Places

• Places

Historical Places:

• The Fort

o The Man Mandir Palace

o Sas Bahu ka Mandir (Temple)

o Teli ka Mandir

o Archeological Museum

o Gurudwara Data Bandi Chhode

o Gujri Mahal

• Tomb of Tansen

• Mausoleum of Ghous Mohammed • Sun Temple

• Downtown Bada

• Jai Vilas Palace

• Sarod Ghar

• Memorial of Rani Jhansi

DETAILS:

THE FORT

Standing on a steep mass of sandstone, Gwalior Fort dominates the city and is its most significant monument. It has been the scene of momentous events, imprisonment, battles and jauhars . A steep road winds upwards to the fort, flanked by statues of the Jain tirthankaras, carved into the rock face. The magnificent outer walls of the fort still stand, two miles in length and 35 feet high, bearing witness to its reputation for being one of the most invincible forts of India. This imposing structure inspired Emperor Babur to describe it as ” the pearl amongst the fortresses of Hind “.

The Man Mandir Palace

Built between 1486 and 1517 by Raja Mansingh. The tiles that once adorned its exterior have not survived , but at the entrance , traces of these still remain. Within the palace rooms stand bare , stripped of their former glory, testifying to the passing of the centuries. Vast chambers with fine stone screens were once the music halls, and behind these screens, the royal ladies would learn music from the great masters of the day. Below, circular dungeons housed the state prisoners of the Mughals. Emperor Aurangzeb had his brother , Murad imprisoned , and later executed here. Close by is Jauhar Pond, where in the Rajpit tradition, the ranis committed mass sati after their consorts had been defeated in battle. At Man Mandir Palace, a poignant ambience of those days of chivalry and heroism still lingers in the silent chambers. A superbly mounted Son-et-Lumiere here brings it all alive every evening.

Sas Bahu ka Mandir (Temple)

Another architectural gem is the Sas Bahu ka Mandir, in another part of the fort, are not dedicated to a mother-in-law (Sas) and daughter-in-law (Bahu) as is sometimes supposed. Sas-Bahu is the name traditionally given to two adjoining temples of different sizes.Originally known as the “Sahasrabahu” temple.  This famous pilgrimage place situated in Gwalior – the historic city, in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.

Basically, this temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. Mahipala, the Kachchwah king, built it in the early 11th century. This is probably the most ancient of the structures within the fort precinct.

The Vishnu Temple , built by Yasomati, wife of the commander in chief of the Mewar rulers, was destroyed, but what remains are two beautiful Temples – SAS BAHU – dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The larger of the two is profusely sculpted with graceful figures and intricate patterns. This is apparent in the interior where, above the sculpted walls and pillars, an elaborately carved lotus adorns the roof, the carvings and deep inlaid work are remarkable and even today have withstood the passage of time and the vagaries of weather.

Teli ka Mandir

Another temple in the fortress of Gwalior is called the Teli-ka-Mandir, or “Oilman’s Temple.” This building was originally dedicated to Vishnu, but afterwards converted to the worship of Siva. It has an unusual configuration: shrine-like in that it has a sanctuary only; no pillared pavilions or mandapa; and a Buddhist barrel-vaulted roof on top of a Hindu temple.

This is a 11th century 70 feet high temple. The temple was probably known as the Telengana temple. It has a South Indian influence on its architecture especially on the roof, which is Dravadian, though it’s facade remains Indo-Ayran.

Archeological Museum

It has sculptures found in Naresar, Batesar, Kherat, Ater(my maternal native place), Ranod, Surwaya, Terahi and Padhawali. Sculptures are of Gurjar Pratihar period( 7th century AD to 10th century AD). These sculptures show the later development of Gupta art. 17th century AD sculptures, from Ater are of Bhadoria rulers, showing Hindu and Mughal art.

Gurudwara Data Bandi Chhode

It has been built in the remembrance of sixth guru of Sikhs “Saint Hargovind Singh ji”. It is a beautiful structure completely made up of white marble. The building is decorated with color glasses. Cupolas on domes are of gold. There are two sarowars or ponds as well in this Gurudwara. Non Sikhs are kindly requested to keep their head covered, by some cloth like handkerchief, when going to Gurudwara. I am not exactly aware of its reason as I am a Hindu but I follow the custom in accordance with the sentiments of the Sikh brothers. If some Sikh is reading this, please inform me about it.

Gujri Mahal

The 15th century Gujari Mahal is a monument to the love of Raja Mansingh for his Gujar queen, Mrignayani. Today Gujari Mahal has one of the finest museums of sculptures dating back to 1st century AD even though many of them have been defaced by the Mughals, their perfection of form has survived the ravage of time. Particularly worth seeing is the statue of Shalbhanjika from Gyraspur, the tree goddess, epitome of perfection in miniature. The statue is kept in the custody of the museum’s curator and can be seen on request (timing of this museum is from 10.00 am to 5.00 pm daily except Monday).

Tomb of Tansen

This is the tomb of the father of Hindustani classical music, the great Mian Tansen, one of the ‘Nine Jewels’ of Emperor Akbar’s court. It is built in the early Mughal architectural style and is surrounded by lush gardens in typical Mughal style. Every year a national level music festival is organized here in November/December. There is a tamarind tree near the tomb. It is believed that Tansen got fabulous voice after eating leaves of this tree so people visiting the place also eat these leaves. Unfortunately there has been no change is my heavy voice, does any body know the reason?

Mausoleum of Ghous Mohammed

The great, Ghous Mohammed, whose mausoleum is laid near tomb of Tansen, was a Afghan Prince turned sufi saint who had helped Babur to win the Gwalior fort. His mausoleum is a typical Mughal architecture. Particularly interesting are the hexagonal pillars and screens using pierced stone technique.

Sun Temple or Surya Mandir

This was Constructed in 1988. It is inspired by architecture of the famous Konark Temple in Orissa. Red stone has been used on exteriors and white marble on interior. There is a beautiful sculpture of Lord Surya in the temple.

Downtown Bada

This is the busiest place in Gwalior. There is a garden in the middle of which stands a copper sculpture of Maharaja of Gwalior, Late Jiyaji Rao Scindhia. This garden is surrounded by shopping centers. There is the biggest post office and bank of, Gwalior. Mrignayani shop for handicrafts that I mentioned for shopping on Roaming Page is also close to it.

Jai Vilas Palace

This beautiful pure white edifice patterned on the style of the ‘Palais de Versailles’ in France combines Tuscan, Italian and Corinthian styles of architecture. The palace has been partly converted into a museum for Royal memorabilia. The rest of the part is the residence of Madhav Rao Scindia. The royal Durbar Hall is a magnificent structure and taking support only from columns on four sides. It also has the largest single piece carpet woven right there in the hall by 12 weavers who took 13 years to complete it. The ceiling of the Hall has a pair of the largest crystal chandeliers in the world which were built in Belgium and bought in Paris each weigh 3.5 tones. The banquet hall below has the famous Royal Gwalior silver train, which is infect, a liquor serving trolley.

Memorial of Rani (Queen) Jhansi

This memorial stands near Phoolbagh. One of the most famous ladies in the entire History of India, Rani Laxmibai of Jhansi laid down her life in Gwalior. Laxmibai was one of the leaders in the first freedom struggle of India. Rani of Jhansi, Laxmibai came to Gwalior when general Huroz of British army defeated Laxmibai in Kalpi. Maharaja Scindhia of Gwalior betrayed Laxmibai. He gave her a weak horse. Sensing something-fishy Laxmibai decided to leave Gwalior. She made the supreme sacrifice while fighting British, on 18th June 1858.