Heritage Gwalior - End of 19th Century - Stepping Into Modern Century

Jayaji Rao Scindia was succeeded by his son Madho Rao Scindia in 1886, when he was only 10 years old. He maintained the very friendly relationships with British and Gwalior saw a peaceful and prosperous time during this period, shielded from the upheaval the country was facing elsewhere. Madho Rao inherited a developed city, boasting of impressive palaces, administrative buildings, town halls, inns, hotels, temples. On this strong foundation, Madho Rao completely focused on improving the everyday conditions of his people. He opened various schools, colleges, did a great deal to improve modern industry, improve farming methods, and introduced directly and democratically elected Municipal Councils. The very first factory of the Birla group of Industries, JiyajiRao Cotton Mill was setup in Gwalior in 1918, by the founder Ghanshyam Das Birla. He made several canals for agricultural irrigation and also made Tighira dam and reservoir at a part natural, part man made lake. This dam even had a water filtration plant, which was quite a rarity at that time. This reservoir provides water for Gwalior city even today. He also made efforts to connect Gwalior with multiple railway lines during in late 19th century.

In 1887, Madho Rao laid the foundation of "Victoria College". Over a century old history of this great institution marks the various stages of its development and spread of higher education in Gwalior. It was actually a smaller institute called "Lashkar Madarsa" established much earlier, in 1846. The beautiful building was completed in 1899 and was inaugurated by the then Viceroy of India, Lord Curzon, in 1899. In 1957 its name was changed to “Maharani Laxmi Bai Arts and Commerce College” in the memory of that great, valiant and immortal freedom fighter, the Maharani Laxmi Bai of Jhansi.

The Scindia Boys Residential School was established in 1897, then named "Sardar School", on the Gwalior Fort. It was initially meant exclusively for sons of Indian princes and nobles.

Chhatri of Balwant Rao, elder brother of Madho Rao Scindia

Madho Rao Scindia had a deep compassion for the farmers and small artisans of his land. During that time Gwalior faced extreme drought conditions often accompanied by famine. Madho Rao worried about how to help them and improve their condition. In 1905 he started the annual Gwalior Fare to boost the economic activity of the farm and other local skills sectors. Initially the Fare was only to buy and sell cattle and farm equipment. With each passing year the Fare gained popularity and the scale of the Fare widened to include various other kind of shops, including food and entertainment from towns and cities near and far. Over the decades it has become the biggest fair of Madhya Pradesh and, indeed, one of the most colorful fairs of the whole India.