Shivpuri, near Gwalior City in MP is an ancient and holy town for the Hindus. The name Shivpuri is derived from Lord Shiva and it used to be known as Sipri earlier. Historically, Shivpuri was a part of the vast empire of Ashoka in the third century BC as well as the regime of the Mouryas and that of the early Nagas in the early part of the 1st Century AD. The town remained under the Nagas till Samudragupta won over the power. It was under the Guptas that Shivpuri prospered. The next power shift took place after 1211 AD when Shivpuri changed hands and from the Parihars the Muslims took over control along with Gwalior. In 1232 AD Iltutmish conquered Gwalior Fort and the charge of Shivpuri must have come under one Malik Nasratuddin Taisi.

Tatya Tope, one of the leaders of the 1857 Sepoy Mutiny was court martialled and hanged in Shivpuri which liberally participated in the Quit India movement post 1921. Shivpuri finally stabilized in 1956 when it became a part of MP. Shivpuri is a beautiful town and the best way to reach Shivpuri is to take a flight to Gwalior and then a taxi into Shivpuri. However, there are other options as well and these are now discussed.

Shivpuri is fairly well connected with other cities in MP. From Gwalior airport Shivpuri is only 116 km if you travel by NH46. Shivpuri has regular bus services with major cities too, such as Gwalior and Indore besides Bhopal, Ujjain and Jhansi. There is a bus service to Aligarh and another to Agra and Udaipur, Kanpur and Noida. Travellers who have done the Lucknow to Ahmedabad via Jhansi and Shivpuri say that the roads are good with four lanes all through “with little or no traffic”.

Shivpuri is a railhead in MP. The station has two platforms and is well connected by services with cities that include Delhi and Mumbai besides Gwalior, Pune and Chandigarh among many other cities. From Delhi there are three weekly trains to Shivpuri which is 431 km away. From Mumbai similarly there are trains to Shivpuri that will take around 20hr to reach the destination.

Shivpuri does not have an airport but you can get a flight to Gwalior, 116 km away and from there take a taxi or bus to Shivpuri. Alternately, one can take a flight to Agra Kheria which is 196 km from Shivpuri. There are taxis available there as well as buses that will take you to Shivpuri.

Shivpuri has a good network of transport for local use. There are city buses that are run by the government and these have services for operation throughout Shivpuri. These buses levy low rates and this is a great relief for those travellers that are on budget. There are auto-rickshaws too for use within the city premises. Taxis can be either booked through rentals or hired in the city.