The fort and Scindia Palace of Gwalior

Gwalior the middle kingdom named after Sage Gwalipa is one of the best holiday destinations in Madhya Pradesh. This is the land where sharp swords matched rugged forts and ruthless ambition tested death giving birth to magnificent rock carvings, temples, palaces and forts making it a perfect weekend destination from Delhi.

The Gwalior fort is 300ft above the ground. The Kachhwahas and Tomars contributed most to its culture and architecture, whereas early Mohammedans, and later the Mughals, used the fort as a state prison. There were three main entrances to the fort of which the east and the west entrances are now accessible. The eastern entrance is guarded by the Urwahi Gate, and the western by six gates built in different periods by different kings all situated on the 2500 ft long ramp leading to the fort. Then there is the Urwahi rock which is falling on two sides of the valley which is home to 22 Jain rock sculptures while walking on the ramp of the fort on the left side. Inside the fort the most impressive structure is the Man Singh Palace. Inside is the dancing hall surrounded by a balcony and a courtyard besides many rooms and staircases leading to underground passages. The southern part of the fort has the inlay work of marching ducks, crocodiles holding lotus, and parrots and tigers. Behind Man Mandir lies the Vikram Palace named after Man Singh’s son. Besides these two palaces there are 5 more palaces three of which were built by Hindu rulers and two by Mughals. The Jahangir Palace has the tank where Rajput queens committed jauhar following the invasion of the fort in 1232. Of the remaining Hindu palaces Gujari Mahal built by Raja Man Singh for his Gujjar love Mrignayani is now a state archaeological museum. It has a collection of decorative pillars, princely sculptures. The fort also includes two temples the Saas Bahu complex and the Teli ka Mandir. The Saas Bahu temples follow the 10^th century North Indian temple dedicated to Vishnu and Shiva. The Teli ka Mandir is an 80ft hotchpotch structure with a massive shikara.

Inside the city there is the Mausoleum of Sheikh Muhammad Ghaus built during Akbar’s rule is what I liked. It is built on a square plan with hexagonal towers and flanked on four sides with dedicated stone lattices. He is said to be the saint who is said to have confessed that God had accorded him superiority over Prophet Muhammad. The grave of Tansen is a rectangular platform with a pillared gallery is standing near by. Then there is the famous tamarind tree that is said to have sweetened his voice is dead however in its place grows a younger tree that is regularly plucked by visitors wishing to repeat the miracle. Then there is the Jama Masjid nextto Gujari Mahal.

And then there is the Scindia legacy with the Jai Vilas Palace built at a cost of Rs 19 lakhs during the reign of Jiyagi Rao. The palace is three storey high and is decorated with Tuscan, Italian columns. It also has a museum displaying the famous silver dining train used to ferry champagne bottles around the table.

Find Driving Directions from Delhi to Gwalior here

Alwar, a tiny package of surprises

Alwar was part of the Matsya Desh Kingdom according to the Mahabharata, but modern Alwar began as a capital of the Macheri Kingdom that was recognized in 1774. The best time to visit is to be between October and March, but my visit during the end of the monsoons was quite an eye opener. The area was a luminous green.
The beautiful 18th century City Palace is now the headquarters of the Collectorate. It was built by Maharaja Vinay singh and blends Rajput and Mughal styles of architecture. It has no stairs, only gently inclining corridors that lead to the upper floors. It was divided into three dusty, moth- ridden rooms. The first was the mixture of furniture, clothes and an enormous stuffed tiger. There was also a long dining table made of silver, which is believed to have water gurgling in silver channels down its length. The museum also has a fine collection of Mughal and Rajput paintings and ancient manuscripts. There is also a tomb of one of the Shah Jahan’s ministers named as Fateh Singh ki Gumbad.
The Bala Quila Fort was built by the city’s oldest inhabitants, the Nikumbha Rajputs, and played host to Babur and Jahangir. It is a forbidding structure with 15 large and 51 small towers and 446 openings for musketry. You require taking the permission of the Superintendent of police to visit the fort.
Purjan Vihar is a picturesque garden in the centre of the town. A centre of this garden was built by Maharaja Mangal Singh in 1885 which is also called as Shimla because it always has a cooler than prevalent temperature.
Moti doongri or Lansdowne Palace is situated on an isolated rock on the town’s outskirts. It was the main residence of the Maharaja of Alwar till 1928. But Maharaja Jai Singh dismantled it with the idea to build a better palace, but the ship bringing raw materials from Europe sank. So the palace compounds with high walls all around and the remaining are barren.
Vijai Mandir Palace overlooks a beautiful lake. There is a Ram and Sita temple, which attracts a number of devotees especially during Ram Navami.
There are many hotels to stay in Lawar like Hotel Alwar, Circuit House, Hill Fort Kesroli and etc. You will also find Rajasthani cuisine available on the local markets of Alwar.

Agra, The City of Love

Agra's climate is tropical and prone to extremes, reaching as high as 45ºC (113ºF) during the summer and as low as 4ºC (40ºF) in the winter. The city is dirty and polluted. There are crowds everywhere and the exhaust fumes threaten to choke you. The rainy season is between June and September and the city receives annual rainfall of 660 millimeters (26 inches). But one look at the Taj Mahal and you forget everything else. I stood in a queue for half an hour and was frisked before entering the complex but did not mind the waiting at all once I set my eyes at mausoleum. It’s is beyond beautiful and no pictures can do justice to its perfect symmetry. It towers above all, and the marble changes colour with the passage of the day. I roamed the lawns and the fountains and took pictures from what seemed thousands vantage points.

Agra also has beautiful forts, palaces and mosques. The Agra Red Fort is a sprawling structure and the Jama Masjid awe inspiring. The abandoned city of Fatehpur Sikri is an architectural marvel. It was built by Akbar from scratch who wanted to make it his capital. But the city was abandoned within a year due to scarcity of water. Nevertheless, it is beautiful, built with red sand stone. It has huge courtyards, arches, palaces and domes. 37 km from Agra, it combines Islamic and Hindu styles of architecture, reflective of Akbar’s ideology. Fatehpur Sikri means the City of Victory. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Agra also had exciting shopping options. I am enamoured with handicrafts and Agra seemed to be the perfect choice for me. Shops were stacked with marble and soft stone inlay work, leather ware, brassware, carpets, jewellery and zari and zardozi forms of embroidery. Agra is also well known for its sweets 'Petha' and 'Gazak' and saltish snack 'Dalmoth.

Hotels in Agra offer a wide variety of cuisines which will tingle your taste buds and make you Hungry. Specialty Restaurants in the Hotels offer evening entertainment besides mouth watering delicacies which were perfected over centuries and passed on to the generations uptilll now.
Agra is famous for the Taj Mahotsav. During this time, visitors to the city will be graced by cultural performances and get an insight into the arts and crafts of the region. Traditional music, poetic recitals, classical dances and rides on bedecked camels and elephants are other highlights. Other major religious festivals including Eid and the Kailash Fair, honouring Lord Shiva, are also celebrated here.

Agra epitomises the high point of Mughal architectural achievement with its heritage and cultural splendor and in this respect even overshadows Delhi which was the capital of various kings and emperors for over a thousand years.