Gwalior, nestled in Central India is a very interesting city to visit if you love history and architecture. Gwalior is easily accessible by train or flight or road. You can take a train from Delhi (3hrs) or a flight from other cities like Bangalore, Mumbai etc.
We reached Gwalior around noon, checked into our Hotel (Clarks Inn), freshened up and set out to explore the city.
Gwalior Fort Complex area –
The main attraction of Gwalior is the humongous fort built in the city! Keep atleast about 3-4hrs of you want to have a detailed look at the fort complex. In the Gwalior Fort complex you can visit the Gwalior Fort and palaces, Saas-Bahu Temple, Teli ka Mandir and the Gurudwara.
Getting there – There are 2 ways to get to the Fort. Take an auto, that drops you to the foot of the hill and you can either take a shared taxi for about 50-100Rs per person which climbs up the hill and drops you at the entrance of the fort. We, however, decided to walk up. The incline is quite steep and would recommend only if you have some level of fitness – its like a easy-moderate trek.
While going up, you will see a few Jain statues on the left. This is the Gopalchal rock cut Jain monuments. These Jain Tirthankaras have been carved out of the same mountain rock. There are caves as well with the Tirthankaras in sitting and standing position. You can visit this only by foot i.e. climbing up to the fort. A Tourist guide won’t cover this and neither will the cab stop here. Do spend some time admiring this beautiful piece of history.
After a climb of about 20-30 mins we reached the fort. We wanted to understand a bit about the history and hired a guide for about 300 Rs to take us through the place (after bargaining). The Gwalior fort comprises of the main palace which is Man Singh Palace who was the last ruler of the Rajputs; a smaller palace for his son Vikram and the Joharkund. Man Mandir is a beautiful palace with intricate architecture and carvings in every corner. The highlight, though, was the underground palace cum prison. This was built for the king’s last wife who was the only one who had a child (son-Vikram) and was also used to hide/imprison her. It does give you the feeling of a maze as there are multiple points of entry/exit to it. Another significant story behind the fort is that, legend has it that Rani Laxmibai of Jhansi came to Gwalior while fighting the British and jumped off the fort to sacrifice her life.
Outside the Man Mandir palace you can visit the smaller palaces. Do not miss out on the impressive views of Gwalior city from here. Do walk up to Johar Kund then. This is the place where the Rajput women of the king performed Johar (suicide by jumping into the fire) when the King lost the battle against the invader Iltutmish. The fort complex has 2 such Johar Kunds.
Next, take a electric auto to the Saas-Bahu temple.. yes you read it right. This twin temples were built for a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law duo to pray to their respective Gods. Dedicated to Lord Vishnu, this temple has some amazing architecture and is also a good sunset view point. A few yards away is Teli ka Mandir named after a merchant who used to sell oil. Again you will be bowled over by the size and the intricacy of it. You can also visit a Gurudwara that is in the fort complex. This was built by the King for a Sikh guru he had captured. All 3 sites are a little far away from the temple and one may need to take the electric auto.
Day trip to Morena –
Our day 2 in Gwalior, we decided to take a taxi to Morena which is about 30km (1hr) drive from Gwalior. Morena, located in Chambal area (don’t worry, we didn’t see any dacoits) has the ancient temple ruins of Mitawali, Padhavali and Bateshwar which are worth the visit. We took the taxi through our hotel. He charged us Rs 3000 for the day including taking us to the Sun temple, Gwalior in the evening and some street food places. Tired from our previous day, we started late, close to 10:30am and were back to Gwalior around 4pm.
64 Yogini temple of Mitawali – We first headed to the 64 yogini temple of Mitawali. This is a circular temple perched on a hill, and you need to climb up some steep steps to get there. The structure/design of our Indian Parliament was inspired by this temple. The temple has a number of Shivalingas along the circumference of the temple. Do not miss out on the bird’s eye view of the gorgeous landscapes from the top.
Padavali temple – We then drove 5mins to the temple of Padavali. Again the architecture is superb and the carvings are amazing. This is a temple which was part of a fort and you see 2 lions at the bottom of the stairs. Do spend some time marveling at the 3D architecture at the entrance porch – just gorgeous.
Bateshwar temples – We then headed to Bateshwar which are temple shrines of Shiva and Vishnu with the complex lined with multiple small Shivalings. These temples were underground for years and have been slowly excavated by the ASI. Some of them were plundered by the dacoits who lived in these areas and some are very well preserved too. This is a beautiful place to spend sometime in peace, admiring the ruins.
Other sites in Gwalior – Sun temple – this is inspired by the Konark temple in Orissa. The temple is made of sandstone and is beautiful at sunset. You can also visit the Jai Vilas Palace museum which is also the residence of the Scindia family. This is closed on Mondays. You can visit the memorial of Tansen and Jhansi ki Rani as well. Evenings can be spent visiting Sarafa bazaar, Naya bazaar etc to shop and try the local cuisines and chaats.
Places we ate at & recommendations –
Kwality restaurant – kind of fine dining – good Indian cuisine. Lunch preferable as it was less crowded.
Shree Ram sweets in Dal Bazaar– for their chaats and street food. The quality was quite good!
Dilli Parathawala in Sarafa bazaar – it isn’t a gastronomical delight, but if you are not from Delhi, it does provide a glimpse of the flavours. Choices of parathas were limited though.
Pro-Tips –
1. The climb to the fort is quite tough so take a call whether to take the car or walk up. Autos don’t go to the top. Shared-Taxis are available at the base of the fort; but you might miss the Gopalchal rock cut sculptures if you take a taxi.
2. Avoid going to the Fort on Sundays/Weekends since localites throng there to enjoy the day off. Hence quite crowded. If you dont have a choice, then go early in the morning.
3. Hiring a taxi to Morena is the most convenient way to visit. Ola outstation cabs were also an option but we preferred one through the hotel due to reliability.
4. You can also explore hotel options by MPT (MP Tourism). The hotels in other cities were good and some even have a taxi booking office on the premises.
5. Digital modes of payment are accepted at most places. However, when you book cab/auto on Ola/Uber, better to select cash option and then do a Paytm/Gpay to the driver. Most have a QR code.
Travel Responsibly & Mask Up!
Like | Follow | Share
More Travel Stories on Instagram @curiousboho
Curious Boho 