Gwalior Fort

A Fort which narrates - existence and death, courage and cowardice, struggle and compatibility, pride and trait, conquests and despair, trueness and betrayal, war and peace have been described as the pearl among the fortresses by the Mughal Emperor Babar. With a combination of disruptive and beautiful consequential past, the Gwalior Fort scatters over an area of 3 sq km, delimited by massive walls of sandstone, which hold in three temples, six palaces and a number of water tanks. Raja Man Singh Tomar built this fort in the 15th century and since then its been regarded as one of the most secured and unassailable fort of North and Central India. Five centuries since then, the Gwalior Fort has been the setting of some of the momentous events in the history of the region under the charge of the Tomars, the Mughals, the Marathas and the British who finally handed it over to the Scindias.


Attractions Within And Around The Gwalior Fort
Man Singh (Man Mandir) Palace
Man Mandir Palace is one of the most attractive monuments of the Gwalior Fort, named after the great Tomar King Raja Man Singh and is supposed to be built in the 15th century, between 1486 and 1517. Ducks, elephants and peacocks painted in bright colors that adom the walls of the palace are still vibrant today. Due to such tiled and painted decorations, the palace is also referred as the Chit Mandir or Painted Palace.

Jai Vilas Palace And Scindia Museum
Resembling an Italian heritage Jai Vilas Palace was built by Lt. Col. Sir Michael Filose, to welcome the 'Prince of Wales' on his visit during the 19th Century. Its a home to the current Maharaja, although 35 of its rooms are devoted to Scindia Museum which are opened for public visit to display royal memorabilia. The Museum holds extraordinary accumulation of artifacts from around the world. The crystal staircase, Rolls Royce on rails, a German bubble car, many stuffed tigers, and erotica featuring an explicit life-sized marble statue of Leda having her way with a swan, the famous model train that carries after dinner brandy, dry fruit and cigars around the table is an enchanting curiosity, arched ceiling with stunning gold leaf work, two of the world's largest chandeliers, each weighing over three tons are highly worthy items found within the mansion. The Durbar Hall on the other hand has the largest carpet in Asia, which took 12 years to get weaved in Gwalior jail.

Teli Ka Mandir (Teli's Temple)
Built in 9th century this 100 ft High shrine is a Pratihara Vishnu temple of a unique merge of several architectural sorts. The roof of the temple is distinctively shaped Dravidian, while the temple depicts the sheer purity of Indo-Aryan characteristics.

Saas Bahu Ka Mandir
Like others this temple too is devoted to Lord Vishnu. These two temples stand close to the eastern wall about halfway along that side of the Gwalior fort and are styled alike and dated back to 9th to 11th centuries. The bigger of two has an ornately sculpted base with four huge pillars supporting the heavy roof.

Chatarbhuj Mandir
Built in AD 876, Chatarbhuj Mandir or Temple Of The Four Armed is a Vishnu shrine temple in Gwalior. Lying on the left side of Ram Raja Temple, Chatarbhuj Temple depicts an explicit example of ultimate art. There are narrow and steep steps that go to the roof of the temple providing a great view of surrounding areas to its visitors. The monumental curved structure of Lord Vishnu in the temple offersaas bahu ka mandir great sight of fascination.

Tansen's Tomb
The tomb of Tansen has a pure chasteness about it, built in the early Moghul architectural manner, this memorial of the great musician Tansen have much more to offer than a monument, the tomb is part of Gwalior's living cultural heritage. Leading musicians around the country gather here to give performances in the annual festival held during the month of November-December.

Sonagiri
Situated 60 km from Gwalior this divine place is a mountainous region with about 77 Jain temples, and is one of the major pilgrim centers for Jains. Since the time of their 8th tirthankar, Sonagiri has been a center to achieve nirvana as it is believed that a number of Jain saints including Nang, Anang, Ashoksen and Shridatta have attained salvation there. All the Jain temples found here are noted for their huge spires and exquisite architecture.

Important Facts About Gwalior Fort
History : Built by Raja Man Singh Tomar in the 15th century.
Artifact : Spread over 3 Sq km in the city of Gwalior with 3 temples and 6 palaces in its premises.
Attractions : Water tanks,rock faces with intricate carvings of the Jain Tirthankars, Annual Musical Fest etc.
Best Time To Visit : End of October to early March
Time Required For Sightseeing : 3 to 4 hours
Ideal For : Photography