Descended from the Maratha dynasty, the Scindias have ruled Gwalior since the early 1700s. The family had a somewhat controversial relationship with the British – in fact, Jayajirao Scindia, one of the heads of the family, is seen as being almost loyal to the British, and has even been accused of being a 'traitor' to the Indian cause.

An excerpt from Volume 1 of the Gwalior State Gazetteer, published in 1908, features a compilation of stories about Jayajirao's actions during the 1857 mutiny. "Never forget that Rani Laxmi Bai was martyred by the joint armed forces of Sindhias and East India Company. Not only this, one of the leading commanders of 1857 Indian War of Independence, Tatya Tope was captured in Gwalior State ruled by this criminal Sindhi clan and executed on 18 April 1859 in Shivpuri, part of the Gwalior State," the piece reads. "On 30 May (1858) Tantia Topi [sic] and Lachmi Bai [sic], 'the Rani of Jhansi', appeared before Gwalior and called on Sindhia to join them. Jiyaji Rao not only refused but without waiting for the column on its way from Agra, led out his troops against them on 1 June."