Gwalior Fort
Monument Of National Importance; Gwalior Is A UNESCO Creative City Of Music · Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh
A fortress on a long sandstone plateau rising above the city of Gwalior in northern Madhya Pradesh, one of the most formidable and historic forts in India; the Mughal emperor Babur called it the pearl among the fortresses of Hindustan. Its most striking building is the Man Mandir palace, built by Raja Man Singh Tomar in the late fifteenth century, whose outer walls are decorated with bands of blue, green and yellow tiles showing ducks, elephants and banana trees. Also on the plateau are the Teli ka Mandir, a tall temple from around the ninth century, the carved Sas-Bahu temples, and a small temple where an inscription of 876 CE includes one of the oldest known written zeros. Giant Jain figures are carved into the cliffs on the approach road. The fort's gurdwara marks where Guru Hargobind was released from imprisonment. Below, the city holds the Jai Vilas Palace of the Scindia family, with enormous chandeliers and a silver model train that served drinks at dinner, and the tomb of Tansen, the great musician, whose festival each December is a major event in Hindustani music.
Gwalior Fort Road, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, 474008, India
NO OPENING TIME HERE WAS CHECKED. The typical pattern: the ASI monuments on the plateau open around sunrise and close around sunset daily, with ticket sales stopping shortly before; the sound and light show runs in the evening in separate Hindi and English sessions whose times shift with the season. Jai Vilas Palace museum keeps daytime hours and is closed one day a week, often Wednesday; the Gujari Mahal museum commonly closes on Mondays. Traps: arriving at Jai Vilas on its closed day, and planning the show without transport back. Confirm all times before travelling.