The Hindu Business Line : Fortifying legends

It is a dry and dusty State now, but Gwalior was once a kingdom fought over by several dynasties — the Tomars, the Mughals, the Marathas and the British who finally handed it over to the Scindias. It has a hill fort located about 300 ft above sea-level, with a daunting access over steep rocky escarpment of jagged boulders. Situated midway between the north and south of India, it was a formidable bastion that was fought over with gore and glory, enclosed by menacing w alls which spread over two miles.

On a slightly hazy morning, it beckoned us with its elegant façade of sandstone with seven gates of which the most imposing is the Elephant Gate, a part of the colourful and magnificent 15th century palace of Raja Man Singh, the great Tomar chief. It’s also called the Chit Mandir or painted palace, because of the coloured tiles in blue and gold which decorate the exterior in a mosaic of images of Brahmini ducks, elephants, parrots, banana trees, crocodiles and peacocks.

Inside, it is a visual delight of lovely shaded courtyards hinting of midnight trysts, of romances conducted behind intricate jali-work screens and cool underground chambers, but which now seem haunted by the spectre of death and torture.

These were used by the Mughals to torture and execute prisoners, the most important of whom was Murad Baksh, brother of Aurangazeb, who was fed on a diet of crushed poppies until he went mad and died here. Equally grisly is the Jauhar Kund, which marks the spot where the women of the harem immolated themselves after the defeat of Gwalior in the 13th century.

Female power

There are seven palaces within the fort, two of which were built by the Mughals. One has been attributed to Mrignayani who was from the Gujjar tribe. Legend has it that the king saw her separating two warring buffaloes single-handedly and fell in love with her. And she laid down conditions — she would be given equal status, she would accompany him to battle and waters from her native streams would be brought to her palace. All three stipulations were accepted — talk of female power! She also gave her name to a raaga which is now known as Gujjari todi.

Another palace, shadowed and empty windowed, belonged to the father of Karan Singh. It was just the sort of haunted building I would have liked to explore, with its air of mystery and brooding. To further enhance the atmosphere, an old man, obviously deranged, was singing songs which were plaintive and boisterous by turn. But my guide was not in favour of our exploring it for fear of falling rafters. So one had to be content with photographing it.

Embedded History

There are many step wells and tanks and the one with the most interesting history is Suraj Kund. In the fourth century, King Suraj Sen of the Kachawaha clan was hunting on the hill when he was given water to drink by the sage Gwalipa which magically not only satiated his thirst but also cured his leprosy. The sage predicted that as long as the name Pal was kept, the dynasty would survive. He took the name Suhan Pal and his descendants ruled till the 12th century.

Within the fort precincts are temples — the ninth century Telika temple which is almost Dravidian in structure.

The name has variously been attributed to Telengana from which one of the queens is supposed to have hailed or to the telis or oil merchants. Whatever it is, it is a massive structure with an 80 ft shikara, and a visual delight.

Built in the ninth century, in a way it preceded the Khajuraho temples, and has sculptures all around the temple depicting the art of making love. The guide said when the kings and queens got married, often they would be brought here to learn from these sculptures and attain marital bliss!

Saas-bahu temples

The ’saas-bahu’ temple.

The other two temples are the saas-bahu temples. Although the guides encourage the legends ascribed to the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, there may not be much veracity in those stories. It is supposed to be a corruption of Sahasrabahu which is the name given to Kartivirya who had a cult following at the time. They are built to worship Vishnu and Shiva and have some beautiful pillared halls with a wealth of sculptures. A group of young girls in brightly coloured clothes stood framed within the storied mandapas. As we left by yet another gate, we saw, hewn into the massive rock face on either side, sculptures of Jain saints and tirthankaras, one of them as high as 57 ft. But their faces were mutilated with noses cut off in gory semblance to what might have actually happened to prisoners or enemies.

Story has it that Babur had ordered them defaced. But they stand, living beyond the sadness, gently accepting the enemy steel, dignity intact, staring serenely into the distance.

Other monuments

The fort is the central feature of Gwalior. However, there are other interesting monuments. The memorials or cenotaphs of the rulers, heavily carved and conical in shape, are worth visiting. The 16th century tomb of Mohammed Ghaus is a beautiful piece of architecture as the stone is intricately carved into panels of filigreed lace that enclose verandahs on all four sides. All this is surmounted by a high dome.

As a matter of fact, when we went looking for the tomb of Tansen, one of the “nine jewels” of Akbar’s court, we were more intrigued with this than the tomb of the famed musician, which is a simple white rectangular monument. Tansen’s tomb has become a symbol of Gwalior’s musical heritage of the dhrupad which he was trained in and is supposed to be the oldest style of Hindu music.

Every year, before the Tansen music festival, participating musicians pay homage here. And next to it, there is a tamarind tree, whose leaves are eaten by aspiring musicians to preserve the timbre of their voices. Legend has it that an older tree, now extant, was the reason for the musician’s mellifluous voice.

A more recent addition to the tourism circuit is Jai Vilas, the home of the Scindias. Part museum, part royal residence still, it is opulent, a fusion of Hindu, Islamic and British colonial architecture, set among manicured lawns. It is evidence of the lifestyle of the erstwhile rulers, complete with crystal chandeliers, 43 ft high and weighing three tonnes each. Before being put up here, elephants walked on the roof to test their strength; and the famous silver toy train that served liquor to guests is also on display.

Leaving Gwalior fort, I saw young boys playing cricket on the ground in front of Man Mandir. Barefoot and vigorous, they were lauding another hero— Sachin Tendulkar.

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