Jabalpur

Jabalpur is a city in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. Situated on the banks of the Narmada River, it serves as the administrative headquarters of Jabalpur district and the Jabalpur division. The city is one of the largest urban centres in Madhya Pradesh and is known for its educational institutions, defence establishments, the marble rocks of Bhedaghat, and as the seat of the Madhya Pradesh High Court.

Key facts

Geography

Jabalpur lies in the Mahakoshal region of central India, in a basin surrounded by low rocky hills. The Narmada flows on the southern edge of the city and forms the well-known Marble Rocks gorge at Bhedaghat, where the river cuts through cliffs of dolomitic marble and falls at Dhuandhar. The city's terrain is characterised by Deccan Trap and granitic outcrops, including the prominent Madan Mahal hill that rises within the urban area.

History

The Jabalpur region was historically the heartland of the Mahakoshal country and is associated with the ancient kingdom of Tripuri, located near present-day Tewar, which was a centre of the Kalachuri rulers between roughly the 9th and 12th centuries. From the 12th century onwards the area came under the Gond kingdom of Garha-Mandla, with rulers such as Sangram Shah and the celebrated queen Rani Durgavati, who died in 1564 fighting the forces of the Mughal emperor Akbar.

After a period of Mughal and later Maratha control under the Bhonsles of Nagpur, the region passed to the British East India Company following the Third Anglo-Maratha War in 1818. Jabalpur subsequently became the headquarters of the Saugor and Nerbudda Territories and, after 1861, of the Central Provinces. The British established a major cantonment, gun carriage factory, and railway junction in the city.

After Indian independence in 1947, Jabalpur formed part of the state of Madhya Pradesh from 1956. The city was the venue of the 1939 session of the Indian National Congress at Tripuri, at which Subhas Chandra Bose was elected president.

Administration and judiciary

Jabalpur is the seat of the High Court of Madhya Pradesh, which was established in 1956 with its principal bench in the city and additional benches at Indore and Gwalior. Civic administration is carried out by the Jabalpur Municipal Corporation. The city is also part of a parliamentary constituency that elects a member to the Lok Sabha.

Defence and industry

Jabalpur is one of India's important defence-production centres. Major establishments in and around the city include:

• Gun Carriage Factory, Jabalpur — established in the British era to produce gun carriages and military hardware.
• Vehicle Factory, Jabalpur — manufacturer of military trucks and specialist vehicles.
• Ordnance Factory, Khamaria — one of the largest ammunition-filling factories in the country.
• Grey Iron Foundry — producing castings for ordnance use.

The city also hosts the headquarters of various military formations and a large cantonment. Other industries include limestone processing, beedi manufacturing, and small-scale engineering.

Education and research

Jabalpur has a long tradition of higher education. Notable institutions include:

• Rani Durgavati University, formerly the University of Jabalpur, founded in 1957.
• Jabalpur Engineering College, one of the older engineering institutions in central India.
• Indian Instit