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.