Madhya Pradesh at a Glance Heart of India

The geographical location of the state of India is very important as it is the location of this state from where the etymology is related. Madhya Pradesh is located in the central region of India, hence named the heart of India. It has the largest diamond and copper reserves in India because of the rich mineral resources of Madhya Pradesh. The state was established in 1956, it has a subtropical climate. The hot and dry summer is from April to June, and the monsoon rains are from July to September. There are 52 districts in Madhya Pradesh, the state is a religiously diverse state which has a population of 92% Hindus and the remaining 8% are Muslims, Jains, Christians, Sikhs and Buddhists.

The capital of Madhya Pradesh is Bhopal, the largest city is Indore, and the other major cities are Jabalpur, Gwalior, Ujjain, and Satna. Madhya Pradesh is India's second-largest state by area and the fifth most populous state with a population of Madhya Pradesh more than 72 million. It borders Uttar Pradesh in the northeast, Chhattisgarh in the southeast, Maharashtra in the south, Gujarat in the west and Rajasthan in the northwest.

The article deals with the Madhya Pradesh information like the geography of Madhya Pradesh, the history of the state, the article also provides information about the climate and the flora and fauna of the state. Apart from the detailed description of the state, the article mentions a table that contains information about Madhya Pradesh at a glance: the heart of India.

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Geography of Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh literally means "Central Province" and is located in the geographic centre of India, between 21.6°-26.30° North latitude and 74°9`E-82°48`E east longitude. The state straddles the Narmada River, which flows from east to west between the Vindhya and Satpura Mountains; these mountains and Narmada are the traditional borders between North India and South India. The highest point in Madhya Pradesh is Dhupgarh, which is 1350 m (4429 ft) above sea level.

The state borders Gujarat to the west, Rajasthan to the northwest, Uttar Pradesh to the northeast, Chhattisgarh to the east, and Maharashtra to the south. The total area of Madhya Pradesh is about 236,286 sq. km. 

Madhya Pradesh also has three main seasons: summer monsoon and winter. In summer (March to June), the temperature in the whole state hovers above 29.4°C. Overall, the eastern part of Madhya Pradesh is warmer than the western part. The temperatures in Gwalior, Morena and Datia are higher than 42°C in May. The humidity is relatively low, and mild sandstorms often occur in the area. 

The southwestern monsoon usually breaks out in mid-June, with the state's rainfall accounting for most of it between June and September. Rainfall tends to be higher in the southern and southeastern regions, while rainfall in the northwest is lower. Rainfall in Mandela, Baragat, Sidi, Jabalpur and other far eastern regions exceeded 150 cm. Less than 80 cm of rain in the western part of Madhya Pradesh.

Winter starts in November. Compared with the southern region, the temperature in the northern part of the state is still lower. In January, the maximum daily temperature in most parts of the north remained between 15 and 18 °C. The climate is generally dry and pleasant, with clear skies.

Ecology of Madhya Pradesh

The area of Madhya Pradesh in terms of the forest is 94,689 square kilometres (36,560 square miles), which represents 30.7% of the geographic area of ​​the state. It represents 12.3% of the forest area of ​​India. The area has been divided into "reserved forests" (65.3%), "protected forests" (32.8%) and "unclassified forests" (0.2%). The per capita forest area is 2,400 square meters (0.59 acres), while the national average forest area is 700 square meters (0.17 acres). 

Forest cover is low in the northern and western regions of the state, including the main urban centres. Changes in climate and soil conditions have resulted in significant differences in forest types in the state.

Flora and Fauna 

Since we have understood about Madhya Pradesh information related to the geography of Madhya Pradesh and ecology we must understand some facts about the animal diversity of the state. As discussed earlier Madhya Pradesh is known to have large forests, it is home to ten national parks they are; Bandhavgarh National Park, Kanha National Park, Satpura National Park, Sanjay National Park, Madhav National Park, Van Vihar National Park, Mandla Plant Fossil National Park, Panna National Park, Pench National Park and Dhar Dinosaur National Park garden. 

These national parks have a wide range of endangered or vulnerable animals and birds, the state has many national-level protection schemes for animals. An example of such a campaign is Satpura National Park is managed as a Tigre project area. 

The management purpose of the Chambal National Sanctuary is to protect alligators and predators, pufferfish, smooth hairy otters and various sea turtles. The Kengharial and Songharial reserves are managed to protect gharials and muggers.

Barasingha is the animal of the state and dudhraj is the state bird of Madhya Pradesh. The state tree of Madhya Pradesh is a banyan tree, whereas the state fish of Madhya Pradesh is Mahseer. The state flower of Madhya Pradesh is the Madonna lily. 

According to composition, teak and salt forest are the most important forest compositions in the state. The bamboo forest area is widely distributed.

History of Madhya Pradesh

The isolated remains of Homo erectus found in Hathnora in the Narmada Valley indicate that Madhya Pradesh may have been inhabited during the Middle Pleistocene. During the second wave of Indian urbanization in the 6th century BC, Ujjain became an important centre of the region. It used to be the capital of the Kingdom of Avanti. Other kingdoms mentioned in the ancient epic, Malava, Karusha, Dasarna and Nishada, are also considered part of Madhya Pradesh.

Since the 1st century CE, Ujjain has become the main commercial centre of western India, located on the trade route between the Ganges plain and the ports of the Arabian Sea in India. In the 1st to 3rd centuries CE, the Satavahana dynasty in the northern Deccan and the western governor's Saka dynasty fought for control of Madhya Pradesh.

The mediaeval age witnessed the rise of the Rajput clan, including Paramala on Malva and Chandra on Bundelkhand. Chandellas built a majestic Jain Indian temple in Khajuraho, representing the epitome of Hindu temple architecture in central India. The Gurjara Pratihara dynasty also dominated the northern and western parts of Madhya Pradesh at this time. Southern Madhya Pradesh as Malva was repeatedly invaded by the Western Chalukya Empire of South India, which imposed its rule over the Malva Paramala Kingdom.

In 1556, most of Madhya Pradesh was under the rule of the Mughal dynasty. After the death of Emperor Aurangzeb in 1707, Mughal control was greatly weakened. Between 1720 and 1760, the Maratha controlled most of Madhya Pradesh, leading to the establishment of a semi-autonomous state: Indore under the name of Peshwa in Pune. They ruled most of Malwa, Pawar ruled Dewas and Dhar, Bhonsle of Nagpur ruled the Mahakoshal Gondwana region, and Scindias of Gwalior controlled the northern part of the state. 

The most famous Maratha rulers in the region are Mahaji Sind, Ahiaba Khorkar and Yaswantra Khorkar. In addition, there are several other small states, including Bhopal, Orcia and Rewa. Bhopal was founded by Dost Mohammed Khan, a former general in the Mughal army, to pay tribute to the Malata and Nizam of Hyderabad.

After the Third Anglo-Maratha War, the British government controlled the entire area. All sovereign states in the region have become vassals of British India, ruled by the Central India institutions. 

During the 1857 uprising, a rebellion led by leaders such as Tatya Tope broke out in the northern part of the state. However, these were crushed by the British and the princes who were loyal to them. 

During the Indian independence movement, the state witnessed a series of anti-British activities and protests. Several famous leaders such as Chandra Shekhar Azad, B. R. Ambedkar, Shankar Dayal Sharma, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and Arjun Singh were born in Madhya Pradesh.

After the independence of India, Madhya Pradesh was founded in 1950 by the former British Central Province and the princely states of Makarai and Chhattisgarh. Nagpur was the capital of the state. In 1956 the state was reorganised, the states Vindiya, and Bhopal were merged into Madhya Pradesh, and Vidaba, a southern Marathi-speaking region that included Nagpur, was ceded to the state of Mumbai. This rearrangement led to the formation of the state of Madhya Pradesh as we now know.

Madhya Pradesh at a glance: the heart of India

Mentioned below is that table that contains information about the state like the geography of Madhya Pradesh which includes the area of Madhya Pradesh, the population of the state and other details. 

In conclusion of the article, Madhya Pradesh is the centrally located state of the country, it has a rich cultural and historical heritage. The name of the state is attributed to the geography of Madhya Pradesh. The economy of the state is the major contributor to the economy of the country.