Gwalior Fort

Introduction:

The Mughal Emperor Babar once revered Gwalior Fort as “the pearl amongst fortresses in India”. This may be true of the palace’s unique beauty, but it is far too ornate to be considered a pearl.

 

The fort is vast, and everything about its structure makes it seem indestructible. The walls stand at a height of three hundred feet above the surrounding planes. The walls are built to the edge of the sandstone precipice it sits upon. The edges of the precipice take on the shape of a sloping cliff.

Inside the fort’s immense walls, you could easily find amazing medieval architecture such as the Sas-Bahu and Teli Ka Mandir that were constructed within the Fort as well as several palaces and sites such as the Gujri Mahal, Karan Palace, Jahangir Mahal and the Jain Sculptures.

Main attraction of Gwalior Fort:

Bounded by the walls of the fort there are three magnificent temples. Among all the temples the most important is Teli Ka mandir. This temple was built in 9th century and is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The towers of the temple rise to a height of 100 feet and thus this makes it the heighest building in the Fort. The roof of the temple displays Dravidian architecture, whereas the walls show strong resemblance to Indo-Aryan architecture style. The 10m high doorway has a Garuda statue on top.9th century Chaturbhuj Temple which is also dedicated to Lord Vishnu, and Saas Bahu Ka Mandir are the other two temples in the fort.

The Man Singh Palace is one of the most amazing palaces of the Gwalior fort. It was built by Man Singh in the 15th century. It was in the same palace the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb imprisoned and later murdered his brother Murad.. The palace is also known as the chit Mandir or Painted Palace for its richly tiled and Painted decorations with elephants and peacocks, and the exceptional fresco with the ducks paddling in turquoise waters. The now deserted palace has four storeys, two of them underground. Rooms are spacious but bare, some of them with fine screens used for musical concerts where behind these screens, the royal ladies used to listen to concerts and learn music.