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Carved into a small shrine on the slope of Gwalior fort is an inscription dated 876 CE that uses a round symbol for zero in the number 270 — one of the earliest surviving uses of zero as a written digit anywhere in the world. It is just one of the treasures of a fort that has been fought over for more than a thousand years. Under the Tomar Rajputs in the fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries, Gwalior became a centre of architecture and, above all, music, laying the foundations of the tradition that produced Tansen. For MPPSC, Gwalior combines history, art and music.
The fort
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Location | On a sandstone hill (Gopachal) in Gwalior |
| History | Held at different times by the Kachchhapaghatas, Delhi Sultans, Tomars, Lodis, Mughals, Marathas (Scindias) and the British |
| Reputation | Mughal sources praise it as one of the finest forts of India |
Monuments inside the fort
| Monument | Period | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| Teli ka Mandir | c. 8th–9th century | Tall temple with a distinctive wagon-vault (valabhi) roof, blending northern and southern features |
| Sas-Bahu temples (Sahastrabahu) | 1093, Kachchhapaghata dynasty | Two Vishnu temples with richly carved interiors |
| Chaturbhuj temple | 876 CE | Contains the inscription with an early zero |
| Jain rock-cut sculptures | 15th century, Tomar period | Colossal images of Jain tirthankaras carved into the cliffs (Siddhachal caves and others) |
| Man Mandir palace | Late 15th – early 16th century | Built by Man Singh Tomar; decorated with coloured tiles showing ducks, elephants, peacocks |
| Gujari Mahal | Man Singh Tomar | Built for his queen Mrignayani; now a museum |
| Gurudwara Data Bandi Chhor | Later | Commemorates the release of Guru Hargobind from imprisonment at the fort |
The Tomars of Gwalior
| Ruler | Highlights |
|---|---|
| Virsingh Dev | Established Tomar rule in Gwalior in the 1390s (c. 1394), as the Tughlaq Sultanate broke up; the Tomars held on through Timur's invasion of 1398 |
| Dungarendra Singh (Dungar Singh) | Patron of Jain art — the great rock-cut Jain sculptures date largely from his reign and his successor's |
| Man Singh Tomar (1486–1516) | The greatest Tomar ruler — builder, music patron, resisted the Lodis |
| Vikramaditya | Lost Gwalior to Ibrahim Lodi (1518) |
Man Singh Tomar and music
Raja Man Singh Tomar is remembered above all as a patron of music:
- He promoted dhrupad, the austere and devotional classical vocal form, singing in Brajbhasha rather than Sanskrit.
- A treatise on music, Mankutuhal, is associated with his court.
- The legendary singer Baiju Bawra is associated with his court in tradition.
- Queen Mrignayani, from a Gujar family, is also remembered in music — ragas named Gujari are linked to her in tradition.
Tansen and the Gwalior tradition
- Tansen, the most famous musician in Indian history, is associated with Gwalior — traditionally born at Behat near Gwalior and trained in the dhrupad tradition that flourished there.
- He served at the court of Raja Ramchandra of Rewa before joining Akbar's court, where he became one of the navaratnas (nine gems) in popular tradition.
- His tomb is in Gwalior, and the Tansen Samaroh, a major classical music festival, is held there every year in December.
- Gwalior is also home to the Gwalior gharana, regarded as the oldest gharana of khayal singing.
Later history
- Mughals used the fort as a state prison.
- In the eighteenth century, the Scindias made Gwalior their capital (see our post on the Scindias).
- During 1857, Rani Lakshmibai and Tatya Tope briefly captured Gwalior; she died fighting near the city in June 1858.
- In 2023, UNESCO named Gwalior a City of Music in its Creative Cities Network.
Practice
Prelims-style:
- Which temple at Gwalior fort contains an early inscription of zero?
- Who built the Man Mandir palace?
- For whom was the Gujari Mahal built?
- What is Mankutuhal?
- When is the Tansen Samaroh held, and where?
Mains-style (short): What is the architectural significance of Teli ka Mandir?
Mains-style (long): Discuss Gwalior's contribution to Indian classical music.
A note on dates and numbers. Exam patterns, vacancies and schedules change from year to year. Always confirm the current details in the latest notification on the Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission website .
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