This article is about the municipality in Madhya Pradesh, India. For its namesake district, see
Jabalpur District.
Jabalpur (Hindi: जबलपुर) often called as Sanskaardhaani is one of the major cities of India situated in the Mahakaushal region of state of Madhya Pradesh in India. It is the biggest city in the state of Madhya Pradesh by area. It is the largest urban agglomeration in Madhya Pradesh and the 38th largest urban agglomeration in India as per the 2011 census statistics.[1]
It is bordered by Katni to the north, Umaria to the north-east, Dindori to the east, Mandla to the south-east, Seoni to the south, Narsimhapur to the south-west and Damoh to the north-west. Jabalpur is the administrative headquarters of Jabalpur district (the second most populous district of Madhya Pradesh) and Jabalpur division.
Geographically an important place,[2] the ruling Gond dynasty of Jabalpur lent its name to the primordial continental mass Gondwana.[2] Historically, a center of Kalchuri and Gond dynasties, Jabalpur developed a syncretic culture influenced by the intermittent reigns of the Maratha and Mughal empires. In the early nineteenth century, it was gradually annexed in British India as Jubbulpore and incorporated as a major cantonment town. Post-independence, there have been demands for a separate state of Mahakoshal with Jabalpur as its capital.
Jabalpur was also the epicenter of a major earthquake in 1997. The geographic centre of India is located 30 km east of Jabalpur in Katangi village.[citation needed] Jabalpur is known for its picturesque marble rock formations (Bhedaghat) across the banks of the river Narmada. Being the army headquarters of five states (Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Orissa, Bihar and Jharkhand), one sixth of the city is occupied by the Indian Army.
Jabalpur is the birthplace of snooker, a historic heart of Hindi literature movement and a prominent regional education hub. It is also a major cultural-spiritual center being the birthplace of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Osho Rajneesh, the painter who illustrated Constitution of India and the site of important Jain shrines. These factors lie behind the oft-quoted city's moniker Sanskaardhaani (Hindi: संस्कारधानी) or the Cultural-Capital. Several important federal and state institutions are located in Jabalpur including premier technology institute Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design and Manufacturing, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh High Court, Madhya Pradesh Electricity Board, Tropical Forest Research Institute several ordinance factories and West Central Railway zonal headquarters.
There is no consensus on the origin of the name Jabalpur. Some scholars believe it could have stemmed from the Arabic root "Jah-BAYL" meaning "mountain, hill or slope" (as elevations) of "Purwa" region, hence Jah-bayl-purwa or Jabalpur, since the black granite hills are prominent geological formations found in the Garha-Purwa region of Jabalpur. An unrelated termJauli-pattala has been found in a few post-Gupta and Kalchuri inscriptions found in Jabalpur. It has been hypothesized that Jabalpur may be a cognate of the Afghan city of Zabulistan since a princess of this Afghan city was married to one of the Kalchuri rulers of Tripuri, who later founded Jauli-pattala to settle the people from Zabulistan. Popularly, but less likely, Jabalpur is postulated to be mythological Jabalipattan (Hindi: जाबालिपत्तन) or Jabalipuram (Hindi: जाबालिपुरम) of the legendary atheist sage Jaabaali mentioned in the epic Ramayana, as his tapasya-bhoomi (= place of penance) though no such evidence exists. In 2006, the Jabalpur Municipal Corporation controversially passed a resolution to rename the city to Jabalipuram.[3]
Ashokan relics have been found in Rupnath, a place 84 km north of Jabalpur, suggesting the existence of human civilization here dating back to c. 300 BCE. Much later in history, Karanbel (now called Tripuri/Tewar) on the outskirts of current Jabalpur was the capital of the famous Kalchuri kingdom in the 9th–10th centuries CE.
In c. 675 CE, the region was taken over from Raja Mandalik of the Parmar-dynasty by Raja Bamraj Dev (ruled c. 675-800 CE) of the Kalachuri-dynasty who made Karanbel (Tripuri/Tewar) near Jabalpur their capital. They were so powerful that their kingdom was spread over present day MP, UP, Nepal, far-eastern states, Bangladesh, Bengal, Orissa, Bihar, Jharkhand and Chattisgarh. The most illustrious of Kalchuri kings was Yuvrajdev-I (ruled c. 915-945 CE) who married Nohladevi - a princess of the Chalukya-dynasty. Their Amatya (Diwan in Urdu) was Golok Simha Kayasth (mis-spelt Gollak in some scriptures) who was instrumental in the establishment of the Chausath-Yogini shrine near BhedaGhat. While the descendents of the Kalchuri kings are lost in history, those of Amatya Golok Simha Kayasth continued to look after the politics of the region as Diwan Bhoj Simha under Raja Sangramsahi (ruled c. 1491-1543 CE), Diwan Adhar Simha under Rani Durgavati (ruled c. 1550-1564 CE) and Beohar Raghuvir Simha who remained the Jagirdar of Jabalpur till 1947 and whose family still lives in Jabalpur.
In the 13th century CE, the Gonds seized it and made it their capital. Inscriptions record the existence during the 11th and 12th centuries of a local line of princes of the Haihai people who are closely connected with the history of Gondwana.
Gond Raja Madansahi (ruled c. 1138-1157 CE) of Mandla constructed a bastion in the 12th century CE on top of a hill which, after him, was named Madan-Mahal. In the 16th century CE, Maharaja Sangramsahi, who ruled for almost 52 years, extended his power to over 52 districts, including the twin-townships of Garha-Katanga. He started administering the region from here, thus the name Garha-Mandla. He was the longest reigning monarch and his period is believed to be the golden era in the history of Garha-Mandla region. A large number of projects of public interest were undertaken during his reign. His daughter-in-law was the famous Rani Durgavati who ruled from Singaurgarh fort in Sangrampur. During the reign of his minor grandson VeerNarayan (ruled by Queen-Mother Rani Durgavati c. 1550-1564 CE), Khwaja Abdul Majeed Harawi bearing the title 'Asaf-Khan or Commander' as viceroy of Kara Manikpur, conquered the Garha-Mandla principality. In this battle of Narrai in 1564 CE, the Gond Queen-Mother Rani Durgavati made supreme sacrifice, along with her prime minister Adhar Simha Kayastha and others. Initially, 'Asaf-Khan' or Commander of Mughal Emperor Akbar's forces, held Garha-Mandla as an independent chief but eventually submitted to the Mughal emperor Akbar. After Raja Sangramsahi, the next most illustrious king was Raja Hridaysahi (ruled c. 1652-1704 CE) who, coincidentally, also ruled for almost 52 years. He ruled the Garha-Mandla region from Chauragarh fort but later moved the capital to Ramnagar in c. 1652 CE and then back to Mandla fort in c. 1698 CE for strategic reasons. Most of the waterbodies (lakes, reservoirs, stepwells, dams, wells) are from his time. The last Gond ruler who ruled efficiently was Nizamsahi (ruled c. 1753-1780 CE) after whom the Gond kingdom collapsed and the Maratha took over.
The Mughal Empire, however, enjoyed little more than a nominal supremacy; and the Gond-administrators of Garha-Mandla maintained a practical independence from Raja Hridaysahi onwards. The scenario remained so until their subjugation by the Maratha governors of Sagar in c. 1781 CE. They called it Jabbalgarh. In c. 1798 CE, the Maratha Peshwa granted the Nerbuddah valley to the Bhonsle kings of Nagpur, who continued to hold the district until the British occupied it in c. 1818 CE after defeating the Marathas. The British made Jabbalgarh the commission headquarters of the Saugor and Nerbudda Territories and established a cantonment here.
There were periods of power-shifts from one ruler to other. During such transitional turmoils, Jubbulpore's Beohar family played significant role in safeguarding region's interests since Kalchuri period, that is c. 945 CE onwards. Beohars (Hindi: व्यौहार) were Jagirdars (like Dukes or Earls) who looked after inter-state relations. In peace, they were ambassadors and defendants of their state's traditions/customs Vyauhar (Hindi: व्यौहार) and during war became gallantry knight-commanders or Sardar, thus, the title-prefix Sardar-Beohar with salutation Rajman-Rajeshri (Hindi: राज्यमान-राजेश्री). Their earliest recorded progenitor finds mention as Amatya Golok Simha during Kalchuri-dynasty. One of their ancestor Adhar Simha Kayasth, as Rani Durgavati's ambassador, went to Akbar's court and, as knight-commander, led the army and laid his life for the nation. Much later, estates were granted to R.R. Sardar-Beohar Kehari Simha (c. 1735-1845) by Gond rulers for bravery in battlefields. He detained Clive’s messenger Jainualbdeen in the region but let him go after intervention from Raja Nizamsahi and Raja Janoji Bhonsle. A chapter in Sir Sleeman's book 'Rambles and Recollections..' is devoted to Beohar Kehri Simha. R.R. Beohar Dariyav Simha (c. 1760-1850), as minister of Raja Raghoji II Bhonsle, headed the army to win battles of 1792-93 and 1799-1801 defeating pindari Mir Khan. He hosted the orientalist Vedic-scholar Sir Colebrooke at Beohar-Palace on embankment of Phootatal-reservoir in 1801 CE and took him to his Burhagarh, Gosalpur and Jujhari. His pioneering initiatives against Thuggee were taken further by Sleeman. R.R. Beohar Gandharv Simha (c. 1780-1852) rescued Garha-Mandla's Rani Laxmankuwari and Prince Nerbuddabux from Visaji Chandokar and crowned him in 1842 ousting cousin Shankarsahi. The Beohar (Hindi: व्यौहार) title-prefix and their Riyasat were respected by Nagpur's Bhonsle, Saugor's Peshwa, and British who later became hostile due to the family's nationalism. R.R. Beohar Aman Simha (c. 1830-1890) joined Raja Shankarsahi in 1857 movement. Beohar Raghuvir Simha (1877–1960) was last Jagirdar in whose memory, Civil Lines (North) is known as Beohar Bagh and RailwayStadium-to-Adhartal road as Beohar Raghuvir Sinha Road.
- The British Raj and 1857.
Under the British Raj, Jabbalgarh became Jubbulpore and was made the capital of the Saugor and Nerbudda Territories, which was part of the British North-Western Provinces. At that time it became infamous for the Thuggee murders but made more famous by the man who suppressed thugs, Sleeman (then Major), who was later appointed Chief Commissioner at Jubbulpore and eventually British Resident at Lucknow. For the noble cause of rehabilitation of thugs' families who were called gurinds, the Beohar-family allowed their piece of land known as Gurandi in the heart of the town.
In Jubbulpore cantonment, Gadadhar Tiwari, on 16-06-1857, opened fire on his European superiors and sparked the Independence movement. His supreme sacrifice did not go waste as the movement caught momemtum in the region, albeit, was short lived. It broiled for more than four months during which the British were petrified, became extremely vulnerable and dreaded the worst. They ran out not only of support but also of supplies and were besieged along with European women and children in their own citadel - the Agency Mansion (now Divisional Commissioner's residence). They survived only because a pro-British local banker-merchant came to their rescue which bought them time for reinforcements to arrive. The 1857 movement was locally spearheaded by Gond Raja Shankarsahi and Prince Raghunathsahi who were later arrested and detained in a jail which still exists next to the DRM office. The same pro-British local banker-merchant's spys Girdharilal and Sumer Singh fabricated and planted written evidence at the citadel of Raja Shankarsahi to prove conspiracy against the British. While the banker-merchant received rich favours, recognitions and rewards from the British, the freedom movement culminated with the martyrdom of Raja Shankarsahi and Prince Raghunathsahi from the mouth of a cannon on 18-09-1857 at the very spot where Lady Elgin Hospital now stands. Subsequently, their supporters and masterminds Thakur Singh Parmar, Beohar Aman Simha, Ganga Mishra, Sooraj Prasad and others went underground and never surfaced. Their estates and assets were confiscated.
The Saugor and Nerbudda Territories became part of the new Central Provinces in 1861 which in 1903 became the Central Provinces and Berar. By the early 20th century CE, Jubbulpore became the headquarters of a brigade in the 5th division of the Southern Army.
Mahatma Gandhi's longest and most important stay in Jubbulpore was in 1933 at the Beohar-Palace of Beohar Rajendra Simha. Mahatma was accompanied by Jawaharlal Nehru, Vallabhbhai Patel, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, Ravishankar Shukla, Dr Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari, Khurshed Nariman, Abul Kalam Azad, Jamnalal Bajaj, Dr Syed Mahmud, Mahadev Desai, and many others, and a meeting of AICC/CWC was held at the Beohar-Palace. Bapu's grandson Kanu (son of Ramdas Gandhi) also stayed with him at the Beohar-Palace at Sathia Kua near Hanumantal. Mahatma Gandhi's memorabilia of that occasion are still well preserved by descendents of Beohar-dynasty at The Beohar House in Beohar Bagh. Many freedom fighters voluntarily gave up comforts of life and family and plunged into Gandhiji's three-S (swadeshi, swaraj and satyagrah) movements and the freedom struggle at large. In the wake of India's independence and nation building, they happily and gracefully embraced the harshes of long jail-sentences. Such bravehearts from Jubbulpore included Beohar Rajendra Simha, Ravishankar Shukla, Sunderlal Tapasvi, Thakur Laxman Singh Chauhan, Seth Govind Das, Harihar Vyas, Maheshdatt Mishra, Deviprasad Shukla, Subhadra Kumari Chauhan, Hukumchand Narad, Makhanlal Chaturvedi, Balmukund Tripathi, Dwarka Prasad Mishra, Kunjilal Dubey, Narsinghdas Agrawal, Rameshwarprasad Guru, Bhawaniprasad Tiwari, Kashiprasad Pandey, Nathuram Vyas, Chidambaram Pillai, Sawaimal Jain, Satyendra Mishra, Sitaram Jadhav, Mulayamchand Jain and many-many more.. The Tripuri Congress session in 1939 was presided over by Subhash Chandra Bose. Jhanda Satyagraha was launched under Lokmanya Tilak's direction. A Congress session was held at Vishnudatt Shukla Nagar at TilwaraGhat (near Jubbulpore) in 1939 when Subhash Chandra Bose was elected the Congress President against the wishes of Mahatma Gandhi.
After India's independence in 1947, Jubbulpore became Jabalpur. Because of Bapu's strong linkages with Jabalpur and his very special love for it, his mortal remains were brought to the city after is martyrdom. After going through the entire city on Beohar Rajendra Simha's shoulders, the urn containing Mahatma Gandhi's ashes were immersed in holy river Narmada by Pt. R.S. Shukla, Beohar Rajendra Simha, Seth Govind Das and others on 12-02-1948 in TilwaraGhat where a massive unprecedented condolence meeting was held. In 1950-51, the Central Provinces and Berar became the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and Pandit Ravi Shankar Shukla became the first Chief Minister of a Congress led Government.
The city of Jabalpur was first chosen to become the capital of newly formed Madhya Pradesh but later the decision was somehow amended and Bhopal was suddenly chosen the capital of the state under the pretext of defence settlements within Jabalpur despite the fact that many capitals viz. Lucknow, Dehradun, Delhi, Secunderabad, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Shimla, Patna, etc., have cantonments and other strategic defence establishments.
As of 2001[update] India census,[4] Jabalpur had a population of 1276853. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Jabalpur has an average literacy rate of 75%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 79%, and female literacy is 70%. In Jabalpur, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Jabalpur is also referred to as SanskarDhani or the cultural capital of Madhya Pradesh, while Bhopal is RajDhani or political capital and Indore is VanijyaDhani or economic capital. The reason for being called SanskarDhani is because many culture-connoisseurs have had long terms significant associations with the city, including Pritish Nandy, Roopkumar Soni, Makhanlal Chaturvedi, Harishankar Parsai, Beohar Rajendra Simha, Subhadrakumari Chauhan, Alakhnandan Sinha, Gyanranjan Shrivastava, Rehman, Prem Nath,Arjun rampal, Jaya Bhaduri-Bachchan, Aadesh Shrivastava, Raghuvir Yadav, and more recently Abhas Joshi, etc., but, most important in this context, the internationally recognized artist-painter from Jabalpur Beohar Rammanohar Sinha who designed and decorated the original Constitution of India.
The presence of the river Narmada, rule of Gond and Kalchuri-Maratha dynasties made Jabalpur a Hindu dominated area. Mughal rule brought in a sizable Muslim population. The city had Hindu-Muslim riots in the 1960s. There has been a sharp decline in these riots owing to gradual, yet slow path to progress.
The present culture is dominantly related to agricultural population of the city and surrounding areas. The food and clothing change with the harvest of crops in every season, usually observed by Hindus.
Jabalpur has a very cosmopolitan feel about it where you can find people of almost all major religions and castes in India. The city has Marwari, Bengali, Malyali, Tamil, Telugu, Kannadiga, Marathi, and Punjabi people in sizable ratios and there are people from other regions of India as well.
The city has been a stage for many cultural inventions and many traditional rituals. The city has been peaceful since a long time after the 1960s and now is marching forward towards development in the spheres of infrastructure and industries.
It is indeed a city of culture,where each festival is celebrated with great pomp, the major being NAVRATRI AND DUSSHERA are celebrated with full energy. Not only residents but also visitors from all over MP come to see the Durga Pandals of the city.
Some of the nonprofit organizations (NGOs) active in promotion of art and culture are:
- Pahal (Prof Gyanranjan & others)
- Vivechana (Himanshu Rai & others)
- Dialogue-With-Nature-International (Beohar Dr Anupam-Sangita Sinha & others)
- Pragatisheel Lekhak Sangha (Pankaj Swamy 'Gulush' & others)
- Patheya (Rajkumar Tiwari 'Sumitra' & others)
- Viprakul Parishad (Rajesh Pathak 'Pravin' & others)
- MP Artits' Forum (Kamta Sagar & others)
- MiPhoSo (Mukul Yadav & others)
- Triveni Parishad (Dr Gayatri Tiwari & others)
- Gunjan Kala Sadan (Omkar Shrivastava & others)
- MitraSangha (Ajeet Verma & others)
- Jabalpur Manch (Sakeel Hindusdtani & others)
- OFK Natya Kala Sansthan (V.M.Ignatius & others)
- Milan
Jabalpur is located at 23°10′N 79°57′E / 23.17°N 79.95°E / 23.17; 79.95.The central point of India is located in Jabalpur district. It has an average elevation of 411 metres (1348 ft).
The topography of Jabalpur provides a picturesque setting for movies .The hills of Jabalpur, with varied mineral content are a popular destination for Geologists and Archaeologists. The city is surrounded by low, rocky, and barren hillocks. The main water reservoirs of Khandari and Pariyat are located to the north-east direction of the city. Water is also drawn from Narmada River by Public Health Dept. The main crops are wheat, rice, pulses, oilseeds, and maize.Bargi Dam on the river Narmada is used for irrigation, water supply and power generation. The town is surrounded by several lakes and water tanks. The area is rich in limestone, refractory clay, bauxite, iron ore, manganese and other deposits.There are few industries connected with above minerals in the area.
| Jabalpur |
| Climate chart (explanation) |
| J |
F |
M |
A |
M |
J |
J |
A |
S |
O |
N |
D |
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| Average max. and min. temperatures in °C |
| Precipitation totals in mm |
| Source: IMD |
|
| Imperial conversion |
| J |
F |
M |
A |
M |
J |
J |
A |
S |
O |
N |
D |
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| Average max. and min. temperatures in °F |
| Precipitation totals in inches |
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Jabalpur has a humid subtropical climate, typical of North-Central India. Summer starts in late March and last up to June. May is the hottest month with average temperatures reaching up to and beyond 45 C. They are followed by monsoon season, which lasts until early October, with a total precipitation of nearly 55 in (1386 mm). Winter starts in late November and last until early March. They peak in January with average temperature near 7 Jabalpur gets moderate rainfall of 35 to 38 inches (890 to 970 mm) during July–September due to the southwest monsoon.
| Climate data for Jabalpur |
| Month |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
Year |
| Average high °C (°F) |
26.5
(79.7) |
28.8
(83.8) |
34.3
(93.7) |
38.7
(101.7) |
40.4
(104.7) |
36.2
(97.2) |
30.3
(86.5) |
28.2
(82.8) |
30.9
(87.6) |
32.4
(90.3) |
29.7
(85.5) |
26.9
(80.4) |
31.94
(89.50) |
| Average low °C (°F) |
9.8
(49.6) |
11.4
(52.5) |
16.2
(61.2) |
21.2
(70.2) |
24.4
(75.9) |
24.1
(75.4) |
22.6
(72.7) |
21.9
(71.4) |
21.1
(70.0) |
18.1
(64.6) |
13.9
(57.0) |
10.6
(51.1) |
17.94
(64.30) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) |
4
(0.16) |
3
(0.12) |
1
(0.04) |
3
(0.12) |
11
(0.43) |
136
(5.35) |
279
(10.98) |
360
(14.17) |
185
(7.28) |
52
(2.05) |
21
(0.83) |
7
(0.28) |
1,062
(41.81) |
| Avg. precipitation days |
0.8 |
0.8 |
0.3 |
0.3 |
1.8 |
8.6 |
15.9 |
18.3 |
8.6 |
3.1 |
1.4 |
0.6 |
60.5 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours |
288.3 |
274.4 |
288.3 |
306.0 |
325.5 |
210.0 |
105.4 |
80.6 |
180.0 |
269.7 |
273.0 |
282.1 |
2,883.3 |
| Source: HKO |
The Narmada river bringing in fresh water from the Vindhyachal Ranges has developed Jabalpur district into an agrarian economy. The land of the Narmada basin with its fertile alluvial soil gives good yields of sorghum, wheat, rice and millet in the villages around Jabalpur.
Important among commercial crops are pulses, oilseeds, cotton, sugar cane and medicinal crops. The state is poised for a breakthrough in soybean cultivation. In Kharif crops occupy 60% and Rabi crops 40% area with 71.4% area under food grain production. Nearly 59% of landholders are marginal whereas small farmers share 18% of farmland. Low literacy rates (35.45%), undulating topography, high percentages of waste land (13.2%), underdeveloped irrigation potential (23%), low ground water utilization, large proportion of rain fed agriculture (75%), practice of Kharif fallows (3.6%), low cropping intensity (131%), low fertilizer consumption (50 kg/ha), high proportion of low value crops, and high numbers of unproductive livestock constrain production in the state.
Jabalpur has a variety of industries largely based in mineral substances of economic value found in the district, although the ready-made garments industry is a substantial portion of production in Jabalpur.
Jabalpur is an important Divisional Headquarters having 8 districts: Jabalpur, Seoni, Mandla, Chhindwara, Narsimhapur, Katni, Dindori, Balaghat. The Jabalpur District has been reconstituted on May 25, 1998. It now has four tehsils Jabalpur, Sihora, Patan and Kundam. Jabalpur also has the headquarters of the Madhya Pradesh State Electricity Board, Homeguards and many other State and Central Government Offices. There are 7 Blocks in the district with 1449 inhabited villages, 60 uninhabited, 1209 revenue villages and 4 forest villages. The presence of several industries in Jabalpur bolstered the industrial scenario of the city.
The important industries in Jabalpur are:
- Readymade Garments units
- IT industry
- Education and Consultancy
- Electrical goods industry
- Industries relating to lime stone products
- Building materials
- Glassware
- Telephone parts
- Furniture making industry
- Shaw Wallace Gelatin Factory
- Steel Structures works
- Cement Industries
- Commercial Engineers & Body Builders Co Limited [CEBBCO ]
- Tobacco business
- Retail business
- Food processing industry
- Aress International (All kinds of Industrial Safety Goods Industry)
- Mechanical Engineering Industries
Jabalpur is covered by a large network of optical fibre cables. There are four fixed telephone line operators in the city: BSNL, Reliance, Tata and Airtel. There are eight mobile phone companies in which GSM players include BSNL, Reliance, Vodafone, Idea, Airtel, Tata DoCoMo, Aircel, Videocon; CDMA services are offered by BSNL, Virgin Mobile, Tata Indicom and Reliance. 3G Mobile Services are provided by Idea, BSNL, Reliance,Tata Docomo and Vodafone.BSNL has two factories and India's biggest telecom training institute- BRBRAITT in Jabalpur.HQ of BSNL T&D Circle is also in Jabalpur.Internet broadband and IPTV services are provided by BSNL & Airtel
The Jabalpur Airport (JLR),also known as Dumna Airport,is about 20 km from the city centre,airport is of category 6 and has night landing facility along with modern air terminal & air-taxi parking.Kingfisher Airlines operate daily flight services New delhi from the Jabalpur Airport.Indian Airlines also operates 4 times a week flight service from Jabalpur to Newdelhi.In addition there is an airtaxi connecting Jabalpur with Bhopal, Indore, Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Nagpur and satna.
| Airlines |
Destination |
| Air India |
Delhi |
| Kingfisher |
Delhi |
| Ventura Airconnect |
Bhopal,Kanha,Bandhavgarh |
| Ventura Airconnect |
Nagpur |
| Ventura Airconnect |
Indore |
| Kingfisher |
Mumbai (soon) |
Jabalpur is connected by road to Varanasi, Nagpur, Bhopal, Jaipur, Raipur, Allahabad, Hyderabad, Bangalore. Longest National Highway no.7 and National Highway no.12 run through the city. Consistent efforts are made by the Government of Madhya Pradesh and NHAI to keep roads in good condition. Many roads are being converted into four lane highways.
Comfortable bus services is available for cities in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh.It has direct bus service to Indore, Nagpur, Bhopal, Raipur, Bilaspur, Gondiya, Wardha, Durg, Akola, Bhilai, Amravati, Chandrapur, Varanasi, Allahabad. For these cities Luxury/Sleeper/Air conditioned bus are available at good frequencies.Both MPSRTC and Private buses provide most bus service.All types of buses like Seating, sleeper and Volvo bus service are available for major cities.
Jabalpur is the headquarters of West Central Railways and has direct rail connection to important cities like Mumbai, NewDelhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Nagpur, Surat, Pune, Patna, Ludhiana, Jammu,Vasco-Da-Gama, Coimbatore, Bhopal, Indore, Agra, Jaipur, Varanasi, Kanpur,Vadodara, Bhubhaneshwar, Lucknow, Puri, Raipur, etc.. Work to convert Gondia-Nainpur-Jabalpur narrow gauge to broad gauge has been started under Project Unigauge. This will provide new options to reach areas of Southern India. Apart from Jabalpur Main Station, Jabalpur city also has the Madan Mahal Station which generally caters to passengers from the inner part of the city and the Kachhpura goods shed which is used for transporting large goods and iron ore to port cities.
Jabalpur's public transport system mainly consists of metro buses which runs on different routes and covers the urban and suburb area. Metro taxis, auto rikshaws and rickshaws are the other means of public transport available in the city.
There are a number of print and broadcast sources in the region.[5]
The Jabalpur media houses employ both English and Hindi language reporting, and include:
- Dainik Bhaskar
- Swatantramat
- Nai Duniya
- Raj Express
- HariBhumi
- The Hitavada
- Nav Bharat
- Daily Deshbandhu
- Patrika
- People's Samachar
- Janprakash
- Pradesh Today
- Yash Bharat
- The Hindu
The radio channels available in Jabalpur include:
Akashvani Jabalpur on 801 kHz AM via a 200 kW transmitter.
- BhedaGhat - Marble Rocks.[6]
Bhedaghat, a major tourist attraction, a village situated on the banks of the Narmada, is known for its marble rocks at a distance about 25 km from Jabalpur by road. Major attractions are the Duandhar waterfall, marble gorge, and the Chausath Yogini temple. Boat ride is available from the Panchavti ghat in amist several kilometer long marble gorge in river Narmada. The BhedaGhat and Dhuandhar serve as a site for movie shooting, and marble for statuary.
The Dhuandhar Falls in Bhedaghat is a well known sight where one witnesses beautiful scenery and complete tranquility. The beautiful falls is rough yet calm, soft yet loud and undoubtedly breathtaking.The waterfall is located 25 km from Jabalpur on the Narmada river.Dhuandhar Falls or the smoke cascade is a beautiful waterfall in Bhedaghat. The Narmada River after passing the Marble Rocks narrows to become a smoky waterfall. The plunge of Dhuandhar Falls is sudden and hence has a greater effect. This beautiful fall is a spectacular sight in Bhedaghat.
- Chausath-Yogini (Sixty Four female Yogis).[6]
The Chausath-Yogini temple is situated atop a hill rock and approached by a long flight of steps. Dedicated to Lord Shiva, this c. 10th century CE temple has carved stone figures of deities belonging to the Kalchuri period, arranged in a circular order. According to local legends, this ancient temple is connected to the Gond Queen-Mother Durgavati's palace of Singaurgarh in Sangrampur as well as to the Maharaja Madansahi's Madan-Mahal bastion through underground passages. These passages offered safety to the visiting royalties in addition to allowing escape route in times of distress.
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Statues of Yoginis at Chausath Yogini Temple
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Temple of Chausath Yogini
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The holy location is a few kilometers upstream of the Marble Rocks accessible from the Dhuadhar waterfall as well as the Tilwara-Medical bypass. There are several temples constructed by the Beohar-dynasty between c. 16-18th century CE, including the till-top Radhika-Madhav Temple (also referred to as Radha-Krishna/Radha-Govind Temple), and Rudra-Bhaskar (also known as Shiv-Surya Temple). The entire temple complex, housing about 6-7 temples and a dharmshala on the banks of Narmada, is collectively referred-to as Shankarji Maharaj Mandir Parisar after the main temple. Most of the temples were constructed either by R.R. Sardar-Beohar Kehari Simha (c. 1735-1845) or his son Beohar Dariyav Simha (c.1760-1850). Following the earthquake of 1997, some of these are dilapidated whereas others have been repaired and/or renovated. Even the ghats were first constructed by the Beohar-dynasty which are recently refurbished extensively with funds from Narmada Ghati Vikas Pradhikaran or Narmada Valley Development Authority NVDA. Though open to public at large, the temples actually belong to Beohar-family's private trust, the Sri Radhakrishna Charitable Private Trust, Managing Trustee Beohar Dr Anupam Sinha and the local custodianship is under the family priest Pandit Santosh Dubey Ji Maharaj. Lameta formations, Lametasaurus, Jubbulpuria, etc., are world-famous terms given after this place - hence it is far more important a destination on global tourism map than Bheraghat or Marble Rocks, and is far more likely to be nominated as UNESCO's World Heritage Site.
Where Mahatma Gandhi's ashes were immersed in the Narmada by Beohar Rajendra Simha, Pandit Ravishankar Shukla, Laxman Singh Chauhan, Seth Govind Das and other national leaders.
- Rani Durgavati Memorial and Museum.
Dedicated to the memory of the great Queen-Mother Rani Durgavati, the monument is on Samadhi-road off Barela/Mandla/Raipur Highway on the banks of Narrai rivulet in the village Barha some 15 km from Jabalpur.
In the city, there is a museum which houses a fine collection of Sculptures, Inscriptions and Prehistoric Relics. The museum also has independent halls for coins and another for Gonds in the first floor. Despite region's rich political pre-independence history, there are no Sanads (manuscripts) and sepia photographs on display. The ground floor houses sculptures from ancient times. The museum also sells its publications. Its Contemporary Art Gallery has recently been upgraded by INTACH to world standards and houses painting of M.F. Hussain.
Rani Avanti Bai Lodhi Sagar (RABLS) Project[7] is major project situated on river Narmada in Jabalpur Distt. It is commonly known as Bargi Dam. The project comprises 5.38 km. long Earthen and Masonry Dam across river Narmada near village Bargi. It has 90 MW River Bed Power House and 137 km. long Left Bank Main Canal (LBMC). It is located on the Jabalpur - Nagpur NH - 7 highway and is about 40 km from Jabalpur city. Madhya Pradesh State Tourism Development Corporation (MPSTDC) has encouraged water sports in Bargi dam. Tourists can enjoy cruise ride, motor boat ride, speed boat ride in reservoir water. MP Tourism runs a hotel and restaurant at Bargi Dam.
File:QuitIndiaMovement.jpg
Antique frescoes on the walls of 'Shaheed-Smarak', this one depicting the 'Quit India Movement' in Jabalpur by famous artist Beohar Rammanohar Sinha from Santiniketan.
- Shaeed Smarak (Matyrs' Memorial)
A historic and monumental circular building in what was known as Gole-Bazar during British times and also as Wright Town. Shaheed Smarak has fresco murals or wall-paintings by Beohar Rammanohar Sinha and his colleagues from Santiniketan on the walls, balcony, parapet and dome. The central theme of the frescoes is India's war of independence, fought between 16th and 19th century CE, starting with Rani Durgavati gearing-up against Moghul Emperor Akbar's attack on Garha-Mandla (Jabalpur). Painted by the famous Beohar Rammanohar Sinha, this is the first painting ever made on Rani Durgavati. The provincial congress committee in the 1950s constructed an auditorium in the shape of a miniaturized version of Delhi's Parliament House with a hall in the middle, a corridor running around it, and rooms for art and cultural activities including an Art Gallery. It is now being looked-after by a Public Trust.
A building in the old city area of Hanuman Tal has been residence of Malpani family (banker-merchant) of Jabalpur.
Built by the Gond ruler Maharaja Madansahi in c. 1116 CE atop a rocky hill, the bastion dominates the skyline. The building is supposed to have been a part of his pleasure resort cum watch tower. The building is a plain and simple structure without any ornamention. It stands now like a watch tower on the summit of a hill poised on two gigantic hills, the upper part of which on one side overhangs the base and commands a magnificent view over the rich valley around. Looking at the structure and location of the building, it appears that it indeed served as a watch tower. At a short distance, an Ashwa-Shala (stable) exists and a Hathi-Khana (elephant cell) existed where the LIC office stands today. Close by is a Baoli (step-well) for constant supply of fresh potable water to the bastion.
Jabalpur is also famous for an eroded volcanic rock formations called Balancing Rock. This rock is enroute to the Madan-Mahal bastion near Deotal.
- SangramSagar and BajnaMath
These medieval places of Tantra Sadhna were built by the Gond ruler Maharaja Sangramsahi between c. 1480-1540 CE.
Khandari Water Reservoir at Jabalpur
Small nature reserve and old dam on the way to Jabalpur's Dumna aerodrome. Madhya Pradesh Tourism department runs a cafeteria here and whole place has great scenic beauty along with ample wild life.
Constructed soon after completion of the building which now houses the High Court of MP. This private manor has had the singular honour of hosting several visiting luminaries including Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Jawaharlal Nehru, Vinoba Bhave, Osho, Bacha Khan, Mirabehn, Jamnalal Bajaj, Maithili Sharan Gupt, Shankar Dayal Sharma, Kaka Kalelkar, Thakkar Bapa, Makhanlal Chaturvedi, Somnath Hore, Arunachal Perumal, Maharshi Mahesh Yogi, Medha Patkar, Nirmal Verma, Rehman, etc. History books of the early 1820-1830s refer to the vast expanse/estate of this manor as Jamnera and subsequently Beohar-Grove. It was later converted to Civil Lines by the British. When the railway line was laid, it bisected the area into North and South, and this area became Civil Lines (North). This entire area is now popularly referred-to as Beohar-Bagh, or Garden of the Beohars'. High Court of Madhya Pradesh is situated in this Beohar-Bagh.
- Radha Krishna Temple-Complex incorporating the Shiva Temple (Beohar-dynasty)
These Vaishnav and Shaiva temples in Jabalpur were constructed by Beohar-dynasty in c. 17-18th century CE and were the first temples in India to be opened to the Harijan (outcaste) in 1929 by Beohar Raghuvir Simha with his friends Ghanshyam Das Birla and Jamnalal Bajaj. The RadhaKrishna temple houses the idols of Shri Radha-Krishna (gifted by Maharaja Chhatrasal of Panna to the ancestors of Beohar-dynasty, supposed to be replicas of the idols of Bhagwan JugalKishore ji), along side Shri Ram-Janki ji and other Gods and Goddesses.
- Bandhavgarh National Park
This national reserve forest has the highest density of tigers in the world, making it a good place to see a tiger in its natural habitat. It is in this valley where the white tiger was discovered.About 155 km from Jabalpur by road to Umaria.Jabalpur is the major railhead nearest to Bandhavgarh,it can be reached from here by 3–4 hours drive.
The park was created in 1955 by a special law and, since then, it has dedicated itself in preserving a variety of animal species. Many endangered species have indeed been saved here. Today Kanha is among the few most scenic and beautiful wildlife reserves in Asia. This 'Tiger Country' is the ideal home for both predator and prey. Kanha National Park is one of the biggest national parks in India and a part of Project Tiger, the tiger conservation program in India. It is situated on Mandla road at a distance of about 160 km from Jabalpur. Jabalpur is the ideal as a break point in the journey to Kanha as it is the Nearest Major Airport and major railway station. Further details can be had from www.kanhavillage.com
Located on Jabalpur -Nagpur National Highway no.7 is one of the famous national tiger and bison park around Jabalpur & possibly the setting of Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book. About 190 km from Jabalpur by road,3–4 hours drive from here and the road is also excellent.
The breathtaking scenic beauty of Beohar-Sarovar also known popularly as Burhan-Sagar is about 20 km on NH7 (Jabalpur-Sihora section), and can be reached by turning westward on Burhagarh-Deonagar concrete road 2 km off NH7. Since mid-17th century CE when Burhagarh and Singodh villages were won by R.R. Beohar Dariyav Simha after defeating pindari invader Mir Khan (later Nawab Amir Khan of Rajputana), it had been the summer retreat of the Beohars (erstwhile Jagirdars of Jabalpur) and remains full of water all year round with lots of natural Indian lotuses. It is also frequented by migratory birds and is a roving-avian haven for the Painted Storks. The natural flow of rain water has been stopped by piling-up earth and lining the ridge with stone blocks thereby creating a reservoir. Several centuries ago, the construction of this ridged-dam was supervized by one Bodhraj/Burhan Shripaal who worked for the Beohar-family, hence the names 'Beohar-Sarovar' and also Burhan-Sagar. The village Burhagarh is situated on a hillock on top of which stood the Citadel of Beohars. As a guest of Beohar Rajendra Simha in 1933, Mahatma Gandhi stayed here. Beohar Rajendra Simha subsequently named this village GandhiGram.
Shiv Statue at Kachnar City Jabalpur
A Vijayanagar suburb of Jabalpur, famous for a 76 feet (23 m) high Lord Shiva statue which houses a cavern with replicas of Shivalingam from 12 important holy shrines of Lord Shiva all over the country.The statue is excellent work of fine art.
The game of snooker was conceived in Jabalpur. The origins of the game of snooker are generally regarded as being in the latter half of the 19th century. Billiards had been a popular activity amongst British army officers stationed in India who took the idea from the Indian game carrom, and variations on the more traditional billiard games were devised. One variation was to add coloured balls in addition to the reds and black which were used for pyramid pool and life pool. This gave birth to the game of snooker. It is generally accepted that a Colonel Sir Neville Chamberlain (no relation to the World War II Prime Minister) conceived the game in the British Army Officer's Mess in Jubbulpore, India, in 1875.[8]
Jabalpur Cantonment Board
Jabalpur Cantonment is one of the largest amd most important Cantonments of India which is spread in a beautifully developed vast and green area admeasuring about 7040 acres and population of 66,499 as per 2001 Census (approx 75,000 as now). It comprises Civil areas, Army formations and establishments like HQ Madhya Bharat Area, JAK Rifles Regimental Centre, Grenadiers Regimental Centre, 1 Signal Training Centre, College of Material Management, Central Ordnance Depot, 506 Army Base Workshop, Military Hospital, HQ Chief Engineer Jabalpur Zone, Military Dairy Farm and HQ Recruiting Zone. Besides it, civil organizations under Ministry of Defence are Cantonment Board, Defence Estates Officer Jabalpur Circle and Controller of Defence Accounts. Bharat Ratna Bhimrao Ambedkar Institute of Telecom Training is also situated in Jabalpur Cantt which is a national level training institute of senior officers of BSNL.
Jabalpur Cantonment is located near the Railway Station and is well connected with prominent establishments and residential localities of the city. NH-12, 12 A and 7 join it with other cities / states. Jabalpur is the headquarter of West Central Railways and is well connected with mail and super-fast trains from Mumbai, New Delhi, Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Kolkatta, Patna, Lucknow, Chennai, Bangalore, Nagpur, Kota, Jaipur, Jammu & Hyderabad. Apart from broad-gauge railways, Jabalpur is notable for having narrow-gauge railways, which connect with Gondia. It is well connected by air to Delhi, Indore and Gwalior by Indian and Kingfisher Airlines.
Cantonment Boards are statutorily constituted local bodies, under Ministry of Defence, composed of elected representatives, ex-officio and nominated members. Jabalpur Cantonment is a Class-I Cantonment in which the Board consists of President, Chief Executive Officer, eight elected members including the Vice president, 03 nominated members, 02 ex-officio members i.e. Garrison Engineer and SEMO and one nominated member of the District Magistrate. The CEO is a senior officer from the Indian Defence Estates Service, Group 'A' (Central Civil Services), who also acts as the Member-Secretary of the Board. The Station Commander of the Cantonment is the Ex-officio President of the Cantonment Board who presides over the meetings of the Board. The GOC-in-Chief, of the Army Command concerned, acts as the local Govt. for the Cantonment Boards situated within his Command.
The administration of the Cantonment Boards is supervised by the Defence Estates Organization. The Principal Director, Defence Estates (PDDE) who is a senior officer of the level of Additional Secretary to the Govt. of India, is posted at the Headquarters of each Army Command. The PDDE, apart from being advisor to the GOC-in-C, controls and directs the functioning of the Cantonment Boards. He further reports to the Director General, Defence Estates (DGDE), New Delhi. The DGDE is an officer of the level of Secretary to the Govt. of India who supervises and directs the administration of 62 Cantonment Boards and DEO (Defence Estate Officer) circles located in across India. He further reports to the Ministry of Defence.
The present President is Brig. C.M. Rodrigues, while Shri K.J.S.Chauhan, IDES is the Chief Executive Officer of Jabalpur Cantt Baord, Shri Abhishek Chouksey is the Vice President of the Board.
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