Mandla (Hindi: मंडला) is a city and a municipality in Mandla district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of Mandla District. The town is picturesquely situated in a loop of the Narmada River, which surrounds it on three sides, and for 15 miles between Mandla and Ramnagar the river flows in a deep bed unbroken by rocks. The Narmada is worshipped here, and many beautiful ghats have been constructed on the banks of the river.

The city was a capital of the Gond dynasty who built a palace and a fort, which in the absence of proper care have gone to ruins.

Mandla was called as Mahishmati nagari before 1500A.D.Gond queen,Rani Durgawati ruled Mandla province and fought against Akbar her valiant effort to save her kingdom is still subject of folklore. Rani Avanti bai of ramnagar later fought with British to save her kingdom from annexation. The Gond-Rajput dynasty of Garha-Mandla commenced, according to an inscription in the palace of Ramnagar, in the fifth century, with the accession of Jadho Rai, a Rajput adventurer who entered the service of an old Gond king, married his daughter, and succeeded him to the throne. Alexander Cunningham placed the date two centuries later in 664 . The Garha-Mandla kingdom was a petty local chiefship until the accession of Sangram Sah, the forty-seventh king, in 1480. This prince extended his dominions over the Narmada Valley, and possibly Bhopal, Sagar, and Damoh and most of the Satpura hill country, and left fifty-two forts or districts to his son. In addition to Mandla, Jabalpur and Garha in Jabalpur District and Ramnagar in Mandla District served at times as capitals of the kingdom.

Mandla Mandela (full name Zwelivelile Mandela, born 1974) is the chief of the Mvezo Traditional Council and the grandson of Nelson Mandela. He graduated from Rhodes University with a degree in Politics in 2007.

Mandela's father, Makgatho Mandela, died in 2005, which paved his way to the head of the tribe. As the tribe did not discuss electing a member from the Mandela family until 2007, Mandla Mandela was chosen as successor. Nelson Mandela had given up the right of Xhosa leader nearly 70 years ago to fight white rule in South Africa. As the tribe looked to Nelson Mandela to reclaim his clan, he suggested his grandson assume the role. When the younger Mandela became chief in 2007, he was only 32 years old and most of his duties were said to involve tribal ceremonies, settling disputes among tribe members, and representing the tribe on political issues.

Mandla Mandela has been a Member of Parliament for the African National Congress since the 2009 election.

Mandla attended Waterford Kamhlaba a United World College in Swaziland until 1995.

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (Xhosa pronunciation: [xoˈliːɬaɬa manˈdeːla]; born 18 July 1918) is a South African politician who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, the first ever to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before being elected President, Mandela was a militant anti-apartheid activist, and the leader and co-founder of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing of the African National Congress (ANC). In 1962 he was arrested and convicted of sabotage and other charges, and sentenced to life imprisonment. Mandela went on to serve 27 years in prison, spending many of these years on Robben Island. Following his release from prison on 11 February 1990, Mandela led his party in the negotiations that led to the establishment of democracy in 1994. As President, he frequently gave priority to reconciliation, while introducing policies aimed at combating poverty and inequality in South Africa.

In South Africa, Mandela is often known as Madiba, his Xhosa clan name; or as tata (Xhosa: father). Mandela has received more than 250 awards over four decades.