Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh  is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore. Nicknamed the "heart of India" due to its geographical location in India, Madhya Pradesh is the second largest state in the country by area. With over 75 million inhabitants, it is the sixth largest state in India by population. It borders the states of Uttar Pradesh to the northeast, Chhattisgarh to the southeast, Maharashtra to the south, Gujarat to the west, and Rajasthan to the northwest.

The area covered by the present-day Madhya Pradesh includes the area of the ancient Avanti mahajanapada, whose capital Ujjain (also known as Avanti) arose as a major city during the second wave of Indian urbanization in the sixth century BCE. Subsequently, the region was ruled by the major dynasties of India, including the Mauryans, the Mughals and the Marathas. By the early 18th century, the region was divided into several small kingdoms which were captured by the British and incorporated into Central Provinces and Berar and the Central India Agency. After India's independence, Madhya Pradesh state was created with Nagpur as its capital: this state included the southern parts of the present-day Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. In 1956, this state was reorganized and its parts were combined with the states of Madhya Bharat, Vindhya Pradesh and Bhopal to form the new Madhya Pradesh state with Bhopal as its capital. This state was the largest state of India by area until 2000. In 2000, the Chhattisgarh region was split to create a new state, and Rajasthan became the largest state of India.

History : 

Madhya Pradesh consisted of the region called Malwa. The Malwa region was occupied by the predecessors of the Bhils, Gonds and other tribes who had to confront the Aryans. The Aryans who were stronger pushed the tribal inhabitants to the south of the Vindhyas. The Malwa region is also found to have evidences of a civilization contemporary to the Indus Valley Civilization. This region excelled in art and architecture during the period of Buddhism when this area witnessed the rule of Mauryan empire till 327 B.C. The Sungas also established their influence over this region. The rule of Vikramaditya lasted from 78AD to 388AD and after this Chandragupta II ruled from 388 to 401AD.A After the decline of the Guptas, by the 10th century Malwa was under King Bhoja II of the Paramaras. Internal rivalry between the tribes and the Rajputs made it easy for the Muslims to establish their rule which lasted till 1401AD.The Khiljis under Mahmud Khilji ruled from 1435-1459. The invasion of Babar paved the way for establishment of a strong Muslim rule from 1526 to 1530. The Sur dynasty under Sher Shah also had its influence on it. In 1562 Akbar made it a part of the Mughal empire and it remained a part of Mughal empire till the 18th century. The tribal, Gonds gained control of Malwa after the decline of the Mughals followed by the Marathas from 1690.Though this area too fell under the British jurisdiction it was administered by the Marathas who ceded it to the British completely by 1817. In 1948 after independence this region of Malwa was joined with regions of Indore and Bhopal. In 1956 it was organised into the present Madhya Pradesh.

Alirajpur Anuppur Ashok Nagar Balaghat Barwani Betul Bhind Bhopal Burhanpur Chhatarpur Chhindwara Damoh Umaria Vidisha

Datia Dewas Dhar Dindori Guna Gwalior Harda Hoshangabad Indore Jabalpur Jhabua Katni

Khandwa (East Nimar) Khargone (West Nimar) Mandla Mandsaur Morena Narsinghpur Neemuch Panna Rewa Rajgarh Ratlam Raisen

Sagar Satna Sehore Seoni Shahdol Shajapur Sheopur Shivpuri Sidhi Singrauli Tikamgarh Ujjain