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The three kilometer long sandstone hill rising abruptly a hundred meters above the surrounding plain was an ideal site to build a fortress. A sun temple was erected on it as early as the 5th century and the first fort was built in the 8th by the Rajput chieftain Suraj Sen. The Urwahi gorge forming the western access to the fort is defended by strong gates at the top and bottom levels. This picture shows the wall closing the gorge at the bottom and on the right, the site of Jain sculptures dating from the 7th to the 15th centuries.
Easily defended Gwalior was the key to the control of the central Indian plateau which was incorporated into a succession of states from the empire of Asoka (3rd C. BC) to that of the Moguls (16th C.), and to the 19th century British Raj.
Here is a view of some of the Jain sculptures that were carved in the cliffs of Urwali gorge during the reign of the Tomar dynasty..
The Jain religion was founded by a Kshatrya prince called Mahavir born in 599 BC in Vaishali 45 kms north of Patna in northern India (36 years before the Kshatrya prince Gautama who founded of Buddhism). Respect for all forms of life (Ahimsa), is the essence of Jainism. Consequently, the Jain have been vegetarian from the beginning (Brahmins became vegetarian only in the 4th century AD).
At that time the rivalry between the Brahmin priestly caste and the Kshatrya warrior caste had not yet been settled in favour of the former and the founding of Jainism and of Buddhism is seen by some scholars as a reaction against the Brahmin's claim to supremacy as was clearly the case with the founding of Sikhism some nine centuries later.
The 25 meter Teli-ka Mandir dedicated to Vishnu was built in mid-6th century.
Gwalior was in the hands of Hindu Rajputs from the 8th until it fell to the Muslim invaders in the 12th century. Then, control passed from one to the other as the tides of war rolled over the land but the local populations remained largely Hindu as the Muslims did not attempt to enforce mass conversions in India as they had done elsewhere.
The Sikh religion is also represented here by this modern marble Gurudwara (gateway to the guru) on which work is still in progress (two men laying an intricately designed marble pavement in this photo).
Sikhism was founded by Guru Nanak (born in 1469), as a reaction to the injustices of the caste system. It retains elements of Hinduism such as reincarnation and karma combined with the Muslim belief in a unique god and the ritual of purification by bathing. The rejection by the Sikh of some Hindu and some Muslim beliefs made them enemies of both of the older religions and they had to adopt a martial tradition to survive in north west India. Their spiritual center lies in the Golden Temple in Amritsar near the Pakistan border. Sikhs are easily recognised by the turban in which they hide their uncut hair. They are supposed to wear shorts and carry a knife, a steel bracelet and a wooden comb.
After a century of Muslim rule, Gwalior was regained by the Tomar Rajputs in 1398 who held it for a century before it fell to the Moguls in 1516. Man Mandir Palace, facing the north east approach to the fortress, was built around 1500 by Raja Man Singh, the last of the Tomar dynasty (not the same as the Man Singh who ruled Amber a century later). Below, two views of the Man Mandir Gate.
The large but plain Karan Mandir Palace was built by Raja Kirtti Singh (1454-1479), before the more famous Man Mandir Palace.
Jauhar Tank where the Hindu Rajput ladies of the royal harem committed mass suicide to avoid falling into the hands of the invading Muslim forces in 1232.
Below, a friendly sadhu giving me a peace sign as I explored the fort and the ancient Chaturbhuja shrine (875AD), half way down the northeast approach.
The northeast approach is defended by a succession of gates of which this one, the Badalgarth Gate near the bottom.
Finally, the last gate, or the first if you are coming instead of leaving as I was, the Gwalior Gate of more recent vintage.
I had come here from Khajuraho by the regular bus service which is cheap and goes everywhere.
It's cheap and it goes everywhere but it is not very comfortable and there are generally a dozen or more standees hanging onto the ceiling bar even on long trips!
For the record, here are some of the public transport options available for short distances. I was going all the way to Hyderabad so I took the train.
