The gurudwara inside Gwalior Fort that marks where the sixth Sikh Guru was held prisoner.
This gurudwara was built in the memory of Guru Hargobind Sahib, the sixth Sikh Guru, who was imprisoned here by Emperor Jahangir for over two years. It stands on Gwalior Fort, on the spot associated with that imprisonment, which is why a major Sikh shrine sits inside a Rajput and Mughal fort.
The name Data Bandi Chhod, the liberator of prisoners, refers to the Guru's release and to his insistence that the other princes held in the fort be freed along with him. It is an active place of worship, busy with pilgrims as well as fort visitors.
The main hall is a working gurudwara with continuous recitation and kirtan through the day. Visitors of any faith are welcome to sit quietly at the back for a while, which is the best way to experience it.
Walking straight from the Hindu palaces and Jain carvings of the fort into a Sikh shrine is the clearest reminder that this hilltop has belonged to several traditions in turn. The gurudwara is also the most visited living building on the fort.
The gurudwara is on the fort, so it falls naturally into a fort circuit, but it is a place of worship rather than a monument.
October to March is the comfortable season on the fort. Bandi Chhor Divas, which falls around Diwali, is the most significant day here and draws very large numbers of pilgrims. On ordinary days the early morning service is the quietest and most atmospheric time.
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