For heritage lovers, Madhya
Pradesh offers a wide variety of attractions. I felt delighted when I learnt about a package tour prepared by the 50Plus
Voyagers Club, a tour facilitator specializing in quenching the travel thirst
of those who have crossed the 50-year mark in their lives. I opted for it. The bouquet included visits to
Gwalior, Jhansi, Orchha, Khajuraho and Jabalpur from February 24 to March 1,
2019.
GWALIOR : FORT, TEMPLES AND PALACES
(By Subbaram Danda)
At Gwalior, the cynosure of
all eyes is an imposing hill-top fort, more than 1,000 years old. The frontage
showcases blue and yellow glazed tiles affixed creatively for enhanced
appearance, which is a rarity. It prides
itself on being a grand citadel with Hindu architectural features and motifs. Interestingly, Mughal emperor Babur described
the fort as “a pearl amongst the fortresses of the Hind.”
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| The imposing Gwalior fort |
The fort has witnessed many
ups and downs in its long history. In the last five centuries alone, it changed
hands from the rulers of the Tomar dynasty to Mughals, then the Marathas,
the British and finally the Scindias.
It has been the scene of momentous battles, imprisonments and jauhars (mass deaths of royal
women by immolation).
Within the fort, there are
six palaces and three temples. Out of them, the most outstanding is a 500-year old palace
named after Tomar king Raja Man Singh. Its plinths, pillars and doorways are ornately
sculpted. It has two open courtyards,
where music and dance performances were held, watched by royal ladies from
balconies above. Unfortunately today most of
the palace rooms stand bare, stripped of their past elegance. Strangely, during the time of the Mughals two basement floors of the palace were used as a prison. It was in this prison that emperor Aurangzeb had jailed his brother Murad.
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| Man Singh Palace: In a courtyard with intricately carved doorways |
Among the temples within the fort complex the most
visited is the Sahasrabahu temple dedicated to Hindu God Vishnu. Sahasrabahu or
Sahastrabahu means thousand arms and it refers to Vishnu. It was constructed by a Gwalior king at the
request of his queen, who was a Vishnu devotee.
He also heeded the plea of his daughter-in-law, who was a Shiva devotee,
and built a Shiva temple nearby. In
course of time, the twin temples together came to be known as Saas-bahu temples.
Saas-bahu denotes mother-in-law and
daughter-in-law. In these temples, elaborately chiselled pillars and walls are strikingly beautiful. Unfortunately, there are no idols inside them
now.
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| Saas-bahu temple dedicated to Vishnu |
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| Saas-bahu temple dedicated to Shiva |
Another temple of importance within the fort area is
Teli ka mandir, whose main tower soars to a height of over 100 feet. Dedicated to Vishnu, Shiva and Matrikas, it is
believed to have been built in the ninth century by an oil (teli)
merchant. While its decorative
embellishments exhibit typical Indo-Aryan characteristics, the shape of the roof
is Dravidian. It suffered extensive
destruction in later years but was subsequently restored. The porch, doorway and the exterior walls
display extensive carvings.
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| Teli ka Mandir |
A miss-not attraction in Gwalior is Jai Vilas
Palace, located in the heart of the city. Built in 1874 by Scindia king Jayaji Rao, it
incorporates European style of architecture. A part of the palace has been
converted into a museum, while the rest remains the residence of the
descendants of the former royal Maratha Scindia dynasty.
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| In front of the Jai Vilas Palace and Museum |
The most popular attraction in the palace is the
Durbar hall, which showcases gold-plated furniture, Persian carpets, expensive
draperies and two huge crystal chandeliers.
Each chandelier is said to weigh 3.5 tons and to make sure that the roof could hold them, eight elephants were made to walk on it. The hall is 100 feet long, 50 feet wide and
40 feet high.
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| The Durbar Hall with two heavy chandeliers |
Novelty is the hallmark of several attractions in the palace. Visitors are awestruck by a large pillared banquet
hall in pure white ambience, where a miniature silver train with cut-glass
wagons would run on rails laid over an elongated dining table. It served wine, nuts and cigars to guests as
it chugged on the table.
There is another private dining hall, where mostly family members and relatives had their meals seated on the floor. A noteworthy feature here is that all plates, tumblers and cutlery were made of pure silver.
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| The Banquet Hall with a miniature silver train |
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| The family dining hall |
A significant highlight is a swimming pool exclusively for
the royal ladies built inside the palace with a roof over it. It has a diving
board too. Other pieces of interest displayed in the museum include
an original shield of Jhansi ki Rani, swords dating back to the times of Shah
Jahan and Aurangzeb, a silver coach, royal palanquins, a table with a picture
of Napoleon, sculptures, paintings and many personal memorabilia of the members
of the Scindia family.
(The series will continue)
March 10, 2019
March 10, 2019
