Gwalior is a prominent city in the state of Madhya Pradesh, famous for its historical significance. The location of this city is strategic in India’s Gird region. It’s famous for its fortresses – many kingdoms in the past used this place as their centers. Presently, Gwalior comes under the National Capital Region.

The name of the city is said to be derived from the name of a sage called Gwalipa. He requested a prince, Suraj Sen to build a wall around the hill in order to keep the wild animals away from the other sages while they performed their yajnas. The Gwalior Fort in the city attracts many tourists from India and abroad.

Gwalior is a metropolitan city. It’s called the tourist capital of Madhya Pradesh. A few other names include the City of Scindia, the City of Rishi Galav, and Tansen Nagari. It’s located to the south of Agra, just 319 km from Delhi, the national capital, and 423 km away from Bhopal, the state capital. Gwalior belongs to the Gwalior district and the Gwalior division. This city lies amidst the major commercial and industrial zones of its neighboring districts.

Stats And Facts

• The population of Gwalior, as per the census report of 2011, stands at 10,69,276.
• According to the same report, the sex ratio in Gwalior is 879 females per 1000 males, which is below the national average sex ratio of 940 females per 1000 males.
• Gwalior has a literacy rate of 74.74%, according to the census of 2011.
• The city houses India’s only Border Security Force Academy.
• Morar Cantonment in Gwalior is a major Indian Army Cantonment. It also has an Indian Air Force station.
• NRIITM, IITM, and IITTM in Gwalior are the prominent universities situated here.
• Gwalior is among the largest cities in Central India.
• The Tomaras, the Mughals, and the Marathas under the Scindias have ruled Gwalior.
• The temple in Gwalior is the first place where the number zero was written in the world.
• Gwalior is the fourth city in India to have a dedicated cycle track.
• The narrow gauge tracks in Gwalior are the narrowest in India.

Tourism And Processing Industry

• The tourism industry in Gwalior contributes majorly to the economic growth of the city. There are numerous places here, which attract tourists from every part of India and across the world. Gwalior Fort, Teli ka Mandir, Gurudwara, Sun Temple, The Rock-Cut Jain Sculptures, Maharaj Bada, Gopachal Parvat, Tomb of Rani Lakshmibai, Vivsvaan Mandir, Jai Vilas Mahal, Shyam Vatika, and Tansen’s Tomb are some of the many places that attract tourists.
• Apart from tourism, the processing industries spread across various sectors contribute to Gwalior’s economy. The dairy, chemical, and textile industries in the city are important.
• Apart from these, there are other manufacturing industries as well. Some of the companies that have their units in Gwalior are SRF, Cadbury, Ranbaxy Laboratories, Surya Bulbs, J. K. Tyres, and Siya Ram.
• There are small-scale and handicraft industries in Gwalior that add to the city’s economy in a small way.

Connectivity

• The railway connectivity of Gwalior is very convenient and connects the city to most major Indian cities. The Gwalior Junction is the main railway station in the metro area of Gwalior, which falls under the Jhansi division of North Central Railways. There are five tracks intersecting at this junction from Agra, Jhansi, Shivpuri, Bhind, and Sheopur Kalan.
• The city of Gwalior falls on the main lines between Delhi and Mumbai, and Delhi and Chennai. It’s connected to all major cities like Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Hyderabad, Pune, Indore, Agra, Ujjain, Jabalpur, Kochi, Jhansi, Jaipur, Thiruvananthapuram, Lucknow, Kozhikode, Kollam, and Jamshedpur every day.
• Birlanagar, Rairu, Sithouli, Ghosipura, Moti Jheel are some other stations in Gwalior. This city also is a stop on the route of the luxury trains like the India on Wheels, and the Maharaja Express.
• Gwalior is well-connected to major cities in India via different state and national highways. The National Highway 75 passes through Gwalior, which connects it to Jhansi to the south. Whereas the National Highway 3 (NH-3), which is also called Agra-Bombay National Highway, connects it to Shivpuri and Agra, and Mathura.
• Bus services connect Gwalior to most prominent cities in the neighborhood. Roadways can easily reach cities like Bhopal, Delhi, Agra, Jhansi, Jhabalpur, Morena, Dholpur, Bhind, Jaipur, Datia, Etawah, and Indore.
• Gwalior has its own airport called Gwalior Airport or Rajmata Vijya Raje Scindia Vimantal. There are flights to Mumbai, Indore, Bhopal, and Jabalpur, run by Air India and Ventura Airconnect.
• The intra-city transport in Gwalior comprises the public transport system. It is made up of auto-rickshaws, taxis, tempos, and microbuses. Gwalior City Buses are run by the municipal corporation of Gwalior, which runs on some select routes in the city. Apart from these, Blue Radio Taxis are also available. Gwalior also has a cycle track stretching across 35 km in the city.

Since Gwalior is a Tier-II city, the property prices here are not as high as those in metro cities. However, once the Gwalior Metro project starts, the real estate rates are said to escalate at a rapid clip. The top property locations include Banarpura, City Centre, and Mahalgaon.

Lifestyle
The Gwalior Fort in the heart of the city holds is reputed for being one of the most structurally sound forts of India. Popularly called the Gibraltar of India, the fort exhibits a unique architecture and is a well-known tourist spot. It encompasses spectacular buildings like Vivsvaan Mandir, Shyam Vatika, Gujari Mahal, Sas-bahu temple, Teli ka Mandir, among others.
The Jai Vilas Mahal, once the palatial abode of the Scindias, is one of the largest museums in Madhya Pradesh today. It exudes a mix of British and Hindu architecture. There also are a few tombs and chatris of historic importance, such as Gaus Mohammeds tomb, Tansens tomb, the tomb of Rani Lakshmibai, etc.
Among other sites of interest are the Sun temple, Gwalior Zoo, Tighra Dam, Swarna Lekha River, Kuno National Park, Madhav National Park, Chambal River Sanctuary, etc. These draw visitors from different parts of the country and beyond.
The Gwalior trade fair, started in 1905 by Maharaja Rao Scindia, has become the biggest fair in the state and India. There also are a number of prominent markets around the city, such as Maharaj Bada, Ghas Mandi, Loha Mandi, Hazira, etc. Additionally, the city hosts a number of shopping malls, a multiplex, gaming zones, entertainment centres and restaurants.

Gwalior is surrounded by three industrial areas – Sitholi, Banmore and Malanpur. All three of these sectors are on NH 75, NH-3 and NH 92 respectively, with Malanpur being the largest. The city once had large manufacturing industries, such as Gwalior Grasim and J.C. MILLS of Birlanagar, but now this sector is left with only one major factory – J.B.Mangharam Ltd. The important industries in the other sectors are dairy, chemical, manufacturing, and textiles. Handicraft and small industries are also found. Gwalior is also an important historical and tourism sector of the country. Therefore, the tourism sector also puts an effect into the city’s economy. Gwalior is one of the CMAs to New Delhi to dissipate the load of urbanization from NCR (see § Future developments). Most of the population is involved with trading firms or are self-employed. Many run OMEs and SMEs with Gwalior and Agra as the local market. The city is scattered with coaching institutes and educational institutions which provide employment to a large section of city’s population.

Localities in Gwalior

landmarks in Gwalior