Madhya Pradesh: History and Culture

1. Prehistoric and Ancient Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh has one of the longest records of human life in India. Its rock shelters show some of the oldest art in the country, and its ancient cities such as Ujjain and Vidisha were centres of trade, religion and learning.

Prehistory: Bhimbetka

• The Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka are in Raisen district, south of Bhopal, in the Vindhya hills.
• They were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003.
• The shelters have paintings of animals, hunting, dancing and daily life, made over many thousands of years from the Stone Age onwards.
• They were brought to wide attention by archaeologist V. S. Wakankar in 1957.
• Other important rock-art areas in MP include parts of the Raisen, Sagar and Narmadapuram (Pachmarhi) regions.

Avanti, Ujjain and the Mauryas

• Avanti was one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas. Its main capital was Ujjayini (Ujjain); Mahishmati on the Narmada was another important centre.
• Ujjain lies on the Shipra river. It is linked with the legendary king Vikramaditya and the poet Kalidasa.
• Ashoka served as the viceroy (governor) at Ujjain before becoming the Mauryan emperor.
• Ashoka's wife Devi was from Vidisha, and Ashoka built the first stupa at Sanchi.
• Ujjain was also a centre of astronomy; the old Indian prime meridian was taken to pass through it.

Sanchi, Vidisha and the Guptas

• The Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi (Raisen district) were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1989. The Great Stupa (Stupa 1) has beautifully carved gateways (toranas) added in the Shunga-Satavahana period.
• At Besnagar near Vidisha stands the Heliodorus Pillar (about 2nd century BCE), set up by a Greek envoy who called himself a devotee of Vasudeva (Vishnu).
• The Udayagiri caves near Vidisha date from the Gupta period. They are famous for the large Varaha (boar) form of Vishnu.
• Eran in Sagar district has important Gupta-period inscriptions and a large Varaha sculpture.
• Gupta-period temples such as the one at Tigawa (Katni district) are among the early stone temples of India.

💡 Remember the UNESCO order by year: Khajuraho 1986, Sanchi 1989, Bhimbetka 2003. Two of the three (Sanchi and Bhimbetka) are in Raisen district.

📝 5-question quiz on this lesson: enrol free to take it and track your score.

2. Medieval Madhya Pradesh: Kingdoms, Forts and the Marathas

Between the 9th and 18th centuries, many dynasties ruled parts of Madhya Pradesh. They left behind temples, forts and lakes that are often asked about in exams.

Paramaras and Chandelas

• The Paramaras ruled Malwa with Dhar as their capital. Their most famous king was Raja Bhoj (11th century), a scholar-king and patron of learning.
• The Bhojpur Shiva temple near Bhopal, with a huge stone lingam, is linked with Raja Bhoj. The temple was left unfinished.
• Bhopal's Upper Lake (Bada Talab or Bhojtal) is traditionally credited to Raja Bhoj. The Bhojshala in Dhar is also linked to him.
• The Chandelas ruled Bundelkhand and built the temples of Khajuraho (Chhatarpur district) mainly between about 950 and 1050 CE.
• The Khajuraho Group of Monuments, with Hindu and Jain temples, became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986. Kandariya Mahadeva is its largest temple.

Gwalior, the Gonds and Mandu

• Gwalior Fort is one of India's great hill forts. Raja Man Singh Tomar built the Man Mandir palace and the Gujari Mahal there.
• A 9th-century inscription in the Chaturbhuj temple at Gwalior fort contains one of the oldest known written forms of the zero digit in India.
• The Gond kingdom of Garha-Mandla ruled the Jabalpur region. Rani Durgavati died fighting Mughal forces led by Asaf Khan in 1564 near Jabalpur.
• Mandu (Dhar district) was the capital of the Malwa Sultanate. It has the Jahaz Mahal, Hindola Mahal, and Hoshang Shah's tomb, an early marble tomb in India.
• Mandu is linked with the love story of Sultan Baz Bahadur and Rani Roopmati.

Bhopal state, Holkars and Scindias

• Bhopal state was founded by Dost Mohammad Khan in the early 18th century. It was later ruled for many years by women rulers, the Begums of Bhopal.
• The Holkars ruled Indore. Malhar Rao Holkar founded the line, and Ahilyabai Holkar (ruled 1767 to 1795) governed from Maheshwar on the Narmada.
• Ahilyabai is remembered for building and repairing temples, ghats and rest houses across India, including the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi (1780).
• The Scindias (Shindes) ruled Gwalior. Mahadji Scindia was a powerful Maratha leader of the 18th century.
• Tansen, the great musician in Akbar's court, was from the Gwalior region. His tomb is in Gwalior, where the Tansen Samaroh music festival is held every year.

💡 Link each dynasty to one monument: Paramaras to Bhojpur, Chandelas to Khajuraho, Tomars to Man Mandir, Malwa Sultans to Jahaz Mahal, Holkars to Maheshwar.

📝 5-question quiz on this lesson: enrol free to take it and track your score.

3. 1857, the Freedom Movement, Formation of MP and Culture

Madhya Pradesh played a big role in the Revolt of 1857 and in the freedom movement. The modern state was formed in 1956, and its tribal communities give it one of the richest cultures in India.

1857 and the freedom movement

• In 1857 there were uprisings at Neemuch, Mhow, Indore, Gwalior and Jabalpur.
• Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi died fighting the British near Gwalior on 18 June 1858. Her samadhi is in Gwalior.
• Tatya Tope continued the fight across central India. He was captured and hanged at Shivpuri in April 1859.
• Rani Avantibai Lodhi of Ramgarh (Mandla region) fought the British and gave her life in 1858. Gond king Shankar Shah and his son Raghunath Shah were executed by the British at Jabalpur in 1857.
• Chandra Shekhar Azad was born in 1906 at Bhabra in Alirajpur district. The village is now called Chandrashekhar Azad Nagar.
• Other events: the Jhanda (Flag) Satyagraha at Jabalpur (1923), and the Charan Paduka firing in Chhatarpur (1931), often called the 'Jallianwala Bagh of MP'.

Formation of the state

• Madhya Pradesh in its present form was created on 1 November 1956 under the States Reorganisation Act. 1 November is celebrated as MP Foundation Day.
• It was formed by joining the old Madhya Pradesh (Mahakoshal region), Madhya Bharat, Vindhya Pradesh and Bhopal state.
• Bhopal became the capital. Pandit Ravishankar Shukla was the first Chief Minister.
• Bhopal state had joined the Indian Union on 1 June 1949.
• On 1 November 2000, Chhattisgarh was carved out of Madhya Pradesh as a separate state.

Tribes and their arts

• MP has the largest Scheduled Tribe population of any Indian state (Census 2011: about 1.53 crore, about 21 percent of the state's population).
• The Bhil are the largest tribe of MP, mainly in Jhabua, Alirajpur, Dhar and Barwani. Their Bhagoria festival is held before Holi.
• The Gond are the second largest tribe. Gond painting, with bright dots and lines, became famous through artist Jangarh Singh Shyam.
• The Baiga, Bharia and Sahariya are Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) in MP.
• Folk dances: Karma and Saila (Gond and Baiga), Bhagoria (Bhil), Rai (Bundelkhand), Matki (Malwa) and Gangaur (Nimar).

Religion, festivals and culture

• Ujjain's Mahakaleshwar and Omkareshwar (on an island in the Narmada) are two of the twelve Jyotirlingas.
• The Mahakal Lok corridor at Ujjain was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 11 October 2022.
• The Simhastha (Kumbh) Mela is held at Ujjain on the Shipra about every 12 years. The last was in 2016, and the next is due in 2028; the state is preparing roads, ghats and transport for it.
• A 108-foot statue of Adi Shankaracharya, the 'Statue of Oneness', was unveiled at Omkareshwar in September 2023.
• Gwalior was named a UNESCO Creative City of Music in 2023. The Khajuraho Dance Festival is held each year.
• Famous crafts and textiles: Chanderi and Maheshwari sarees, Bagh print (Dhar), and Gond art.

💡 Remember '1 November' twice: MP was formed on 1 November 1956 and Chhattisgarh was separated on 1 November 2000.

📝 5-question quiz on this lesson: enrol free to take it and track your score.