Gwalior, one time capital of the Scindhias!!

On the road from Agra to Gwalior, Dholpur, also a one time princely state has this palace worth a look at before proceeding on to Gwalior. (top 2 pics and below left.)


Below Jai Vilas Palace, Gwalior,and left, palace room; right, dining room with a "rail-track" device for a train of goodies(!!!); right Gwalior Fort; below- and below the present Maharaja Jyotidaritya, a very popular political figure, and below, his ancestor Maharaja Madhavrao II.

See my post below on "Delhi-Agra India." If you can spare two days before travelling west to Rajasthan from Agra, then Gwalior, a few hours drive( 120 kms.) to the south of Agra, is worth a visit. The town is not much to talk about, but the Gwalior Palace in the city, and the Fort at the outskirts is worth the effort.

The 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". This forts architecture is the only one in India , which shows Chinese influence , as Chinese dragons that have been crafted at the hilt of the pillars. This influence was due to trade between China and India.
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. Right next to them is the Gujari Mahal, which according to the local stories says that the maharaj made for his 9th queen, he was married to eight queens, but none were able to produce a heir for him, thus he finally married a milkman’s daughter called “naani”, later she was renamed “mrignani” (meaning beautiful eyes), since she wasn’t of royal heritage, the maharaj had to make a separate palace for her, which is now called “gujari mahal”.
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.

The Scindhia dynasty was founded by Ranuji Scindia, who was employed by the Maratha Peshwa Baji Rao to command a force. (the Peshwas were a dynastic family of prime-ministers who served the descendants of the great Shivaji, founder of the Maratha empire that replaced the Mughals.) The Scindia family was alloted an area surrounding the town of Gwalior. The Scindias held command of the great Gwalior fort. After the death of Ranuji Scindia several of his sons ran the affairs of the family. After the Battle of Panipat with the Afghan Ahmad Shah Abdali only one son survived. Mahadji Scindia was rescued from the bodies left on the battlefield of Panipat by a Pathan water carrier named Rane Khan. Mahadji was severly injured but with the help of Rane Khan he was saved after extensive treatment. Mahadji Scindia thereafter treated Rane Khan as his brother. After this setback Mahadji reorganised his forces along European lines and he became the most powerful figure in all of India. Mahadji was one of the greatest figures of the time and he rescued the Mughal Emperor from the British and placed him on the throne of Delhi.

Just as anywhere in the world, the forts and palaces in India also have chequered histories; to view and walk around these and look at the ramparts, cannon , or gilt rooms without some background of what history and events took place there is like talking to a stranger, with no clue of who he is! ( Later rulers, Sir Madhav Rao and Sir George Jivaji Rao would be responsible for instituting reforms in Gwalior, in education and judiciary, building schools, railways and a well trained army that contributed in both the World Wars. George Jivaji's wife, was a leading member of political parties, the Jana Sangh and BJP. After independance, Maharaja Madhav Rao III, educated at Winchester and Oxford, would be an elected member of the Indian Parliament, Minister of Railways, then of Civil Aviation, then of Human Resource Development, member of The Cricket Club of India, member of WWF chapter of Madhya Pradesh. He died in a tragic case of an air crash in Sept.2001. His son, Maharaja Jyotiraditya, educated at Harvard and Stanford, has worked with Merryl Lynch, the United Nations, and, Morgan Stanley in New York; he is a member of the Indian Parliament, and a leading spokesman of India's Congress party, presently (2007) forming India's government! Madhav Rao's sister, is the present [2007] Chief Minister of Rajasthan state!In these roles the previous royals portray themselves as common citizens, although by some facets of Indian law, the Indian judiciary addresses them with their titles! )

http://www.indialine.com/travel/madhyapradesh/gwalior/

here's Lonely Planet: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/india/gwalior/

hotels in Gwalior: http://www.planetholiday.com/hotels/asia/india/gwalior.html and

http://www.indiahotelreview.com/destination_gwalior.htm

In Gwalior, dont miss the son-en-lumiere in the Fort, select to see the last show late evening, because it also a good time to view the city below sparkling with city lights; but would be wise to carry a torch with you.
On a visit to the fort, stop on the way up to view the statues of Jain saints/deities placed in cornices carved into the rock side.
At the Jai Vilas Palace, get hold of a palace attendant and request him to put on all the lights in the Main Durbar room which is strung with huge chandeliers.(see pic above.)