Gwalior Fort is a majestic and dominating fortress in the historic city of Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh. It is a fort that captures one’s sight immediately as it stands on an isolated rock and contains a lot of palaces and temples. It used to be regarded as North and Central India's most invincible fortress. The fort was built by Raja Man Singh Tomar in the fifteenth century. The fort of Gwalior has seen many ups and downs of history. In the course of almost five hundred years, the Gwalior fort went from one ruler to another. The Mughal emperor Babar referred to the Gwalior Fort as “the pearl amongst fortresses in India”.
The Gwalior fort spreads out over an area of 3 square kms, surrounded by concrete walls of sandstone. The Gwalior fort encloses three temples, six palaces and numerous water tanks. From the Tomars it passed to the Mughals, Marathas and the British. The Gwalior fort finally went to the Scindias from the British.
There are several remarkable Hindu temples within the fort. One pair of temples, known as the Sas Bahu Ka Mandir, is beautifully adorned with bas-reliefs. This pair of temples was finished in 1093, and even though it is not that well maintained, it is still picturesque. There is also a Sikh Gurudwara that is entirely white in color. An older Jain temple has been used as a mosque. Another temple in the fortress of Gwalior is called the Teli-ka-Mandir, or “Oilman’s Temple.” It has ninth century Dravidian-style shrine which is notable for its ornately sculpted exterior.
It was in the same palace the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb imprisoned and later murdered his brother Murad. Then there is gruesome Jauhar Kund, where the women had burnt themselves to death after the defeat of the king of Gwalior in 1232. Other significant palaces within the Gwalior Fort include the Karan Palace, the Jahangir Mahal, the Shah Jahan Mahal and the Gujri Mahal (built by Man Singh for his favorite queen, Mrignayani).
Among the fort’s most prominent palaces is the amazingly ornate Man Singh Palace, built by Man Singh in the 15th century. Gwalior can be reached by plane, road and train.
