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About My Experience Gwalior Fort

The Fort of Gwalior or Gwalior Fort is a 6th-century hill fort in Gwalior , India. Mughal Emperor Babur described it as the "pearl amongst the fortresses of Hind and not even the winds could touch its masts" due to its grandeur and magnificence. It was nicknamed as the " Gibraltar of India" for its impregnability and defensive structure. The fort dates back to the 5th century, perhaps earlier making it one of the oldest defense forts in India. Ancient Sanskrit inscriptions record the name of the fort as "Gopgiri". [2] The current structure has stood since at least the 8th century, and the inscriptions and monuments found within the fort complex indicate that it may have existed as early as the beginning of the 6th century. The modern-day fort comprises a defensive structure and six palaces, two of which were built by the Tomar ruler Man Singh Tomar (reigned 1486–1516 CE). [1] [3] It has witnessed the changing fortunes of the Kushanas , the Nagas , the Guptas , the Hunas , the Pratiharas , the Kachchhapaghatas , the Tomaras , the Pathans ( Sultanate ), the Surs , the Mughals , the English , the Jats , and the Scindias . The present-day fort includes several notable palaces, few of them are Man Mandir, Vikram Mandir, Karn Palace, Shah Jahan Palace, Jehangir Palace, and Gurjari Mahal. Gurjari Mahal was commissioned by Man Singh Tomar, for his 9th wife Mrignayani, who belonged to the Gurjar community. [1] A stone inscription found engraved in the walls of Chaturbhuj Temple (famously known as Zero Temple ) close to the top of the fort contains the second-oldest known record (after the Bakhshali manuscript ) of the numeral " zero " with a place value, as used in decimal notation. The inscription is around 1,500 years old. [4] [5] Etymology Map of the fortress. The construction of the fort is associated with a local legend, and the exact date of its construction is therefore unknown. According to the legend, a local king named Suraj Sen ruled the region around the 3rd century CE. The king suffered from leprosy , a deadly disease that was incurable at the time. [6] One day, while hunting at Gopgiri (Gop Mountain), he met with a sage named Gwalipa or Galav, who miraculously cured his disease by asking him to drink water from a sacred pond, believed to be the pond that is located inside the fort today. When the king was cured, he decided to build a wall around the pond, which later known as Suraj Kund, and constructed the fort on the hill and named it "Gwalior" meaning adobe of Rishi Gwalipa to honor the sage, subsequently a bustling city was developed from all corner of the Gwalior Fort which later came to be known as City of Gwalior. [7] However, historical Sanskrit inscriptions and Gupta period records refer to the site as Gop Parvat (Gop Mountain), Gopachala Durg, Gopgiri, and Gopadiri, all of which mean "cowherd's hill". [8]