Pariksha SaathiLesson 10 of 10 · Madhya Pradesh General Knowledge
Monuments, Pilgrim Centres and Famous Personalities of Madhya Pradesh
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World Heritage sites
UNESCO has inscribed the Khajuraho Group of Monuments (1986), the Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi (1989) and the Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka (2003) on its World Heritage List. The Khajuraho temples in Chhatarpur district fall into a western group with the Kandariya Mahadeva, Lakshmana, Vishvanatha and Chitragupta temples, an eastern group of Jain temples such as Parshvanath and Adinath, and a southern group; the Chaunsath Yogini is the oldest, and the site was brought to wider notice by the British officer T. S. Burt in 1838. Sanchi in Raisen district has the Great Stupa with its four toranas, Stupa 3, which held relics of the Buddha's disciples Sariputta and Mahamoggallana, Temple 17 of the Gupta age and an Ashokan pillar. Bhimbetka, also in Raisen district, preserves prehistoric rock art.
Gwalior fort
On the Gopachal hill, the fort holds monuments of many dynasties. The towering Teli ka Mandir is assigned to the Pratihara age, the Sas-Bahu temples date from 1093, and a small Chaturbhuj temple carries an inscription of 876 CE that has one of the oldest dated uses of the numeral zero. Man Singh Tomar's Man Mandir palace is decorated with coloured tiles, and his Gujari Mahal is now an archaeological museum. Gurdwara Data Bandi Chhor marks the release of Guru Hargobind from imprisonment in the fort. In the city below are the tombs of Muhammad Ghaus and Tansen, the Scindias' Jai Vilas Palace and the samadhi of Rani Lakshmibai.
Mandu, Orchha and Maheshwar
Mandu in Dhar district, the Malwa Sultans' city of joy, has the Jahaz Mahal between two lakes, the sloping-walled Hindola Mahal, Hoshang Shah's marble tomb, the Jami Masjid, Baz Bahadur's palace and Roopmati's Pavilion looking over the Narmada valley. Orchha on the Betwa has the Raja Mahal, the Jahangir Mahal, the riverside chhatris of the Bundela kings and the Ram Raja temple, where Rama is worshipped as a king and given a guard of honour. Maheshwar, Ahilyabai Holkar's capital, has its fort and ghats on the Narmada and is identified with ancient Mahishmati.
Jyotirlingas and pilgrim centres
Madhya Pradesh has two of the twelve jyotirlingas. Mahakaleshwar at Ujjain on the Shipra is a south-facing (Dakshinamukhi) lingam famous for its dawn Bhasma Aarti, and Omkareshwar stands on the island of Mandhata in the Narmada in Khandwa district, an island said to be shaped like Om. Other centres include Amarkantak, the source of the Narmada; Chitrakoot in Satna district on the Mandakini, linked with Rama's exile and shared with Uttar Pradesh; the Sharda Devi temple at Maihar; the Pitambara Peeth at Datia; the Jain hill of Sonagiri near Datia; and Sanchi for Buddhists.
Other sights
Visitors also go to the Bhojeshwar temple at Bhojpur, the Udayagiri caves, the marble rocks of Bhedaghat, Pachmarhi with its Pandav caves and Bee Falls, the Jantar Mantar observatory built at Ujjain by Sawai Jai Singh II, Indore's Rajwada and Lal Bagh Palace, Bhopal's Taj-ul-Masajid, one of the largest mosques in Asia, and the Asirgarh fort near Burhanpur.
Personalities
Several makers of modern India were born in Madhya Pradesh. Dr B. R. Ambedkar was born at Mhow on 14 April 1891, Chandrashekhar Azad at Bhabra in 1906 and Atal Bihari Vajpayee at Gwalior on 25 December 1924; Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma, the ninth President of India, was born at Bhopal in 1918. Dr Hari Singh Gour, an eminent lawyer and the first Vice-Chancellor of Delhi University, founded the University of Sagar in 1946 with his own savings. Osho (Rajneesh) was born at Kuchwada in Raisen district and taught philosophy at Jabalpur.
Writers and artists
Lata Mangeshkar was born at Indore and Kishore Kumar at Khandwa, both in 1929, and the state gives national awards in their names. Makhanlal Chaturvedi, born at Babai in Narmadapuram district, won the first Sahitya Akademi Award for Hindi in 1955 for Him Tarangini. Gajanan Madhav Muktibodh, author of Andhere Mein, was born at Sheopur, and Bhavani Prasad Mishra, who wrote Geet Farosh, in Narmadapuram district. The satirist Harishankar Parsai was born at Jamani near Itarsi, also in Narmadapuram district, and won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1982 for Viklang Shraddha Ka Daur. Note the traps: Subhadra Kumari Chauhan, who lived and worked in Jabalpur, was born near Allahabad, and Ustad Allauddin Khan of Maihar was born in Bengal.
Key facts
- UNESCO World Heritage inscriptions: Khajuraho Group of Monuments (1986), Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi (1989), Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka (2003).
- Khajuraho (Chhatarpur): western, eastern (Jain) and southern groups; Kandariya Mahadeva is the largest; brought to wider notice by T. S. Burt in 1838.
- Sanchi (Raisen): Great Stupa with four toranas, Stupa 3 with relics of Sariputta and Mahamoggallana, Temple 17 of the Gupta age.
- Gwalior fort: Teli ka Mandir, Sas-Bahu temples (1093), Chaturbhuj temple zero inscription (876 CE), Man Mandir, Gujari Mahal, Gurdwara Data Bandi Chhor.
- Mandu (Dhar): Jahaz Mahal, Hindola Mahal, Hoshang Shah's marble tomb, Roopmati's Pavilion.
- Orchha (on the Betwa): Raja Mahal, Jahangir Mahal, Bundela chhatris and the Ram Raja temple, where Rama is worshipped as king.
- Jyotirlingas: Mahakaleshwar (Ujjain, on the Shipra, south-facing, Bhasma Aarti) and Omkareshwar (Mandhata island in the Narmada, Khandwa).
- Birthplaces: Ambedkar at Mhow (1891), Azad at Bhabra (1906), Vajpayee at Gwalior (1924), Shankar Dayal Sharma at Bhopal (1918).
- Arts and letters: Lata Mangeshkar (Indore), Kishore Kumar (Khandwa), Makhanlal Chaturvedi (Babai; first Hindi Sahitya Akademi Award, 1955), Muktibodh (Sheopur), Harishankar Parsai (Jamani; Sahitya Akademi Award 1982 for Viklang Shraddha Ka Daur).
- Traps: Subhadra Kumari Chauhan was born near Allahabad but worked in Jabalpur; Allauddin Khan of Maihar was born in Bengal; Rani Lakshmibai's Jhansi is in Uttar Pradesh.
Quick revision
UNESCO: Khajuraho 1986, Sanchi 1989, Bhimbetka 2003; Khajuraho western, eastern (Jain), southern groups, T. S. Burt 1838; Sanchi Stupa 3 relics of Sariputta; Gwalior fort: Teli ka Mandir, Sas-Bahu 1093, zero inscription 876 CE, Man Mandir; Mandu: Jahaz Mahal, Hoshang Shah's tomb; Orchha Ram Raja temple; jyotirlingas Mahakaleshwar and Omkareshwar; Ambedkar Mhow, Azad Bhabra, Vajpayee Gwalior, Shankar Dayal Sharma Bhopal; Lata Indore, Kishore Khandwa; Makhanlal Chaturvedi first Hindi Sahitya Akademi Award 1955.