Education in Madhya Pradesh

Education in Madhya Pradesh

The state of Madhya Pradesh has a well managed education system in the country. Schools in the state are either affiliated to the state board of secondary education or to the CBSE or ICSE. The schools run by the state government use Hindi as their medium of instruction; however schools affiliated to CBSE or ICSE use English as their medium of study.

The government has adopted the free and compulsory education policy to provide primary education to all children up to the age of 14. The state follows a uniform structure of school education i.e. the 10+2 system that is also adopted by other states and union territories of India.

Madhya Pradesh has 13 state universities, 3 deemed universities, 8 medical colleges and a good many number of engineering and management institutions. The state’s literacy rate figures 64.11% according to 2001 census report. The government is taking all possible steps to revamp the education system of the state.

Various projects are also running by NGOs to overcome the problem of illiteracy in remote villages. The state is getting tremendous success in this regard in the recent period.

Food of Madhya Pradesh

Food of Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh Food is characteristic of typical north Indian cuisine. Roti is the staple food of the state. The vegetables are cooked with tomato and onion as the major ingredients. Generally spicy and rich, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian food are cooked.

Arts & Culture of Madhya Pradesh

Arts & Culture of Madhya Pradesh


Madhya Pradesh is home to majority of India's tribal population who, in most cases, live apart from mainstream India. The Gonds tribe is found in the jungles south of Jabalpur. On the west lives the Bhils, while the Oraons inhabit the eastern part of the state. The Bhils get their name from a Dravidian word for bow, which is the hallmark of the tribe.

Despite the encroaching influence of 20th century urban life, the tribals have largely managed to retain their own way of life, relatively untouched by modernization. However, besides the original tribes of the region, a number of other people belonged to different ethnicity has settled in the major centers of the state for varied reason.

The art and craft of the state is unique from region to region. A long heritage of tradition continues to add a highly distinctive, individualistic touch to the crafts of Madhya Pradesh.

The state is famous for its hand printing, generally with vegetable dyes. The major hand printing centers of the state includes, Jawad, Bhairongarh, Mandsaur, Umedpura, Burhanpur, Bhopal Indore, Gotampura, Sohawal, Tarapur and many more. Garments, bedspreads, tablecloths and curtain material are produced at Umedpura and Tarapur in Nandana prints that were once in vogue amongst the villagers of the legendary Nimar plain. From Bhairongarh come printed quilt covers in attractive colors and designs, lungies, odhanis, jajams (floor coverings), bedspreads and tablecloths. Tie and dye chunris are the specialty of Tarapur and Mandsaur. Textile weaving in Madhya Pradesh is as refined as the hand printing craft. Soft, subtle shades in delicate weaves come off the looms in Chanderi, near Gwalior.

The famous Chanderi sarees some of them with gold checks and rich gold border along with two gold bands on the pallav, give each saree a special touch. The craftsmanship of the famous Maheshwari sarees has a wide variety of checks. Madhya Pradesh is also famous at producing tussar silk handloom fabrics. Skilled craftsmanship of Madhya Pradesh also displayed in a variety of zari embroidered (gold and silver threads) articles.

There are zari wall hangings, handbags, sarees and splendid brocade borders. Carpet weaving center of Gwalior, in Madhya Pradesh is regarded as Mecca of crafts.

Madhya Pradesh is not only the geographical center stage of India it also occupies a similar position in India's traditional heritage of music. Genius like Tansen who perfected the dhrupad style of singing was born here. Moreover, the Gwalior Gharana of Madhya Pradesh is a famous name in the world of Indian classical music today.

Festivals of Madhya Pradesh

Festivals of Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh celebrates almost all the festivals of Hindu solar calendar. Besides the usual Hindu festivals, there are festivals that are unique from region to region. The Bhagoria or the spring festival of Jhabua, Shivaratri of Khajuraho, Bhojpur, Pachmarhi and Ujjain, Ramnavami of Chitrakoot and Orchha and the famous Khajuraho dance and music festival (tourism festival) are some of the festivals need to be mentioned here. The Pachmarhi festival is the storehouse of the rich tribal and folk cultural extravaganza. The attire again differs here from region to region and tribe to tribe. Though the most common among them is the usual Indian saree for women and kurta pyjama for men.

Gwalior Fort

Gwalior Fort

History

If there is one thing you can’t escape in Gwalior, it’s the fort. Perched high on a rocky massif, the imposing fort with its blue tiled palace is visible from each and every corner of the city of Gwalior.

Regarded as North and Central India’s most impregnable fortress, the Gwalior Fort was built by Raja Man Singh Tomar in the 15th century. In the five hundred years since then, the Gwalior Fort has changed hands many times- it has been held by the Tomars, Mughals, Marathas and British, who finally handed it over to the Scindias. With a turbulent and pretty eventful past, the Gwalior Fort spreads out over an area of 3 square km and is built at a vantage height of 100 m above the city. The fort is bounded by solid walls of sandstone, which encloses three temples, six palaces and a number of water tanks.

The southern path of the fort is bounded by rock faces with intricate carvings of the Jain tirthankars. As you enter the fort, you’ll see lots more to impress and interest you.

Among the Gwalior Fort’s most prominent palaces is the amazingly ornate Man Singh Palace, built by Man Singh towards the end of the 15th century. This is an impressive structure that clings to the very edge of the fort, its façade embellished with blue ceramic tiles. The palace of Raja Man Singh forms the backdrop for an excellent ‘son-et-lumiere’ (sound and light) show held here every evening. It is amongst the best in the country and vividly recreates an era and brings to life the history of the Fort and the love story of Raja Man Singh and his Queen Mrignayani. 

Within the fort also lies the Scindia School, a famous residential school for boys established by the erstwhile Maharaja of Gwalior over one hundred years ago. 

The Gujari Mahal is a 15th century palace built by Raja Man Singh for his beloved Gujar (tribal) Queen, Mrignayani. It is now an archaeological museum with an impressive collection of exhibits some dating back to the 1st century AD.

Of the temples in the Gwalior Fort, the most famous are the Teli-ka-Mandir- a 9th century shrine towering to a height of over 100 ft. It is built in a unique blend of South Indian architecture with North Indian decorative motifs and is notable for its profusely sculpted exterior.

On the eastern side of the fort are the twin Saas-Bahu Temples,commonly believed to be dedicated to mother-in-law and daughter-in-law but, in fact, dedicated to ‘Sahasrabahu’, ‘the thousand-armed’ Lord Vishnu. Both these temples made for a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law are richly embellished examples of 11th century temple architecture. The Chaturbhuj Mandir, a Vaishnavite shrine dating back to the 9th century also lies in the fort.

Other palaces within the Gwalior Fort which are worth seeing include the Karan Palace, the Jahangir Mahal, and the Shahjahan Mahal.

The Mughal emperor Babar referred to the Gwalior Fort as 'the pearl amongst fortresses in India' and although you may beg to differ, you will probably agree that this, the dominating feature of Gwalior’s skyline, is definitely a citadel worth seeing.

Best time to visit

The best time to visit the place is from autumn of October to the spring at the end of March. The monsoon months can also be enjoyed as the environment becomes green and the air is fresh and cool.

Trivia

The Man Singh Palace, despite its picture-pretty appearance, has a somewhat gory history. It is believed that Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb imprisoned and later murdered his brother Murad here. 

Equally grisly is the Jauhar Kundhere, which marks the spot where the women of the harem burnt themselves to death after the defeat of the king of Gwalior in 1232. 

Bagh Caves

Bagh Caves

Location : Approximately 50 km west of Mandu
Number of Caves : Five
Founded In:4th-5th century AD

Bagh Caves of Madhya Pradesh are counted amongst the finest specimens of Buddhist art and architecture in India. Located 50 km west of Mandu, this cluster of five caves falls on the road between Indore and Vadodara. The word 'cave' is incongruous, as these cave sanctuaries have not been naturally formed, but are actually rock-cut structures carved by the ancient artisans of the country. Bagh Buddhist Caves, like the caves at Ajanta, find shape on a perpendicular rock face of a hill.

These five Buddhist caves are situated on the bank of Baghini River and lie approximately seven km from the village of Bagh, in the Kukshi Tehsil of Dhar District. According to legends, before being discovered, they served as home to many tigers. Hence, they got the name 'Bagh', which means 'Tiger' in Hindi. Later, these caves also served as residential places, meditation centers and religious congregation sites for Buddhist monks.

 

Thus, one can notice preponderance of Buddhist mysticism in these cave sanctuaries. There are residential cells inside, along with a large central cell enshrining a Buddhist stupa at the back end, which served as the 'chaitya' or prayer hall. Bagh Caves also hold numerous sculptures of Buddha and Boddhisattvas within their precincts. A painting of the Bodhisattva 'Padmapani' housed here exemplifies the Padmapani figure found in Ajanta.

Apart from this legendary painting of Padmapani, there are some traces of ancient murals and frescos by master painters of India. They exhibit vivid imagination and inventive spurts of these ancient painters and have striking resemblance to the paintings of Ajanta. In fact, these paintings are just a feeble glimpse of the rich paintings and frescos that once embossed its roofs and ceilings. Nevertheless, they are what still entail the popularity of the Bagh Caves.

Until recently, Bagh Buddhist caves were roughly assigned to 7th century, on the basis of their architectural style and style of painting. However, a copperplate grants inscription traced back the date of some of these caves to the 4th or 5th century A.D. Today, only five of the nine caves have survived the carnage of time and they still stand tall as one of the most marvelous vestiges of Indian rock-cut architecture. The beautiful delineation of art that finds expression in these caves makes them stand out as one of the most popular tourist draws of Madhya Pradesh.

Samchi Stupa

Sanchi Stupa

Sanchi is famous for outstanding specimen of Buddhist art and architecture, belonging to the period between the third century BC and the twelfth century AD. The most important of all the Sanchi monuments is the Sanchi Stupa. Stupas are large hemispherical domes, containing a central chamber, in which the relics of the Buddha were placed. The Sanchi Stupa is one of the best preserved early stupas in central India. The Sanchi Stupa is surrounded by a railing with four carved gateways facing all the four directions. 

During the Shunga period the Sanchi Stupa was enlarged and faced with stones and decorated with railings, staircase and a harmika on the top. Around the main Stupa, there is a path for circumambulation. This path is enclosed by a railing with gates at each of the four directions. The railings and gates of the Sanchi Stupa are richly sculptured with different motifs and designs. Another interesting characteristic about the Sanchi Stupa is that Lord Buddha has been symbolically represented by footprints, wheels, thrones etc rather than by his own image. The gateways of Sanchi stupas contain ornamented depiction of incidents from the life of the Buddha and his previous incarnations as Bodhisattvas described in the Jataka tales. The Buddha has been shown symbolically in the form of tree or through other inanimate figures. 

The Stupa at Sanchi is one the most wonderful structures of ancient India. It has been included by the UNESCO as one of the heritage sites of the world. The Sanchi Stupa is a fine example of the development of the Buddhist architecture and sculpture beginning from the 3rd century B.C. to the 12th century A.D. The site of Sanchi was discovered in the year 1818 by General Taylor and an archaeological museum was established in 1919y Sir John Marshall.