Rajputana or the present day Rajasthan is roughly 10% of the total size of India, largest state in terms of area but much lower down in the amount of population. Its rough in terms of terrain with a large part being encompassed by the Thar desert with extreme temperature being severely hot in summers specially so during the day and then cool in the winters and on most nights. Its significance of being one of the earlier civilisations with parts of the state being dated back to the Vedic and Indus Valley civilisation is incomparable to similar locations in the subcontinent. Being a combination of many princely states in its present formation, its history also is a milieu of different way of life for each of these communities in the past….This is made inherently more colourful by the liberal use of colour in their attire which is an interesting contrast to dry and rough countryside which one experiences. It is this paradox along with the obsession with the royalty both in terms of living practices as well as monuments which makes this state stand out as must visit tourist destination to have a glimpse of India gone by..!
Not a stranger to this place…but the areas visited were limited to Jaipur, Ajmer and a few other locations. Earlier this year in the winter decided to spend a few days around Udaipur …also known as the City of Lakes. Udaipur represents the largest region of Rajasthan .. which is Mewar. It is perhaps the shining example of Rajput chivalry, their way of life and is adorned with Palaces around lakes ( seven of them with Lake Pichola being the largest). The rulers of these principalities now are part of the Union of India but their way of life along with the grandeur through the Palaces they maintain, their customs and elements of their valour are on full display in these monuments even to this present day. This trip was a short trip and we started with Kumbhalgarh fort then to the ancient Jain temples both Ranakpur as well as Dilwara ( MtAbu) and finally to the city of Udaipur and the palaces in particular the City Palace as well as the Lake Palace ….
Kumbhalgarh ( or the Kumbhal Fort) is at a distance of 80 km from Udaipur … It is one of the largest forts in India more specifically the second largest after Chittorgarh fort. It is also called the Great Wall of India having a wall which is 35 km long next only to the Great Wall of China. It is also one of UNESCO declared heritage site. Built by erstwhile ruler Rana Kumbha in the early 14 th/ 15 th century, it bifurcates Mewar as well as the Marwar region of Rajasthan. It was designed in the era of constant wars as an all encompassing secure destination for Rajput elite with staying quarters for royals as well as troops… and it was designed to be impregnable and for which it has stood its promise till date except on one occasion when the combined army of Mughals breached the same and that too due to scarcity of water. It has a 20 ft wide wall running across the length and breath of the fort .. an astonishing 35 odd km’s of it, a worthy competitor to the Great Wall of China. It’s also historically prominent being the birthplace of Maharana Pratap, an all time great Rajput warrior and ruler. The fort has within its perimeter a few palaces, a number of Jain and other temples, with a famous Neelkanta Mahadev temple standing facing the great fort, since religion was very close to the way of life then as it is now. The fort is at a height and one can see miles of the Aravali range from its premises along with the Great Wall. The tourism department organises a great Sound and Light Show every evening at the fort which takes one back in history and showcases the significance of this place. It’s a beautiful setting in winter with the fort lit up alongwith poignant storytelling of history..
Kumbhalgarh also boasts of a wild life sanctuary around the fort which is home for species like the striped hyena, deer, sloth bear and the Indian Leopard. The place does not boast much of anything else. One has an option of doing a day trip from Udaipur while it also has options for good stay over with properties like the Mahindra Kumbhalgarh and now the new Raddison property.
If you are not invested in this place already then travel with me to the other significant … monuments in Rajasthan which are the ancient and world famous Jain temples, our next destination which I will detail in the next part followed with the visit to the City of Lakes Udaipur along with its fabulous palaces! Enjoy your weekend!
MusingsbyTimmy 