According to local sayings, Gwalior owes its name to a sage of former times, who used to live on that hill where Gwalior fort is today stood. Suraj Sen, a prince of the Kachhwaha clan of the eighth century, is said to have lost his way in the jungle. On that secluded hill he met an old man, the sage Gwalipa, whose influence almost took him by surprise. Upon asking the sage for some drinking water he was led to a pond; the waters not only quenched his thirst but cured him of leprosy. Out of gratefulness, the prince wished to offer the sage something in return, and the sage asked him to build a wall on the hill in order to protect the other sages from wild animals which often disturbed their yagnas (or pujas). Suraj Sen later built a palace inside the fort, which had been named “Gwalior” after the sage; eventually the city which grew around the fort took the same name.
I’m grateful you made the post. It’s celraed the air for me.