"Gwalior - home to the Scindia's " a Gwalior Travel Page by Willettsworld

Gwalior lies about 76 miles (121km) south of Agra and about 200 miles (321km) from Delhi. The city is easy to reach from either city as it's located on the main Delhi-Bhopal railway line. Most people pass through the city on their way from Agra to the more touristy sites of Orchha and Khajuraho. But this doesn't mean that there isn't anything to see or do here. There is.

There are two main tourist attractions in Gwalior. Firstly, there's the magnificent 3km long fort which looks down over the city from on top of a 100m high basalt hill. Within its dominating walls lie many ruined palaces, a few temples dating from the 9th-11th centuries and the highlight, the early 16th century Man Singh Palace. The western approach to the fort is lined with rows of Jain rock sculptures that date from the mid-15th century of which the tallest, at 17 metres, is the largest in northern India. The other main attraction of Gwalior lies outside the forts southern wall in the centre of the city. The ruling maharajas of Gwalior built the Jai Vilas Palace in the late 19th century which is built in the style of the 'Palais de Versailles' in France combining Tuscan, Italian and Corinthian styles of architecture. The palace is open as a museum which features many peculiar objects, furniture and decorative tastes such as the world's largest chandeliers each weighing 3.5 tonnes.

If you're thinking of passing through Gwalior, why not stop here like I did for a couple of days to take in what the city has to offer. The city is off the beaten tourist path, in fact I only saw a few western tourists here.