Gwalior Tourism and Travel Guide

Gwalior ( pronunciation ) is a historic and major city in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and one of the Counter-magnet cities. Located 319 kilometres (198 mi) south of Delhi the capital city of India, Gwalior occupies a strategic location in the Gird region of India. The city and its fortress have been ruled by several historic northern Indian kingdoms. From the Tomars in the 13th century, it was passed on to the Mughals, then to the Marathas in 1754 followed by the Scindias in 18th century.Besides being the administrative headquarters of Gwalior district and Gwalior division, Gwalior has many administrative offices of Chambal Division of northern Madhya Pradesh. Several administrative and judicial organizations, commissions and boards have their state, as well as national, headquarters situated in the city. Gwalior was the winter capital of the state of Madhya Bharat which later became a part of the larger state of Madhya Pradesh. Before Indian Independence on 15 August 1947, Gwalior remained a princely state of the British Raj with Scindias as the local ruler. High rocky hills surround the city from all sides, on the north it just forms the border of the Ganga- Yamuna Drainage Basin. The city however is situated in the valley between the hills. Gwalior's metropolitan area includes Lashkar Gwalior (Lashkar Subcity), Morar Gwalior (Morar Subcity), Thatipur and the city center.Gwalior has made a rich contribution to the history of India. From the Vedic ages to the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and the British Raj, it has emerged as a prominent place making it an important archaeological as well as a historic site. The rich heritage of art and culture, and especially the contribution of Gwalior to classical music is worth mentioning.Post-independence, Gwalior has emerged as an important tourist attraction in central India while many industries and administrative offices came up within the city. Before the end of the 20th century it became a million plus agglomeration and now it is a metropolitan city in central India. Gwalior is surrounded by industrial and commercial zones of neighbouring districts (Malanpur – Bhind, Banmor – Morena) on all three main directions. A 2014 report of the World Health Organization found Gwalior to be the third-most air-polluted city in the world.