Gwalior Fort of Gwalior, in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, stands on an isolated rock, overlooking the Gwalior town, and contains a number of historic buildings. It is one of the biggest forts in India and a highest fortification in Asia. A postage stamp has been issued by the Indian Postal Service to commemorate the importance of this fort. From historical records, it is established that it was built in the 8th century. The fortress and the city have been integral to the history of the kingdoms of North India. It is said that the Mughal Emperor Babur (1483–1531) described it as, “The pearl in the necklace of the forts of Hind”. The fort, also given the epithet “Gibraltar of India’, provides a panoramic view of the old Gwalior town, which is to its east.
The fort’s history relates to two parts namely, the main fort and the Gurjari Mahal and the Maan Mandir palace. The first part, main fort, was built during the early Tomar rule, while the second part, the Gurjari Mahal (a palace, now a Museum) and the Maan Mandir palace, was constructed by Raja Man Singh Tomar in the 15th century for his favourite queen, Mrignayani. The queen was originally from gurjar community of nearby village and so the palace built for her named Gurjari Mahal.
Gwalior Fort also occupies a unique place in the human civilization as the place which has the first recorded use of zero ever. Also referred as ‘Shunya’ in sanskrit, 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 (marked by the ’0′ on the nineteenth century map at the left). By accident, it records the oldest “0″ in India for which one can assign a definite date.