Kumbhalgarh, Rajasthan
Location:
Kumbhalgarh, Rajasthan
Size:
4.5 Sq. KM
Technology Used:
3D LiDAR Scanning, Arial Photogrammetry
Kumbhalgarh (literally "Kumbhal Fort"), also known as the great wall of India, is a Mewar fortress on the westerly range of Aravalli hills, just about 48 km from Rajsamand city in the Rajsamand district of the Rajasthan state in western India. It is located about 84 km from Udaipur. It is a world heritage site included in hill forts of Rajasthan. It was built during the 15th century by Rana Kumbha.
In 2013, at the 37th session of the world heritage committee held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Kumbhalgarh fort, along with five other forts of Rajasthan, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site under the group hill forts of Rajasthan.
The chief architect who built this fort was Mandan, who documented his style of work in his text, Rajvallabh. Before Rana Kumbha built the new fort, there was a small fort, limited to small hilly area, believed to have been built by king Samprati of the Maurya and was known as Matsyaendra durg. Rana lakha won this entire area and plains of Godwar from Chauhan Rajputs of nadol in late 14th century.
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. Kumbhalgarh also separated Mewar and Marwar from each other and was used as a place of refuge for the rulers of Mewar at times of danger. The fort is also known to be the birthplace of Maharana Pratap.
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. The frontal walls are fifteen feet thick. Kumbhalgarh has seven fortified gateways. There are over 70 temples within the fort, both Jain and Hindu temples. From the palace top, it is possible to see Kilometers into the Aravalli 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 emperor Akbar to provide water to the troops.
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 by Maharana Kumbha. Ram pol is the main entrance of the fort, there is another entrance towards the east, called Vijay pol.
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. Most buildings are visible from the Ram pol, which is considered an architectural specimen.