India - Gwalior Fort, Madhya Pradesh

The historic fortress of Gwalior, was initiated by Raja Sourya Sena who finished the fortification system around the plateau in 773CE. As per its strategic location on the basalt rock hills, it is mentioned as ‘Gopachala, Gopagiri’ and other allied names all meaning ‘cowherds’ hill in the old Sanskrit Inscriptions. The modern name Gwalior appears to have been derived from ‘Gopalikera’, one of the ancient names. The Gwalior Fort has a long history dating back to the Stone Age, as evidenced by the numerous artifacts discovered in Gupteshwar, 3 km west of Gwalior. Early rulers of this region included the Mauryas, Sungas, Kushanas, and Nagas, who held power there until the fourth century CE. Guptas ruled over this place till the last quarter of the 5th century CE. In 525 CE Mihira Kula was ruling over the region which was referred from the inscriptions found on Sun temple on fort. The next historical record on the fort are the two inscriptions on the Chaturbhuja temple, dated in 875 and 876 CE, which shows that Gwalior was included in the kingdom Kanauj. From 1398 AD -1516 CE Gwalior came under the Rajput Dynasty OF Tomars and was extensively constructed in the reign of Raja Mansingh Tomar. Shortly after his death, the fortress fell to Ibrahim Lodi and passed over to the Mughal Sultanate when the latter succeeded the Lodi dynasty at Delhi. The fort was recovered by Akbar in 1550 CE from Sher Shah Suri. With the decline and fall of the Mughal empire, Gwalior passed into the hands of the rising Maratha power represented by Scindias in Central India. General White bombarded and captured the fort during the second Maratha War but an agreement signed in the 1805 CE gave it back to Scindia until 1857. It was in British occupation till 1886 CE when it was finally restored to the Scindias in exchange for Jhansi. After India gained independence in 1947 CE, Gwalior, along with the fort, became a part of the newly formed Indian state. The Scindia dynasty's association with the fort and Gwalior continued, but it came under the protected monuments under the Archaeological Survey of India and the Madhya Pradesh State Archaeology. Because of the chequered history the fort has a wide range of structures, both in terms of style and typologies.