Madhya Pradesh: Historical and Mythical Background
The situational entity of the State lies in its name.It is not merely the land of hills, mountain ranges, forests and rivers, but it still retains the ethos of antique Indian cultures. History of India will remain incomplete unless Madhya Pradesh is brought as an invariable reference. MP has its antique past ranging from the influx of the Aryans, crossing the phases of the Maurya Dynasty, Gupta Dynasty, the Mighty Mughals, the Marathas down to the regime of Sindhia Madhojee.
The historical annals of Madhya Pradesh date back to the time of the primitive tribal races and the advent of the Aryans. "Avanti' as its antique name, we can find its reference in the Buddhist Canonical texts dealing with 16 Mahajanapadas. References to " Avanti" can be found in a good number of mythological texts. The legend goes the planet Mars took its birth from this State.
The emperor Bidoosar appointed his son Asoke as ruler of Ujjaini. The Golden Age of the Indian history set forth from Madhya Pradesh suring the reigns of the mighty Guptas. The Guptas suffered decline by the repeated invasions of the Hunas. Prior to this, the Sungas overpowered the Mauryas and captured this State. Even the great emperor Harsavardhn had ruled over this navel part of this sub-continent during the threshold of 7th century A.D.Vajradaman of the Kachchwa Rajputs defeated the king of Gadhinagara, the Pratihara king of kanauj and conquered Gopagiri, i,e. the famous fort of Gwalior, some time before 977 A.D. As Gopagiri was in possession of the Chandellas about this time, it appears that Vajradaman hyad defeated both the Chandella king Dhanga and his Pratihara overlord. But, it must have been during the reigns of the Chandellas Madhya Pradesh gained unique glory in terms of art and architectural network. The magnificent chain of shrines in Khajraho were built under their patronage.The Chandellas, who were later included among the 36 Rajput clans, claimed to be descended from the sage Chandratreya, who was born of the moon. Their capital was Kharjuravahaka, represented by the modern village of Khajraho, the name that draws millions of tourists from far and wide the globe.
The Paramara King Bhoja created yet another history in the 11th century A.D . The name of the capital " Bhopal" was coined from his name. With the ceaseless flow of her water the river Narmada had witnessed many spills and thrills of Indian historical episodes. There came to pass many a battle between the Hindu kings and the Muslim rulers. Even Madhya Pradesh went into the grip of the Mughals. With the legendary renaissance of the Marathas, especially under the skilled strategy of Shivaji, the Maratha empire gained its expansion from Chambal to the Narmada. Even at times, the British forces suffered debacle by the Marathas. But, this empire fell on the wane following the death of Sindhia Madhoji of Gowaliar. The singular power gave way to several segments of small kingdoms. On first November,1956, the new name " Madhya Pradesh" came to be and the segments were integrated into the one federal state, called India.
