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The Gwalior Fort is situated
in the eastern part of the city of Gwalior. This whole Fort is divided
into two main parts, the Gujari Mahal and the Man Mandir. These two
parts are further divided into sub parts.
The Fort is built on a
hillock which is a part of the Vindhyachal Range and is known as the
Gopachal Hill. A beautiful small river flows near the fort which is
called the Swarnarekha.
According to the legends, there lived a chief of the Silhonia village
known as Suraj Sen Kachhawa who went on a hunting trip one day and came
across the hermit Gwalipa or Galava. This saint is said to have given
him water from the Surajkund reservoir that healed leprosy. As a token
of gratitude Suraj Sen built a city and named it Gwalior after the Saint
Gwalipa.
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The longest ruling dynasty of
Gwalior was the Pal Dynasty who ruled for almost a 1000 years and was
immediately followed by the Pratihara Dynasty. The rule then changed
hands from the Pratiharas to the Turks, Tomar, Suri, Mughals, Rana Jats
and the Marathas.
The Fort premise is very well maintained and has many historical
buildings such as palaces, temples, tanks, etc. There are 11 temples
dedicated to Gautama Buddha and Jain Tirthankaras. The main palaces are
the Gujari, Man Mandir, Karn Palace, the Jahangir and the Shah Jahan.
The Fort has a very irregular appearance. There are two main entrances
among which the Hathi Pul or the elephant Gate is more beautiful.
The Man Mandir was built and named after Maharaja Man Singh Tomar and is
known for its beautiful architecture and the designs and carvings on its
walls. The Gujari Mahal was a gift of love from Maharaja Man Singh Tomar
to his beloved wife Mrignayani, the princess of Gujar after he won her
hand for marriage. It was built to fulfill her widh of a separate palace
with all day water facility from the River Rai.
The other important buildings
are Teli Ka Mandir, Vikram Mahal, Sas-Bahu Temple, Garuda Monument,
Chhatri of Bhim Singh Rana, etc. The Gujari mahal is now transferred
into a museum.
Getting There
The easiest way to get to Gwalior
is definitely by train. Gwalior lies on the main rail routes between
Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Chennai and is a halt for a number of north-south
and north-west bound trains. The journey to Gwalior from Delhi is
comfortably short as two superfast trains, the Taj Express and the
Shatabdi Express have daily morning services to Gwalior. Both trains
return to Delhi each night, making it ideal for day-trippers. The ride
by the Shatabdi takes around 3 hours from Delhi and by the Taj Express,
approximately 41/2 hours. Both trains travel via Agra, which is just an
hour and half away.
Gwalior Airport
is approximately
10 km North-East of
Gwalior. You can use any of the public
transport to reach there.
Air India Regional
operated schedule flights connecting this Airport with Delhi and
Mumbai.
There are regular bus services
connecting major cities including Agra (118 km), Bhopal (423 km), Delhi (318
km), Indore (486 km), Khajuraho (280 km) and Sanchi (344 km) to Gwalior. But
the state run transport buses are not very comfortable or quick, though the
low cost of fares often compensates the budget traveller.
Getting Around
Metered taxis, private cabs, auto
rickshaws cycle rickshaws, tongas (horse drawn carts), city buses and the
rattletrap three wheeled tempos that try to carry more passengers than
possible are the different modes of public transport readily available.
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