Kumbhalgarh,second longest wall in the world - Rajasthan,India.- a world heritage site.

second longest wall in the world,Kumbhalgarh fort, Rajasthan, India. pinkcity.com

2nd longest wall in the world,Kumbhalgarh fort, Rajasthan, India en.wikipedia.org

 Rajastan, India's one of the most colorful states is replete with lots of mystifying, mindboggling  and fascinating  palatial palaces and huge forts that take us right back to their glorious and vibrant past. Rulers of north and north west India always lived in constant fear of invasions from nearby rulers  as we as foreign rulers  from NW frontier regions. So, they felt compelled to build huge strong self- contained forts with all facilities to stay alive in case of prolonged sieges. Hence, these regions have  numerous forts unlike southern india where the threats from other rulers were minimum.   

Second longest  wall in the world,Kumbhalgarh fort ,Rajastha, India. entrance with massive gate. en.wikipedia.org

Temples in Kumbhalgarh fort, Rajasthan, India. karnipalace.com

 Built on a hilltop 1100 meters above sea level, the fort of Kumbhalgarh, is a well-known  Mewar fortress in  Rajsamand District of Rajasthan state in western India. Situated 82 km from Udaipur, this self-contained fort  was mainly built for the purpose of using it for refuge of Mewar rulers in case of danger from invasions. During the siege of Chittaur, the child prince of Mewar was kept here. Later Udai succeeded to the throne. He was the one who founded the city of Udaipur.
 
The huge fort  has perimeter walls that extend 36 kilometers and  is the second longest continuous wall in the world  with seven fortified gateways.  The  walls in the front  are fifteen feet thick. . The Kumbhalgarh was built in 15 th century and ruled by Kumbha and his  Sisodia  Rajput descendants. The extension of the fort wall continued up to 19th century.  It is believed that the fort work began after a human sacrifice volunteered by a soldier. There are over 360 temples within the fort, 300 ancient Jain and the rest Hindu. This fort is impregnable but once fell to the combined force of Mogul Emperor Akbar and others mainly due to shortage of water.
Legend has it that Maharana  Kumbha, the builder of this fort,  had a practice of burning huge lamps that consumed 50 kgs of ghee and 100 kg of cotton to provide light for the farmers  who worked during the nights.
 
Kumbhalgarh is the birth place of the great warrior and  ruler of Mewar, Maharana Pratap. Now open to public view this fort is spectacularly lit  for some time in the evening; this lighting arrangement brings out in full the beauty and grandeur of this wonderful fort. From the palace top, one  can see the  distant Aravalli Range and he sand dunes of the Thar desert. It is a world heritage site.
Ref:

http://www.rajasthaninfo.org/kumbhalgarh.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumbhalgarhxxxx