The 15th-century historic fort town of Kumbhalgarh, renowned as the birthplace of Maharana Pratap and a refuge for the rulers/Maharanas of Mewar during times of strife, is now aspiring to emerge as a prominent destination for tourists from India and abroad.

Kumbhalgarh, the second-most important citadel after Chittorgarh in Mewar’s Rajsamand district, has attracted investment proposals exceeding Rs 1,000 crore, which are expected to directly or indirectly boost tourism inflow.

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According to official sources, during the Rising Rajasthan Global Investment Summit held here last month, various business entities signed memoranda of understanding (MoUs) for hotels, resorts, and other projects, expected to attract investments exceeding Rs 1,000 crore.

As per these MoUs, 20 hotels and resorts, each involving an investment of Rs 25 crore, will come up around the town.

Besides, a large paint manufacturing unit will be opened near Gomti along the Beawar Road at an investment of Rs 500 crore, which alone would provide employment opportunities to over 1,000 jobless youths.

The prospective manufacturers have assured a 70 per cent employment quota for local jobless youths. Requisite training for the factory’s operations is also being arranged at a centre in Lamori.

The process of establishing these projects has already begun at the officials’ level.

Located 84 km north of Udaipur in the wilderness, Kumbhalgarh is nestled in the Aravali Ranges, with the fort (garh) built in the 15th century AD by Rana Kumbha.

The inaccessibility and harsh topography gave the fort an air of invincibility. It served as a refuge for the rulers of Mewar in times of strife, including Maharana Udai Singh, the founder of Udaipur and father of Maharana Pratap, during his early childhood when Banbir killed Vikramaditya and usurped the throne.

The fort is self-contained in all respects to withstand a protracted siege. Its defences were breached only once by the combined armies of the Mughals and Amber, primarily due to scarcity of drinking water.