Shivpuri Tourism
Distance : 105km from
Gwalior
Best Season : January-March
¤ Location of The Town
 About
105km from Gwalior, Shivpuri – with Gwalior and Orchha –
today forms part of the golden triangle of tourist destinations in MP.
¤ Historic Perspective
For a small town, Shivpuri seems to have played, if not the lead,
then at least a good character role in the history of MP.
Shivpuri, it seems, got its name thanks to the many temples dedicated
to Lord Shiva (the destroyer of the Hindu Trinity of Gods) here. While
that might be true, it is known that at one time it used to be called
Sipri.
Abul Fazal has made a passing reference to it in his Ain-i Akbari.
Apparently, in 1564, while returning from Mandu, Akbar stayed here to
hunt the elephants in its jungles.
In the 17th century, by a curious twist of events, it came to be the
jagir (estate) of the Narwar Kachhawahas. The Mughals, like most
royalty, were plagued by the problem of too many claimants to the
throne – and sometimes many promising candidates were in the fray
together. When Shah Jahan, whose reign is hailed as the golden period
of the Mughals, came to power his problem was his elder brother Prince
Khusro.
Khusro had been the grand old Mughal, Akbar’s favourite grandson
– in fact for a long time bets were on that Khusro would succeed
Akbar instead of his son, Jahangir. An eventuality which Akbar’s
sudden death prevented. Throughout his lifetime, Jahangir saw to it
that Khusro never had any leisure for his thoughts to stray towards
the throne.
When the time came for the next ruler to take charge, intrigue again
won over hierarchy. After having put all his other brothers to bed,
Shah Jahan started looking for Khusro.
Unfortunately for the king, his brother, being a very capable general
and a popular hero, had a strong and loyal following and managed to
elude him for a long time.
One of the people who went over to Khusro’s side was Amar Singh
Kachhawaha of Narwar. When Khusro was finally captured and put to
death, Amar Singh lost his estate. However as a special show of mercy
later Sipri and Kolras were granted to him. (See History under India
head for more details.)
¤ Scindias Rose As A Supreme Power
In 1804, when the Scindias were an established power in central
India, they merged Shivpuri in their empire and Jadho Singh Ingle
became its governor. Very soon after though, in 1817, the British with
one of their clever full-of-fine-print treaties took control of
Shivpuri. However it didn’t last long under them. In 1818 the
Scindias demanded and got it back though the British presence remained
strong.
In 1857, during the Indian War of Independence, the Gwalior troops
that were stationed here revolted and the European sahibs had to flee
for their lives. At the end of the battle though, the British returned
and hanged Tantia Tope, one of the principal leaders in the rebellion.
Today, the dense forests of the Shivpuri where Akbar and the Scindias
once hunted are a preserved area and called Madhav National Park.
|
