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Within the Fort of Gwalior is a group of temples which
form a separate series by themselves in architectural style and chronology. Of
the eleven religious structures within the fort's walls, five are temples.
© K. L. Kamat
The Teli-ka Mandir
The Teli-ka-Mandir or the oilman's temple is probably the earliest of the
temples in the Gwalior Fort. Although commanding in appearance, this temple
consists only of the sanctuary with a porch and doorway leading into the inner
chamber. There is no mandapa and no pillared hall which is so characteristic of
the fully developed temple in this part of the country. This structure is a rare
specimen of a Brahmanical sanctuary, for, the shape of its roof bears testimony
to its Buddhist heritage. Instead of a spire it has a ridge of the type found on
the vaulted roof of a Buddhist chaitya-hall.
© K. L. Kamat
Sas-bahu Temple
There are two other temples of importance, designated as Sas-bahu,
or the "mother-in-law" and "daughter-in-law." The larger of these appears to
have been completed in 1093 A.D. and has an appearance of imposing solidity. Now
only the cruciform porch, which is three stories high, survives. A unique
architectural feature of this temple is that the building has been raised
several stories high solely with the help of beams and pillars, and no arches
have been used for the purpose. The smaller Sas-bahu temple, though more elegant
in appearance than the greater Sas-bahu temple, is stylistically only a reduced
and simplified copy of the latter.
On the road to the Fort lies a small temple dedicated to Chaturbhuj, the
four-armed, a name given to Vishnu. It was built in 875 A.D. and is believed to
be the oldest temple in Gwalior. It has a small dome over its pyramidal roof
which resembles that of the Teli-ka-Mandir in many respects.
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