Locations :
Best Time to Visit : October to March
Gwalior a metropolitan city of the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh said to have derived its name from the name of an 8th century hermit-saint Gwalipa, when he later saved the life of town’s chieftain a gurjar-pratihar prince Suraj Sen and cured him of a deadly disease. Tracing back from 6th BC Gwalior was ruled by many sovereigns and dynasties from Naad Dynasty to Naga Dynasty, Kushana Dynasty, Gupta Clan, Gurjar-Pratihar Empire, Kachwaha Dynasty, Tomars, Mughals, and Scindias [Marathas] and each passing dynasty added a new dimension to city’s cultural milieu.
In the world of Indian Classical Music Gwalior has an unrivaled and prominent seat. Dhrupad the oldest [still existing] vocal genre of Hindustani classical Music has its origin from Gwalior. Renowned vocalists Tansen one of the “Nine Jewels of Mughal Court” and Baiju Bawra were born in Gwalior. Acclaimed sarod players Ghulam Ali Khan Bangash [a court musician in Gwalior court] and Padma Vibhushan Ustad Amjad Ali Khan are from Gwalior. Almost all musicians can trace their origin to Gwalior Gharan, [the oldest Khayal Gharana] in one way or other.
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Gwalior Fort: Legend has it that the hill top fort was constructed by 8th century chieftain Suraj Sen and that 83 of his descendants controlled and ruled the fort after him. While Mughal Emperor Babur called it a “pearl in the necklace of the forts of Hind”, some call it ‘the Gibraltar of India’ because of its formidably sound structure. The fort later improved by many rules including Raja Man Singh Tomar of 15th century consists of many structures within itself including temples and palaces the two most celebrated are Gurjari Mahal – built for most beloved Queen Mrignayni of Man Singh and Man Mandir Palace also called painted palace because of the use of styled colorful tiles [geometric patterns] in construction. Apart from these there are a number of other structures /buildings of importance inside the fort added from time to time by subsequent rules like: Siddhachal Jain Temples, Teli ka Mandir, Garuda Monument, Saas Bahu Temple, Karn Mahal, Vikram Mahal, Hathi Pol, Chhatri of Bhim Singh Rana etc.
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Jal Vilas Palace: Laying in the heart of the city this imperialistic structure was built in 1809 by the then Scindia monarch Jiwaji Rao Scindia. The massive 400 room property was designed by Lt. Col Sir Michael Filos in an attempt to bring the Versailles to Gwalior and is still resided by the present scions of Maratha Scindia dynasty. Part Indian and part British-Italian in its architecture the palace is an important heritage and most visited attractions of Gwalior.
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Usha Kiran Palace: Built in 1902 for visitors of Prince of Wales by rulers of Scindia dynasty this palace was later converted to the guest house of Jivaji Rao Scindia and is now converted into a hotel managed by Taj Group.
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Sun Temple: A mirror image of revered Sun Temples of Konark, this relatively new structure was constructed by Industry Mughal GD Birla in 1988. Dedicated to Sun God this white marble structure is a famous pilgrimage thronged by thousands of devotees as well as tourists annually.
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Samadhi of Rani Lakshmi Bai: Located in the Phool Bagh, this is the cupola or Samadhi of Rani Lakhshmi Bai of Jhansi, the glorious freedom fighter who shook the very roots of British Empire. It is said that it is at this place that Rani fell from her horse and killed herself rather than being captured by the British forces during war. Rani it is believed escaped from Jhansi and rode 100 kilometers in 24 hours on horse-back to reach the fort of Kalpi.
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Mausoleums of Mohammad Ghaus and Tansen: Located just one kilometer from Gwalior Fort the structure is a garden complex with graves and pavilion tombs. The most important ones are those of Tansen [court musician of Akbar’s court] and Mohammad Ghaus sufi saint and teacher of Tansen and second Mughal Emperor Humayun.
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Maharaja Bada
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Hazira
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DD City Mall
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Maya Gitanjali Mall
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Central Mall
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Salasar Mall City Centre
Places of Worship:
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Gurudwara Data Bandi Chhod
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Saas Bahu Temple
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Teli ka Mandir
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Sun Temple
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Padmavali and Bateshwar
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Sheetla Mata Mandir
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Dargah Kwaja Kanoon Sahib
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Shri Laxminarayan Temple
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Chaturbhuj Mandir
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Shanichara Temple
Places of Entertainment:
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Gaming Zones
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Discotheques [DnD, Spectrum and Barcode]
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Local Multiplexes [Movie Theaters]
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Sun City Amusement Park [a water park]
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By Air – Gwalior city has its own airport, Rajmata Vijya Raje Scindia Vimantal as well as an Indian Air Force Base
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By Railway – Gwalior is a very important railway junction in Northern Central Railway. It is a five railway track intersection point where both narrow and broad gauge routes are still operational which means it is very well connected to almost all Indian Towns and cities.
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By Road – Gwalior is very well connected by road to the entire state as well country via a number of state and national highways. NH 3 and 75 are two major national highways that pass through Gwalior. There are bus services available to and from all major Indian cities.
(+91) 8743000333
(+91) 8527562562
