| Kumbhalgarh Fort | |
|---|---|
 Kumbhalgarh Fort in Rajsamand district (Rajasthan) | |
| Type | Fortress |
| Location | Kumbhalgarh,Rajsamand district,Rajasthan,India |
| Coordinates | 25°8′56″N73°34′49″E / 25.14889°N 73.58028°E /25.14889; 73.58028 |
| Area | 268 ha (1.03 sq mi) (662 acres) |
| Built | 1448 A.D.[1] |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | ii, iii |
| Designated | 2013(36thsession) |
| Part of | Hill Forts of Rajasthan |
| Reference no. | 247 |
| Country |  India |
| Region | South Asia |
  Location of Kumbhalgarh Fort in Rajasthan Show map of Rajasthan Kumbhalgarh (India) Show map of India | |
Kumbhalgarh (lit. "Kumbhal fort"), also known as theGreat Wall of India,[2] is a fortress on the westerly range ofAravalli Hills in Kumbhalgarh in theRajsamand district of theRajasthan state inIndia. Situated approximately 48 km (30 mi) fromRajsamand city, 84 km (52 mi) fromUdaipur, it was built during the 15th century byRana Kumbha.[3] The wall of Kumbhalgarh is one of the longest continuous walls in the world, spanning 36 kilometers.[4][5] It is also the birthplace of great king and military leaderMaharana Pratap of Mewar.[6]
In 2013, at the 37th session of theWorld Heritage Committee held inPhnom Penh,Cambodia, Kumbhalgarh Fort, along with five other forts of Rajasthan, was declared aUNESCO World Heritage Site under the groupHill Forts of Rajasthan.[7]
The etymology of "Kumbhalgarh" originates from "Kumbha," denoting the rulerRana Kumbha who constructed it, and "Garh," meaning fort.[8]
Rana Lakha won this entire area and plains of Godwar from Chauhan Rajputs of Nadol in late 14th century.[9]
Kumbhalgarh fort was built by Mandan who was the chief architect of theKingdom of Mewar.Rana Kumbha ordered for the construction of the fort in 1448 AD according to the Kumbhalgarh inscription. The fort served as Rana Kumbha's second most favoured capital.[1] Rana Kumbha's kingdom of Mewar stretched fromRanthambore toGwalior and included large tracts of what is nowMadhya Pradesh andRajasthan. Out of the 84 forts in his dominion, Rana Kumbha is said to have built 32 of them, of which Kumbhalgarh is the largest and most elaborate.[10]
Kumbhalgarh also separated Mewar andMarwar from each other and was used as a place of refuge for the rulers of Mewar at times of danger. A notable instance was in the case ofPrince Udai, the infant king of Mewar who was smuggled here in 1535, whenChittor was under siege. Prince Udai later succeeded to the throne. The fort remained impregnable to direct assault.[citation needed]
Ahmad Shah II of Gujarat attacked the fort in 1457, but found the effort futile. There was a local belief then that the Banmata deity in the fort protected it and hence he destroyed the temple. There were further attempts in 1458–59 and 1467 byMahmud Khalji, but it also proved futile.Akbar's general, Shahbaz Khan, attacked this fort in October 1577 and after the siege of 6 months, he was able to capture the fort in April 1578. But it was recaptured byMaharana Pratap in 1583. In 1818, an armed band ofsanyasis formed a garrison to protect the fort, but was convinced[clarification needed] byJames Tod and the fort was taken over by the British and later returned to Udaipur State. There were additions made by Maharanas of Mewar, but the original structure built byMaharana Kumbha remains. The residential buildings and temples are well-preserved.[10] The fort is also known to be the birthplace ofMaharana Pratap.[11]
The chief architect who built this fort was Mandan, who documented his style of work in his text, Rajvallabh.[12] Built on a hilltop 1,100 m (3,600 ft) above sea level on the Aravalli range, the fort of Kumbhalgarh has perimeter walls that extend 36 km (22 mi), making it among the longest walls in the world.[13] The frontal walls are 4.5 m (15 ft). Kumbhalgarh has sevenfortified gateways. There are over 360 temples within the fort, both Jain and Hindu Temples.[14] From the palace top, it is possible to see Kilometres into theAravalli Range.
Aaret Pol was the first entry gate of the fort. Halla Pol is on the downward slope from the entrance. Just after Halla Pol is Badshahi Bavdi, a stepped tank, built after the invasion of Shahbaz Khan in 1578, the general of Mughal emperorAkbar to provide water to the troops.[15]
Hanuman Pol, the next gate is half a KM away from Halla Pol. Hanuman Pol is a double-storeyed gate with octagonal bastions. The gate got its name from the stone image of Hanuman located in front of the gate, which was brought byMaharana Kumbha.[16]
Ram Pol is the main entrance of the fort, there is another entrance towards the east, called Vijay Pol.[17]
There are five more gates between Ram Pol to Badal Mahal, the Palace built on the highest point of the fort. Names of these gates are Bhairon Pol, Nimboo Pol, Chaugan Pol, Pagda Pol and Ganesh Pol.[18]
Most buildings are visible from the Ram Pol.[citation needed]
The Rajasthan Tourism Department organises a three-day annual festival in the fort in remembrance of the passion of Maharana Kumbha towards art and architecture. Sound and light shows are organised with the fort as the background. Various concerts and dance events are also organised to commemorate the function. The other events during the festival are Heritage Fort Walk, turban tying, tug-of war andmehendi mandana among others.[30]
Six forts of Rajasthan, namely,Amber Fort,Chittor Fort,Gagron Fort,Jaisalmer Fort, Kumbhalgarh andRanthambore Fort were included in theUNESCO World Heritage Site list during the 37th meeting of the World Heritage Committee in Phnom Penh during June 2013. They were recognized as a serial cultural property and examples of Rajput military hill architecture.[31][32]
This fort (Kumbhalgarh) is previously described as
The Fortress of Bowrie, in Rajpootana., as painted byWilliam Westall with an engraving in Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1836[33]
The Kumbhalgarh inscription (AD 1460) records that Mandan began construction here in VS 1495 (AD 1448). In time this became Rana Kumbha's second most favoured capital.
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