Know These 6 Hill Forts in Rajasthan

I am giving you a piece of tourist information that might be new to you. Yes, all about 6 Hill Forts in Rajasthan.

Do you know that Rajasthan State in India is the second most visited state by tourists, especially by the Foreigners? The first place is always occupied by God’s Own Country-Kerala State.

If you agree it is news to you, then, please read the reasons for its high number of tourist visits.

• Absolutely delicious food, especially vegetarian
• Great hotels to stay including a floating resort
• Palaces that are converted into hotels
• Beautiful Lakes
• Number of historical Hill Forts in Rajasthan that will be awesome
• Colorful attires of Rajasthani people
• Wildlife-rich national parks-example-Ranthambore
• Forts defended by moats
• Incredible architecture
• Palace built in the middle of a lake
• Fantastic temples

The Hill Forts in Rajasthan

There are numerous forts in Rajasthan built by the great warriors of Rajput Kingdom. Of the several forts, there are as many as Hill Forts in Rajasthan that will sweep you away with their stunning architecture, location, and their defensive strategies.

Hill Forts in Rajasthan:

Rajasthan’s most attractive tourist destinations include 6 hill forts, all of which are put under World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.

Even the most renowned architects of the world; past or present have no clue to how such extraordinarily built palaces were built by the Rajasthani people as early as 13 centuries before!

All the Hill Forts in Rajasthan are situated in the Aravalli Mountain Range, the only such hills in the state of Rajasthan.

The names of six Hill Forts in Rajasthan:

• Kumbhalgarh Fort
• Amber Fort
• Jaisalmer Fort
• Chittor Fort
• Ranthambore Fort
• Gagron Fort

I have chosen to review the Kumbhalgarh Fort after reading my friend Sowmya’s post in Facebook.

• Hill Forts in Rajasthan: Kumbhalgarh Fort

What a beautiful location of this hill fort that is ranked as number one in my list of 6 hill forts in Rajasthan. The reason for my ranking it at the top of the list is because of its ‘Great Wall’ that is running for nearly 40 km! It is the second longest wall in the world, next only to the Great Wall of China whose length is a mind boggling 21,000 + km!

Location of Kumbhalgarh fort:

Kumbhalgarh hill fort is located in the Mewar region of Rajasthan. It is situated at a height of 3600 feet on the Aravalli Hills.The other familiar cities in Mewar are:

• Bhilwara
• Chittorgarh
• Udaipur
• Rajsamand

This majestic hill port is seen on the western side of the Aravalli Hills. The Kumbhalgarh fort is located in the Rajsamand district.

How to reach Kumbhalgarh Hill Forts in Rajasthan?

The nearest airport is at Udaipur that is about 85 km away. Udaipur city is connected with other big Indian cities including Jaipur, Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi by flights.

Foreigners choose to land at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, Ahmedabad. You need to drive for roughly 5 hours to reach Kumbhalgarh from there.

Indians who love to travel by train, can book a train ticket up to Falna railway station. From Falna, you have to hit the road and travel the 85 km either by car or by bus.

Major cities in Rajasthan and their distance from the Kumbhalgarh fort:

• Bhilwara-160 km
• Udaipur-85 km
• Ajmer-210 km
• Jaip[ur-350km

Amazing facts of Kumbhalgarh Hill Forts in Rajasthan.

• The external walls are 15 feet in thickness, wide enough for 5 people to walk side by side!

• Inside the Kumbhalgarh fort, there are as many as 360 temples that include a Ganesh temple and the Neel Kanth Mahadeva temple.
• If you climb on the fort wall, you can view the Kumbhalgarh wildlife sanctuary and the“Thar’ desert”.
• Out of the 360 temples inside the Kumbhalgarh fort, 300 of them are Jain temples.

Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary

Fauna in Kumbhalgarh wildlife sanctuary.

It is a fairly large wildlife sanctuary covering an area of nearly 610 sq.km.

The fauna (wildlife) that can be spotted are:

• Indian wolf
• Sloth bear
• Leopard
• Sambhar deer
• Golden Jackal
• Blue Bull (Nilgai)
• Striped Hyena

Avifauna that can be seen in the Kumbhalgarh wildlife sanctuary are:

• Peacocks
• Golden Oriole

   Oh, what a beautiful bird!

• White-breasted kingfisher

   This is the kingfisher that is seen widely all over India.

Horseback animal safari

Instead of the usual elephant safari, in Kumbhalgarh wildlife sanctuary, some tour operators are offering horseback animal safari.

What can you eat in Kumbhalgarh hill fort?

For a slight variation from the delicious Rajasthani cuisine, you get to eat Kathiawadi cuisine. Kathiawar is part of Gujarat and so, you are served the typical Gujarati thali that comprises roti, dal, kadhi, rice, and vegetable gravy.

Ask for Undhiyu, a mixed vegetable dish. Do you know its specialty? The vegetables and the other ingredients are placed in earthenware, then buried upside down under the earth and cooked subterranean!

How do you like?

Staying options in Kumbhalgarh

No. There is nothing there; well almost nothing for the high-end clientele except for a few lodges in Rajasmand. It is better to stay in Udaipur, where the choice of hotels is good.

Wiki Travel has mentioned a few jungle resorts that charge Rs.3000 and above per night.

• Club Mahindra Fort Kumbhalgarh
• Tiger Valley Resort
• Dera Kumbhalgarh Tent House now renamed to Mana Hotels

I think it is adventurous to stay in a tent house if it is located on the fringes of Kumbhalgarh forest with a few good securities. After all, didn’t I mention wolves howling inside the wildlife sanctuary?

Most of the tourists would spend less than two hours in and outside of the Kumbhalgarh hill fort and devote the rest of the day in the nearby wildlife sanctuary.