458. It is also referred to as Vishnu Stambha or 'Tower of Vishnu' in other texts. The tower is covered with exquisite sculptures of Hindu Gods and Goddesses and depicts episodes from Ramayana and the Mahabharata.

Badal Mahal

The palace has got its name for being the highest of all the structures. It offers a superb bird’s eye view of the countryside surrounding the fort as well as other ruins within the fort. This is one of the most beautiful palaces inside the Kumbhalgarh Fort, known for its beautiful apartments painted with delicate pastel-colored murals.

Shiva Temple
This temple was built by Maharaja Khumba. It is famous for its 4-5 feet high Shivling. Shiva temple of Kumbhalgarh has a unique type of architecture, There are many carved stone pillars in the Shiva temple.  People say that the shivling of this temple is made with Kasoti stone which is used to test real gold.

Neelkanth Temple
This is on the ridge below the palace of Kumbha, constructed by Maharana Khumba (1433-1468) for his daily worship. There is an idol of Kuber (God of wealth).

Ranakpur Jain temple
The beautiful Jain temple sited 50 km from Kumbhalgarh is a fine example of the temple architecture. Ranakpur is widely known for its marble Jain temple, and for a much older Sun Temple.  The renowned Jain temple at Ranakpur is dedicated to Adinatha. Light coloured marble has been used for the construction of this grand temple. The temple, with its distinctive domes, shikhara, turrets and cupolas rises majestically from the slope of a hill. Over 1444 marble pillars, carved in exquisite detail, support the temple. The pillars are all differently carved and no two pillars are the same. It is also said that it is impossible to count the pillars. Also all the statues face one or the other statue. There is one beautiful carving made out of a single marble rock where 108 heads of snakes and numerous tails are presented. One cannot find the end of the tails. The artistically carved structures playing flute in various dance postures at a height of 45 feet are attention-grabbing.

Muchchal Mahavir Temple
The Muchhal Mahavir temple is situated about 5 km from Ghanerao in the Kumbhalgarh Sanctuary. Its distinctive feature is the statue of Lord Mahavira with a moustache. The two statues of elephants guarding the gateways are splendid examples of temple decoration. In the vicinity are the Garasia tribal villages famous for their colourful costumes.

Haldighati
The scene of the famous battle of 1576 AD fought between Rana Pratap, the heroic son of Udai Singh and the massive forces of the Mughal Emperor Akbar is presented here. A beautiful Chhatri (Cenotaph) with white marble columns, dedicated to Rana Pratap also stands here. The famous battlefield of Haldighati is also marked by a small chatri which commemorates the warrior's horse Chetak. Although badly wounded and exhausted, this brave horse carried Maharana Pratap to safety before dying. It is for this loyalty and courage that Chetak is honored.

Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary
Kumbhalgarh is just 90 km from Jodhpur on the Udaipur - Pali - Jodhpur road. This jungle adjoins the historical Kumbhalgarh Fort and used to shield the fort from invaders. Now, it protects the rare species of animals, struggling for their survival. Situated in the lush green region of Udaipur, Kumbhalgarh is the only sanctuary of Rajasthan, where activities of the rarely found wolf can be seen. More than forty wolves inhabit the job area of the sanctuary. During summer, when water becomes scarce, packs of wolves roaming around water holes is a common sight.

Garasia Tribal Village
There are many colourful Garasia tribal villages located near the Mucchal Mahavir temple. An exclusive tour conducted by Club Mahindra Kumbhalgarh with a walk through, will help you to see the life style, culture and traditions of this tribe.

The Legends of Rajasthan

1. Maharana Pratap (1540 -1597)
He was a ruler of Mewar. He belonged to the Sisodia clan of Suryavanshi Rajputs. The epitome of fiery Rajput pride and self-respect, Pratap has for centuries exemplified the qualities that Rajputs aspire. Pratap, the eldest of 25 brothers and 20 sisters. He was born at Kumbhalgarh on Sunday May 09,1540 at the time of sunrise, to Maharana Udai Singh II and Maharani Javanta Bai Songara (Chauhan). Rana Pratap had 17 sons and five daughters.

2. Maharana Udai Singh (1522 –1572)
He was a king of Mewar and the founder of the city of Udaipur in Rajasthan. He was the 53rd ruler of the Mewar dynasty. He was the son of Maharana Sangram Singh and Rani Karmavati. Panna Dhai saved him from his uncle Banbir. He lived in Kumbhalgarh for 2 years. He was crowned king in 1540. He was the father of Maharana Pratap.

3. Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh (1688-1743)
He was the ruler of the kingdom of Amber (later called Jaipur). He was born at Amber, the capital of the Kachwahas. He became the ruler of Amber in 1699 at the age of 11 when his father Maharaja Bishan Singh died. The Mughal emperor Aurangzeb bestowed upon him the title of 'Sawai' which meant one and a quarter times superior to his contemporaries. This title adorns his descendants even to this date.

4. Panna Dhai
Panna Dhai was a maid in the service of Rana Sanga or Sangram Singh of Chittorgarh. She was foster- mother of his infant son Udai Singh. Rana Sangram Singh died in 1527 in the battle of Khanua against Babar. Panna saved child Udai Singh from Rana's brother Banbir who was regent and wished to usurp the throne. Panna sacrificed her own child to save the prince. To save him Panna Dai substituted her own baby in the royal cradle. Her child was slain, but Panna escaped with the baby prince made her way to Kumbhalgarh.

5. Maharana Khumba (1433-1468)
He was also a ruler of Mewar. Rana Kumbha expanded the kingdom and established a system of forts to secure its boundaries. He was a Rajput belonging to the Sisodia clan. Kumbha was a son of Rana Mokal of Mewar by his wife Sobhagya Devi. Rana Kumbha was the vanguard of the fifteenth century Rajput resurgence. Of the 84 fortresses defending Mewar, 32 were designed and built by Rana Kumbha.

6. Prithviraj Chauhan (1168-1192)
He was a king of the Kshatriya Chauhan Rajput dynasty, who ruled a kingdom in northern India during the latter half of the 12th century. He was born in 1168 to king Someshwara Chauhan and his wife Karpuravalli. He succeeded to the throne in 1179, while still a minor, and ruled from the twin capitals of Ajmer and Delhi. His elopement with Samyukta, the daughter of Jai Chandra, the Gahadvala king of Kannauj, is a popular romantic tale in India.

7. Rana Hamir Singh (1326-1364)
He recaptured Chittorgarh in 1326, and was the first ruler of the clan to use the royal title 'Rana'. He changed the family name to Sisodia, derived from Sisoda, the name of the village where he was born. He made Mewar the most powerful Rajput state of the period.

8. Jodhabai
She was the third wife of Akbar, one of the three chief queens of Emperor Akbar and the mother of Jahangir. Jodhabai was born as Hira Kunwari and was the daughter of Raja Bharmal of Amber and aunt of Man Singh, whom later on became one of the nine jewels (Navaratnas) in the court of Akbar. In 1562, she married Akbar the Great and was given the name, Jodhabai. In 1586, Jodhabai arranged a marriage of her son, Prince Salim ( later Jahangir), to Man Singh's sister Princess Manmati, who was the mother of Prince Khusro. Jodhabai died in 1611. As per her last wishes a vav or step well was constructed by Jahangir.

9. Rana Sangram Singh (1509-1527)
He was a ruler of Mewar and is commonly known as Rana Sanga. He was a scion of the Sisodia clan of Suryavanshi Rajputs. Sanga was one of the three sons of Raimal, ruler of Mewar. He and his brothers quarrelled incessantly with each other, causing much grief to their father. Sanga had to go into exile following a particularly bad fracas with his brothers. He spent this period incognito, working as a shepherd in a remote village in the Aravalli hills.

10. Bappa Rawal
He is the eighth ruler of the Guhilot Dynasty and the founder of the Mewar Dynasty (r. 734 -753); said by genealogists to be 80th in descent from the god Rama. Eventually, around the age of 21, he succeeded his father Rawal Mahendra II. Bappa Rawal is one of the most powerful and famous rulers of the Mewar Dynasty. Although a surviving member of the Guhilot clan, Prince Kalbhoj (his actual name) did not continue the family name of seven generations when he came to the throne; instead, he established the Mewar Dynasty, naming it for the kingdom he had just taken.

11. Rani Padmini
She was the queen of Chittor, and the wife of king Rawal Ratan Singh. Today, she is one of the epitomes of Indian womanhood and a saga of sacrifice and valour. Rani Padmini, who was the pretext for Ala-ud-din Khilji's attack on Chittor, committed Jauhar in one of the underground cellars of Chittorgarh.

12. Maharaja Suraj mal (1707–1763)
He was the ruler of Bharatpur. He has been described by a contemporary historian as 'the Plato of Jat caste' and by a modern writer as the 'Jat Ulysses', because of his political sagacity, steady intellect and clear vision. He was the greatest warrior and ablest statesman. Raja Surajmal used all his power and wealth to a good cause and built numerous forts and palaces across his kingdom, one of them being the Lohagarh Fort (Iron fort), which was one of the strongest ever built in Indian history.

13. Chand Bardai
Chand Bardai was the court poet of the Indian king Prithviraj III Chauhan, who ruled Ajmer and Delhi from 1165 to 1192. A native of Lahore, Chand Bardai composed the Prithviraj Raso, an epic poem in Hindi about the life of Prithviraj. Chand Bardai belonged to the community of Charan who accompanied Rajputs in war and peace. The Prithviraj Raso was embellished with time and quite a few authors added to it. Only parts of the original manuscript are still intact. There are many versions of Raso but scholars agree that a small 1400 stanza poem is the real "Prithviraj Raso". In its longest form the poem comprises upwords of 10,000 stanzas. The Prithviraj Raso is a source of information on the social and clan structure of the Kshatriya communities of northern India.

Shopping
Some of the best buys in the town are:

• Silver Jewellery
• Pottery
• Handicrafts
• Puppets
• Stone carved items

Local Festivals

Gher Ghoomer Festival
It is a traditional celebration for last six centuries of folk dance and spraying / splashing coloured water by local tribes in front of Chamunda Devi Temple. Beautiful women dressed in multi-hued skirts swirl gracefully during this lively dance. Ghoomar is performed by young women and girls during various festivities like Holi, Gangaur puja, Teej etc. The songs sung for ghoomar are high pitched and rich in humour and satire. Ghoomar is also connected to the songs of valour and victory.

Pushkar Camel Fair
Pushkar is a small and beautiful town 14 km from Ajmer. One of the most popular and colourful fairs of the Thar desert is the Pushkar fair. It begins on Kartik Shukla Ekadashi and goes on for five days till Kartik Purnima. The time of the fair coincides with the bright half of the moon during the months of October and November. The lake at Pushkar is one of the most sacred in India.

In the afternoon, people crowd the stadium where camels, horses, and cows are paraded and raced. Camels are bought and sold during the Pushkar fair.

On the roadside, stalls of all kinds are set up to sell large amount of items. Almost every household is engaged in setting them up as the locals try to capitalise on the massive influx of people. It is impossible to drive around because of the large crowds.  You can either hire a camel or walk. In this aspect, it is truly a rural bazaar.

An interesting part of the Pushkar Fair is the mass trading of camels. Of course, cattle and other livestock are also traded, but it is the camels that hold center stage at Pushkar. Camel traders and villagers from miles away converge to Pushkar with the. Over 25,000 camels (on the conservative side) are traded; making this the world’s largest camel fair.