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Madhya Pradesh, located in central India, is a state rich with a vibrant history. In fact, the history of Madhya Pradesh dates back to pre-history. Rock cave paintings dating back to the Paleolithic age are found here. The land of Madhya Pradesh was ruled by several dynasties, all of which have contributed to its rich historical legacy.
In the ancient period, dynasties like the Mauryas, Sungas, Kanvas, Satavahanas, Kshtrapas, Nagas, Vatakas, Guptas, Parivajakas, Aulikar, Vaardhanas, Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas, Gurjara- Pratiharas, Paramaras and Chandelas were the ruling dynasties of the land of Madhya Pradesh. King Harshavardhana of the Vardhana dynasty was written about by Huien Tsang, the Chinese traveler who visited India in that age. Together these dynasties have shaped the early history of Madhya Pradesh.
The Chandela kings were renowned for building erotic temples in Khajuraho, in the 12th century A.D. Their dynasty was overthrown by Prithviraj Chauhan, the valiant Rajput king. After that, they enigmatically disappeared from the pages of history. The Guptas who reigned in the 4th century A.D. with Patliputra as their capital, extended their empire as far as Chattisgarh. Of course, their empire included the present land area of Madhya Pradesh.
In the medieval period, Bundelas, Chttrashal Bundelas, Ghauris and Faroquis were the ruling dynasties of Madhya Pradesh. The Kacchapaghatas and the Tomaras were the other dynasties of this age. The Mughals started a surge of expansion and took over some portions of Madhya Pradesh. However, their main focus was in the Malwa region.
Many Mughal rulers like Jehangir, Akbar and Shahajan spent a lot of time in Mandu, a place which is renowned for Baz Bahadur and Rani Roopmati's love story. The love story of the Mughal ruler Baz Bahadur and Rani Roopmati in this period is the most famous love story of Madhya Pradesh. Their romance still resonates from the ramparts of Mandu…and colours the history of Madhya Pradesh with hues of myth and folklore.
At around the same period, the Gonds were a ruling dynasty here though didn't enjoy much power owing to the aggressive Mughal rule. Rani Durgavati, a brave and valiant Gond queen is still celebrated for her courage and grit. She tried to defy the imperialistic ambitions of Akbar, and failed after a fierce battle, which resulted in her committing suicide.
After the aggressive Mughal rule came to an end, the Bhonsles and the Holkars emerged as the reigning powers in an area which we now term as Madhya Pradesh. The reign of the Bhonsles came to an end when their area of Madhya Pradesh was taken over by the British, under their policy of Doctrine of Lapse in 1889 A.D.A lot of action of the uprising of 1857 was staged around Gwalior as it was under the control of Rani Lakshimabai. The Holkars and the Scindias who came into being in around the 18th century, are existent even today, but their members do not enjoy any ruling powers. The recent scion of the Scindia family was the late Madhavrao Scindia while that of the Holkar family is Richard Holkar, a half American.
Madhya Pradesh as a state of the Indian Union was constituted in 1950, and in 1956 its geography was reconstituted. The states of Madhya Bharat, Vindhya Pradesh and Bhopal were merged into it, and Vidrabha region, which included the Nagpur city, was given to the Bombay state. In November 2000, its geography was further modified, when Chhattisgarh was constituted from it as an independent state.
Music, dance, architecture, paintings have flourished here since ages. Throughout history, Madhya Pradesh has been an abode for tourists, visitors, messiahs and traders to stop before continuing their journey to Deccan. In 1842, Jacob Malcolm wrote his Memoir of Central India, a book which aimed to capture the true spirit of Madhya Pradesh. Today, Madhya Pradesh has a Rajput influence in its northern region and a heterogeneous influence in its southern region.
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