|
tank
and the king was cured. Suraj Kund is still in the fort.
The king established a town here and in gratitude, named
the town after the saint Gwalipa. Gwalior is known for
its historic massive 15th century fort. The distinctive
and colourful hill fort of Gwalior on the north-south
corridor was the key to control of the Central
Provinces. Hindi and English are the main languages
which are spoken here. The best season to visit Gwalior
is from October to March.
History of Gwalior
Gwalior was ruled by Suraj Sen. The saint Gwalipa gave
the king a new name, Suhan Pal and directed him that so
long as his descendants would retain the Pal name they
would rule uninterruptedly. This lasted for 84
generations. The 85th descendant changed his name to Tej
Karan and lost his throne. An inscription in the fort
records that during the 5th century reign of Mihiragula
the Hun, a temple of the sun was erected here. In more
historical times, Gwalior came into limelight when Tomar
Rajputs took power in 1398. Gwalior rulers became
involved in wars with neighbouring kings. Man Singh
Tomar who came to power in 1486 was the greatest of the
Tomar Kings. He defeated the Lodhis of Delhi. When
Sikandar Lodhi attacked again, Man Singh died but his
son held the fort for one year. Muslim invaders like
Qutb-ud-din-Aibak also ruled Gwalior before it passed
into through a succession of Tomar Rajputs, Mughal,
Afghan and Marathas. During the Mughal period, Babur was
defeated but Man Singh’s grandson continued to fight
till Akbar became the Emperor. After the Mughals, the
Marathas took over Gwalior and they were followed by the
British. Maharaja Scindia sided with the British during
the Mutiny but his forces did not. Gwalior was the scene
of many bloody battles with the British in 1857. During
the 1857 Mutiny, the Maharaja remained loyal to the
British but his troops, 6500 of them, mutinied on Sunday
June 14th. Next year, there was fierce fighting round
Gwalior, the rebels being led by Tantia Tope and the
Queen of jhansi. When the fort was taken by the British,
the Rani was found dressed in men’s clothes among the
slain. Although the Maharaja of Gwalior had remained
loyal to the British they kept the fort for another
thirty years.
Tourist Attractions in Gwalior
The main tourist attraction in Gwalior is the Gwalior
Fort and Teli-ka Mandir and Sas Bahu Mandir. The other
tourist attractions in Gwalior are Man Mandir Palace and
Vikramaditya Palace. The Gwalior Fort, situated on the
top of the hill dominates the Gwalior city. The fort is
situated on a high sandstone precipice about 91 m above
the surrounding plain and is 2.8 km long and 200-850 m
wide. In some places the cliff overhangs, in other it
has been scarped to make it unscalable. The main
entrance to the north comprised of a twisting, easily
defended approach and the seven gates. The unique Teli-ka
Mandir is about 30 m high and a Pratihara Vishnu Temple.
This temple dates back to the 9th century AD and blends
a number of regional styles. The Sas Bahu Mandir
(Mother-in-law, Daughter-in-law temple) is also
dedicated to Vishnu. This temple belongs to the 11th
century. The larger of the two has an ornately carved
base and four heavy pillar support the roof.
More....
How to reach Gwalior
By Air:
Gwalior is connected by Indian Airlines flights with
Delhi, Mumbai, Bhopal, Indore. The airport is situated
about 12 km from the city centre.
By Rail:
Gwalior is situated on the Central Railway line between
Delhi, Mumbai and the Chennai-Delhi. It is directly
connected by rail with Delhi, Amritsar, Mumbai,
Bangalore, Bhopal, Jhansi and Agra.
By Road:
Gwalior is accessible on the NH3 (Agra-Mumbai) and on
the State Highway from Jhansi. It is connected by road
to Shivpuri, Indore, Ujjain, Agra, Jabalpur, Jhansi and
Khajuraho. |
