Gwalior Fort
INTRODUCTION
The name of this place ‘Gwalior’ is said to have derived from a saint name called ‘Galava’. There is a tail that once a king named Suraj Sen affected to a malady known as leprosy, had been cured by saint Galava, who used the water of Suraj Kund “Sun Tank” located near to the fort.
The road becomes steeper and steeper and eventually leads through a narrow acclivity before you reach the fort on the broad top of the hill. The original road, the walls rising to over 15 meters, and the man-made sheer cliffs, were fashioned over eleven centuries ago. But the weight of history seems to rest lightly on the fort today. On your left is the office of the Archaeological Survey of India, a museum, and a water pavilion that, reputedly, was devoted to musical performances during the reign of the Mughals, many of whom prided them on being patrons of the arts. The museum has interesting exhibits, well displayed and identified. Like all the museums run by the central Archaeological Survey of India, (ASI), photography is not allowed inside. (Those under the state Archaeological Department permit photography for a small fee.) There are two particularly interesting descriptive boards inside the museum: one of the Hindu Avatar, the successive incarnations of Lord Vishnu, the preserver; the other on the Jain Tirthankars. Both concepts deliver the reassuring message that life on earth is guided by supernal beings that manifest themselves whenever they are needed. To the front, and left, of the museum raises the massive bulk of the Man Mandir Palace.
HISTORY
Gwalior Fort is located on an isolated rock in Gwalior district of the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh; the geographical coordination for this place is 26.2303°N 78.1689°E. it is known to be the biggest fort in the country, a postage stamp has been issued by the Indian Postal Service to immortalize the importance of this place. Gwalior has a great variety of cultural heritage and imperialism as this Fort had its construction in the 8th century & since then many dynasties ruled over the place along with Mughals and British, they continuously built many places under the city. Even it is said that Mughal Emperor Babur quoted about this place that – “the pearl in the necklace of the forts of Hind”.
There is two sub-part of the fort history in which the one part describes the Man Mandir Palace and the second one Gurjari Palace. The first part was built in the early Tomar rule, while the second part, the Gurjari Mahal which is now a museum and the palace, was constructed by Raja Man Singh Tomar in the 15th century for his admire queen, Mrignayani. Researchers stated that the fort constructed to nearly 727 AD (legends said its 275 AD) history of this fort is indelibly linked to the former kingdom of Gwalior, ruled by several Rajput kings. One nearby chaturbhuj temple (dedicated to a four-armed Hindu god Vishnu) is dated to 875 AD, which has the close identity with the Teli-Ka-Mandir. Record define that dynasties like Kacchawa Pal Dynasty, Pratihar rulers, Turkic rulers, Tomar Rulers, ruled over Gwalior before the 15th century.
Gwalior Fort Light and Sound Show
The Gwalior Fort hosts a spectacular sound and light show every evening. This show is extremely well executed and makes you feel as if you are a part of the rich history of the fort and the love story of Raja Man Singh and his queen Mrignayani.
The show takes place in the amphitheatre at the Man Mandir. The timings for the show are as follows:
Hindi Show: 7:30 PM
English Show: 8:30 PM
Gwalior Fort Timings and Entry Fee
The Gwalior Fort is open on all days from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM
The entry fee for the fort is as follows:
Indians: INR 75 per person
Foreigners: INR 250 per person
For children: Free entry for children below 15 years of age
Camera Fee: None
Best time to visit Gwalior Fort
The best time to visit the Gwalior Fort is during the autumn and spring season, that is between October and March. One can also enjoy the visit during the time of monsoon when the surrounding is verdant green, and the air is fresh and crisp.
How to Reach Gwalior Fort
The best way to reach the Gwalior Fort is through auto-rickshaw which can go up to the Urvai Gate, the western entrance of the fort. There are two approaches to the fort, the second one being the eastern entrance which does not allow any vehicle. Both the paths are steep treks after one point. However, the stunning view of this striking fort from the eastern side makes the whole trip worthwhile. Make sure not to miss the beautiful rock sculptures on your way down from the western side.
Tips
1. Do not litter around the fort and follow all the guidelines given by the fort authorities.
2. Make sure not the miss the brilliant light and sound show.
MEDIEVAL HISTORY
Ibrahim Lodhi from Lodhi Dynasty won the fort in 1519, then after his death, Mughal emperor sniff the opportunities and took the control over the fort, but his son Humayun get defeated by Sher Shah Suri, the fort came under the reign of the Suri dynasty.In 1540 his son Islam Shah shifted his capital from Delhi to Gwalior, as it was the safer place in the term to frequent attacks from the west. In the year 1553, when Islam Shah died his incumbent Adil Shah Suri appointed the Hindu warrior Hemu also known as Hem Chandra Vikramaditya as the prime minister-cum-chief of Army of his kingdom. Later he attacked Adil Shah Regime and defeated them over 22 times. And after defeating Akbar’s forces at Agra and Delhi in 1556, he established ‘Hindu Raj” as a Vikramaditya King in north India and had his coronation at Purana Quila in New Delhi on 07th Oct. 1556.
HOW TO REACH
By Flight: The city Gwalior has its own Airport which is only 08 km away to the heart of the city, there are many local taxis and buses those can make you reach to the airport from the city or if you going to land in airport then the same option would be there to hire taxis from direct to the airport, Many air travel agencies fly their flights from Gwalior to Delhi, Agra, Indore, Bhopal, Mumbai, Jaipur and Varanasi. Delhi International airport, which is nearly 321 km from Gwalior, is the main connecting airport for international travellers.
By Train: There is plenty of trains for Gwalior as Gwalior railway station (Railway Code: GWL) is a major rail junction in Delhi-Chennai and Delhi-Mumbai rail line. It is connected to almost all important cities and tourist destinations in India, by Train. Trains coming from South India, Western India passes through Gwalior city so stops here. We can have a direct train from New Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur, Agra, Jabalpur, Indore, Udaipur, Chittorgarh, Ajmer, Bharatpur, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Nagpur, Bhopal, Varanasi, Allahabad etc.
By Road: Being the main tourist spot and near to Agra the road transport of Gwalior is excellent & that too without too many bumps as roads are smoother there, Gwalior is connected by state-owned buses and private deluxe buses from in and around all major cities. Due to frequent travelling towards Gwalior, on some routes, we can find availability of air-conditioned buses. there are number of important tourist destinations around Gwalior city that can be easily visited by road like New Delhi (321 kms), Datia (75kms), Agra (120 kms), Chambal Sanctuary (150kms), Shivpuri (120kms), Orchha (150kms), Indore 486 kms) and Jaipur (350 kms). Apart from tourism centre, Gwalior is also important administrative & military centre due to which its road connectivity is good with nearby cities & towns.
RANI LAXMI BAI & GWALIOR FORT
The Indian history witnessed many patriots of this motherland for which they died & will be immortal in our memories, among them is a most famous name Rani Lakshmibai or often people called ‘Jhansi Ki Rani’. She has a significant role in Independence of India & especially in ‘Indian Rebellion of 1857’.She fought many battles but two battles are most noteworthy, the first fight held between Jhansi Ki Rani and Brtish at Jhansi in April 1858 where Lakshmi Bai got defeated, and then she escaped forming a rebel group.
Another battle was fought between Jhansi ki Rani and Sinde’s (feudatory of the British), which she won but British continues relentlessly attacked Gwalior Fort and on 16 and 17 June 1858 Lakshmi Bai fought with her leftover forces but unfortunately, she was killed in the cavalry charge made by British.
ZERO & GWALIOR FORT
While counting lots many things about this Fort, how can anyone forget to count ‘0’ (Zero) Shunya, as, without it, numbers are for nothing? Some researchers and history stated that first ever use of Zero recorded here. This site is of mathematical interest because of what is written on a tablet recording the establishment of a small 9th-century Hindu temple on the eastern side of the plateau. By accident, it records the oldest "0" in India for which a definite date can be assigned.
BEST TIME TO VISIT
Gwalior fort is open for visitors throughout the year. As it is a heritage structure, it can be visited in any season. Here we can observe winters in months of Nov-Dec-Jan-Feb where the temperature dips into 03°C due to cold waves from North India. Summers season can be observed in Mar-Apr-May-June during which temperature reaches 45°C or even more. From July to October, this region receives its maximum rainfall as it is the monsoon season for Central India. Usually, maximum tourists come from October to March as it is a good season to visit this region.
ACCOMMODATION
Gwalior city offers a number of luxury, standard & budget category hotels to visitors for accommodation purpose. Here we can have luxury heritage hotel like Usha Kiran Palace from Taj Group. In addition to this, there are good quality standard hotels like Landmark, hotel Shelter, Central Park, Hotel Grace, Gwalior Regency etc. Similarly, for budget category traveller, the city has hotels like hotel Surbhi etc.
NEXT TO GWALIOR FORT
Agra: It is a popular among all over the world due to the presence of Taj Mahal in this city. Agra is in 120kms/03:00hrs North of Gwalior city. In addition to this World Heritage, Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri are also important tourist attractions in Agra city.
Chambal Wildlife Sanctuary: It is a popular wildlife destination on 150kms North-East of Gwalior, close to Agra city primarily known for bird watching. On the bank of Chambal river, it is good for birding, boating and exploring some heritage locations of Utter Pradesh.
Shivpuri: Shivpuri is a small town in West of Gwalior city. It is a known for heritage buildings like Scindia Chhatris (cenotaphs), temples and other historical monuments. In addition to this nearby Madhav National Park is another important natural site where one can do wildlife safari and boating in the lake. Karera wildlife sanctuary on the way from Gwalior to Shivpuri is another important birding site offers a great opportunity for bird watching for avifauna lovers.
Orchha: It is a small town in 150kms/03:00hrs South of Gwalior city in Madhya Pradesh state. Orchha is located on the bank of Betwa river and known for historical buildings of Bundela dynasty like Jehangir Palace, cenotaphs, temples and other surrounding monuments.
Datia: It is a small town, 75kms South of Gwalior city, on the way from Gwalior to Jhansi/Orchha. It is popular for multi-storied Datia fort and other nearby temples.
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