Gwalior:
Travelling is a window that opens realms to the unexplored territories.
The novel and characteristically attractive advertisement of the Madhya Pradesh
tourism was a good allurement to visit the state. For the long weekend of
Dusshera vacation, we decided to visit Gwalior the cultural capital of central
India and home turf of the Scindia Royal clan. The Scindia’s have been on high
social pedestal due to their active political participation and allegiance
towards the two largest political parties of the country Indian National
Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party. Gwalior also reminds of the famous Scindia
School, a seat of quality education and learning during the early independence
movement and later. We reached Gwalior around 9:45am from Delhi by Bhopal bound
Shatabdi Express. We had a spectacular view of the majestic fort atop a hillock
from the train as we were nearing the Gwalior station.
Rock cut statues of the Jain digambaras
Gwalior a historical city and a tourist capital of Madhya
Pradesh and acclaimed repute for its contribution in the first of Independence.
Situated amidst of high rocky hills, it has humid subtropical climate with
scorching summers and freezing winters. The city is replete of several monuments,
statues and memorials a treat for tourists. But all the enthusiasm fizzled out
for a while due to the scalding heat. After equipping ourselves with a
protective head gear, glasses and water bottles we set out to explore the mighty
Gwalior Fort. It is 8th hill fort and
nearly impregnable. As we scaled the hillock, we encountered rock cut statues of
the Jain digambaras all along the way till to the top. A motor able one way
road led us to the fort that has two main complexes- Man Mandir built by Man Singh Tomar and the Gujari Mahal built for Queen Mrignayani , a Gujar Princess houses a
museum. Gujari Mahal was built on demand by the queen who wanted a separate
palace with regular water supply through an aqueduct from the river Swarna rai
flowing by the fort. The first sight of the huge, imposing fort with
indefensible giant wall bearing copper blue paintings would captivate any
visitor. The facade of the palace is stunningly beautiful.
Facade of the Fort
Gujari Mahal
Legend says that Suraj Sen Kachwaha came on a hunting trip
and lost his way in a forest and found a sage on this secluded hill who
directed him towards a pond to quench his thirst. The water subsequently cured
him of leprosy too. Out of gratitude, the prince wanted to do something for the
Sage Gwalipa. The sage asked him to build a wall which could protect his entourages
from the wild animals. Accordingly the Prince built a palace and strengthened
the fort and named it Gwalior. The fort was taken over and captured by several
rulers like Kushanas, Guptas, Kacchwahas, Tomars, Mughals, Marathas and the
British who finally handed it over to the Scindias. Throughout the course of
its long history the place remained a cultural and religious centre for people
of different faiths.
Man Mandir Palace
The old part of the fort was built in 8th century
while the Man Mandir and Gujari Mahal were constructed in 15th
century. The fort is 100 meters from sea level and spread in an area of 3 km.
The most beautiful part of the fort is the Man Mandir palace built by Raja Man
Singh Tomar, has marvellous exquisite carvings made in the sandstone walls. The
remnants of the paintings in the inner corridors give us the glimpse of the
stupendous craftsmanship of those days. After the palace fell into the lands of
the Mughals, it was used as a political prison. The palace has several
staircases which into lead to inner chambers and a dungeon where several of the
rebel Mughal princes were incarcerated and killed. Unfortunately, these
chambers now infested with bats and not ideal for inquisitive exploration.
Next, we ventured into the ancient wing of the huge fort which housed several
mahals and a temple.
Karn Mahal
Chhatri of Bhim Singh Rana
A list indicated that this part of the fort had a monument of
Karn Mahal, the place built by
second Tomar king Karn Singh, Vikram
Mahal built by Vikramaditya Singh son of Man Singh Tomar, a devotee of Lord
Shiva who constructed a temple too. The original temple was completely
destroyed now a makeshift temple stands in the Mahal corridor. Other palaces in
the wing include Shahjahan Mahal and Jahangir
Mahal. All these places are now reduced to ruins and are heavily infested
with bats. It is really infuriating that the rich and priceless Indian culture
is now in rumbles courtesy the utter neglect of the Archaeology Department. Massive renovation work is under progress and
hence some of the monuments are closed down for public viewing. Hope all these
efforts would restore glory to the old monuments. Amidst these ruins, Chhatri of Bhim Singh Rana stands tall.
The dome shaped pavilion was built in the memory of Bhim Singh Rana by his successor
Chattra Singh. Bhim Singh captured the fort from the Mughal satraps in 1740. A
lake, Bhim tal is built in front of
the Chhatri. The small lake is still in use and we saw group of teenagers
actively swimming and playing in the waters.
Saas-Bahu temple
We next moved onto the Saas-Bahu
temple east of the fort. These temples were built in 11th
century by Kucchwahas were dedicated to Lord Vishnu. These magnificent temples
carved in the red sandstone are testimony to the rich architectural expertise
of Indian craftsmen. The temples are no longer in use but corroborate the
brutality and plunder suffered at the hands of intolerant foreign invaders. A stone
slab on the temple walls apprised that the temples were defaced and white
washed by Muslim rulers. The present structure is restored to its original form
by the British with the financial assistance from Maharaja of Gwalior. The
names of the temples is mis-leading but are so named as the complex has two
temples one of which is much bigger and taller than the other. The carvings of
these temples remind the splendid Khajuraho temples and are certainly one of
their kind.
Teli-ka- Mandir
Suraj Kund
Teli-ka- Mandir built in 8th century is
an amalgamation of the North- South Indian style of the architecture was
initially dedicated to Lord Vishnu but later converted to worship Lord Shiva.
The temple owes the name from Teli meaning a oil dealer at whose expense it was built during the reign of King Mihira Bhoja of Pratihara dynasty. The roof of the temple is unique with a typical Dravidian style of rectangular edifice
reinforced by the dome shaped structure. It is one of the oldest temples in the
fort with mixed architecture depicting several styles. The outer facade of the
masonry is very beautiful but again inner chambers are inapproachable and haven
for nocturnal animals. The monument bespeaks of neglect and poor upkeep. Just few
yards from the temple is the Suraj Kund,
teeming with lotuses. A small temple constructed in the centre of the lake is
now inaccessible as the connecting wooden bridge is dilapidated.
Gurudwara Data Bandi Chor Sahib
Our next stop was Gurudwara
Data Bandi Chor Sahib built in memorial of the Sikh Guru HarGobind Singh
who was held captive along with 52 other Sikh princes as per the orders of King
Jahangir in the Man Mandir dungeon. After 40-60 days of detention, the Mughal
ruler was coerced to release the Guru by a Muslim Saint. It is an elegant and huge
structure built in marble. In sharp contrast to the poor maintenance of other
structures on the hillock, the Gurudwara was extremely clean. Situated in calm environs
the place is ideally suited for divine prayers. The premises offered relief
from the fiercely harsh afternoon sun. We briefly rested and had token lunch
from the langar. Since access to the Scindia School was denied we moved down
hill to pay obeisance to the indomitable Jhansi Rani Laxmi Bai. The Samadhi of Jhansi Rani is located in
the complex of the Phool Bagh where a majestic metal sculpture of the Jhansi
Rani atop her horse wielding a sword with her son Damodar Rao tied to her back
was installed in the garden. A mere glance of the poignant statue would ward
off despondency and fear. Her mortal remains were cremated at this place where
Laxmi Bai breathed her last fighting valiantly with the British in 1858.
Samadhi of Jhansi Rani Laxmi Bai
Jai Vilas palace
We then visited Jai
Vilas palace which harbours the acclaimed Scindia museum. The founder of
Scindia dynasty, Ranoji Scindia was personal aide of Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao.
With his exemplary qualities he soon rose rapidly and was assigned the role of
collecting taxes in the Malwa district. Thus he established himself as the Raja
of this region with Ujjain as its capital. Jai Vilas palace was constructed by
Jayaji Rao Scindia in 1874 at a cost of Rs. One crore. The sprawling white
palace with 400 rooms is spread over a vast area was designed by an Italian
architect Michael Filose. Presently 30 rooms of the palace have been converted
into Jiwaji Rao Scindia museum that
display historical artefacts, handpicked royal treasures from different
countries, furniture, dinner accoutrements, paintings, weaponry, emblems,
flags, carriages and eccentric collection of clothes. The museum gives a first -hand
look of how royalty lived in the yester years.
Durbar Hall
Eye-catching attractions in the museum include a silver
electric train with cut-glass wagons which served guests as it chugged around a
miniature track on the dining table. The opulent Durbar Hall, used to host VIPs
is 100 ft long. It has a huge handmade carpet (40 mts long) and two gigantic
chandeliers each weighing 3.5 tonnes; measuring 12.5mts in height, the biggest
in the World adorn the roof. Gilt and Gold furnishings were used to decorate
Durbar Hall. The meticulously maintained museum is in sharp contrast to the delinquency
of the officials in charge of the Gwalior Fort. Though the efforts of the M.P tourism
department in organising Light and Sound Show at the Gwalior Fort are laudable
they are grossly insufficient to attract tourists from far and wide.
Vivsvaan Mandir (Sun Temple)
We travelled to the outskirts of the Gwalior to visit the Vivsvaan Mandir (Sun Temple), a modern
temple constructed by the Birlas. It is a facsimile of the Sun Temple of
Konark, Odhisa drawing huge number of crowds. Located in a serene ambience and
a well-maintained garden it is a highly popular among tourists. The gigantic
temple is built in the red sandstone and is spacious. The idol of the main deity
Sun God riding the chariot driven by seven horses is mesmerizingly beautiful.
It is hard to avert eyes off the resplendent divinity. Paying heartiest
appreciations to the builders of the temple we moved to the quaint part of the
city towards the tomb of Tansen.
Tomb of Tansen
Born in Gwalior in 1606 Tansen, the legendary singer and
father of the Hindustani classical music was one among the nine gems of Akbar’s
court. The legendary Maihar Senia Gharana instrumentalists like Ustad Ravi
Shankar, Maa Annapurna Devi, Ali Akbar Khan chiselled by Baba Allaudin Khan
find their roots in the Senia Gharana of Tansen. The tomb was built in simple
architecture and had a pristine aura to it. Being a student of Hindustani
Classical music, a sense of veneration overpowered me. A stone slab sitting next
to the tomb informed that eating tender leaves of Tamarind tree next to the
tomb would make singing melodious. Although it is a myth, I couldn’t resist chewing
a mouthful of tamarind leaves. In the
beautiful gardens, where the tomb is built, annually as a mark of respect
Tansen Sangeet Samaroh is held. The dappling gardens also laps Mausoleum of Ghaus Mohammad, the Afghan
prince turned saint who helped Babar to annex the Gwalior Fort. Built in 16th century the tomb was
housed in an exquisitely carved square shaped sand stone walled monument. The
opulent monument with huge panels of lacy screen work is an exemplary piece of
the architectural extravaganza. We relaxed in the lawns of the garden for a
while contemplating the rich cultural and religious heritage of this holy land
Bharat. With the vibrations of Hindustani Classical music pounding heart and
mind, we looked forward to visit Sarod
Ghar or the Sarod Museum an institute dedicated for the promotion of Indian
classical music, heritage and culture. It houses various instruments and has
impressive collection of documents and photographs that depict gradual
evolution of Indian classical music. The museum is housed in the ancestral
property of Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, the Sarod maestro. Since it located in the old city, we had to
meander through narrow lanes and by the time we reached the place, it was
closed.
Mausoleum of Ghaus Mohammad
Sarod Ghar
Photographs Courtesy: Dr. T. L. S. Bhaskar & Samanvit Teegela
@ Copyrights reserved.
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