Madhya Pradesh

Capital: Bhopal
Main language: Hindi
Area: 309,241 square km
Population: 60,385,118 (2004)

The large state of Madhya Pradesh is the geographical heartland of India. Most of the state is a high pleateau and in summer it can be very dry and hot. The size and geographical isolation of Madhya Pradesh, historically known as Malwa, kept it relatively immune from outside invaders but virtually all the phases of Indian history have left their mark on the state. There are still many pre-Aryan Gond and Bhil tribal people in the state but Madhya Pradesh is overwhelmingly Indo-Aryan with the majority of the people speaking Hindi and following Hinduism.

The state's history goes right back to the time of Ashoka, the great Buddhist emperor whose Mauryan empire was powerful in Malwa. At Sanchi you can see the Buddhist centre founded by Ashoka, the most important reminder of Ashoka in India today. The Mauryans were followed by the Sungas and the Sungas by the Guptas before the Huns swept across the state. Around a thousand years ago the Parmaras ruled in south-west Madhya Pradesh - they're chiefly remembered for Raja Bhoj who gave his name to the city of Bhopal and also ruled over Indore and Mandu. Between 950 and 1050 AD the Chandellas constructed the fantastic series of tem-Ples at Khajuraho, in the north-east of
the state. Today Khajuraho is one of India's major attractions. Between the 12th and 16th century the region saw continuing struggles between Hindu and Moslem rulers or invaders. Often the fortified city of Mandu in the southwest was the scene for these battles but finally the power of the Moghuls overcame Hindu resistance and controlled the region, only to fall to the rise of the Marathas who, in turn, were to fall to the advance of British power.

Two of Madhya Pradesh's attractions are remote and isolated — Khajuraho is off to the north-east, a long way from anywhere and most easily visited by travelling between Agra and Varanasi. Jabalpur, with its marble rocks, is in the south-east of the state and can be reached if you are travelling between the west of India and Calcutta or Or-issa on the east coast. Most of the state's other attractions are on or close to the main Delhi-Bombay rail line. From Agra, just outside the state to the north, you can head south through Gwalior, with its magnificent fort, Sanchi, Bhopal, Ujjain, Indore and Mandu. From there you can head east to Gujurat or south to the Ajanta and Ellora caves in Maharashtra.