Gwalior fort is located in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh (INDIA) .The fort is built on an outcrop of Vindhyan sandstone on a solitary, rocky, long, thin, steep hill called Gopachal. There is a horizontal strata, 342 feet at its highest point (length 1.5 miles) and average width 300 yards ).
(old view of GWALIOR FORT in 1860's)
Legend tells that Suraj Sen Kachwaha, was on a hunting trip., "Gwalipa" who gave the chieftain healing water from the Surajkund . In gratitude for the healing of leprosy, Suraj Sen founded Gwalior, naming it after Gwalipa.
The Pal dynasty of 86 kings ruled for 989 years. Gwalipa prophesied that the Pal dynasty would continue while the patronym, Pal was kept. Tej Keran (The last ruler of pal dynasty) married the daughter of Ran Mul, ruler of Amber (Jaipur) and received a valuable dowry. Tej Keran was offered the reign of Amber as long as he made it his residence. He did so, leaving Gwalior under Ram Deva Pratihar.
Then the Pratihar dynasty ruled gwalior fort but for short period then. In 1196 AD, after a long siege, Qutubuddin Aibak(first Turkic sultan of Delhi) took the fort, ruling till 1211 AD.In 1231 AD, the fort taken by Iltumish (Turkic sultan of Delhi) Under attack from Timurlane, Narasingh Rao, a Jaina chieftain captured the fort.
The Rajput Tomara clan ruled Gwalior from 1398 , the tomar ruled for 200 years but 1518 Vikramaditya (Last tomar ruler) was defeated by Ibrahim lodhi.
After the death of Ibrahim lodhi control passed to the Mughal emperor Babar. Barber's son, Humayun, was defeated by Sher Shah Suri. After Suri's death in 1540, his son, Islam Shah, moved power from Delhi to Gwalior for strategic reasons. After the death of Islam Shah in 1553, his incumbent, Adil Shah Suri, appointed the Hindu warrior, Hemu (Hem Chandra Vikramaditya) as manager of Gwalior. From 1553 - 1556, Hemu attacked Adil Shah Suri and others from the fort. When the Mughal leader, Akbar captured the fort, he made it a prison for political prisoners. For example, Kamran, Akbar's cousin was held and executed at the fort. Aurangzeb's brother, Murad and nephews Suleman and Sepher Shikoh were also executed at the fort. The killings took place in the Man Madir palace.
And now Gwalior Fort is under Indian Government.In 1779, the Scindia clan of the Maratha Empire stationed a garrison at the fort however, it was taken by the East India Company. In 1784, the Marathas under Mahadji Sinde, recovered the fort. There were frequent changes in the control of the fort between the Scindias and the British between 1808 and 1844. In January 1844, after the battle of Maharajpur, the fort was occupied by the Marathas as protectorate of the British government.
