A View of the South side of the Fort of Gwalior

William Hodges spent four years in India, 1780-83, and a decade after his return to England, presented spectacular views of the country through a fabulous travelogue. As was evident, he travelled widely across the subcontinent, making sketches that he developed as etchings back in England. This one gives a broad sweep of the magnificent fort of Gwalior that overlooks the modern city today, but a vast expanse of flat, rolling plain, rocks and trees when Hodges visited it two-and-a-half centuries ago. A modest temple atop a mound manages to catch the attention despite the overbearing grandness of the fort in the background.