Udaipur to Kumbhalgarh by Road
This Blog is about my Road Trip to Kumbhalgarh Fort from Udaipur. I started my journey along with my mom from the city of lakes, Udaipur. We had booked a cab beforehand so we don’t face any issues on the D-Day. We had our breakfast and set out on our two-hour journey to reach Kumbhalgarh. The distance between Udaipur and Kumbhalgarh fort is around 86 km. The distance can be easily covered in two hours.
We woke up in the morning, got ready, had our breakfast, and as soon we were in the cab, on our way to Kumbhalgarh. It was my first visit to the Kumbhalgarh Fort. I really love Road Trips for obvious reasons. You can take a halt whenever you want, click amazing pictures, eat whenever you want, stop wherever and whenever you want. More than sitting at the back and watching vehicles and people pass by, I love driving. It gives you a sense of freedom.
However, this time we preferred a driver because we were traveling to Kumbhalgarh for the first time, and I am not a skillful driver when it comes to hills. As soon as the Journey started I was really excited to reach Kumbhalgarh and visit the Fort. I believe in enjoying the journey as much as the destination. Moreover, I love stopping midway for refreshments and clicking pictures, meeting the local people, talking to them, and share my experiences.
kumbhalgarh fort from udaipur
As mentioned, It took us 2 hours to reach Kumbhalgarh. What an amazing journey it was! The drive through the green hills was absolutely fascinating. For a moment it didn’t feel like we were in Rajasthan. The clouds passing by and the misty atmosphere with Aravali range behind. Surely, it was a surreal view.
Decidedly, we had booked a resort, but Google map couldn’t locate it, and there was nobody on the road whom we could ask. It was off-season so there were not a lot of people at the place. We finally found a shepherd and asked him the location of the Resort, but we ended up reaching the wrong destination. However, when we reached there, the driver enquired about the location and we finally understood where the place was.
We reached our resort in no time. It had a swimming pool and huge cottages with spacious rooms. I took a stroll around the place, and then we went to have lunch at the Restaurant. We climbed up some stairs and there it was. Just a normal place to eat, nothing great. It could definitely be better. The quality of the food was fine. As soon as I had my lunch, I came back to my room, took a shower, and slept.
Hence, I woke up after an hour. It was already 2 PM and we had to leave for the Kumbhalgarh Fort. It was a half an hour drive to the Fort. We reached in exactly half an hour. We parked our car, paid the parking fee, and bought our tickets.
History and facts about the Kumbhalgarh Fort
Certainly, I often read about the places I visit but I didn’t read a lot about Kumbhalgarh. (Road trip to Kumbhalgarh Fort from Udaipur). Usually, my trips are well planned, but this wasn’t and I am happy about it. Unplanned trips have their own contentment and excitement. I got to know everything about the fort after I reached there. I love History and Architecture. I was aware that the Fort was built by Rana Kumbha, the Great Sisodia warrior.
However, I got to know that it was the Birthplace of Maharana Pratap only after I reached there. Also, It has the second largest wall in the World, after the Great Wall of China, i.e. 36 km long. Further, It has more than 300 temples located around the complex.
Kumbhalgarh Fort
In 1443-1458 AD Rana Kumbha built this fort, under the supervision of the famous architect, Mandan. The Fort has 8 Gates called Pols, namely- Aaret Pol, Halla Pol, Hanuman Pol, Ram Pol, Vijay Pol, Bhairon Pol, Nimboo Pol, and Paghra Pol. Moreover, the Fort complex has Hindu and Jain temples such as- Vedi Temple, Neelkanth Mahadev Temple, Charbhuja Temple, Ganesh Temple, Golerao Group of Temples, Parshunath Temple, Badal Mahal, Royal Chatris, Baoris, and many more.
As soon as we entered the fort complex, the grand fortress in front of me made me speechless. I kept standing there and staring at its architecture. Then we moved forward towards the Temple complex. We entered the first temple we saw, called the Yagna Vedi Temple Complex. After the Kumbhalgarh Fort got completed, a yagna was performed by Rana Kumbha in this fort. Therefore, this is the known reason for building this temple and hence the name.
Moving forward, the next temple we visited was the Ganesh Temple. There’s another temple located behind the Ganesh temple, called the Neelkanth Mahadev Temple. There are 100’s of more such temples in the complex. Isn’t it wonderful? After visiting as many temples as we could, we started walking uphill towards the main Palace Complex. Certainly, the main palace complex consists of the most important structures within the fort, namely Badal Mahal or Fateh Prakash, Kumbha Mahal, and the birthplace of Maharana Pratap, located a little outside of the main structures. There’s a single path that leads to all the mentioned structures except the Birthplace of the Maharana Pratap.
Birth Place of Maharana Pratap
The Birth Place of Maharana Pratap or Jhalia ka Malia is in the Fort complex. The entrance to the room is through stairs. Nonetheless, the room did not seem attached to the Palace, and I kept thinking about the reason. Maybe it was only used during the times when a child was born, possibly an infirmary, because it certainly didn’t look like a place where a queen would live.
Badal Mahal
The Badal Mahal had two parts- The Mardana Mahal (chamber for males) and the Zanana Mahal(chamber for females). Furthermore, It is the highest point in the Kumbhalgarh Fort, and hence called the “Palace of clouds” or Badal Mahal. The two chambers interconnected, and the rooms are painted with murals of elephants.
Light and Sound Show at Kumbhalgarh Fort
Light and Sound Show at the fort will be the best thing you’ll witness. Moreover, it is surely going to leave you spellbound. It was one of the best things about Kumbhalgarh Trip. The pink dusk sky, the fresh yet cold air which sent a chill down my spine. The bold voice dictating the story of Kumbhalgarh, nothing could be a better end of the day than this.
You shouldn’t miss watching this amazing show in any condition. What a sight it was! The sun was setting and the sky was magnificent pink, and the lights started along with the music. It gave me goosebumps for a second. I think I’ll never forget the feeling.
Best Time to visit Kumbhalgarh Fort
Not only Kumbhalgarh but winter is the best time to visit Rajasthan. The temperature is not high and it’s comfortable to visit the monuments. The best months to visit the fort are from October the o February. To conclude, I visited Kumbhalgarh Fort around the end of July, and the heat was unbearable so we decided to visit the fort in late noon.
Timings- 9 AM to 6 PM every day
Ticket Price- INR 15 for Indian citizens and INR 200 for foreigners.
Thanks for reading the Blog-“Road Trip to Kumbhalgarh Fort from Udaipur”.
Hope you had a great read!
Also read- https://toursandjourney.com/east-coast-road-trip-in-india/
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