My visit to my friend’s place at Gwalior, left me with splendid memories. Blessed by the splendor of its past, the historic capital of Gwalior, has made a successful transition into the modern Indian city that it is today. Gwalior is vibrant and bustling. A number of dynasties of the great Rajput clan have reigned on this city, years ago. The Pratiharas, Tomars and Kachhwahas have left permanent impressions of their rules over this city of temples, monuments and palaces. Gwalior had continued to be a royal capital, until the formation of present day India, with the Scindias having their dynastic seat here.
The <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comffice:smarttags" /><st1:City w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">Gwalior</st1lace></st1:City> Fort is indeed a great wonder. When I went there a few years back, I was surprised to find dragons on the walls. I think this shown some trade connections with <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">China</st1lace></st1:country-region>.. Incidentally, <st1:City w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">Gwalior</st1lace></st1:City> has a rich tradition of music. The great Dhrupad singer Baijnath Prasad popularly known as Baiju Bawra lived in <st1:City w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">Gwalior</st1lace></st1:City>. He was one of the court musicians of <st1:City w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">Gwalior</st1lace></st1:City> and enjoyed the patronage of Man Singh. Tansen one of the nine jewels of the Court of the Mughal Emperor Akbar was born in Behat. It is said that after his cremation in <st1:City w:st="on">Agra</st1:City> his ashes were buried in <st1:City w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">Gwalior</st1lace></st1:City>.Today, the Tansen Samaroh is held every year in <st1lace w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Gwalior in his memory</st1:City></st1lace>. Other well known musicians include Shankarrao Vishnu Pandit, Krishnarao Pandit and Ustad Amjad Ali Khan.
[JUSTIFY] <H3 style="MARGIN: auto 0in; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">Gwalior preserves the magnificent memories of glorious past with care and reverence. It gives Gwalior a unique and timeless appeal. In Gwalior, the fabric of modern life has been interwoven into the rich cultural tradition. A royal past lives on in the great palaces and museums of Gwalior. Multiple images mix and merge here to present the visitor a city of eternal grandeur. Gwalior’s history dates back to a fascinating legend. Suraj Sen, a chieftain of Gwalior, was sick with a fatal disease, in 8 AD. He was cured by, a hermit saint, named Gwalipa. In gratitude, Suraj Sen founded a city and named it after the saint. [/JUSTIFY]</H3>
Over the centuries, the city of Gwalior has become the cradle of great dynasties. Each dynasty has contributed a newer dimension to the city. Warrior-kings, musicians, saints and poets- all have contributed towards making Gwalior renowned throughout India. The entire city of Gwalior indeed is an aesthetic and visual treat. The builders of Gwalior were great architects. Walking through the streets of the city enabled me to discover old havelis with intricately carved windows and doorways. I took numerous pictures. Statues of the Scindia family stand at almost every street crossing. Art galleries and museums are rich in their contents.
My elder sister got married last year and shifted to Gwalior at her in-laws’ place. She has been telling me to plan a trip to Gwalior, ever since. I had applied for a leave and suddenly it got sanctioned. I reached Gwalior a fortnight back. As Jaya says, the museums and art galleries are rich in historical and cultural treasure. These are beautifully maintained palaces that give the city of Gwalior a unique royal essence. My brother-in-law had booked sightseeing buses in advance. His mother told me sightseeing in Gwalior is a mesmerizing trip into the centuries gone by. She is a professor of history in one of the leading colleges of Gwalior. When I learnt that she would be accompanying us for sightseeing I decided to take my notebook with me.
Juhi, your post rekindled my memories of Gwalior, even more. I particularly enjoyed my visit to the Gwalior Fort. This Fort stands on a steep mass of sandstone. Gwalior Fort is the most magnificent monument of this regal city and it dominates the city. This Fort has witnessed significant incidents, imprisonments, battles and “jauhar”s. I remember the steep road that winds uphill to the Fort. This road has statues of Jain Tirthankars on its sides. These statues are carvings into the rock face. The outer walls of the Fort are magnificent. They stand two miles in length and thirty-five feet in height.
On the first day of our sightseeing tour, we visited the Gwalior Fort. The outer walls, as Jaya says, are indeed magnificent. This Fort is referred to as one of the most formidable forts of India. Aunty, i.e., my sister’s mom-in-law said, this imposing structure had inspired the Mughal Emperoe Babur to testify it as “the pearl amongst the fortresses of Hind”. We saw some marvels of medieval architecture within the fort. We saw the Gujari Mahal. I learnt from aunty, Gujari Mahal was a 15<SUP>th</SUP> century monument. It was built by, Raja Man Singh Tomar for his beloved queen, Mrignayani.
I have heard about this from my friend’s father. After Raja Mansingh Tomar had wooed and won Mriganayani, the latter demanded that a separate palace must be built for her, which must have a constant water supply from the River Raj, via an aqueduct. I was surprised to see how well the outer structure of the Gujari Mahal has been preserved. The interior has been turned into an Archaeological Museum. I visited the Man Mandir Palace. It was also built by, Raja Mansingh, between 1486 and 1517. I learnt that the exterior of this palace was once adorned with tiles.
