Sightseeing in Kumbalgarh & Ranakpur

Kumbhalgarh ("Kumbhal fort") is a Mewar fortress on the westerly range of Aravalli Hills, in the Rajsamand district near Udaipur of Rajasthan state in western India. It is a World Heritage Site included in Hill Forts of Rajasthan. Built during the course of the 15th century by Rana Kumbha, Kumbhalgarh is also the birthplace of Maharana Pratap, the great king and warrior of Mewar. Occupied until the late 19th century, the fort is now open to the public and is spectacularly lit for a few minutes each evening. Kumbalgarh is situated 82 km northwest of Udaipur by road. It is the most important fort in Mewar after Chittaurgarh.

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.

With a wall over 38 km long, the fort is among the largest wall complex in the world, and the second largest fort in Rajasthan after Chittor Fort.

Hindu Temple
A Ganesh temple built on a 12 ft (3.7 m) platform and is considered the earliest of all temples built inside the fort. Neel Kanth Mahadeva temple is located on the eastern side of the fort built during 1458 CE. The central shrine of Shiva is approached through a rectangular enclosure and through a structure supported by 24 huge pillars. The idol of Shiva is made of black stone and is depicted with 12 hands. The inscriptions indicate that the temple was renovated by Rana Shanga.

Jain Temple
Parsva Natha temple (built during 1513), Jain temple on the eastern side and Bawan (52) Jain temples and Golera Jain temple are the major Jain temples in the fort.Mataji temple, also called Kheda Devi temple is located on the southern side of Neela Kanth temple. Mamdeo temple, Pital Shah Jain temple and Surya Mandir (Sun temple) are the other major temples inside the fort.

The renowned Jain Temple at Ranakpur is dedicated to Tirthankara Rishabhanatha.

Dharna Shah, a local Jain businessperson, started construction of the temple in the 15th century following a divine vision. The temple honors Adinath, the first Tirthankar of the present half-cycle (avasarpiṇī) according to Jain cosmology. The town of Ranakpur and the temple are named after the provincial ruler monarch, Rana Kumbha who supported the construction of the temple.

Comments

The 7 Wonders at Eco Park

Pyramid & Sphinx Our last excursion to Eco Park in Rajarhat dates all the way back to February 2015. Since then, a myriad of transformations has swept through the park. During a recent journey to the airport, we caught sight of the park's latest additions, which had become the talk of the town, visible from Biswa Banga Sarani. That sighting ignited our decision to revisit the park. Naturally, we concurred that visiting on a weekend would be an exercise in chaos, so we opted for a weekday to fully savor the wonders that awaited us. To our surprise, even on a weekday, the park teemed with visitors. Upon entering Eco Park for a nominal fee of Rs. 30, we were immediately struck by the sheer value it offered. Personally, I would have willingly paid more for the privilege of glimpsing these marvelous creations. Rather than expound further, I'll let the images convey the essence of what lies within. That being said, it unquestionably merits an in-person visit to truly appreciate ...

AKIRA: A Tiny Japanese Universe in Kolkata

Since we were already out and dinner was calling, we decided to keep things light and find somewhere nearby. A quick search by my wife produced a promising result—a new Japanese place just 9 minutes away , according to Google. Nine minutes? That sounded dangerously convenient. And so off we went to AKIRA , a cute little Japanese cuisine restaurant that is, by almost every definition of the word, tiny . But what it lacks in size, it makes up for in character. The place is done up in Japanese Pop Culture, with Anime and Manga influences everywhere you look. We arrived and, as expected, had to wait a little before we could get in. Which was perfectly fine by me. Because parked outside were two rather handsome motorcycles—a Honda CB350 and a Honda H'ness CB350 . Now, I have a weakness for motorcycles, and apparently, so did the universe that evening. I was admiring the two bikes when the owner of the CB350 appeared. One thing led to another and within seconds we were engaged in that v...

HAL Heritage Centre and Aerospace Museum

I was in Bangalore and this was the only place I actually wanted visit. So here I am taking the tour of India's first aerospace museum located at the HAL facility (opposite the old Bangalore Airport) spread over 4 acres. The displays of actual aircraft are very cool and so are the galleries showing historical pictures and evolution of HAL and its contribution to the nation in Military Aircraft as well as Aerospace. The disappointing thing at the end of the tour was the Gift shop, where I was hoping to find Scale Models of Aircraft and other Memorabilia from the IAF (Indian Air Force), but instead it was a dreary sight to see a shelf which housed Handicrafts! That just didn't make any sense whatsoever. Anyway for those of you who would like to visit this wonderful Museum, the details are below: HF-24 Marut 1T (D1698) IAF MIG-21 Bison (Trainer Version) HAL HJT-36 Sitara (IJT), Intermediate Jet Trainer Prototype. HAL Tejas mock-up (LCA) Light Weight...

TURQUOISE CHILL

Search This Blog