Kumbhalgarh is a Mewar fortress in the Rajsamand District of Rajasthan state in western India. Built during the course of the 15th century CE by Rana Kumbha , and enlarged through the 1800s, Kumbhalgarh is also a birthplace of Maharana Pratap, the great king and warrior of Mewar. Occupied till the nineteenth century, the fort is now open to the general public as a museum and is spectacularly lit for a few minutes each evening. Kumbalgarh is situated 82 km from Udaipur towards its northwest and is easily accessible by road.
It is the most important fort in Mewar after Chittaurgarh. The Kumbhalgarh fort is built on a hilltop 1100 metres in altitude, Kumbhalgarh fort has perimeter walls that extend 36 kilometres in length, claimed to be the longest in the world after the Great Wall of China. The frontal walls are fifteen feet thick. Kumbhalgarh has seven fortified gateways. Over 360 temples are within the fort, 300 ancient Jain and the rest Hindu. The vista from the palace top typically extends tens of kilometers into the Aravalli Range. It is widely believed that the sand dunes of the Thar desert can be seen from the fort walls. According to legend the Maharana of Kumbhalgarh tried so many times to build the wall of the fort but each time failed to do so. They consulted a local pilgrim about their construction problems. The pilgrim advised that he be beheaded and after cutting his head to build a temple where the head should fall, and to build the wall and the fort where the rest of his body lay. Following his advice, they succeed in building the world's second largest wall. According to popular folklore, Maharana Kumbha used to burn massive lamps that consumed fifty kgs of Ghee and a hundred kgs of cotton to provide light for the farmers who worked during the nights in the valley.
