One day, Suraj Sen, a prince of the Kachwaha clan, while out
hinting, ventured deep into the forest and lost his way. Wandering
around, he reached an isolated hill where, to his surprise,
he came across a venerable old man. This was the sage Gwalipa.
Tired and thirsty, the prince asked for some water and the sage
led him to a pond. Suraj Sen, who suffered from leprosy was
astonished when he found that the waters had not only quenched
his thirst, but had cured him of his disease as well. Grateful,
he asked what he could do is return. The sage told him to beautify
the tank and fortify the fill. He did both, and the hill was
called Gwalior, in recognition of the boom granted to the prince.
This was in the 8th century.
Gwalior Fort that dominates this dry and dusty city described
by Babur as 'the pearl among the fortresses of Hind'. Massive,
awe-inspiring and battle-scarred, the Fort has witnessed the
rise and fall of many dynasties. Its towers three hundred feet
above the city and few can imagine the time and effort it took
to cut the steep cliffs all around the five mile perimeter of
the hill and to build the thick walls, in some places to a height
of forty to fifty feet.
