Sunday, August 27, 2000		Travel

THE sight of a massive fort atop a hill, while journeying down south fromDelhi since my childhood, served as an indication that we were approaching Gwalior. The longing to see the fort and the city surrounding it, was at last fulfilled when recently I alighted in Gwalior after a five-hour journey fromDelhi by the Taj Express.

The wide clean platforms with chipped marble walls betray the fact that the city’s representative in Parliament must have been a railway minister. I set out for the fort in a jeep provided the city palace officials.

At the entrance, the guard checks from his counterpart atop the hill if any vehicle is coming down, and on receiving a reply in the negative, asks us to proceed.

As I drive up the fort, I am told that the hill on which the fort stands was known as Gopagiri.A Kachhwaha Chief,Suraj Sen, afflicted by leprosy was one day hunting in the jungles near the hill. He felt thirsty, and in the course of his search for water he came to the cave of a hermit named Siddh Gwalipa, who offered him water from a small tank. No sooner, Suraj Sen drank the water, he was cured of leprosy. Overjoyed at the miraculous cure, the Chieftain asked the hermit if he could do anything in return. Gwalipa asked him to build a fort on the very same hill where he stood, and to renovate the tank from where the water he drank had been drawn.

In deference to the hermits wishes,Suraj Sen got the fort built on the hill, and named it after Gwalipa. He widened the tank and called it Suraj Kund, after his own name.

As we reach the fort, we pass through the Scindia School premises to the Teli-ka-Mandir. This 9th century Vishnu temple that rises to a 100 feet, is a fine blend of Dravidian and Indo-Aryan architecture. This is believed to have been derived from the Telengana region of Andhra Pradesh. The original name of this temple was Telengana Mandir, but with the passage of time, got corrupted to Teli-ka-Mandir.

Right across the temple is the radiant white Gurudwara Data Bandhi Chod. This was built in the memory of Guru Hargobind Sahib, the sixth Guru who was imprisoned in the fort for two years by Jehangir.

Not far fromTeli-ka-Mandir is the Sas-Bahu ka mandir dedicated to Lord Vishnu. It was constructed in the 11th century by Mahipala, a Kachhwaha Rajput Prince of Gwalior. The twin temple is so called because of the similarity between the two temples. The terms Sas Bahu meaning ‘mother-in-law and daughter-in-law’ is generally used to denote similarity between two objects set side by side.

The larger one of the Sas Bahu temple has an ornate doorway embellished with marvellous sculptures while the ceiling is an impressively carved dome.

Other temples within the precincts of the fort are the Suryadev Mandir which is probably, the site of an old Sun Temple, the Matadevi Mandir near Suraj Kund tank, the Dhondadev Mandir, and the Mahadev Mandir.

Among the most impressive monuments within the fort is the Man Mandir Palace. Measuring 300 feet in length, 160 feet in width, and 80 feet in height with six watch towers. This

magnificent palace was constructed by Raja Man Singh between 1486 and 1517. Embellished with colourful tiles, most of which have now faded, the walls of the palace add a unique charm to the monument.

Another elegant palace with a legend behind it is the Gujari Mahal.Raja Man Singh, it is said, one day came across a Gujari girl while hunting near village called Rai. Charmed by her stunning beauty, he named her ‘Mrignayani’, and proposed to her. The girl agreed, subject to the condition that he arrange to bring water from the village stream, where she lived, to the palace where she would reside after marriage.Remains of underground water channel through which water was brought to the palace can still be seen in the palace where Rani Mrignayani lived.

The palace now serves as an Archaeological Museum, and houses ancient sculptures and works of art.

After seeing an impressive sound and light show in the vicinity of the palace in the evening, I called it a day and

retired to my room.

The following morning, I began my itinerary with a visit to the Jai Vilas Palace — the abode of the royal Scindia family.

After a buggy ride around the palace, I met Mr R.P. Chaudhry the curator of the Museum who retired as Deputy Director Madhya PradeshGovernment. He took me around the 35-room palace which have been converted into a museum.

Designed by architect, Sir Michael Filose, the Jai Vilas Palace was constructed between 1872 and 1874 at a cost of Rs 19 lakhs.While the ground floor of the palace is in Tuscan style architecture, the first floor is of Italian design and the second one of the Corinthian style.

The immaculate white palace amidst lush green lawns and surroundings lend a regal ambience to the whole area.

Among the curios displayed in the museum are a silver train with cutglass wagons moving on a miniature rail around the dining table, silver swords used by Aurangzeb and Shahjahan and two huge chandeliers weighing two tons, for fixing of which the roof was tested by the strength of ten elephants pulling a hook on the roof.

Among the living cultural heritage of Gwalior is Tansen’s tomb, which is built in Mughal style.

Memorials to commemorate the earliest freedom fighters like Tatya Tope and the Rani Jhansi adorn major public places and crossings bringing to memory the valour and indomitable courage of the warriors of bygone days.