Gwalior
[key], city and former princely state, central India. Part of Madhya
Pradesh state since 1956, the territory of Gwalior formerly consisted of one
large territory and several exclaves. The state was formed in the mid-18th
cent. by Ranoji Sindhia, a Maratha chief who became independent of the
peshwa (hereditary Maratha prime minister). Forces of Gwalior overran much
of central India until they were checked by the British in the early 19th
cent., and the state was temporarily annexed to the British domain. It was
restored to the Sindhias in 1886. When India became independent in 1947,
Gwalior and several other princely states were combined into the state of
Madhya Bharat. In 1956, Madhya Bharat merged with Madhya Pradesh. The city
of Gwalior was the capital of Gwalior state. It lies at the
foot of Gwalior fort, a stronghold on the Rock of Gwalior, a plateau 2 mi
(3.2 km) long and 300 ft (91 m) high. Within the battlemented walls of the
fort are elaborately carved palaces and temples. Huge Jain reliefs are
carved in the cliffs of the Rock of Gwalior. Among the city's manufactures
are textiles, carpets, glass, matches, rayon, cigarettes, porcelain ware,
leather and plastic goods, and processed food. There are several colleges, a
zoological garden, and an industrial-research laboratory.
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