GWALIOR

Genral Information

Gwalior was the winter capital of the state of Madhya Bharat which later became a part of the larger state of Madhya Pradesh. Prior to Indian independence on 15 August 1947, Gwalior remained a princely state of the British Raj with the Scindia as the local rulers. High rocky hills surround the city from all sides, on the north it just forms the border of the Ganga- Yamuna Drainage Basin. The city however is situated in the valley between the hills. Gwalior’s metropolitan area includes Gwalior city centre, Morar Cantonment,Lashkar Gwalior (Lashkar Subcity), Maharaj Bada, Phool Bagh, and Thatipur.

Geography of Gwalior

According to legend, Gwalior was founded in 8 CE after a local chieftain, Suraj Sen who was cured of leprosy from a drink given to him by a holy man called Gwalipa. Suraj subsequently set up a town and fort and named them after Gwalipa.

The earliest historical record found at Gwalior is the Gwalior inscription of the Alchon Hun ruler Mihirakula. It describes Mihirakula’s father Toramana (493-515) as “a ruler of the earth, of great merit, who was renowned by the name of the glorious Tôramâna; by whom, through (his) heroism that was specially characterized by truthfulness, the earth was governed with justice”, and his Mihirakula as “the lord of the earth” as of 520 CE.