Madhya Pradesh General Knowledge, Culture, and Geography
Coordinates to memorise
- Formed 1 November 1956 by merging Madhya Bharat, Vindhya Pradesh, Bhopal and old Madhya Pradesh; capital Bhopal.
- 55 districts, grouped into divisions such as Bhopal, Indore, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Ujjain, Sagar, Rewa, Narmadapuram, Chambal and Shahdol.
- State symbols: animal barasingha, bird dudhraj, tree banyan, flower palash.
Geography
Madhya Pradesh sits on the Vindhya and Satpura ranges, with Malwa plateau, Bundelkhand, Baghelkhand and Nimar as its cultural-geographic regions. The Narmada flows west between the two ranges into the Arabian Sea; the Chambal, Betwa and Sone drain north-east. Indira Sagar on the Narmada is a major reservoir, and Pachmarhi is the Satpura hill station.
Culture and heritage
UNESCO sites: Khajuraho (Chhatarpur), Sanchi (Raisen), Bhimbetka (Raisen); Pachmarhi is a biosphere reserve. Festivals: Tansen Samaroh (Gwalior), Khajuraho Dance Festival, Lokrang (Bhopal), Bhagoria (Bhil, Jhabua). Dances: Grida, Matki, Karma, Saila. Tribes: Bhil, Gond, Baiga, Korku; the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups are Baiga, Bharia and Sahariya.
Worked example. Is "Bhimbetka : Raisen" correctly matched? Reasoning: the rock shelters lie in the Vindhyan hills of Raisen district, and Sanchi is in the same district, while Khajuraho falls in Chhatarpur. Bhimbetka was inscribed in 2003 for its prehistoric paintings. The pair is correct.
Traps
- Placing Sanchi in Bhopal district instead of Raisen.
- Reversing the westward Narmada with the north-eastward Sone.
- Forgetting that Madhya Pradesh is India's second-largest state by area.