Gwalior Fort

The Gwalior Fort, commonly known as the Gwāliiyar Qila, is a hill fort near Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India. The fort has existed at least since the 10th century, and the inscriptions and monuments found within what is now the fort campus indicate that it may have existed as early as the beginning of the 6th century. The modern-day fort, embodying a defensive structure and two palaces was built by the Tomar Rajput ruler Man Singh Tomar. The fort has been administered by a number of different rulers in its history. The present-day fort consists of a defensive structure and two main palaces, "Man Mandir" and Gujari Mahal, built by Tomar Rajput ruler Man Singh Tomar (reigned 1486–1516 CE), the latter one for his wife, Queen Mrignayani. The second oldest record of "zero" in the world was found in a small temple (the stone inscription has the second oldest record of the numeric zero symbol having a place value as in the modern decimal notation), which is located on the way to the top. The inscription is around 1500 years old. The word Gwalior is derived from one of the names for Gwalipa. According to legend, Gwalipa cured the local chieftain Suraj Sen of leprosy, and in gratitude, Suraj Sen founded the city of Gwalior in his name. Gwalior Fort seen from the Residency. 10 December 1868.jpg|Gwalior Fort seen from the Residency. 10 December 1868. Gwalior Fort map 1911.jpg|Gwalior Fort map 1911 (click to see details) The fort is built on an outcrop of Vindhyan sandstone on a solitary rocky hill called Gopachal. This feature is long, thin, and steep. The geology of the Gwalior range rock formations is ochre coloured sandstone covered with basalt. There is a horizontal stratum, at its highest point (length and average width ). The stratum forms a near-perpendicular precipice. A small river, the Swarnrekha, flows close to the palace. The exact period of Gwalior Fort's construction is uncertain. According to a local legend, the fort was built by a local king named Suraj Sen in 3 CE.