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Madhya
pradesh, if literally translated means "The Middle
Land". Geographically, Madhya Pradesh is one of the most
interesting parts of India. The northern part of the state,
with Gwalior as its largest city, lies in the Indo-Gangetic
plain. Much of the state, however, is upland plateaus and
hills, interspersed with the deep valleys of rivers, which
flow east into the Bay of Bengal and the west into the Arabian
Sea. The hills are forest-clad. In fact, almost a third of
India's forests are located in Madhya Pradesh. They are rich
forests, consisting of some of the finest deciduous hardwoods
in the world - teak, sal, hard-wickia, Indian ebony and
rosewood.
The
Mahadeo Hills of the Satpura Range are the home of the tiger,
panther, Indian bison and the myriad herbivores, which make
the jungle their home. Kipling's jungle book was sited in the
Mahadev hill where the forests, wildlife and tribal are today
almost exactly as they were in his time.
General
information
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Population
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60,
385, 118
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Area
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308,
144 sq km
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Capital
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Bhopal
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Languages
Spoken
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Hindi
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District
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45
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People
Per Sq. km
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196
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Literacy
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64.11%
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Best
Season
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October
- Mid April
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Fairs and Festivals
Dance
Festival of Khajuraho
Once the capital of
the great Chandela Kings, Khajuraho today is a quiet village
of a few thousand people .It is also the setting of the
Khajuraho Festival of Dance which draws the best classical
dancers in the country every year, who perform against the
spectacular backdrop of the floodlit temples. This seven-day
extravaganza is a unique treat for connoisseurs from all over
the world.
Tansen
Music Festival,Gwalior
The Gwalior gharana is among the most prominent arbiters
of the classical style. Raja Mansingh's patronage of Dhrupad
singers is well known.
A pillar of Hindustani classical music, the great Tansen, one
of the 'nine jewels' of Akbar's court, lies buried in Gwalior.
The memorial to this great musician has a pristine simplicity,
and is built in the early Mughal architectural style. More
than a monument, the Tansen Tomb is a part of Gwalior's living
cultural heritage. It is the venue of the annual Indian
classical festival held here in November-December.
Art and
Handicraft
Bamboo & Cane
In Madhya Pradesh a community called Basor or Basod, who sell
them in weekly markets, generally makes these. Shahdol,
Balaghat, Mandla and Seoni regions of Madhya Pradesh are main
bamboo producing centres apart from Chhattisgarh and Bastar.
Here the artisans have skillfully harmonized their age-old
knowledge and techniques with new designs, to meet modern
market demands. The Gond, Baiga and Korku tribal communities
are highly skilled in the craft of bamboo.
Carpets
The carpet weavers of Madhya Pradesh are undisputed
masters of not only weaving carpets but dyeing also. The
colouring was earlier done by means of natural dyes, but
presently it is being done with synthetic dyes as well.
Pattern is an integral part of knotted carpets and traditional
patterns have continued with varying combinations since the
last 200 years.
Jute
Jute is the cheapest and most important of all textile fibers.
It is used extensively in manufacturing different types of
packaging material for agricultural and industrial products.
Its coarse character has a unique charm while natural colour,
heavy texture and twilly kind of body typify its earthiness.
Jute handicrafts are available at Bhopal, Raipur, Indore and
Gwalior. The items include hanging lamps, baskets, flower
vases, swings, hammocks, purses, tablemats and footwear etc.
Metalcraft
The Metal Craft of Madhya Pradesh stands apart, in concept and
workmanship alike. Metal ornaments boxes of Bundelkhand, lamps
of Sarguja, rice measure bowls animal figurines of Raigarh,
and sculptures of Bastar are a few examples of the ingenuity
of craftsperson of Madhya Pradesh. These metal images invested
with peculiar indigenous socio- religious history are
considered auspicious.
Stone
Carving
The famous rock cut temples of Vidisha, the sculptured stone
temples of Khajuraho, the monuments of Orchha and Gwalior, all
stand testimony to the excellence and originality of the stone
carvers of Madhya Pradesh. Each region has a distinct style.
Gwalior specializes in jail (lattice) work, Jabalpur and
Tikamgarh in decorative items such as statues of animals and
human figures and Bastar in icons of tribal gods and goddesses
and memorial pillars.
Stuffed
Leather Toys
Leatherwork has been practiced since a number of years in
Madhya Pradesh. Craftspersons in Gwalior, Indore, Dewas and
Bilaspur specialize in making leather shoes, jutties, leather
bags, mushk etc. With time the craft has evolved and given
rise to new products. Today, Indore and Dewas are making
leather garments & Gwalior is making shoes on a big scale.
Terracotta
The colors of terracotta articles and figures vary from pink,
red, brown to light and dark grey. The terra-cotta products of
each region in Madhya Pradesh have their own identity and
distinctiveness. The art of molding terra-cotta in Madhya
Pradesh shows a mature ability, the pantheon being even more
varied and localized. The famous traditional statues of
elephants, serpents, birds and horses from Bastar are
incomparable in simplicity. Similarly the decorative roof
tiles and rukha padki of Raigarh have no equal. The life-size
images of human forms are among the finest examples of
Bundelkhand terra-cotta
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