Touring in Rajasthan India - Chittorgarh, Kumbhalgarh and Ranakpur.

Sightseeing and Touring Holiday Guide about days out visiting Chittorgarh Fort, Ranakpur Jain Temples and Kumbhalgarh Fort.

India - Chittorgarh Fort and Temples. Chittorgarh is located in the south west of Rajasthan, India - and is the proud possessor of one of the largest forts to be found in Asia. Built by Maharana Kumbha the fort is 5 kilometres long and one kilometre wide and is protected by seven huge spiked gates. Should you be staying at Udaipur whilst on an Indian Tour it is easily possible to visit Chittaurgarh - there is a train service though the timings are not brilliant for a day trip - also buses are quicker and do run there regularly. An alternative is to hire a car and driver for the day - cost should be around 1500 Rupees. Apart from speed and convenience one of the advantages of going by car is you get to see a bit of Rajasthan's countryside - and with two routes possible then you can go one way and return the other.

The distance from Udaipur to Chittorgarh is around 115 kilometres but this is a good fast road. There is a toll fee on the main road (State Highway 9) but this is only around 45 rupees similarly you may have to pay a few rupees parking fee near the Fort entrance.
The entrance fee to the Fort is 100 rupees and the fort is open daily 07:00 to 18:00. Worth noting that once you start wandering around there is no refreshment available until you get quite a way out by the market at Kalika Mata Temple.

 

Visiting India's Kumbhalgarh Fort and then Ranakpur Jain Temple Complex including Adinath Temple.

These two sites are easily visited on a long day out from Udaipur. If you hire a car and driver - which should cost around 1500 rupees - you can easily achieve these visits. Because of opening times it is necessary to visit Kumbhalgarh Fort first and allow around 2 hours to wander around and only then plan on visiting Ranakpur with the aim of getting there in the early afternoon. This because the Jain Temple site at Ranakpur only opens at midday. One benefit of making this type of trip by car is that the drive through the hills is really interesting - several villages and some excellent scenery to enjoy.

India - Kumbhalgarh Fort. Situated in the Aravalli Hills, Rajasthan, India Kumbhalgarh Fort is around 60 Kilometres north of Udaipur. The Fort is open daily and has an entrance fee of 100 Rupees. Sat around 1000 metres above sea-level the fort dates from the 15th Century and was built by Maharana Kumbha (who was also responsible for building the great fort at Chittorgarh). The ramparts are extremely wide and can accommodate six horsemen riding abreast - they stretch for approximately 36kms and make quite a site as they follow the contours of the various small hills in the area. The ramparts have been re-furbished and it is apparently possible to walk around them though this would be some walk. Within the Fort there is the Badal Mahal palace which is 19th century. Entrance to the palace involves a bit of a climb from the Fort's car-park - you have to go through various gates on the way however once up there are great views of the surrounding countryside as well as various temples dotted around in the valley.

Apart from visiting the palace there are also quite a few Jain and Hindu temples in the immediate area which are well worth wandering around and you can also stretch your legs and enjoy a wander along part of the ramparts as you do this.

 

India - Ranakpur Jain Temple Complex. Set in the Aravalli Hills around 90 kilometres to the northwest of Udaipur, Ranakpur is the site of a 15th century Jain Temple complex. The main temple is the marble Adinath Temple and opposite this there is an even older Sun Temple. One of the features of Adinath Temple is that it is sat on a pedestal and on this are 1440 white marble pillars holding up the temple with each of these pillars uniquely carved with motifs. Set in small gardens the temple site is open from 12:00 to 17:00 daily and entrance is free however if you wish to use a camera then there is a 50 rupee charge.

Adinath Temple is huge and actually difficult to photograph in it's entirely unless you get quite a long way from it - the first picture below is the best we could get. The subsequent pictures below are of smaller Jain Temples which are located within the grounds and gardens of Adinath Temple.

 

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