Suraj Sen (later known as Suraj Pal) was a legendary petty noble who founded the fortress and city of

Gwalior Gwalior (Hindi: , ) is a major city in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh; It is known as the Music City of India having oldest Gwalior gharana, musical gharana in existence. It is a major sports, cultural, industrial, and political c ...

. Legendary accounts differ as to the claimed timeframe, from 375 AD to 700 AD. Per legend, Suraj was a leper who was healed by the hermit-saint

Gwalipa Gwalipa was an Indian hermit-saint who lived during the 8th century AD. According to legend, Gwalipa cured the local chieftain Suraj Sena of leprosy, and in gratitude, Suraj Sena founded the city of Gwalior Gwalior (Hindi: , ) is a major c ...

after bringing water from a stream to the hermit. The saint blessed Suraj, commanding him to take the last name ''Pal'', to build up the banks of the stream (creating the still-extant

Suraj Kund Surajkund is an ancient reservoir of the 10th century located on Southern Delhi Ridge of Aravalli range in Faridabad city of Haryana state about 8 km (5mi) from South Delhi. Surajkund (literally 'Lake of the Sun') is an artificial Kund ( ...

lake), and to found a fortress. Suraj named the fortress ''Gwalior'' in honor of the hermit.

References

*Balwant Row Bhayasaheb. ''History of the Fortress of Gwalior''. Education Society's Steam Press, Byculla, 1892. Pg 3–

*historyfinder

People from Gwalior {{india-bio-stub