Madhya Pradesh was the center of several princely states and center of power ranging from the Mughals to the Marathas and British empire.
At the time of India's independence, states of Madhya Bharat and Vindhya Pradesh considered as parts of the old Central province and Berarto was renamed as Madhya Pradesh.
Indore city was recognized as the "Summer Capital" of the state. On November 1, 1956, Bhopal became the capital of the state.
Madhya Pradesh has four architectural zones, each with cultural and traditional diversities influenced by the kingdoms and dynasties that ruled this region.
These zones are easily identified as -
Bundelkhand
Baghelkhand
Malwa
Nirmar
Madhya Pradesh has lots of temples, fortresses and cave paintings, Large domed masjids, Monasteries and Buddhist stupas are in abundance in this state.
Architectural styles in Madhya Pradesh has deep influence from Islamic styles to European styles, Indo-Islamic to Rajput styles.
The architecture used in making of houses in Madhya Pradesh have link with tribal styles of making pucca, semi-pucca and kuchcha houses.
The material used to construct homes are local material like mud, bamboo, and bricks.
The linear pattern of mud walls, sloped roofs and vacant space in the courtyard known as ‘Bayara’ are found in the houses. Shelters for cattle are also built alongside.
Sanchi is is located 40 kms away from the city of Bhopal. This monumnet brings in traditional styles of the buddhist monastery structures.
The three chhatris, with a large pillar erected at the centre, support the dome constructed over the monastery.
The ceremonial gates and surrounding railing have engraved scenes from Buddhist Jataka stories and Buddha’s life.
Demographic Location
Madhya Pradesh has derived the name from two words —madhya that means “central” and pradesh that means “region” . The state is away from any sea and international border.
The states of Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Rajasthan surround Madhya Pradesh from all sides.
The capital city of Bhopal is situated in the west-central part of the state.
Major river system watering the land of Madhya Pradesh are Narmada River.
Madhya Pradesh falls on a transitional area that lies between Indo Gangetic Plain in the north and the Deccan plateau in the south.
It is surrounded by low hills, extensive plateaus, and several gauges and river valleys.
Northwest of the Vindhya Range is the Malwa Plateau. Other features include the Rewa Plateau, in the rugged eastern region of the Vindhya Range, the Bundelkhand
Important ranges of hills are the Vindhya Range, in the west. Northern branch of the range known as the Kaimur Hills and the Satpura, Mahadeo and Mailaka ranges.
The Dhupgarh Peak lying near to Pachmarhi in south-central Madhya Pradesh is the state’s highest point.
Madhya Pradesh contains the source of some of the most important rivers in the Indian peninsula:
The Narmada
The Tapti
The Mahanadi
The Wainganga (a tributary of the Godavari).
Some other water system are the tributaries of the Yamuna and the Son. The Chambal valley forms the state’s northern border with Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
Soils in Madhya Pradesh can be classified into two major groups.
Fertile black soils are found in the Malwa Plateau in the Narmada valley
Parts of the Satpura Range - Less-fertile red-to-yellow soils spread over large area of eastern Madhya Pradesh.
Indore, in the west and Jabalpur in the east-central region. Other major cities include Gwalior in the north, Ujjain in the west, and Sagar in the central part of the state.
People, Rituals and Language
Most of the people are Hindus. Morities are made up of people from Muslims, Jains, Christians, Sikh and Buddhists community.
Hindi is the primary language here. Bagheli and Awadhi, are spoken in the southern and eastern parts of the state.
Since there are many tribal communities living from long time in Madhya Pradesh, people belonging from The Bhil tribe speak Bhili, and the Gond clan speak Gondi.
Some other prominent of the tribes are Baiga, Korku, Kol, Kamar, and Maria.
People speak Bundelit living in the central and northwestern parts of Madhya Pradesh. Malvi which is a Hindi dialect is the speech of the people of western Madhya Pradesh.
Other languages spoken in Madhya Pradesh is Marathi, Oriya, Gujarati, Punjabi, Urdu, Telugu, Bengali, Tamil and Malayalam.
Season and Climate
The climate in Madhya Pradesh is dependent on the monsoon weather pattern.
There are three distinct seasons in Madhya Pradesh :
Summer (March through May)
Winter (November through February)
Rainy season by the southwest monsoon (June through September).
The summer is hot, dry, and windy; in Bhopal. Winters are relatively pleasant and dry. Temperatures during the monsoon season is moderate.
Most of Madhya Pradesh receive from Southwesst monsoon and western disturbance over the northern part of the state in December and January.
Culture & Education
Ancient temples, fortresses, and cave works are heritage sites of Madhya Pradesh that are present in the foothills of the Vindhya Range.
In west-central Madhya Pradesh, a historical stupa mound forming a memorial shrine is located at Sanchi constructed by Ashoka, emperor of India.
The Bagh caves located near the western town of Mhow have paintings on Buddhist topics.
The Khajuraho temples built in northern Madhya Pradesh, are widely recognized for their erotic art built by the Chandela kings.
Famous Spots
The Khajuraho temples - Portrays the celebration of love, life, and worship.
Bandhavgarh and Kanha National Parks - Rocky hills with various species of common and endangered animlas and birds.
Gwalior city - The city of forts with splendid blend of mughal architecture, palaces and temples.
Madhya Pradesh's capital city, Bhopal, better known for mosques and museums. Also beautified by two large lakes, the Upper Lake and Lower Lake, inside the city limits.
The Bhimbetka rock shelters, is situated near to Ratapani Wildlife Sanctuary. There are several wall paintings in these caves.
Sanchi Stupa situated in Bhopal is one of India's oldest Buddhist monuments identified by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
Ujjain, Mandu and Omkareshwar popularly make up its "Golden Triangle".
Ujjain is one of Hinduism's seven sacred cities. The famous Kumbh Mela is celebrated here in the Mahakaleshwar Temple, one of India’s 12 sacred Jyotirlingams
Omkareshwar, an island in the Narmada river, draws generations of devout pilgrims.
Aqualife, Flora & Fauna
Small area has permanent pasture and grazing land in Madhya Pradesh.
The main forested areas fall in the Vindhya Range, the Kaimur Hills, Satpura and Maikala ranges, and Baghelkhand Plateau.
Trees grown are teak and sal, having valuable hardwoods. Bamboo, salai yields a resin used for incense and medicine and tendu, the leaves used for rolling bidis (Indian cigarettes).
The forests are habitat of tigers, panthers, bears, gaurs (wild cattle), and many types of deer, chitals (spotted deer), sambhar, blackbucks, and the rare barasingha (swamp deer).
The woodlands are home to many species of birds. Madhya Pradesh has a number of national parks and many wildlife sanctuaries, of which the best known are
The National Chambal Sanctuary, has been established for the conservation of (freshwater) Ganges river dolphins, crocodiles, gavials (crocodile-like reptiles), and various large terrestrial animals.
Kanha National Park and It’s rich in lush saal and bamboo forests, lakes, streams, and open grasslands. The park abounds with barasingha (swamp deer) and an extensive variety of other animals and birds.
Bandhavgarh National Park, for the endangered white tiger. The park features dense green valleys and rocky hill terrain, with an ancient fort. With tigers, the park has a large collection of wildlife including sloth bears, deer, leopards, jackals, and birds.
Shivpuri Madhav National Park, known for its bird sanctuary.
The most cultivated crops are wheat, jowar, maize, rice, and pulses (legumes such as peas, beans, or lentils) and sorghum.
The state is one of the largest producers of soybeans in India. Linseed, sesame, sugarcane, and cotton, as well as various millets, are grown in hilly areas of Madhya Pradesh.
Livestock and poultry farming is one of the prominent occupation in Madhya Pradesh.
The state has significant portion of the country’s livestock like cows, buffaloes, goats, sheep, and pigs.
State’s several rivers, canals, ponds, and reservoirs support a inland fisheries industry.
