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Gwalior is a historic city in northern Madhya Pradesh, India, famous for the hilltop Gwalior Fort, which Babur called the pearl among the fortresses of Hind, with the painted Man Mandir Palace, the Sas Bahu and Teli ka Mandir temples, and the grand Jai Vilas Palace of the Scindias. It is also known as the music city of India and is a UNESCO City of Music.
Kingdoms from the Gurjara Pratiharas to the Tomars, the Mughals and the Scindia Marathas ruled from its fortress, and each left monuments behind: the Temple of Zero, whose inscription records one of the oldest known zeros, giant Jain statues carved into the cliffs, and the Mughal tomb of the Sufi saint Muhammad Ghaus, where the singer Tansen also lies.
Under the Scindias, Gwalior was one of the leading princely states of British India, and their 1874 Jai Vilas Palace is now largely a museum. Beyond the city lie the restored Bateshwar Temples and the circular Chausath Yogini Temple at Mitaoli.
Gwalior Fort is a hill fort in Gwalior dating back to at least the 6th century, which the Mughal emperor Babur called the pearl among the fortresses of Hind. Within its walls stand six palaces and old temples, among them the Chaturbhuj Temple, whose inscription holds one of the oldest zeros.
Man Mandir Palace in Gwalior Fort was built between 1486 and 1517 by the Tomar ruler Man Singh Tomar. It is often called the Painted Palace for the turquoise, green and yellow tiles that cover its walls in geometric patterns, and it is the most famous of the fort's palaces.
Gujari Mahal in Gwalior was built by Man Singh Tomar for his Gurjar queen Mrignayani, a palace remembered as his monument of love. Since 1922 it has housed the Gujari Mahal Archaeological Museum, whose finds include a fragment of the Garuda capital of the Heliodorus pillar.
Gurdwara Data Bandi Chhor Sahib stands on Gwalior Fort where the sixth Sikh Guru, Hargobind, was held by the Mughal emperor Jahangir. Sikhs believe he also won freedom for 52 imprisoned princes, remembered on Bandi Chhor Divas. All visitors are welcome; cover your head and remove your shoes.
Teli ka Mandir is a Hindu temple inside Gwalior Fort, dated to the 8th or early 9th century and dedicated to Shiva, Vishnu and the Matrikas. Unusually, its sanctum is rectangular rather than square, and it is the tallest building in the fort, blending Nagara and Valabhi styles.
The Sas Bahu Temples are twin 11th-century temples in Gwalior Fort, built from 1090 to 1093 by King Mahipala of the Kachchhapaghata dynasty. The larger is dedicated to a form of Vishnu and the smaller to Shiva, and though their towers are lost, their richly carved halls survive.
Chaturbhuj Temple, known as the Temple of Zero, is a small Hindu temple cut into the rock face of Gwalior Fort in 876 CE. An inscription on its wall contains one of the oldest known uses of a circular symbol for zero, and inside are reliefs of Vishnu, his boar avatar and Lakshmi.
Gopachal Parvat is a group of huge Jain rock-cut statues carved into the cliffs around Gwalior Fort between the 14th and 15th centuries. Seated and standing Tirthankaras fill its caves, including 26 caves in a row in the south-east group, in a collection unmatched anywhere else.
Jai Vilas Palace in Gwalior was built in 1874 by Maharaja Jayajirao Scindia in a European style, with Tuscan, Italian Doric and Corinthian storeys. Much of it has been the Jiwajirao Scindia Museum since 1964, famed for its gilded Durbar Hall hung with gigantic chandeliers.
The Tomb of Mohammad Ghaus in Gwalior honours the 16th-century Sufi master Muhammad Ghaus and was built by Akbar as a fine example of Mughal architecture. It is famous for the carved stone lattice screens that enclose it, and the musician Tansen is buried in the same complex.
The Bateshwar Temples are a group of nearly 200 sandstone Hindu temples built between the 8th and 10th centuries, about 35 km north of Gwalior. Ruined after the 13th century, many were rebuilt from their fallen stones by the Archaeological Survey of India in a project begun in 2005.
The Chausath Yogini Temple at Mitaoli, about 40 km from Gwalior, is an 11th-century circular temple built by the Kachchhapaghata king Devapala. Reached by 100 steps up a hill, its round wall holds 65 small chambers around an open courtyard with a central shrine to Shiva.
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