Gwalior Fort

Built by the Rajput ruler clan Tomars in the15th century, the awe-inspiring Gwalior fort in Madhya Pradesh is situated on a sandstone precipice, which is 2.8km long and 200-850m wide and 91 m above the surrounding plains. A major portion of the fort was built during the reign of Raja Man Singh, one of the greatest of the Tomar kings, for his Queen Mrignayani. Described as 'the pearl among the fortresses of Hind' by the great Mughal Emperor Babur, the fort surrounded by imposing walls- 35 ft high and two miles in length, is the perfect blend of Hindu and Muslim architecture. The mighty fort dominates Gwalior city, a place which has served as the centre of several historic North Indian kingdoms. With a turbulent and pretty eventful past, the Gwalior fort has changed hands many times, from the Tomars in the 8th century it passed on to the Mughals, then the Marathas under the Scindia's (1754), followed briefly by Lakshmi Bai of Jhansi, Tatiya Tope and the British.

From the British the fort finally went to its former masters, the Scindia's when India became independent. The fort has been a mute witness to many historical battles and events- one of the most important among them being the1857 revolt, as well as the valiant death of Rani of Jhansi, (Rani Laxmibai) in1858 within its ramparts while fighting against the British.  

This magnificent fort with two main entrances, encloses three complexes, six palaces, temples and a number of water tanks. Inside the fort there are some wonders of medieval architecture, including temples such as Teli-ka-Mandir (8-11th century AD) and Sas Bahu ka Mandir (11th century), palaces like Gujari Mahal (16th century) and Man Mandir Palace (15th century) and Suraj Kund, an 8th century AD water tank where the Rajput chieftain Suraj Sen or Suraj Pal who founded the Gwalior city, is believed to have been cured of a deadly disease after drinking from the pond at the direction of Saint Gwalipa in whose name the city is named.

Of the two main entrances to the fort, one is in the North East and other is in the South West. On either sides of the access road to the south west entrance- the Urbai Gate, are statues of Jain thirthankaras dating back to the 8th and the15th centuries, some up to 20m tall. The figures were defaced by the forces of Babur in 1527 but were later restored. The images are classified into five main groups. The Arwahi group contains  a 17m high standing sculpture of the first Jain thirthankar, Adinath and a 10m high seated figure of Nemnath, the 22nd Jain thirthankar. The south -eastern group is the most important and covers nearly 1 km of the cliff face with more than 20 images.