Introduction

Gujari mahal museum at Gwalior is part of Gujari Mahal which was constructed in 15th century. It was transformed in to a museum in 1922. Gwalior, one of the historically important destinations of the country has beautiful monuments and Gujari Mahal, Gwalior is one of them. It is situated within the Gwalior fort. The fort is situated on a sand stone which is 2.8 km in length, 200-850 km in width and 91 m above the plains. The Gwalior fort encloses six Mahals, numerous water tanks and three temples. The fort has been witness to many ups and downs and has changed hands from one ruler to another. Initially ruled by the Tomars it passed to the Mughals, then the Marathas, the British and at last the Scindhis. There are two main entrances to the fort, one from the North East and other from the South West. Known as one of the finest monuments and museums in Gwalior, Gujari Mahal Gwalior is an obvious choice with the tourists.

History

Gujari Mahal in Gwalior was constructed by Raja Mansingh for his favorite queen, Mrignayani in the 15th century. It has witnessed rough weather and has gone through the test of time. The story goes that after the king succeeded in wining over Mrignayani she demanded a separate palace for her with constant water supply from river Rai. There's a one more interesting story associated with Raja Maan Singh Tomar of Gwalior. It is said that during one of his hunting expedition he came across two wild buffaloes engaged in a raging duel. As he watched this incident, he saw a young Gujar woman separate the two Buffaloes with her bare hands. He was smitten by her beauty and her bravery and desired to make her his 9th queen. This Gujar woman's name was Mrignayani and she put a condition that she would not live in the royal palace with the other 8 queens but would like to have a free life as she had lived in her village and like to have presence of Rai river water at her palace. This was pre-condition for marriage, thus Raja Maan Singh agreed on these conditions and got a large palace built at the entrance to the fort in 1520 for her and this palace later came to be known as Gujari Mahal.

About Museum

Gujari Mahal of Gwalior has one of the best exteriors and utmost care has been taken for its preservation. The palace now has an archeological museum that has a large collection of Hindu and Jain sculptures, archeological pieces from 1st and the 2nd century B.C, copies of Bagh cave frescoes and Terracotta items. The statue of Salbhanjika, a marvelous piece in miniature is in the custody of the museum's curator and can be seen on request. In addition to this, we can find collection of sculptures, pottery items, ancient coins, paintings, inscriptions, weapons etc. There is also a school within the Gujari Mahal, Madhya Pradesh premises which was meant for the British soldiers. Now it is run by the Scindia's as is regarded as one of the best schools in the country. The collection provides evidences that fifteen among the thirty one great singers of the country, including Tansen, learnt classical singing in this mahal. The museum is also popular for a huge collection of photographs including the Bagh Cave paintings and monuments of India. A 75-year-old photograph of the Mandu and Dhar areas is the main attraction for history lovers. The fort also has a miniature statue of Salabhanjika, which can be seen by special permission. Gujari Mahal museum is open for visitors from 10:00 AM to 05:00 PM. For visiting this place, visitors are required to book entry ticket from ticket counter. Here we will find 2 category of entry tickets, one is for Indian citizens and second one is for Foreigners. Those who want to photograph the museum collections are required to take formal permission and pay the camera fee.

How to reach

Gujari Mahal is located in Gwalior Fort complex. Gwalior city lies in Northern Madhya Pradesh in Central India. This city is known for large number of well maintained heritage buildings and monuments. Large number of tourists, from all over the world prefers to visit Gwalior heritage attractions thus it is important to know how to reach Gwalior by various means of transport.
By Flight: Nearest Airport to Gujari Mahal is Gwalior airport which has very limited flight connectivity thus tourists avoids this option. Other better option is to reach Delhi Airport / Lucknow Airport or Khajuraho Airport and undertake train of taxi transfer.

DISTANCE CHART
From	Distance (in Kms)
Agra	120
Jhansi	130
Datia	50
Orchha	150
Delhi	320
Khajuraho	320

By Train: Nearest railway station for Gujari Mahal is Gwalior railway station (station code: GWL). This railway station is very well connected from major cities and tourist places like Delhi, Mathura, Agra, Jhansi, Bhopal, Mumbai, Pune, Varanasi etc. Large number of tourists use train transfer option to visit Gwalior city. Further journey from Gwalior railway station to Gujari Mahal Museum is possible by hiring tourist taxi service.

By Road: Gwalior lies in Northern Madhya Pradesh, close from state borders of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh states. It is having very good road connectivity from surrounding cities and tourist destinations like Agra, Mathura, Bharatpur, Lucknow, Kanpur, Jhansi, Orchha, Ranthambore National Park, Delhi etc. Their is direct bus services from Gwalior Bus Stand to these cities.

Best time to visit

Gwalior fort complex can be visited in any season. It lies in North of Madhya Pradesh, close from inter-state borders of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh states. This region is arid, receives less rainfall this here we can experience mainly summers(April - June) and winters (Nov to Feb). Here rainfall in average or below average in monsoon season (July to Sept.) Best time to visit Gujari Mahal is from October to April months. In this period, we can find favorable weather conditions and options to visit other nearby tourist destinations like Agra, Ranthambore national park, Chambal wildlife sanctuary, Orchha etc. All major festivals falls in this period thus tourists prefers to visit Gwalior in this period.