Jabalpur is a city in the state of Madhya Pradesh in India. Jabalpur is the administrative headquarters of Jabalpur district and Jabalpur division. Jabalpur is located in the Mahakaushal region in the geographic center of India. Jabalpur is one of the largest cities in Madhya Pradesh. Jabalpur was the 27th largest urban conurbation in India in 2001 (2001 Census).

Jabalpur is one of the highest income tax paying cities in India since the headquarters of many important Central & State Departments are situated there and thousands of government employees are employed. Jabalpur also houses the Madhya Pradesh High Court. It was called Sanskardhani by Vinoba Bhave.

Overview

Jabalpur is located in the Mahakoshal region in the geographic center of India. Jabalpur is one of the largest city in Madhya Pradesh. It was the 27th largest urban agglomeration in India in 2001 (2001 Census). On a global scale, Jabalpur was the 325th largest city or urban area in the world in 2006 and Jabalpur it is estimated to be 294th largest city in the world by 2020. Jabalpur stands 120 in term of the fastest growing cities and urban areas in the world in 2006. Jabalpur city consists of Jabalpur Municipal Corporation, Jabalpur Cantonment, Khamaria township and Panagar Municipal Board. Jabalpur is the first district in India to have obtained the comprehensive ISO-9001 certificate. This has come into force from April 1, 2007.

Jabalpur also houses the Madhya Pradesh High Court. It is known as the judicial capital of Madhya Pradesh. The principal seat of the Madhya Pradesh High Court is in Jabalpur. The numerous gorges in the neighbouring rocks surround the city with a series of lakes, which are shaded by trees and add much greenery to the suburbs. However, many of these lakes now have been encroached upon for the purpose of fishing or for building works, although the greenery still exists.

The city itself dates from the nineteenth century. It has a beautiful collection of Marble Rocks called Bhedaghat bordering the holy Narmada River. Many visitors every year come to visit Jabalpur because of this major attraction. Jabalpur is zonal headquarters for the western central division of Indian railways.

Jabalpur has a big Defence and Military Centre - HQ of the MPBO Area, the headquarters of West Central Railway Zone, the Madhya Pradesh State Electricity Board, and the Madhya Pradesh High Courts. It is also known for housing spiritual leaders like Maharishi Mahesh Yogi of Transcendental Meditation and Bhagwan Rajneesh

Culture

The presence of the Narmada and the rule of Gond and Maratha dynasties has made Jabalpur a primarily Hindu dominated area. The Mughal rule brought in a sizable Muslim population. The city has seen the worst form of Hindu Muslim riots in the 60s. The rise in the population of the city especially village folk migrating to the city are settling in slums on the outskirts of Jabalpur. The estimates are that by the year 2015, the population of the city will double to a whopping two million people. Moreover setting up of Central government units increased the population of the city and made it more cosmopolitan.

Hindi is the first language of the state and spoken and understood in the city. The Mughals brought Urdu and the influence of Maratha rulers has given Marathi to the multilingual culture of Jabalpur.

Tourism

BhedaGhat - Marble Rocks: This small village of Jabalpur district situated on the banks of river Narmada and widely famous for its marble rocks is at a distance about 25 km from Jabalpur by road. Soaring in glittering splendour, the marble rocks at Bhedaghat rise to a hundred feet on either side of the Narmada. The serene loveliness of the scene is one of cool quiet, the sunlight sparkling on the marble-white pinnacles and casting dappled shadows on the pellucid waters. In his Highlands of Central India Captain J. Forsyth speaks eloquently about the infinitely varied beauty of the rocks.

The eye never wearies of the . . . effect produced by the broken and reflected sunlight, now glancing from a pinnacle of snow-white marble reared against the deep blue of the sky as from a point of silver, touching here and there with bright lights the prominence of the middle heights and again losing itself in the soft bluish grays of their recesses.....Here and there the white saccharine limestone is seamed by veins of dark green or black volcanic rock; a contrast which only enhances like a setting of jet, the purity of the surrounding marble.

The famous BhedaGhat and Dhuandhar has served as a beautiful site for shootings of movies like Jis Des Mein Ganga Bheti Hai, Asoka etc. The area also serves as a source of marble, the marble statues and sculptures made by local sculptors are famous throughout the country.

Dhuandhar: The famous waterfall is located just 25 km from Jabalpur. The Narmada making its way through the Marble Rock's narrows down and then plunges in a waterfall known as Dhuandhar or the smoke casade. So powerful is the plunge that its roar is heard from a far distance. The falls and the breaking of the volume of water at the crest present an awesome spectacle of Nature's power unleashed.

Chausath-Yogini (Sixty Four female Yogis): Situated atop a hill rock and approached by a long flight of steps,the Chausath-Yogini Temple commands a singularly beautiful view of the Narmada flowing through the jagged gorge of Marble Rocks in Bhedaghat. Dedicated to Lord Shiva, this 10th century temple has exquisitely carved stone figures of deities belonging to the Kalchuri period. According to a local legend, this ancient temple is connected to the Gond Queen Durgavati's palace through an underground passage.

LamhetaGhat: A "must-visit" place for those interested in history, religion, photography, or just simply picnicing (veg foods are OK; a holy place) at a peaceful location. Beautiful view of Narmada river from the holy temples, especially at dusk. The holy location is few kilometers upstream of the Marble Rocks which is accessible from the Dhuadhar Waterfall as well as Tilwara-Medical bypass. It is said that last rites performed here has same significance as at Gaya. There is also a shani kund, extremely beneficial to those affected by Shani-Dev. Most importantly, there are several beautiful and historic temples constructed by the Beohar dynasty between 16-18th century CE, including the till-top Radhika-Madhav Temple (also referred-to as Radha-Krishna/Radha-Govind Temple), Shiv-Bhaskar (also known as Shiv-Surya Temple), Lambodar-Siddhivinayak, Ram-Janki, Mekalsuta-Reva, Kadambari-Sharda, Batuk-Bhairav, and Marutinandan-Anjaneya Temples. 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" because Shiv-Bhaskar temple is the main one. Following the earthquake of 1997, some of these are delapidated whereas others have been repaired and/or renovated. While the temples are of Beohar family-owned and family-operated private trust "Sri Radhakrishna Charitable Private Trust" Managing-Trustee Beohar Dr Anupam Sinha, the local custodianship is under the family priest Pandit Santosh Dubey ji maharaj. Some tiling and landscaping work on the river bank has recently been completed by the Narmada Valley Development Authority and by MP Tourism making it more practical and convenient to visit.

TilwaraGhat: From where Mahatma Gandhi's ashes were immersed in the Narmada by Beohar Rajendra Simha, Pandit Ravishankar Shukla, Laxman Singh Chauhan, Seth Govindas, Dwarka Prasad Mishra, etc., and venue of the open session of the Tripuri Congress in 1939.

Rani Durgavati Memorial and Museum: Dedicated to the memory of the great Queen Durgavati is her memorial and a museum which houses a fine collection of Sculptures, Inscriptions and Prehistoric Relics.

Bargi Dam: It is a multipurpose project on river Narmada. It's also a tourist spot, Local authorities have started a cruise boat which runs on the reservoir of Bargi dam.

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 is known the world over for its breathtaking fresco (murals or wall-paintings) by the internationally acclaimed artist Beohar Rammanohar Sinha and his colleagues from Santiniketan on the walls, balcony, parapet and gigantic dome. The central theme of the frescoes is India's war of independence fought between 16th and 19th century AD, starting with Rani Durgavati gearing-up against Moghul Emperor Akbar's attack on Gondwana (now Jabalpur and Mandla). Painted by the famous Beohar Rammanohar Sinha, this is the first painting ever made on Rani Durgavati. Dr Rajendra Prasad and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru visited Jabalpur for the laying of foundation stone and for the inauguration of Shaheed Smarak. The idead of provincial congress committee in 1950s was to construct 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, art gallery, library, etc., in the periphery. As the then President of PCC, Seth Govindas got the Shaheed Smarak completed very efficiently and well on time. It is currently being looked-after by a Public Trust.

D. B. Vallabh Das Palace: A historic building in the old city area of Hanuman Tal is residence of Malpani family of Jabalpur. It is worth a visit for its architecture, murals and wall paintings.

MadanMahal Bastion: Built by the Gond ruler Maharaja Madan Sahi, in 1116 atop a rocky hill, the fort dominates the skyline and provides a panoramic view of the town and the country side around it.

Balancing Rocks: Jabalpur is also famous for eroded volcanic rock formations called as Balancing Rocks of Jabalpur. This rock is situated near the base of Madan Mahal Fort, in Deotal in a place called Shailparna.

SangramSagar and BajnaMath: These medieval constructions were built by the famous Gond King Sangram Shah between 1480-1540.

Water Works: Small wild life reserve and old dam on the way to Dumna airport.

Beohar House: Construsted soon after completion of the building which now houses the High Court of MP, this private manor has had the honour of hosting several visiting luminaries including Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Jawaharlal Nehru, Vinoba Bhave, Osho (Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh), Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan or Bacha Khan, Madeleine Slade or Mirabehn, Jamnalal Bajaj, Maithili Sharan Gupt, Shankar Dayal Sharma, Kaka Kalelkar, Thakkar Bapa, Makhanlal Chaturvedi, Somnath Hore, A. Perumal, Maharshi Mahesh Yogi, Medha Patkar, Nirmal Verma, Rehman, etc. History books of early 1820-1830s refer to this area as Jamnera and subsequently 'Beohar Grove' which 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' which means Garden of the Beohars'.

RadhaKrishna Temple-Complex incorporating the Shiva Temple (Beohar-dynasty): Historic temples in several ways, these Vaishnav and Shaiva temples in old city Jabalpur were constructed by Beohar-dynasty in c. 17-18th century CE and boast to be the first renaissance temples inasmuch as these were one of the first series of temples in India to be opened to the Harijan (outcaste) in 1929 by Beohar Raghuvir Sinha with his friends Ghanshyam Das Birla and Jamnalal Bajaj. These great leaders visited Jabalpur on the occasion. 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 several other Gods and Goddesses.

Bandhavgarh National Park: This nearby 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. For tourists, Nature Heritage, Bandhavgarh Madmouse and GTV Resort Phone No. 07627 265314 are some good lodging options. There are many other resorts in Bandhavgarh as well.

Kanha National park: Jabalpur is nearest big city to go to Kanha National Park which is one of the biggest national parks in India and has the distinction of successfully implemented Project Tiger, as tiger conservation program in India. Every year the park attracts large number of tourists for watching tigers from close proximity.

Pench National park: The park is home to the cute character Mowgli in Sir Rudyard Kipling's noble prize winning creation Jungle Book. Jabalpur also has Bandhavgarh national reserve forest very close to Pench, and well connected through road.

Marble Rocks: Just 21 km west of Jabalpur, is a small village called Bhedaghat. The village is world famous for splendid Marble Rocks on the banks of Narmada River. Covered with dark volcanic seams of green and black, they tower to almost 100 ft above the soft flowing Narmada on either side. They are fabulous to look at during the daytime when sun sparkles on the pure white surfaces of these rocks. During the night as well, they give you a mesmerizing view under the moonlit skies. The Marble Rocks have been considered as one of the thousand places that you should see before you die. The best way to enjoy the sheer charm of these rocks is by taking a boat ride in Narmada.

Beohar Sarovar: A private-owned beautiful reservoir, also known popularly as "BurhanSagar" alongside NH7 (Jabalpur-Sihora section) about 20-25 km from Jabalpur. It was the summer retreat of the Beohars (ex-Jagirdars of Jabalpur) which 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. 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 was supervized by one Burhan Shripaal who worked for the Beohar-family, hence the names "BeoharSarovar" and also "BurhanSagar". The village Burhagarh is located on a hillock on top of which stood Haveli of the Beohars. As a guest of Beohar Rajendra Simha in 1933, Mahatma Gandhi stayed here. Beohar Rajendra Simha subsequently named the village "GandhiGram".

Kachnar City: It is locality in Vijayanagar suburb of Jabalpur and is famous for about 70 feet high Lord Shiva statue which houses a cavern with replicas of Shivalingam from important holy shrines of Lord Shiva all over country.