Industries: soyabean oil, processing of sugar and the manufacture of cotton textiles,
newsprint,
pottery, cement, carpets, silk, rayon, jute, glass, steel, and electrical engineering goods.
Cottage industries: the elaborate Chanderi sari, toys, pottery,
decorative
wax ware, woodwork, and
metal utensils.
History: Ruled by Mauryas, Guptas, Vakatakas, Kalchuris, Chandels,
Parmars, Gonds, Mughals and
Marathas. After 1820 the region was occupied by the
British and known as the Central Provinces and Berar. With the States Reorganization Act of
1956, it was combined with several former states to form Madhya Pradesh State. Major
political parties
are Indian National Congress and Bhartiya Janata Party. The current (25th) Chief Minister
is
Digvijay Singh of Congress (I).
Biographies: Members of 12th Parliament,
Rajya Sabha .The
Recent elections.
MP election news in Hindi.
States in the Constitution of India.
Details from INC Site,
Election Commission site
Bhopal Pop. (1991) 1,062,771
Capital of Madhya Pradesh State. The main industries are the manufacture of cotton cloth
and
jewelry. Bhopal is
the site of the Taj-ul-Masjid, the largest mosque in India. The city has a university,
founded in 1970, and an academy of music. Said to be named after Raja Bhoj, modern Bhopal
was founded by Dost Muhammad in 18th century.
From 1723 until 1956 Bhopal was capital of the
former princely state of Bhopal.
IndiaWorld,
MP Guide,
The British Library. Triangle stamps of Bhopal state.
Indore Pop. (1991) 1,086,673,
It is the commercial center of an
agricultural region in which wheat, millet, corn, cotton, opium, and oilseed are produced.
Factories
manufacture cotton textiles, hosiery, chemicals, furniture, and
metal products. The city is the site of several palaces and two institutions of higher
learning.
Founded in 1715, Indore rose to prominence under the Maratha dynasty of Holkars.
In 1818 it was made a British protectorate and capital of the princely state of Indore,
which
merged with Madhya Bharat in 1948.
IndiaWorld text, Indore
homepage Rajwada Palace,
Durbar in Lalbag Palace,
Kanch Mandir,
Sukhnivas lake at CAT,
"Daly College" School,
Jabalpur, formerly Jubbulpore, Pop. (1991) 764,586 near the Narmada
River.
Jabalpur is a major trading and industrial center. The chief industries are textiles,
telephone parts, furniture, building materials, ammunitions, and glassware. Jabalpur
University (1957) is here. Osho (Rajneesh)
was a professor of philosophy here. Birthplace of Maharshi Mahesh Yogi,
might one day have the world's tallest building.
More about Jabalpur.
Bhedaghat, Marble Rocks
Ujjain Pop. (1991) 366,787, on the Kshipra River.
It is one of the seven sacred cities of the Hindus. It is the seat of Vikram University
(1957).
The city was the capital
of the legendary kingdom of Avanti, an Indian state described in Buddhist chronicles. In
the 8th century AD it became the center of Sanskrit learning.
Mahakaleshwar temple and Sandipani Ashram.
Raipur Pop.(1991) 437,887. Founded in the 14th century by Rai Brahma Deo of the
Ratanpur dynasty. Major industries are
A food-processing (rice, wheat, cotton, and oilseeds) and
sawmilling. It has several musical academies and Ravishankar Shukla University
(1964).
Narmada or Reva river, central India, rises northern Madhya Pradesh
State.
It
flows between the Vindhya and Satpura ranges westward for about
1287 km (about 800 mi), emptying into the Gulf of Khambhat, in the Arabian Sea. The
river is regarded by Hindus as one of India's holiest.
Vindhya Range extends in a east-western
direction for a distance of about 675 mi. The
range separates the drainage basin of the Ganges River on the north from the Deccan Plateau
on
the south. Elevations range from 1500 to 3651 ft.
History
Time Line Guptas, Rulers of Malva, Mughals and independent India.
Kalidasa (flourished about 375-415 in Ujjain), Kalidasa is an outstanding
figure in Sanskrit literature, noted for his three romantic dramas,
Sakuntala, the most
famous of the three; Vikramorvasi (Urvasi Won by Valor);
and Malavikagnimitra (Malavi and Agnimitra). Kalidasa also wrote two epic poems, Raghuvansa
(Dynasty of Raghu) and Kumarasambhava (Birth of the War God),
characterized by their fine descriptions of nature and of poignant emotions.
A shloka,
Kalidas: works and legends (postscript),
works and legends,
Ritu-samhaar
Varahamihira, astronomer (c. 505-c. 558) . Wrote Brahat-samhita,
pancha-siddhantika,
Brahad-jataka
etc. in Ujjain.
Raja Bhoja of Dhara (1010-1053): wrote Saraswati-kanthabharana, Shringara-prakasha,
Samrangana-sutradhara,
Yukti-kalpatru, Tattva-prakash and Raja-martanda. His school Bhoja-shala still stands in Dhar, which
had Sanskrit texts inscribed on the walls. He supported many famous scholars.
Dhanpal (970AD): wrote Tilakamanjari.
Bhartrhari (570-651?): wrote Vakyapadiya, Shataka-trayi etc.
Ashadhara of Nalakachchhapura (13th cent): wrote Sagara-dharmamrita, Anagara-dharmamrita
etc.
Manatunga (3rd. cent): wrote Bhaktamara-stotra.
Brahmagupta
(598-665):
Mathematician, wrote Brahma-sphuta-siddhanta.
Bhaskaracharya
(1114-1185):
wrote Lilavati, Bijaganita etc.
The nine ratnas said to be in the court of Vikramditya (Chandragupta) of Avanti were:
Dhanvantari
Kshapanaka, probably Siddhasena, a Jain monk, author of Dvatrishatikas.
Amarasimha, author of Amarakosha, standard lexicon.
Shanku
Vetaalabhatta
Ghatakarpara, author of Ghatakarpara-kavya (in which a wife sends a message, reverse of Megha-duta)