Gwalior's yearly festival of Hindustani classical music, held beside the tomb of Tansen.
The Tansen Music Festival is an annual event, not a place. It is held in Gwalior each year, usually in December, over several days and nights, and it commemorates Mian Tansen, the singer of Akbar's court who came from this region and whose name the Gwalior gharana carries.
Performances are staged in the open at Hazira, beside the tomb of Tansen, which puts the music in the place most closely associated with him. Vocalists and instrumentalists from across the country are invited, and the national Tansen Samman is conferred during the festival. Sessions often run late into the night, in the older tradition of listening.
Concerts are held on a stage set up near Tansen's tomb, with audiences seated in the open. Sittings run through the evening and often well past midnight, and people come and go between items rather than staying for a fixed programme.
The festival exists because Tansen belongs to Gwalior, and his tomb beside the mausoleum of Ghaus Mohammed is the focus of it. Visiting the tomb in daylight before an evening session makes the connection clear.
Because this is a festival rather than a monument, planning it means fixing your dates and your bed before anything else.
The festival itself sets the timing, usually in December, which is also the most comfortable month to be in Gwalior. Nights are cold at that time of year, so dress for sitting still outdoors for several hours. Confirm the published dates before booking travel, as they are announced afresh each year.
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