Gwalior Fort added in UNESCO’s tentative list of World Heritage Sites

Context: The historic Gwalior fort in Madhya Pradesh has recently been added to the UNESCO’s Tentative list of World Heritage Sites.

Introduction:

• Initiated by Raja Sourya Sena who finished the fortification around the plateau in 773CE.
• Early rulers of this region included:
  • Mauryas, Sungas, Kushanas, and Nagas, who held power there until the fourth century CE.
  • Guptas ruled over this place till the 5th century CE. 
• Inscriptions on the Chaturbhuja temple (dated 875 and 876 CE): Shows that Gwalior was included in the kingdom of Kannauj. 
• From 1398 AD -1516 CE:
  • Gwalior came under the Rajput Dynasty of Tomars.
  • It was extensively constructed in the reign of Raja Mansingh Tomar.
  • After his death, the fortress fell to Ibrahim Lodi. 
• Mughal rule: 
  • Mughals succeeded the Lodi dynasty at Delhi (Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodi at the Battle of Panipat in 1526). 
  • Within a decade, the Mughal Emperor Babur captured the fort from the Delhi Sultanate. 
  • Mughals lost the fort to Sher Shah Suri in 1542.
  • Afterwards, the fort was captured and used by Hemu, the Hindu general and, later, the last Hindu ruler of Delhi, but Akbar recaptured it in 1558. 
  • With the decline of the Mughal empire, Gwalior passed into the hands of the rising Maratha power represented by Scindias in Central India.

(Man Mandir)

About Gwalior Fort (a hill fort): 

• It is a hill Fort.
• Protected under the Archaeological Survey of India and the Madhya Pradesh State Archaeology. 
• The fort consists of a defensive structure and two main palaces, Man Mandir and Gujari Mahal, built by Tomar Rajput ruler Man Singh Tomar (reigned 1486–1516 CE).
  • Glimpses of the Bagh Paintings are found.
  • Main entrance of the Man Mandir is the Hathi Pol Gate (or Hathiya Paur). 
• The monuments at the fort show an architectural blend of Mughal and Rajput elements.
  • Examples: mosaic tiles, stone jali patterns, stone columns and brackets and domed turrets; chhatris placed on the gates and corner bastions. 
• The fort has impressive ramparts and gateways.
  • Gwalior gate is the main entrance to the fort connecting the historic city of Gwalior to the fort.
  • Also known as the Alamgiri gate, it is attributed to the reign of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.
• The Fort also houses impressive palace structures constructed later by the Sultanate and Mughal rulers.
  • Shahjahan constructed the Shahjahan Mahal.
  • It is constructed in the Mughal style, but it is considerably less ornate than other Mughal palaces of the time.
• Among the water management systems, the fort has access to water with a number of reservoirs such as Mansarovar Tal, Gangola Tal, Ek Khamba Tal, Katora Tal, Rani Tal, Chedi Tal, and Jauhar Kund. 
• The Scindia School, founded in 1897 CE by Maharaja Madho Rao Scindia, is also located within the fort complex.

Temples within the Gwalior fort complex: 

• An inscription found here describes a sun temple built during the reign of the Hun dynasty king Mihirakula in 6^th century. 
• Teli ka Mandir: 
  • Dedicated to lord Shiva, Vishnu, and Matrikas (group of mother goddesses who are always depicted together in Hinduism).
  • Built by the Mihira Bhoja (Gurjara-Pratiharas in the 9^th century). 
  • It is the oldest part of the fort. 
  • Rectangular structure is a shrine with no pillared pavilions (mandapa) and a South Indian style vaulted roof on top.
  • It integrates the architectural elements of the Nagara style and the Valabhi prasada.
• Chaturbhuj temple: 
  • Holds a position of significance because of its mathematical connection.
  • The second oldest record of numeric ‘zero’ (Symbol ‘0’) in the world was found here in the stone inscription. The inscription is around 1500 years old.
  • It has an inscription that opens with a praise for Vishnu (Vaishnavism), then Shiva (Shaivism) and nine Durgas (Shaktism).
  • The inscription also states that it was excavated in 876 CE. 
• Sas Bahu temples or Harisadanam temple: 
  • 11th-century twin temple. 
  • Dedicated to Vishnu in his Padmanabha form.
  • It was built in 1093 by King Mahipala of the Kachchhapaghata dynasty. 
  • It had a North Indian Bhumija style architecture. 
  • The temple is covered with carvings, notably four idols of Brahma, Vishnu and Saraswati.
  • The pillars show Vaishnavism, Shaivism and Shaktism related carvings. 
• Siddhachal Jain Temple Caves (Urvashi/Urwahi valley): 
  • Built between 7th to 15th century.
  • Jain temples inside Gwalior fort dedicated to the Jain Tirthankaras.
  • Many of the statues were defaced and destroyed under the orders of the Muslim Emperor Babur of the Mughal dynasty in the 16th century. 
  • The statues depict all 24 Tirthankaras.
  • They are shown in both seated Padmasana posture as well as standing Kayotsarga posture. 
  • The largest of these are for Rishabhanatha (Adinatha), identifiable by the bull emblem carved on the pedestal under his foot. 
  • Other statues include a seated Neminatha (shell icon on his pedestal), Parshavnatha with serpent cover over his head and Mahavira (lion icon on his pedestal). 
  • It is one of the Archaeological Survey of India's Adarsh Smarak Monument along with other monuments in the Gwalior Fort. 

(Teli ka Mandir)

Tomaras of Gwalior: 

• The Tomaras of Gwalior were a Rajput dynasty who ruled the Gwalior Fort and its surrounding region in central India during 14th–16th centuries.
• Originally were feudatories of the Tughluq dynasty of Delhi Sultanate.
• In the 1390s, they gained control of Gwalior, and became independent in the subsequent years.
• Displaced from Gwalior by Ibrahim Lodi in the first quarter of the 16th century. 

About Raja Man Singh Tomara: 

• Ascended the throne in 1486 CE. 
• One of the nine gems of his court was the Hindustani classical musician Tansen.
• Man Singh revived Indian classical music and also invented and popularised the classical genre of dhrupad (of Hindustani classical music). 
• Musicians like Tansen and Baiju Bawra had their music education at Sangeet Vidyapeeth Gwalior opened by Raja Mansingh Tomara. 
• During the 15th century, under his patronage, the Gwalior gharana, flourished.
• Raja Man Singh authored a book named as Mankautuhal. This was translated into Persian in 1673 by Faquirullah by the name, ‘Raga Darpan’. 
• To make Indian music more accessible, Man Singh replaced Sanskrit songs with those in simple Hindi, fostering a broader understanding of high art.
• Raja Man Singh composed some new Ragas like Gurjari Todi, MalGujari and Gurjari.
• 15th century Gujari Mahal:
• Built by Raja Man Singh Tomar for his queen, Mrignayani.

About Scindias of Gwalior: 

• Ruled the erstwhile Gwalior State in central India.
• Founded by Ranoji Shinde, who started as a personal attendant and soldier of the Peshwa Bajirao I.
  • Ranoji was in charge of the Maratha conquests in Malwa in 1726.
  • Capital: at Ujjain in 1731.
  • Successors included: Jayajirao, Jyotiba Rao, Dattajirao, Jankojirao, Mahadji Shinde and Daulatrao Scindia.
• 1818:
  • After accepting the terms of a subsidiary alliance with the British (after the third Anglo Maratha war), the family shifted their base from Ujjain to the Gwalior. 
  • Daulatrao Shinde was forced to accept local autonomy as a princely state within British-occupied India and to give up Ajmer to the British.
• Accession of Gwalior state into Independent India:
  • Gwalior was merged with a number of other princely states to become the new Indian state of Madhya Bharat.
  • Jivajirao Scindia served as the state's rajpramukh, till 1956, when Madhya Bharat was merged into Madhya Pradesh. 

Confederate states of Marathas: 

• Third battle Panipat, 1761: Rapid expansion of Marathas was halted after they faced defeat by the Afghans. 
• However, within a decade they recovered most of the territories under Peshwa Madhavrao I. 
• After his death in 1772, the effective control of peshwas ended as well.
• The confederate states led by five chiefs each, under the nominal leadership of the Peshwa at Poona (now Pune) in western India, became more dominant. 
• These confederate states came to be known as: 
  • Gaekwads of Baroda
  • Holkars of Indore and Malwa
  • Scindias of Gwalior and Ujjain
  • Bhonsles of Nagpur.
  • Poona was under Peshwa. 
• Though united on occasion, such as against the East India Company (1775–1782), more often they were involved in internal conflicts. 
• Peshwa Baji Rao II, after facing defeat at the hands of Holkars in 1802, sought protection from the Company.
• The company’s intervention destroyed the confederacy by 1818.