rocks. A Shivpuri festival has been started at Shivpuri. Betwa festival has also been started at
Vidisha.
Tourist Centres
Perfectly preserved medieval cities, refreshing and enchanting wildlife sanctuaries and some
of the holiest and most revered pilgrim centres offer to the tourist the most fulfilling experience.
Tranquil beauty of Pachmarhi, glittering splendour of marble rocks and roaring sound of
Dhuandhar Fall at Bedaghat, Kanha National Park, with its unique Barasingha, and Bandhavgarh
National Park with its prehistoric caves and wildlife are some of the major attractions of the
state. Gwalior, Mandu, Datia, Chanderi, Jabalpur, Orchha, Raisen, Sanchi, Vidisha, Udaygiri,
Bhimbetika, Indore and Bhopal are the places well-known for their historical monuments.
Maheshwar, Omkareshwar, Ujjain, Chitrakoot and Amarkantak are major centres of pilgrimage.
Unique temples of Khajuraho are famous all over the world. The temples of Orchha, Bhojpur
and Udaypur attract large number of tourists as well as pilgrims. Archaeological treasures are
preserved in the museums at Satna, Sanchi, Vidisha, Gwalior, Indore, Mandsaur, Ujjain, Rajgarh,
Bhopal, Jabalpur, Rewa and many other places. Omkareshwar, Maheshwar and Amarkantak
have been declared holy cities for their integrated development in accordance with their religious
significance.
Relevant Website: www.mp.nic.in
Government
Governor : Anandiben Patel Chief Secretary : Basant Pratap Singh
Chief Minister : Kamal Nath Jurisdiction of : Madhya Pradesh
High Court
Maharashtra
Area : 3,07,713 sq km Population : 11.24 crore (census
2011)
Capital : Mumbai Principal Language : Marathi
History and Geography
The first well-known rulers of Maharashtra were the Satavahanas (230 BC to 225 AD), who
were practically the founders of Maharashtra, and have left a plethora of literary, epigraphic,
artistic, and archaeological evidence. Then came the Vakatakas, who established a pan-Indian
empire. Under them, this area witnessed an all-sided development in the fields of learning, arts
and religion. Some of the Ajanta Caves and Fresco Paintings reached their pinnacle during their
rule. After the Vakatakas and after a brief interlude of the Kalachuri dynasty, the most important
rulers were the Chalukyas followed by the Rashtrakutas and the Yadavas apart from the
Shilaharas on the coast. The Yadavas, with Marathi as their court language extended their
authority over large parts of the Deccan.