The city has been ruled by several historic northern Indian kingdoms- Tomars in the 13th century, followed by the Mughals, the Marathas in 1754 followed by the Scindias in the 18th century. Jai Vilas Palace was established in 1874 by Jayajirao Scindia, the Maharaja of Gwalior and continues to be the residence of the royal family. Forty of its four hundred rooms (!!!) now constitute the Jiwaji Rao Scindia Museum open for public while the rest is private property. 

Every nook and corner demands a second look and every piece of furniture serves as a window to the time it belongs to. The construction style is influenced by European architecture and inside the palace, you can find accessories from almost every country of the world. The beautiful chandeliers, family portraits and the decor in general, was a bit overwhelming- but in a good way.

Gwalior is an easy 6 hour (320 km) drive from Delhi via Agra and otherwise, train is a great option too. I stayed at a heritage property built in the 17th century- Deobagh, now managed by the Neemrana group- more on that later in another post.

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