A Complete Guide To The Gwalior Fort

It was back in 2008 when I first came across the Lonely Planet magazine. The beautiful imagery, poetic writing and minimal style instantly caught my attention. Since then it has always been my go to place before any trip. Whether it’s planning or deciding a place, Lonely Planet has always been my guide. 

In 2018, before my Gwalior trip, I was performing my ritual. The only difference this time was the medium. Interestingly they spoke about the different approaches that one could take to see the fort. A new thing that I discovered.

The eastern approach is mainly for the hikers. Whereas the western for those who are short of time. Here’s how we explored the Gwalior fort using the ‘western approach’. But before that,

Here are few facts about the Gwalior Fort: 

1. More than 15 rulers from several different dynasties have reigned over the city of Gwalior and have made this fort their home.
2. The fort is home to a sacred pond (Surajkund) that is known to have healing qualities. 
3. Gwalior Fort is a perfect example of diversity with various religious structures in one place. From Gurudwara to Jain temples to various Hindu temples.
4. This fort records the second oldest scripture of ‘zero’ within a tiny temple.

The ‘Western’ approach

The western gate or Urwai gate is one of the two main gates of the fort complex. This gate allows private vehicles to pass through. However, they don’t allow local transport. For people coming by taxi or auto-rickshaw can get down at the gate, and hire taxis that are run by the fort authority. They charge 50 INR per person and will drop you near the main ticket counter.

Tip: You can hike (1 km approximately) up to the ticket counter during the winters. 

We chose to take a ride up the hill as we wanted to save our energy and time. On your way to the top, we came across the Siddhachal Jain Temple Caves. The caves comprised of beautiful rock-cut statues of the Jain Tirthankaras. 

After reaching the top, we bought tickets from the main counter and began our expedition. The first stop was an ancient stepwell made of 80 stone pillars known as Assi Khamba ki Baoli. From there we walked to the Man Mandir Palace. Maharaja Man Singh of Tomar dynasty constructed this palace for his queen Mrignayani. It is well known for its intrinsic architecture, and turquoise, green & yellow tiled walls.

We then headed to the ASI Archeological museum inside the fort complex to get insights about this place. The museum had a vast collection of ruins, sculptures and artefacts collected from various archaeological sights in Madhya Pradesh. The museum had a separate ticket that cost 80 INR.

The next stop was the palaces of Karan and Vikram. Karn or Kriti Singh was the second king of the Tomar dynasty. It is a two-storied palace that comprises of a hamam and court to address the public. Next to this is the palace of Man Singh’s elder son Vikramaditya. The complex has a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva as Vikram was a devotee of Shiva. 

Next comes the Shahjahan and Jahangir Palace, residing next to each other. The mahal complex comprises of a water tank. The architecture of these two palaces was average and didn’t catch much of our attention.

Gwalior fort in a Tuk-Tuk!

It was not time to take a pause and enjoy the breathtaking city view from the Man Mandir Palace. We rested for a while before heading to our next spot. The dry weather of Gwalior had drained our energy, and so we decided to hire an e-rickshaw to see the remaining attractions within the fort.

Hop on to any e-rickshaws from the main ticket counter and hop off at any of the attraction at just 10 INR per stop (per person). To save time, we booked an entire e-rickshaw to ourselves for 100 INR.

Our first stop post-break was Sas-bahu temple. The name sounded hilarious at first (because of its literal translation as “Mother-in-law and Daughter-in-law’s” temple.). However, later we came across its actual name ‘Sahastrabahu’ that means the one with thousand arms. Although because of several invasions, the temple is destroyed (partially). However, one can still appreciate the beauty by looking at the ruins. 

The next spot was a sacred pond named Surajkund. According to history, the water from this pond cured the leprosy of a local prince named Suraj Sen. Out of gratitude he builds a fort to protect the area and names it as Gwalior. In the present time, Surajkund is a pond with a tiny temple in between. It was a rather shortstop. We quickly captured its beauty in our cameras and headed to our next stop. 

Next was Teli ka Mandir which is opposite to Sas-bahu temple. It is one of the oldest structures in the fort complex and is a beautiful amalgamation of the north and the south Indian architecture. Close to Teli ka mandir resides a Garuda monument which is the highest in the fort. 

Our last stop for the day was Gurudwara Data Bandi Chhor Sahib. Jahangir imprisoned Guru Har Gobind Singh at the Gwalior fort during his reign. He later won the fight with the Mughals and freed 52 kings who suffered from a long imprisonment. The Gurudwara is beautiful and surrounded by colourful bougainvillaea. We sat there for a while, absorbing the calmness of the place before heading to the drop-off point. 

As we were short of time, we decided to skip our visit to the Gujari Mahal. The second and the main museum of Gwalior. However, we did get a view of it from the Jahangir Mahal. 

From the tuk-tuk drop-off place, we booked a cab back to the main gate and headed back to the city to grab lunch.

It was an exhausting day. However, we thoroughly enjoyed our time exploring the ruins and history of this place. If you still have some energy left. Here’s a list of things that you can do post your visit to the fort. Moreover, let us know your prefered approach in the comments. 🙂