Suraj Sen, following the rishi’s direction, started fortifying the Gopachal hill. The fortification was completed over multiple centuries by various rulers. The marvelous fort of Gwalior, as we find it today is built on a solitary rocky hill, which has an elongated shape. The fort hill (342 feet (104 m) at the highest point) has a length of about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) and an average width of about 300 yards (270 m), and makes for one of the largest forts in India. The massive Gwalior Fort, sometimes called the Gibraltar of India, overlooks the city, that has many historical pockets spread over the area around the fort.
Historians have identified the fort construction to be from early 8th century. It has two main access gates - one from the North East and the other on the South West. The various structures inside the fort walls date from 8th century to modern times. These structures and their purpose are like the sun rings on a tree trunk – left by the various rulers, in their architectural styles – giving us glimpses of the city’s changing destiny. Emperor Babur reputedly described it as "the pearl in the necklace of the forts of Hind." The uniqueness of this Fort lies in the fact that the various monuments on the fort, comprising of many palaces, temples, water tanks etc. are made in different time periods and in different architectural style, and for equally different purposes varying from a palace for love, to shrines to jails.
There are multiple enterances to the fort, out of which two main enterences exist today, one on the west side, called Urvai Gate and the other on east side called Hathi Pol or Hathi Darwaza. The path to Hathi Pol has multiple Gates made by various kings over time, till 15th and 16th centuries. The path to Urvai Gates has many huge Jain shrines carved on the stone of the hill, these were made in 15th century.
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