According to local tradition, Gwalior owes its name to a sage of former times 'Gwalipa'. Suraj Sen, a prince of the Kachhwaha Rajput clan of the eighth century built a palace inside the fort, which was named "Gwalior" after the sage, and eventually the city that grew around the fort took the same name. Gwalior temple has the very first occurrence of zero as a written number in the world. Gwalior m
ay have been held by the Guptas or some of their disciples, but the oldest historical evidence shows the fort was conquered by the Hunas in the early sixth century. Subsequently, Gwalior was taken by Gurjar Pratihars of Kannauj. In the 10th century, after Gurjara Pratiharas, Gwalior was taken by the Kachwaha Rajputs. Qutb-ud-din Aybak captured the city in 1196. Shamsud-din Altamsh took control of the area in 1232. By the 15th century, Gwalior was ruled by the Mughals and then the Marathas. The Scindia state of Gwalior became a major regional power in the second half of the 18th century and figured prominently in the three Anglo-Maratha Wars.The Scindias held significant power over many of the Rajput states, and conquered the state of Ajmer. The Scindia family ruled Gwalior until India's independence from the United Kingdom in 1947, when the Maharaja Jivajirao Scindia acceded to the Government of India. Jivajirao Scindia served as the state's rajpramukh, or appointed governor, from 28 May 1948 to 31 October 1956,
In 1962, Rajmata Vijayraje Scindia, the widow of Maharaja Jivajirao Scindia, was elected to the Lok Sabha. She was first a member of the Congress Party, and later became an influential member of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Her son, Maharaja Madhavrao Scindia was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1971 representing the Congress Party, and served until his death in 2001. His son, Jyotiraditya Scindia, also in the Congress Party, was elected to the seat formerly held by his father in 2004. Gwalior Municipal Corporation is responsible for the civic infrastructure and administration of the city, which is presently divided into 60 wards. Samiksha Gupta is currently the honourable mayor of Gwalior. The city is well-connected by Railway, Road, and Air methods of transportation. Gwalior holds an unparalleled reputation in Indian Music. Tansen & Baijnath Prasad (alias Baiju Bawra), the two great singers born and lived here. Sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan is also from the royal city of Gwalior. The Gwalior Gharana is one of the oldest Khayal Gharanas and one to which most classical Indian musicians can trace the origin of their style. The famous Tansen Sangeet Samaroh or the Tansen Music Festival, organised by the government of MP is celebrated every year on the Tansen Tomb in Gwalior.
