Ladhedi Gate – Gwalior

Gwalior

By kevinstandagehotography on April 18, 2019 • ( 8 Comments )

Located on top of a small hill just 600m north of Gujari Mahal in Gwalior, Ladhedi Gate is a curious monument standing in isolation. I’ve tried to find out more about this structure in books and on the internet, but there seems very little information out there. Even Alexander Cunningham fails to make any reference to it during his well documented stay in Gwalior in the mid 19th century.

What sources I have found just say the same thing, that it was built by Ayodhya’s administrator, Ladakhan. I’m not able to find anything on these two people (although Ayodhya is a place), but obviously the gate is named after Ladakhan, the person that instigated it’s construction.

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The sources go on to say that Man Singh built a Sarai (kind of palace) nearby in the 15-16th century for Muslim rulers to stay in, and that the Jaunpur ruler Husain Shah Shanki once stayed there. There are also references to a mosque that once stood near this place, and that the area is also known as Chavanpur.

The slightly curious thing about this gate is that it stands on a platform no more than 50m across and takes up the entire top of the hill. So where was this gate leading to ? Why would you have a gate at this raised level causing people to go up and then immediately back down the hill ? Or does this gate serve no functional purpose, and is purely meant to impress and serve as a landmark for travelers entering the city ?

If anyone can shed any further details on Ladhedi Gate I would be interested to hear from you. The gate is in excellent condition, and clearly is the remnants of some larger monuments that once existed nearby in the old city of Gwalior.

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Categories: Gwalior, India, Ladhedi Gate, Madhya Pradesh

Tagged as: Islamic Sites