Gwalior: A City of The central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh
Gwalior
With a population of about 900,000, Gwalior is one of the largest cities in the state of Madhya Pradesh. The city is strategically located and was therefore in the past the center of several historical kingdoms of northern India, which is still reflected in the sights of the city. Among other things, Gwalior was the capital of the Marath Empire from about 1750 to 1818 and then the capital of the state and principality of the same name of the Maharajas of Scinidia under British sovereignty until 1947. Particularly worth seeing is the Gwalior Fort, the construction of which was begun in the 5th century. It rises on a 3 kilometer long mesa almost a hundred meters above the roofs of the city.
Gwalior Fort
On the site of the Gwalior Fort are several palaces, temples and cisterns surrounded by a massive rampart over 3 kilometers long and 10 meters high. It remains intact and illustrates why this was once one of the most impregnable forts in the country. Only a steep, winding path leads to the famous Hathiya Paur (Elephant Gate) on the northeast side of the palace.
The most imposing building on the fortress grounds is the Man Mandir Palace, built in the 15th century under Raja Man Singh. It reflects the high standard of Hindu architecture of that time. The richly decorated eastern facade with its 6 round towers is one of the most photographed buildings in India, even though the blue, green and yellow tiles that once adorned the wall are unfortunately only preserved in parts. Because of its many ceramic mosaics depicting tigers, elephants, crocodiles and flowers, among other things, the Man Mandir Palace is also called Chit Mandir (“decorated palace”).
Inside, the four-story palace is rather sparse. The underground floors contain dungeons, which were frequently used, especially under the Mughals. For example, the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb (1658-1701) had his own brother Murad imprisoned here before having him executed. If you shine a flashlight into one of the dungeons today, you won’t find any prisoners, but hundreds of harmless bats.
The other palaces on the fortress grounds are less well preserved. To the west is the Kirti Mandir Palace, a long, two-story structure. To the north are the Jahangiri – and Shah Jahan palaces. The large basin at Shah Jahan Palace was the scene of a jauhar, a ritual mass suicide in the Rajput tradition, in the 13th century. When the Sultan of Delhi conquered the fortress in 1232, the Ranis and their children threw themselves into the flames here to escape captivity.
Tirthankaras statues
Along the road that winds up through a ravine to the southwest entrance of the palace are several groups of huge Jain sculptures carved into the rock. Built in the mid-fifteenth century, these sculptures are called Tirthankaras and represent the teachers and saviors of Jainism. During an attack on the fort by the troops of the Mughal emperor Babur in 1527, their faces and genitals were cut off, but they were partially restored afterwards.
Jai Vilas Palace T
The former palace of the Sindhia family is now located in the new part of the city. Its Italianate facade combines elements of Tuscan and Corinthian architecture. It is still inhabited by the Maharaja, but the larger part of the palace has been converted into a museum with a collection of highly curious and sometimes quite bizarre exhibits. The gold cladding of the durbar (royal court) alone weighs half a ton and the two 12.5 meter high chandeliers weighing several tons were only installed after the stability of the roof had been tested with the help of 10 elephants. In addition, there is, among other things, Belgian furniture made of crystal glass, lots of stuffed tigers, weapons, Persian carpets, personal belongings from the possession of the Scindia ruling family and, in the dining room, a silver miniature train that used to go for a ride around the table after dinner, providing guests with brandy and cigars.