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Created page with "=Narwar Town, 1908= {| class="wikitable" |- |colspan="0"|<div style="font-size:100%"> This article has been extracted from <br/> THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908.<br/>..."

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=Narwar Town, 1908=

{| class="wikitable"
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|colspan="0"|<div style="font-size:100%">
This article has been extracted from <br/>

THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908.<br/>

OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS.
</div>
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[[Category:India|N]]
[[Category:Places|N]]
''Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts. Some units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value. ''

Town in the district of the same name in Gwalior
State, Central India, situated in 25° 39'' N. and 77° 54'' E. Population
(1901), 4,929. The place is traditionally supposed to be the home of
Raja Nala of Naishadha, whose romantic love for Damayantl, related
in the Mahabharata, is familiar to every Hindu. Cunningham identi-
fied Narwar with Padmavati, which, according to the Puranas, was one
of the cities held by the nine Nagas. Coins bearing the name of
Ganapati, who is mentioned as a Naga king in Samudra Gupta's
inscription at Allahabad, have been found here. The history of
Narwar has always been closely connected with that of Gwalior. In
the middle of the tenth century both places fell to the Kachwaha
Rajputs. These were succeeded by Parihars in 1129, who held pos-
session until 1232, when they were expelled by Altamsh. The next
mention of the fort is in 1251, when it was in the hands of Chahada
Deva, who surrendered it to Nasir-ud-din. After the invasion of
Timur, Narwar fell to the Tonwars, who held it until 1507, when it was
taken, after a twelvemonth's siege, by Sikandar Lodi. This ruler gave
the fort to Raj Singh, a Kachwaha, thus restoring the fortress to its
original owners. Under Akbar it was the head-quarters of the Narwar
sarkar of the Subah of Malwa, and Abul Fazl writes of ancient Hindu
temples still standing in a part of the fort. Except for a temporary
loss of possession in the time of Shah Jahan, the Kachwahas held
Narwar a^ feudatories of Delhi up to the nineteenth century, when
it was taken by Sindhia, to whom it was finally guaranteed by the
Allahabad treaty of 1805.

The old fort is picturesquely situated on the steep scarp of the
Vindhyas, 400 feet above the plain, and r,6oo above the level of the
sea. The walls have a circuit of above 5 miles, and to the north lies
a further portion enclosed by high walls, containing the shrine of Shah
Madar, a Aluhammadan saint. A gentle ascent leads to the AlamgTri
Darwaza, from which a steep flight of steps gives access to the summit
through three more gateways. The fort is purely Muhammadan in
character, but the numerous fragments of sculpture and architectural
ornament show that in the flourishing days of Hindu sovereignty it
was probably second only to Gwalior in the magnificence of its temples
and other edifices. Sikandar Lodi remained here for six months,
breaking down temples and building mosques, and effectually removed
any edifices of importance. Among Hindu relics of later days is a gun
Avhich belonged to Sawai Jai Singh of Jaipur, bearing the date 1696.
A small Roman Catholic cemetery in the fort contains a chapel and
several tombs, one of which is dated 1747. This was no doubt the
burial-place of the European gunners so frequently employed in native
armies during the eighteenth century.

The town fies at the north-eastern foot of the hill on which the fort
stands, near a bend in the Sind river, and is enclosed by a wall with
three gates. Once a flourishing place on a route between Delhi and
the Deccan, it has decayed rapidly since the construction of new roads
and railways has carried traffic elsewhere. Just outside the walls
stands a pillar on which are inscribed the names of the Tonwar chiefs
of Narwar, a large baorl, and two fine Muhammadan bridges over
the Sind. A curious sail stone recalls the memory of two wives of a
family priest to Raja Gaja Singh who, on hearing of their husband's
death in a battle in the Deccan, burned themselves together with his
scarf. Narwar formerly produced a considerable quantity of crude
iron, smelted from the magnetic iron ore abounding in the neighbour-
hood ; but this industry has now decayed. A State post ofifice, a school,
a dispensary, and a police station are situated here.

Narwar Town - Revision history

Pdewan: Created page with "=Narwar Town, 1908= {| class="wikitable" |- |colspan="0"| This article has been extracted from THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908...."

Pdewan: Created page with "=Narwar Town, 1908= {| class="wikitable" |- |colspan="0"|
This article has been extracted from
THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908.
..."