The Gwalior-Gohad region 1821

Whenever one reads the name Gwalior, the majestic royal Gwalior Fort rings the first bell. The Gwalior-Gohud belt of northernmost Madhya Pradesh consists of some important Bundelkhandi forts, fortresses and palaces that protected various ruling clans from their enemies. 

The earliest mention of Gwalior was in the middle ages as Mahesvarapura, near the Kanyakubja kingdom that existed in the adjacent Ganga valley. Later, during the 8th century, in the era of the Gurjara-Pratiharas, the city was known as Gopadri. During the arrival of the Islamic conquerors, the Gwalior region exchanged into the hands of the Kacchapagatas, a ruling class of Rajputs in central India. Interestingly, the Arab knowledge of the city was such that it was labelled as Gwaliyar in the 11th century AD. And hence, when the Mamluk Sulnatate dominated northern India in the 12th and 13th centuries, the name Gwaliyar stuck by. Consequently, the power passed from the Tomaras (who started a civil war against Ibrahim Lodi in 1518) to the Bundelas, whose internal rivalries the Mughals took advantage of. 

The Gwalior Residency had several Princely States aligned to it at the partition. District-wise, it was divided into the following administrative units: 

• Sheopur
• Narwar
• Gird Gwalior
• Bhind
• Tonwargarh
• Isagarh
• Khaniadhana

But apart from these administrative divisions, the Gwalior region consisted of numerous forts and ancient ruins. According to 1821 dated map by Aaron Arrowsmith, the following forts and ruins are marked in this region listed below with their images. 

Gwalior Fort

Sabalgarh (Subbulgurh) Fort, Morena

Gohad (Gohud) Fort, Bhind

Bateshwar temple complex, Morena

Gadhi Padhavali, Morena

Ater Fort, Bhind

Bilheti (Belaitee) Fort, Bhind

Barahwali (Murowly) temple ruins, Morena

Of course, the number might be slightly more than this because the region is sprouted by several Rajput-Mughal clashes, thus resulting in palaces, ruins and forts. But the 1821 map denotes a few of them, too, as per the best knowledge the cartographer had back then. One would argue why the forts of Datia aren't mentioned since it's a core establishment of Bundelkhand. The answer is simply because Datia belonged to the Central India Agency, a Princely States unit differently administrated compared to its westernmost counterpart. 

Gwalior is well-known for its dacoity past since it lies at the southern banks of the Chambal River. The incidents related to dacoits and dacoity went back to the 1920s and stretched till the early 21st century. Gwalior and nearby divisions marking a circle in three states - Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan - created havoc among government officials for decades. Indeed, the British must have had encounters with these dacoits. But more than that, the Maratha Confederacies spread out during central India, scattered and conflicted, was the main reason for British take-over while maintaining their cultural independence. 

Below is a recreated map of the 1821 Gwalior-Gohud region, sketched initially by Aaron Arrowsmith.