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Gwalior Fort
The Fort of Gwalior or Gwalior Fort is a 6th-century hill fort in Gwalior, India. Mughal Emperor Babur called it the "pearl amongst the fortresses of Hind" because of its impregnability and magnificence; it has also been nicknamed the "Gibraltar of India". The fort dates back to the 5th century, perhaps earlier. Ancient Sanskrit inscriptions record the name of the hill as "Gopagiri".
The current structure has stood since at least the 8th century, and the inscriptions and monuments found within the fort complex indicate that it may have existed as early as the beginning of the 6th century, making it one of the oldest defensive structures of its kind in India.
The modern-day fort comprises a defensive structure and six palaces, two of which were built by the Tomar Rajput ruler Man Singh Tomar (reigned 1486–1516 CE). It has witnessed the changing fortunes of the Kushanas, the Nagas, the Guptas, the Hunas, the Pratiharas, the Kachchhapaghatas, the Tomaras, the Pathans, the Surs, the Mughals, the English, the Jats, and the Marathas – most notably the Scindia dynasty, whose legacy remains visible in several of the fort's monuments.
The present-day fort includes several notable palaces, among them Man Mandir, Vikram Mandir, Karn Palace, Shah Jahan Palace, Jehangir Palace, and Gurjari Mahal. Gurjari Mahal was commissioned by Man Singh Tomar, for his 9th wife Mrignayani, who belonged to the Gurjar community.
A stone inscription found in a small temple close to the top of the fort contains the second-oldest known record (after the Bakhshali manuscript) of the numeral "zero" with a place value, as used in decimal notation. The inscription is around 1,500 years old.
The construction of the fort is associated with a local legend, and the exact date of its construction is therefore unknown. According to the legend, a local king named Suraj Sen ruled the region around the 3rd century CE. The king suffered from leprosy, a deadly disease that was incurable at the time. One day, while hunting at Gopgiri (Gop Mountain), he met with a sage named Gwalipa or Galav, who miraculously cured his disease by asking him to drink water from a sacred pond, believed to be the pond that is located inside the fort today. When the king was cured, he decided to build a wall around the pond, which later became known as Suraj Kund, and constructed the fort to honor the sage, after whom he also named the city "Gwalior". Historical Sanskrit inscriptions and Gupta period records, however, refer to the site as Gop Parvat (Gop Mountain), Gopachala Durg, Gopgiri, and Gopadiri, all of which mean "cowherd's hill".
The fort is built on an outcrop of Vindhyan sandstone on a solitary rocky hill called Gopachal. The ridge is long, thin, and steep. The rock formations of the Gwalior range consist of ochre-coloured sandstone overlain by basalt. There is a horizontal stratum which rises to 342 feet (104 m) at its highest point, extending roughly 1.5 miles (2.4 km) in length, with an average width of about 1,000 yards (910 m)). It has a near-perpendicular precipice. A small river, the Swarnrekha, flows close by.
According to a local legend, the fort was built by a local king named Suraj Sen. He was cured of leprosy, when a sage named Gwalipa offered him the water from a sacred pond, which now lies within the fort. The king later constructed a fort and named it after the sage.
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Gwalior Fort
The Fort of Gwalior or Gwalior Fort is a 6th-century hill fort in Gwalior, India. Mughal Emperor Babur called it the "pearl amongst the fortresses of Hind" because of its impregnability and magnificence; it has also been nicknamed the "Gibraltar of India". The fort dates back to the 5th century, perhaps earlier. Ancient Sanskrit inscriptions record the name of the hill as "Gopagiri".
The current structure has stood since at least the 8th century, and the inscriptions and monuments found within the fort complex indicate that it may have existed as early as the beginning of the 6th century, making it one of the oldest defensive structures of its kind in India.
The modern-day fort comprises a defensive structure and six palaces, two of which were built by the Tomar Rajput ruler Man Singh Tomar (reigned 1486–1516 CE). It has witnessed the changing fortunes of the Kushanas, the Nagas, the Guptas, the Hunas, the Pratiharas, the Kachchhapaghatas, the Tomaras, the Pathans, the Surs, the Mughals, the English, the Jats, and the Marathas – most notably the Scindia dynasty, whose legacy remains visible in several of the fort's monuments.
The present-day fort includes several notable palaces, among them Man Mandir, Vikram Mandir, Karn Palace, Shah Jahan Palace, Jehangir Palace, and Gurjari Mahal. Gurjari Mahal was commissioned by Man Singh Tomar, for his 9th wife Mrignayani, who belonged to the Gurjar community.
A stone inscription found in a small temple close to the top of the fort contains the second-oldest known record (after the Bakhshali manuscript) of the numeral "zero" with a place value, as used in decimal notation. The inscription is around 1,500 years old.
The construction of the fort is associated with a local legend, and the exact date of its construction is therefore unknown. According to the legend, a local king named Suraj Sen ruled the region around the 3rd century CE. The king suffered from leprosy, a deadly disease that was incurable at the time. One day, while hunting at Gopgiri (Gop Mountain), he met with a sage named Gwalipa or Galav, who miraculously cured his disease by asking him to drink water from a sacred pond, believed to be the pond that is located inside the fort today. When the king was cured, he decided to build a wall around the pond, which later became known as Suraj Kund, and constructed the fort to honor the sage, after whom he also named the city "Gwalior". Historical Sanskrit inscriptions and Gupta period records, however, refer to the site as Gop Parvat (Gop Mountain), Gopachala Durg, Gopgiri, and Gopadiri, all of which mean "cowherd's hill".
The fort is built on an outcrop of Vindhyan sandstone on a solitary rocky hill called Gopachal. The ridge is long, thin, and steep. The rock formations of the Gwalior range consist of ochre-coloured sandstone overlain by basalt. There is a horizontal stratum which rises to 342 feet (104 m) at its highest point, extending roughly 1.5 miles (2.4 km) in length, with an average width of about 1,000 yards (910 m)). It has a near-perpendicular precipice. A small river, the Swarnrekha, flows close by.
According to a local legend, the fort was built by a local king named Suraj Sen. He was cured of leprosy, when a sage named Gwalipa offered him the water from a sacred pond, which now lies within the fort. The king later constructed a fort and named it after the sage.