How many of you have visited a fort that is located on a hilltop? Have you ever visited any city where history and heritage go side by side? This blog will serve as the perfect blend of a place that has a rich history with some of the best-known architectural marvels of India. In this blog, we will be taking you all on an amazing journey to the beautiful city of Gwalior.
In case you don’t know who we are…
We call ourselves Travel Freaks…
This time, the plan was to explore the heart of India, Madhya Pradesh. This was also a sudden kind of plan, which we fixed within three days, and in no time, we were done with our bookings and ready with the backpacks. We took a night train from Jabalpur and reached Gwalior by early morning.
Hearing the name of Gwalior many would like to know…….
1. What is the best possible way to reach Gwalior?
There are many ways to reach Gwalior.
By Train: Gwalior railway station is well connected to other Indian cities.
By Air: Gwalior Airport (Rajmata Vijaya Raje Scindia Air Terminal) is the nearest airport which is well connected with Major cities of India. Alternatively, you may also opt to fly to nearby Indore/Bhopal and then take a bus/train to Gwalior.
By Road: Also, this is well connected, and you will find many interstate bus services available. You could also opt to drive and reach here.
Now that we reached Gwalior, you might wonder…….
2. What was the plan after reaching Gwalior?
As we got off from the train in Gwalior. We took a cab to reach our hotel, which was close to the Gwalior Fort. On the way from the Gwalior Railway Station to the hotel, we saw the Legendary Gwalior Fort; it was simply majestic, lit with lights.
Within 10 minutes or so we reached our hotel and took some rest as it was still dark outside. By 7:30 AM, we had breakfast, and by then, our driver cum guide was already waiting for us in the lobby.
Then, we started our day with the local sightseeing of Gwalior. Our driver was a friendly person; he started briefing us about the city, history, and plan for the day.
Now, let’s break this blog into the following attractions we visited during the day. The first on the list was……..
3. Gwalior Fort
Gwalior Fort is one of the fascinating historic places dating back to the 8th century. It indicates the rich cultural and historical heritage of the city. Also, it is one of the largest forts in India.
History lovers would surely love to spend time in the place. Also, the light and sound show held every evening is a great way to know its history.
Tip: Do not miss the light and sound show if you have time.
Entry ticket to the place is approx. 75 INR per adult and 44 INR for children above 15 years; children below 5 years of age do not require any ticket. Foreign personnel tickets would cost around 250 INR per person.
The Gwalior Fort has a vast area comprising many temples, amongst which Saas Bahu temple is a popular one.
On hearing the name the first time, a common thought struck that it might be dedicated to Saas Bahu (mother-in-law, daughter-in-law). Still, on the contrary, the name is derived from “Sahastrabahu” dedicated to Lord Vishnu.
This is also one of the masterpieces of architecture with stunning and detailed carvings.
Visiting these temples brought us to the era of stepping back in time.
Returning to our story, after spending over an hour, we moved to the next place on our list..…
4. Jai Vilas Palace
Jai Vilas Palace was around 4 km from Gwalior Fort and took us nearly 15-20 mins. This is one of the must-visit while being in Gwalior. Entry tickets would cost 150 INR per person and 800 INR for foreigners.
This place will give you a touch of royal luxury and a stunning collection of artefacts.
This is the residence of the Scindia family, who were the former rulers of Gwalior state.
There was a huge museum which would take you a couple of hours to explore properly. It was almost around 2 PM when we were done and, at the same time, hungry.
On checking with our driver, he took us to a local restaurant. It was a small, cosy place. The food was homely, which filled our hearts and, of course, stomachs.
After finishing our lunch, we headed to our next destination on our list…….
5. Sun Temple Gwalior
This temple was approx. 8 km from Jai Vilas Palace. Sun temple is also popularly known as “Teli ka Mandir”. This is dedicated to the Sun God and is believed to have been constructed in the 8th or 9th century. It has beautiful carvings and sculptures depicting various mythological events.
While visiting the place, our guide cum driver was narrating to us the local mythological stories associated with the place. On the way, we stopped for a photo….
6. Where was the photo stop?
Gopachal Parvat was the place which we visited on the way. As soon as we got out of the car, we observed there were multiple Jain sculptures carved from the rocks. Most of the sculptures were of Jain Tirthankars. We stopped for a quick photo stop this place and then continued our journey.
Gopachal Parvat temple complex is a huge one comprising several temples. It is an important pilgrimage site for the Jain community.
We continued our journey till we reached the next destination…
7. Gwalior Zoo
Gwalior Zoo is one of the oldest zoos in Madhya Pradesh. It is home to a diverse range of animals. Entry tickets cost us around 30 INR per person.
We saw hippos, bears, turtles, ostriches to name a few. This is an excellent place if you love nature and animals.
After a short visit to the city, we planned to stay at Orchha.
Now you might be curious about……
8. How far was Orchha from Gwalior?
Orchha is approx. 2.5 hrs drive from Gwalior. We reached our stay around 5 PM. You could choose to stay in mid of the city. But this time, we wanted to experience something different, so we decided to stay amidst nature, having lived in a city throughout life. The stay was a newly built one.
The decision to choose the place of stay was worth it. The room was nice and spacious. We enjoyed our evening tea in their garden and chit-chatted with the hotel staff about Orchha. They mentioned the places to visit in and around Orchha and the best time to explore.
But, wait! This was not the end of our day. We had planned to visit one last attraction before ending our day. It was……
9. Ram Raja Mandir
We reached the temple at around 7:30 PM. We attended the arti by around 8 PM and visited the beautiful temple complex. It was a serene and peaceful feeling.
One of the unique things we observed here is Lord Rama’s idol in a sitting posture. Walking in the complex, we observed the architecture as a fusion of typical Rajput and Mughal styles.
With this, we called our day off.
Hope you got a glimpse of how to plan for visiting Gwalior and this will definitely help you plan your own itinerary. If you need any help, we are just a click away!
Wait! We are not going anywhere without this last question……
10. What kind of help are we going to provide?
Let us inform you that we prepare itineraries not only for anywhere in India but also for Asia. We have been travelling since we were toddlers. So here in our blogs and stories, we will give you a glimpse of our journey and help you plan your trip.
Read about our Uzbekistan blogs.
Read about our Kazakhstan blogs.
Read about our Singapore blogs.
Read about our Vietnam blogs.
Read about our Cambodia blogs.
Read about our Bali blogs.
Read about our Kuala Lumpur blog series.
Read about our Sri Lanka blogs.
Read about our Nepal blogs.
Read about our Char Dham blogs.
Read about our Ladakh blogs.
Read about our day trip to Hyderabad.
Read about our Madhya Pradesh blogs.
Read about our Andaman and Nicobar blogs.
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by mitkau