Handmade in India

Crafts of
GWALIOR
Stone carving
Subclusters of
GWALIOR
Gwalior district:
Gwalior
Morena district:
Morena
Dhamkan
Kumar Mohalla
Alapur
Sheopur district:
Sheopur
Bamnor village
RESOURCES
Craft Raw Materials Sources
Stone carving Vindhyan sandstone Gwalior
Gwalior, a famous city, is also a heavily industrialized district
in Madhya Pradesh with cotton, yarn, paints, ceramics,
chemicals, and leather factories. The beautiful Gwalior Fort
and palaces have been the legacy of several dynasties who
ruled here since 8th century. Among them are the Maratha
Scindias who became the rulers of Gwalior in the 18th
century. Gwalior is surrounded by districts - Morena in the
north, Shivpuri in the south, district Bhind in the east and
Datia in the west. Gwalior is the confluence of two of the
richest cultures in India: Braj and Bundelkhand covering
Gwalior, Bhind, Morena, Sagar, Shivpuri, Guna, Sheopur and
adjoining areas. The older part of the city is covered with
grand sandstone mosques, beautiful palaces, rock temples and
statues of historical importance like the tomb of the legendary
musician Mian Tansen, one of the nine `gems` of Akbar`s
court. Madhya Pradesh has reserves of sandstone, marble,
granite and limestone which are quarried in the state. Gwalior
has stone carveres who sculpt idols and platforms for rolling
bread in sandstone and flat stones for grinding paste, in grey
granite. The stone carving legacy of the craftspersons who
were engaged in building the forts and palaces in Gwalior is
yet an untapped potential.
1. Facade of the Man Mandir palace inside the Gwalior Fort. Built in the late 15th
century by Raja Man Singh Tomar, it is a repository of carved architectural elements
and the use of coloured glazed tiles.
2. View of one of the inner courtyards of the Man Mandir palace in Gwalior. Seen here
are examples of excellent jaali, lattice work and inlay work using glazed and
coloured tiles.
3. Small terracotta figurines serve as votive offerings, made by potters in Gwalior.
ACCESS
Gwalior has an airport and a railhead connecting it to other
cities and town within and outside the state.
Jaali, stone carved lattice work at the 16th century tomb of Mohammed Ghaus in Gwalior.
The pattern is based on an Islamic geometric style derived from a regular tessalation of
triangles and hexagons.
Carved stone sculpture of Varaha, the boar, one of the incarnations of Lord Vishnu,
Gwalior.