Gwalior

From Jatland Wiki

Jump to: navigation, search
View from the summit of the Gwalior Fort showing the palace of the Maharajah of Scindia. circa 1882.
Gwalior (ग्वालियर) is a city in Madhya Pradesh in India. It lies 76 miles (122 km) south of Agra and has a population of over 12 lakh (1,200,000). The Gwalior metropolitan area is the 46th most populated area in the country.
Chhatri of Maharaja Bhim Singh Rana at Gwalior fort

Gwalior occupies a strategic location in the Gird region of North India, and the city and its fortress have served as the center of several of North India's historic kingdoms. At present also its strategic location is marked by the presence of major air base at Maharajpura. Gwalior is the administrative headquarters of Gwalior district and Gwalior division.

Contents

Geography

Gwalior is located at 26.22|N|78.18|E [1]. It has an average elevation of 197 metres. Gwalior is a historical Indian city - is located on the periphery of Madhya Pradesh State, 321 km (199.5 Miles) from Delhi and 121 km (76 Miles) from Agra.

Origin of name

The city is named after a sage called Gwaliap. A king once met this sage in a dense forest, and the sage told him to build a city on that spot after his name.

History

At the heart of Gwalior is its fortress (Gwalior Fort), built by Raja Man Singh Tomar, of the Tomar dynasty. This formidable structure had the reputation of being one of the most invincible forts of India. It occupies an isolated rock outcrop. The hill is steepended to make it virtually unscalable and is surrounded by high walls which enclose buildings from several periods. The old town of Gwalior lies at the eastern base of the fortress. Lashkar, formerly a separate town that originated as a military camp, lies to the south, and Morar, also a formerly separate town, lies to the east . Gwalior, Lashkar and Morar are presently part of Gwalior Municipality.

Massive Gwalior Fort, popularly called Gibraltar of India overlooks the city. The great Mughal Emperor Babur reputedly described it as, "The pearl in the necklace of the forts of Hind".

In the east of the city are two magnificent examples of early Mughal architecture. One is mausoleum of, 16th century Sufi saint Ghous Mohammed, and another is tomb of Mian Tansen, a great singer and one of the 'Nine Jewels' of Emperor Akbar's court.

Close to the heart of the city is splendid Jai Vilas Palace, patterned on the style of the 'Palais de Versailles' in France combines Tuscan, Italian and Corinthian styles of architecture.

Rich in cultural heritage and architectural marvels, Gwalior has the added advantage of it's proximity to Agra, the city of Taj Mahal, Khajuraho, the city of great temples and Delhi, the national capital.

Historically and architecturally, Gwalior is interesting first as a very ancient seat of Jain worship; secondly for its example of palace architecture of the best Hindu period (1486-1516); and thirdly as an historic fortress. Many historical places are found near the Dabra-Bhitarwar Road. Prior to the founding of Gwalior the region was also known by its ancient name of Gopasetra. The great Apabhramsha poet Pandit Raighu lived in Gwalior. Gwalior had an institutional seat of the Bhattarakas of Kashtha Sangh and later Mula Sangh.


According to local legend, the original fort of Gwalior was founded by the Kachwaha chief, Suraj Sen. His palace is the most interesting example of early Hindu work of its class in India. Another palace of even greater extent was added to this in 1516. The Mughal emperors Jahangir and Shah Jahan added palaces to these two, the whole making a group of edifices unequalled for picturesqueness and interest by anything of their class in central India. Among the apartments in the palace was the celebrated chamber, named the Baradari, supported on 12 columns, and 45 ft (15 m) square, with a stone roof, forming one of the most beautiful palace-halls in the world. It was, besides, singularly interesting from the expedients to which the Hindu architect was forced to resort to imitate the vaults of the Muslims. Of the buildings, however, which so excited the admiration of the first Mughal emperor Babur, probably little now remains.

Jai Vilas palace, in Lashkar is a marvellous palace museum, part of which is open to the public and gives a glimpse into the life of the royal family.

The Fort area is also home of the Scindia School, a well regarded institution founded by the late Maratha Maharaja Madho Rao Scindia of Gwalior in 1897.

A striking part of the Jain remains at Gwalior is a series caves or rock-cut sculptures, excavated in the rock on all sides, and numbering nearly a hundred, great and small. Most of them are mere niches to contain statues, though some are cells that may have been originally intended for residences. One curious fact regarding them is that, according to inscriptions, they were all excavated within the short period of about thirty-three years, between 1441 and 1474. One of the colossal figures is 57 ft (17 m) high, which is taller than any other in northern India.

Gwalior fort also has the Gurudwara Data Bandi built in the memory of the sixth Sikh Guru Har Gobind. This Gurudwara is particularly large and grand, built entirely of marble with coloured glass decorating the main building. Recital of the Guru Granth Sahib creates a peaceful and sacred atmosphere.

Capture of Gwalior fort by Jats

Maharaja Bhim Singh Rana increased his powers and was planning to expand his territories. He marched to Malwa in 1736 but came back and targeted the Gwalior Fort. Marathas were also in race to win the Gwalior Fort. The weak and easy-going Mughal satrap Alikhan, looking to the power of Jats, surrendered the fort to Maharaja Bhim Singh Rana. Meanwhile there was a severe fight between Marathas and Jats to win the Gwalior Fort but Jats won and the Gwalior fort came under Jats. Maharaja Bhim Singh Rana occupied the Gwalior fort from 1740-1756.[2]


In 1756 Marathas attacked the Gwalior Fort under the leadership of Mahadji Sheetole, Yammaji Rahalkar and Motiram Bani with a huge army. Maharaja Bhim Singh Rana was wounded and died in war on Chaitra sudi nawami (Ram nawami) in 1756. [3]

Historical monuments on Gwalior fort by Jats

Maharaja Bhim Singh had constructed a historical monument Bhimtal in 1754 on the Gwalior fort. His successor Maharaja Chhatra Singh Rana constructed a grand Chhatri near Bhimtal in memory of Maharaja Bhim Singh on the Gwalior Fort. Jat Samaj Kalyan Parishad Gwalior organizes a fair on Gwalior fort on Ram Navami every year in honour of Maharaja Bhim Singh Rana.[4]

Jat Samaj Kalyan Parishad Gwalior is doing important activities of Conducting research on Jat history and Jat historical places. Their greatest contribution is finding of the historical facts, never recorded in history, that Jat rulers of Gohad had occupied the Gwalior fort twice Maharaja Bhim Singh Rana (1740-1756) and Maharaja Chhatra Singh Rana (1780-1783). During this period they constructed historical monuments in the Gwalior Fort - The Chhatri of Maharaja Bhim Singh and Bhimtal.

Gwalior Stone Inscription of Mihirakula (ca. early 6th century CE)

  • [Ôm!] May he (the Sun) protect you, who is victorious,-dispelling the darkness of the banks of clouds with the masses of the multitude of his rays that light up the sky; (and) decorating the top of the side of the mountain of dawn with (his) horses, which have the tossing ends of (their) manes deshevelled through the fatigue (induced) by (their) startled gait;-(and) who,-having (his) chariot-wheels (?) swallowed (?)…………. The mountain of dawn; dispelling distress; (being) the light of the house which is the world; (and) effecting the destruction of night,-creates the fresh beauty of the waterlilies by (his) rays which are of the colour of molten gold!
  • (Line 2.)-(There was) a ruler of [the earth], of great merit, who was renowned by the name of the glorious Tôramâna; by whom, through (his) heroism that was specially characterised by truthfulness, the earth was governed with justice.
  • (L. 3.)-Of him, the fame of whose family has risen high, the son (is) he, of unequalled prowess, the lord of the earth, who is renowned under the name of Mihirakula, (and) who, (himself) unbroken, [broke the power of] Pasupati.
  • (L. 4.)-While [he], the king, the remover of distress, possessed of large and pellucid eyes, is governing the earth; in the augmenting reign, (and) in the fifteenth year, of (him) the best of kings; the month Kârttika, cool and fragrant with the perfume of the red and blue waterlilies that are caused to blossom by the smiles of the rays of the moon, having come; while the spotless moon is shining; and a very auspicious day,-heralded by the chiefs of the classes of the twice-born with the noise of the proclamation of a holy day, (and) possessed of the (proper) tithi and nakshatra and muhûrta,-having arrived;-
  • (L. 5.)-The son’s son of Matritula, and the son of Mâtridâsa, by the name Mâtrichêta, an inhabitant of ………… on the hill, has caused to be made, on the delightful temple, the chief among the best of temples, of the Sun, for the purpose of increasing the religious merit of (his) parents and of himself, and of those who, by the ……… of the king, dwell on this best of mountains.
  • (L. 7.)-Those who cause to be made an excellent house of the Sun, like in lustre to the rays of the moon,-their abode is in heaven, until the destruction of all things!
  • (L. 7.)-(This) very famous proclamation of the true religion has been composed through devotion to the Sun, by him who is renowned by the name of Kesava and by…. ditya.
  • (L. 8.)-As long as the moon shines on the thicket that is the knot of the braided hair of (the god) Sarva; and as long as the mountain Mêru continues to have (its) slopes adorned by the feet of the nymphs of heaven; and as long as (the god) Vishnu bears the radiant (goddess) Srî upon (his) breast which is like a dark-blue cloud;-so long (this) chief of [stone]-temples shall stand upon the delightful summit of the hill!
  • From: Fleet, John F. Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum: Inscriptions of the Early Guptas. Vol. III. Calcutta: Government of India, Central Publications Branch, 1888, 163-164.

Jat Gotras in and around Gwalior

Pin codes of villages in Gwalior district

• Antri 475001 • Behat 475002 • Bhander 475335 • Bhitarwar 475220 • Collectorate Gwr 474001 • Dabra 475110 • Dabra Jwalaganj 475110 • Dabra Tehsil 475110 • Darpan Colony 474005 • Daulatganj 474001 • Gwalier Utila 474055 • Gwalior (laskhar) H O 474001 • Gwalior Birlanagar 474004 • Gwalior City 474003 • Gwalior Fort 474008 • Gwalior Jaderukalan 474040 • Gwalior Laskhar City 474009 • Gwalior Maharajpur A F 474020 • Gwalior Morar H O 474006 • Gwalior Motijheel 474010 • Gwalior Motimahal 474007 • Gwalior Panihar 474042 • Gwalior R S 474002 • Gwalior Residency 474005 • Hazira Chauk 474003 • J A Hospital 474009 • Jacob Parade 474001 • Janakganj 474001 • Jiwaji University 474002 • Jiwajiganj 474001 • K P Colony 474002 • Kampoo 474001 • Lala Ka Bazar 474001 • Lashkar H O (gwalior) 474001 • Laxmiganj 474001 • Madhoganj 474001 • Morar H O (gwalior) 474006 • Morar Military Camp 474006 • Morar Town 474006 • Naya Bazar 474009 • Naya Sarafa 474001 • Panihar (gwalior) 474042 • Phalka Bazar 474001 • R B Colony 474002 • R K Puri 474006 • S K Chhaoni 474009 • Salon B 475336 • Shaktingar 474002 • Sikandar Kampoo 474001 • Tekanpur (gwalior) 475005 • Tilaknagar 474001 • Usha Colony 474009 • V N Marg 474001 • Airaya 475001 • Ajaypur 474001 • Akbai 475005 • Amrol 475001 • Aron 475330 • Badera Bujurg 475115 • Badori 475001 • Bagwai 475220 • Bandholi 474006 • Barki Sarai 475001 • Beru 475005 • Bhadroli 474010 • Bhageh 475115 • Bhangna 475110 • Bhensnari 475110 • Bhori 475001 • Bijoli 474006 • Bilhati Kalan 474006 • Billowa 475001 • Birla Nagar 474004 • Chandpur 475110 • Chhimak 475110 • Chinore 475110 • Chirpura 475001 • Collectorate 474001 • Dabka 475002 • Dabra Gaon 475110 • Dabra Lsg 475110 • Darpan Colony Gwalior 474011 • Defence Colony 474002 • Dharamshala [d.d. Nagar] 474020 • Dhuan 475330 • Dorar 475330 • Dubha 475220 • Gadajar 475220 • Gharsondi 475110 • Ghatigaon 475330 • Gijjora 475115 • Girgaon 474020 • Gohinda 475220 • Gwalior R.s. 474002 • Harsi 475220 • Hastinapur 475002 • Hathnora 475115 • Hazira Chowk 474003 • Industrial Estate Gwalior 474002 • Itm 474001 • Itma 475220 • J.a. Hospital 474009 • Jaderuakalan 474006 • Jakhara 475002 • Jakhoda 475330 • Jamahar 474010 • Janak Ganj 474001 • Janaktal 474001 • Jhadoli 475220 • Jigsoli 474010 • Jiwaji Ganj 474001 • Jorasi 475001 • K.p. Colony 474002 • Kachhaua 475001 • Kalyani 475005 • Karahi 475330 • Karahiya 475220 • Kariyawati 475220 • Kerua 475220 • Kethoda 475115 • Khediraimal 475110 • Kitora 475115 • Ladhera 475001 • Ladhwaya 475005 • Lashkar City 474009 • Lashkar H.o. 474001 • Laxmiganj Mandi 474010 • Maharajpura 475110 • Maharajpura A.f. 474020 • Mastura 475220 • Mauchh 475001 • Mehgaon 475110 • Mena 475110 • Mohan Garh 475220 • Mohna 475330 • Morar H.o. 474006 • Moti Jheel 474010 • Moti Mahal 474007 • Mudia Pahad 474001 • New High Court 474011 • Odhpura 474010 • Panihar 475330 • Par 475001 • Parsen 474006 • Patai 475330 • Pichhore Gird 475115 • Purani Chhawani 474010 • Putti 475115 • R.b. Colony Gwalior 474002 • R.k Puri Gwalior 474011 • Rahi 475220 • Rangawan 475002 • Ratwai 474006 • Renhat 475330 • Richharikalan 475220 • S.p. Ashram 474012 • Sabrai 475330 • Salwai 475110 • Samaya 475110 • Sankhini 475220 • Senthri 474020 • Shakti Nagar 474002 • Shankarpur 474010 • Shinde Ki Chhawani 474001 • Shukalhari 475115 • Sigora 474010 • Simaria Tal 475110 • Simariatanka 475330 • Singharan 475220 • Sirsod 474006 • Sukhapatha 475115 • Supaoli 474006 • Susera 474010 • Tankoli 475002 • Tekanpur 475005 • Tighra 474001 • Tiholi 475002 • Tilak Nagar 474001 • Ummegarh 475330 • Urba 475001 • Utila 474006 • V.n. Marg 474001 • Wahangikhurd 474006

References

  1. ↑ Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Gwalior
  2. ↑ Dr Natthan Singh (2004) : Jat-Itihas, Jat Samaj Kalyan Parishad, Gwalior,p.359
  3. ↑ Dr Natthan Singh (2004) : Jat-Itihas, Jat Samaj Kalyan Parishad, Gwalior,p.359
  4. ↑ Dr Natthan Singh (2004) : Jat-Itihas, Jat Samaj Kalyan Parishad, Gwalior,p.360

Back to Jat Monuments

Retrieved from "http://www.jatland.com/home/Gwalior"