Art, Architecture, Literature, Festivals, Tourism and Heritage of Madhya Pradesh
2. Temples, stupas and sculpture: from Ashoka to the Chandelas
Sanchi is the state's oldest large monument. Its Great Stupa began as a brick hemisphere over relics, commissioned by the Mauryan emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BCE. The Shunga period enlarged it, encased it in stone and added the railing; the four carved gateways (toranas) belong to the Satavahana period, around the 1st century BCE. The lesson for exams is the layering: the core is Mauryan, the stone casing and railings are Shunga, and the gateways are Satavahana. Ashoka's Sanchi pillar, with its four lions, is now in the site museum, and its shaft still stands near the southern gateway.
- Udayagiri caves, near Vidisha: twenty rock-cut caves of the Gupta era, mostly Hindu, with a monumental relief of Varaha lifting the earth. The caves show that Gupta patronage reached central India.
- Heliodorus pillar, Besnagar (Vidisha): erected about 113 BCE by an Indo-Greek envoy at the Shunga court, who dedicated it to Vasudeva (a name of Vishnu) as a Garuda standard. It is a trap because it is not at Sanchi, though it lies only about eleven kilometres away.
- Khajuraho was built mostly between about 950 and 1050 CE, the peak of Chandela power as UNESCO dates it, under the Chandela rulers, whose named builders in the sources include Yashovarman, Dhanga and Vidyadhara. The Lakshmana temple belongs to the western group, the Parshvanatha, Adinatha and Shantinatha temples to the eastern group of Jain shrines, and the Duladeva temple marks the southern group.
- Bhojeshwar temple, Bhojpur (Raisen): an unfinished Shiva temple of the Paramara king Bhoja (11th century), with a lingam of about 2.3 metres in the sanctum. Work stopped for reasons not known, and the plan is engraved on the surrounding rock.
3. Forts, palaces and Islamic monuments
The state's forts and palaces show a sequence of powers. At Gwalior the Tomar ruler Man Singh (reigned 1486 to 1516) built the Man Mandir with its painted tiles, and the Gujari Mahal for his queen Mrignayani, a Gurjar princess; the Teli ka Mandir is a Pratihara temple, and the Saas-Bahu temples are dated 1092 to 1093 in the sources. At Mandu, the Malwa Sultanate's capital, Hoshang Shah moved the capital from Dhar in the early 15th century; Ghiyas-ud-din Khalji built the Jahaz Mahal, the 'ship palace' between two lakes, as his harem. Roopmati's Pavilion and Baz Bahadur's Palace recall the romance of the last independent Malwa ruler, whose kingdom Akbar's forces took in 1561 and 1562.
Orchha was founded as the Bundela capital by Rudra Pratap Singh (reigned 1501 to 1531) on an island in the Betwa; its Ram Raja temple, where Rama is treated as the king of the town, and the Chaturbhuj temple, with one of the tallest shikharas among Hindu temples, are its best-known monuments. The Jahangir Mahal was built by Vir Singh Deo to welcome the Mughal emperor Jahangir. Burhanpur's Khooni Bhandara, an underground water system of the early 17th century built on the Persian qanat model, was added to the Tentative List in 2024. Bhopal's Taj-ul-Masajid was begun by Shah Jahan Begum, continued by her daughter, and finished only in the 20th century, in 1985 according to most sources (sources differ on the start and finish dates, so do not rely on either).
4. Rock art and caves
Bhimbetka, in Raisen district about 45 kilometres south-east of Bhopal, lies at the southern edge of the Vindhya range, inside the Ratapani wildlife sanctuary. V. S. Wakankar, who first recognised its prehistoric importance, sorted the paintings into periods: the earliest group is Palaeolithic and Mesolithic, showing animals, hunts and dances, and later periods show Chalcolithic farmers and historic figures. The site was inscribed in 2003 and is managed by the Archaeological Survey of India. The Chambal valley sites, added to the Tentative List in 2024, add Acheulean stone tools and rock art that runs from the Palaeolithic to the historic period.
The Bagh caves in Dhar district are nine rock-cut Buddhist monuments on the Baghani stream, of which five survive. Dated broadly to the 5th to 7th centuries CE, they carry tempera paintings of Bodhisattvas and are compared with the Ajanta caves; Cave 2, known as the Pandava cave, is the best preserved. The Dhamnar caves in Mandsaur district, added to the Tentative List in 2024, are rock-cut caves, stupas and chaityas and include a Hindu temple complex.
5. Literature, music and the writers' map
| Person | Place | Key fact |
|---|---|---|
| Kalidasa | Ujjain | Meghaduta; 4th-5th century CE; Ujjain by tradition his home |
| Bhartrihari | Ujjain | Shatakatraya; a grammarian and poet, dated to about the 5th century CE by scholarly estimate |
| Raja Bhoja | Dhara (Dhar) | Reigned about 1010-1055; Samarangana Sutradhara on architecture |
| Keshavdas | Orchha | Rasikpriya, a major work of Riti poetry |
| Tansen | Gwalior | Akbar's navratna; the Gwalior gharana traces to him |
| Makhanlal Chaturvedi | Babai, Narmadapuram | First Sahitya Akademi award for Hindi (1955), for Himatarangini |
| Harishankar Parsai | Jamani, Hoshangabad | Satirist; Sahitya Akademi award 1982; settled in Jabalpur |
| Gajanan Madhav Muktibodh | Sheopur | Among the seven poets of Tar Saptak (1943) |
| Bhawani Prasad Mishra | Tigaria, Hoshangabad | Sahitya Akademi award 1972 for Buni Hui Rassi |
Music and literature meet in Gwalior, which UNESCO named a City of Music in October 2023. Tansen's tradition and the Gwalior gharana are its base, and the state's music festivals keep it alive. Two frequently confused names belong elsewhere: Ustad Allauddin Khan, the sarod master of the Maihar court, was born in Shibpur in present Bangladesh, and Bhavabhuti, the author of Malatimadhava, was born in Padmapura in Vidarbha, though he studied near Gwalior.
6. The four dialects and their literature
Madhya Pradesh's regional speech is the basis of Paper V's dialect item, which carries 12 marks. The four dialects named in the syllabus are Malvi, Nimadi, Bagheli and Bundeli. They belong to different branches of the Hindi-speaking family, and a question often tests the branch rather than the region.
| Dialect | Branch (as classified in the sources) | Main districts |
|---|---|---|
| Malvi | Rajasthani group; Ujjani is its prestige variety | Ujjain, Dhar, Indore, Shajapur, Mandsaur, Ratlam |
| Nimadi | Western Indo-Aryan, Rajasthani group | Khargone, Barwani, Khandwa, Burhanpur |
| Bagheli | Eastern Hindi (Grierson placed it there) | Rewa, Satna, Sidhi, Shahdol, Umaria, Anuppur, Katni |
| Bundeli | Western Hindi (Grierson placed it there) | Gwalior, Morena, Datia, Shivpuri, Chhatarpur, Panna, Tikamgarh, Sagar |
7. Folk arts, dances and crafts
The state's painted traditions have clear community origins. Gond painting, with its dots, lines and patterns in natural colours, comes from Patangarh in Dindori district; Jangarh Singh Shyam, from a Pardhan Gond family, is credited with founding the contemporary Jangarh Kalam school after Jagdish Swaminathan brought him to Bhopal. Pithora painting, made by the Bhil in Jhabua district, shows horses as gods and goddesses and marks weddings and births; Bhuri Bai, the first Bhil woman to paint Pithora, received the Padma Shri in 2021. Mandana, the wall and floor art made at auspicious occasions, is attributed to the Meena community by MP Tourism; the sources do not agree on this, so for the exam remember it only as a state folk painting.
| Dance | Region | What to remember |
|---|---|---|
| Rai | Bundelkhand | Named after the swirl of mustard seed; women dance in lehengas |
| Matki | Malwa | Dancers balance earthen pots on the head |
| Badhai | Bundelkhand | Performed at births, weddings and festivals |
| Phulpati | Malwa | Performed by unmarried girls at Holi |
| Gangaur | Nimar | Women dance in honour of Gangaur, a form of Parvati |
The tribal dances (Ahirai, Saila, Karma, Gaur, Atari and others) are taken up in the next chapter, with their communities.
8. The festival and fair calendar
The state's major cultural events follow a seasonal pattern. The winter and early-spring months are dense with dance and music festivals, the monsoon brings the Nagdwari and Pachmarhi fairs, and the Kartik season brings the Ujjain literary-cultural week. Dates change each year; the table gives the usual month and the edition the official calendar listed in October 2026.
| Event | Place | Usual time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Khajuraho Dance Festival | Khajuraho, Chhatarpur | February (53rd edition, 20-26 Feb 2027) | Begun 1975 by the Kala Parishad |
| Tansen Samaroh | Gwalior | December (102nd edition, 14-19 Dec 2026) | Held at Tansen's tomb |
| Akhil Bharatiya Kalidas Samaroh | Ujjain | Kartik, from Devprabodhini Ekadashi (69th edition, announced for 21-27 Nov 2026; one listing gives 18-26 Nov) | Organised with the Kalidas Sanskrit Academy |
| Lokrang | Bhopal | 26-30 January (2027 edition) | Tribal and folk arts, organised by the Adivasi Lok Kala Academy |
| Mahashivratri fair at Chauragarh | Pachmarhi, Narmadapuram | February-March | Tridents offered to Chauragarh Mahadev |
| Nagdwari fair | Satpura hills, Narmadapuram | July-August, around Nag Panchami | Worship site of Nagvanshi tribes |
| Simhastha, Ujjain | Ujjain, on the Kshipra | 2028 (dates reported differently; confirm) | Kumbh-type gathering, held every 12 years |
| Sanja | Nimar and Malwa homes | Pitru Paksha, about 16 days | Young girls make cow-dung figures each day |
9. Tourism, institutions and crafts with GI tags
Heritage needs institutions. The Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya in Bhopal, which the sources date to 21 March 1977 (the museum was founded in 1977 and developed at its Bhopal campus later), sits on about 200 acres on the Shymala Hills and is among the largest ethnographic museums in India; its open-air exhibitions include a Tribal Habitat and a Rock Art Heritage display. The Adivasi Lok Kala Academy, set up in 1980, runs the Adivart tribal and folk arts museum. The Kalidas Academy at Ujjain dates to 1978, and the Bharat Bhavan in Bhopal, a multi-arts complex on the Upper Lake designed by Charles Correa, opened in February 1982; the painter Jagdish Swaminathan was closely associated with its founding. The Badal Bhoi State Tribal Museum at Chhindwara was set up in 1954 according to ETV Bharat, and was renamed after Badal Bhoi later.
| Craft | Place | GI year |
|---|---|---|
| Bagh print | Bagh, Dhar | 2008 |
| Chanderi saree | Chanderi | 2005 |
| Maheshwari saree and fabric | Maheshwar | 2012 |
| Bell metal craft | Tikamgarh and Datia | 2008 |
| Gond painting | Patangarh, Dindori | 2023 |
| Iron craft (Agaria) | Dindori | 2023 |
| Gwalior carpet weaving | Gwalior | 2023 |
| Leather toys | Indore | 2015 |
Key takeaways
- Monuments are remembered by district and year: Khajuraho (Chandela, 1986), Sanchi (Ashoka, Shunga and Satavahana layers, 1989), Bhimbetka (rock art, 2003), and the Tentative List sites Mandu (Malwa Sultanate) and Orchha (Bundela). Only Khajuraho, Sanchi and Bhimbetka are inscribed.
- Each craft and dance has a community and a place: Pithora is Bhil art from Jhabua, Gond painting comes from Patangarh in Dindori, Matki is a Malwa dance, and Rai is a Bundelkhand dance; the GI list has its own years.
- Literary figures are matched to their birthplaces: Makhanlal Chaturvedi (Babai), Harishankar Parsai (Jamani), Muktibodh (Sheopur), Keshavdas (Orchha) and Bhawani Prasad Mishra (Tigaria). Subhadra Kumari Chauhan and Bhavabhuti were not born in the state.
- The four dialects belong to two Hindi branches and one Rajasthani-linked group: Bundeli (Western Hindi), Bagheli (Eastern Hindi), and Malvi and Nimadi (Rajasthani group in the sources).
- Festivals are fixed by season: Tansen Samaroh in December, Khajuraho Dance Festival in February, Kalidas Samaroh in November, and the monsoon Nagdwari fair. Check the year's notice for any changed date.
- Institutions keep the heritage in view: the Manav Sangrahalaya in Bhopal (1977), the Adivasi Lok Kala Academy (1980), the Kalidas Academy (1978), and Bharat Bhavan (1982).
Practice questions (16)
Attempt each one before opening the answer. Every explanation names the tempting wrong option as well as the right one, because that is where marks are lost.
In which year did UNESCO name Gwalior a City of Music under its Creative Cities Network?
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Answer: C — 2023
Gwalior was named a UNESCO City of Music in October 2023. Its music heritage, from Tansen to the Gwalior gharana, was the basis of the bid, but the designation year is the fact to memorise. The other years do not carry this recognition.Which emperor commissioned the Great Stupa at Sanchi in the 3rd century BCE?
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Answer: B — Ashoka
The Great Stupa was commissioned by the Mauryan emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BCE, with a brick hemisphere over the relics as its nucleus. Chandragupta II is the Gupta ruler of the later period, and the Udayagiri caves are his era, not the stupa's.In which year were the Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
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Answer: C — 2003
Bhimbetka was inscribed in 2003 (27th session). Khajuraho (1986) and Sanchi (1989) are the earlier inscriptions in the state, and Orchha is only on the Tentative List, not inscribed. Keep the three years apart when the question lists them.Which dynasty built most of the surviving temples at Khajuraho?
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Answer: B — Chandela
Most of the surviving Khajuraho temples were built by the Chandela rulers between about 950 and 1050 CE. The Paramaras ruled Malwa from Dhara, and the Tomaras built the Gwalior palaces much later.Which ruler founded Orchha as the capital of the Bundelas?
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Answer: C — Rudra Pratap Singh
Rudra Pratap Singh (reigned 1501 to 1531) founded Orchha as the Bundela capital and built its fort. Bir Singh Deo built the Jahangir Mahal later, and Hoshang Shah was a Malwa Sultan, not a Bundela.Consider the following statements about Khajuraho and label them P, Q, R and S. P: most surviving temples were built between about 950 and 1050 CE under the Chandelas. Q: Kandariya Mahadeva is the largest surviving Shiva temple at Khajuraho. R: every temple at Khajuraho is Hindu. S: the temples are grouped as western, eastern and southern. Which statements are correct?
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Answer: B — P, Q and S only
P, Q and S are correct. R is false because the Parshvanatha, Adinatha and Shantinatha temples are Jain. The grouping in S is the Cunningham scheme that the sources still use, and Kandariya Mahadeva is named the largest surviving Shiva temple.Which statement about the Heliodorus pillar is correct?
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Answer: B — It was erected at Besnagar near Vidisha about 113 BCE by an Indo-Greek envoy.
The Heliodorus pillar stands at Besnagar near Vidisha and was erected about 113 BCE by an Indo-Greek ambassador at the Shunga court. It is close to Sanchi but is not a Sanchi monument, and the Bhojpur temple is Bhoja's, not the pillar's.Which Madhya Pradesh property, comprising monuments of the Gond kingdoms, was added to India's UNESCO Tentative List in March 2024?
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Answer: A — The Gond monuments of Ramnagar, Mandla
The Gond monuments of Ramnagar in Mandla were added to the Tentative List in March 2024 and relate to the Garha-Mandla Gond kingdom. Bhimbetka is a World Heritage Site inscribed in 2003, not a 2024 addition; Orchha and Mandu are older Tentative List entries and are not Gond monuments.Arrange these in order from the earliest to the latest: the Great Stupa at Sanchi, the Khajuraho temples, the shifting of the Malwa capital to Mandu by Hoshang Shah, and the founding of Orchha as the Bundela capital.
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Answer: D — Sanchi, Khajuraho, Mandu, Orchha
Sanchi's stupa dates to the 3rd century BCE, Khajuraho's main temples to about 950 to 1050 CE, Hoshang Shah's move to Mandu to the early 15th century, and Orchha's founding to the early 16th century. The trap is Mandu, which is often placed before Khajuraho by mistake.Which of the following pairs of craft and place is correct? P: Pithora painting and Jhabua. Q: Bagh print and Dhar. R: Gwalior carpet weaving and Jabalpur. S: Gond painting and Dindori.
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Answer: D — P, Q and S only
P, Q and S are correct: Pithora is a Bhil art of Jhabua, Bagh print comes from Bagh in Dhar, and Gond painting from Patangarh in Dindori. R is wrong because the Gwalior carpet is a Gwalior craft, while the Jabalpur GI is marble craft.Which of these is NOT among the GI-tagged crafts of Madhya Pradesh in the state tourism listing of September 2026?
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Answer: C — Madhubani painting
Madhubani painting is a Bihar craft and is not in the Madhya Pradesh list. Bagh print, Chanderi saree and Gwalior papier-mache are all in the list with their GI years, and the question tests the state boundary rather than the craft itself.Which Hindi writer, born at Babai in present Narmadapuram district, received the first Sahitya Akademi award given for Hindi?
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Answer: B — Makhanlal Chaturvedi
Makhanlal Chaturvedi, born in Babai, received the first Sahitya Akademi award for Hindi in 1955 for Himatarangini. Parsai was born in Jamani near Hoshangabad and won the award in 1982; Muktibodh was born in Sheopur; Subhadra Kumari Chauhan was born in Prayagraj.Consider the following statements about writers linked with Madhya Pradesh and label them P, Q, R and S. P: Harishankar Parsai was born in Jamani in Hoshangabad district. Q: Gajanan Madhav Muktibodh was born in Sheopur. R: Subhadra Kumari Chauhan was born in present Madhya Pradesh. S: Bhawani Prasad Mishra was born in Tigaria in Hoshangabad district. Which statements are correct?
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Answer: C — P, Q and S only
P, Q and S are correct. R is false: Subhadra Kumari Chauhan was born at Nihalpur near Prayagraj, in present Uttar Pradesh, although she later died near Seoni in 1948. The question rewards keeping the place of birth separate from the place of death or work.Which of the following persons, each closely linked with a Madhya Pradesh court, town or institution, was born outside present-day Madhya Pradesh?
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Answer: A — Ustad Allauddin Khan, of the Maihar court
Ustad Allauddin Khan was born in Shibpur in present Bangladesh and was brought to the Maihar court. Tansen was born in Gwalior, Keshavdas near Orchha in Tikamgarh district, and Makhanlal Chaturvedi in Babai, so none of the others was born outside the state.Which Sanskrit dramatist, author of Malatimadhava, was born in Padmapura in Vidarbha, although he was educated at a place near Gwalior?
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Answer: C — Bhavabhuti
Bhavabhuti, author of Malatimadhava, Mahaviracharita and Uttararamacharita, was born at Padmapura in Vidarbha, now in Maharashtra, and is said to have studied at Padmapawaya near Gwalior. Kalidasa and Bhartrihari are linked to Ujjain by tradition, not to Vidarbha.A calendar lists these events: the Tansen Samaroh at Gwalior in December, the Khajuraho Dance Festival in February, the Pachmarhi Mahashivratri fair in February or March, and the Akhil Bharatiya Kalidas Samaroh at Ujjain in November. Which event would a visitor reach in November?
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Answer: D — Akhil Bharatiya Kalidas Samaroh
The Kalidas Samaroh at Ujjain is held in Kartik, from Devprabodhini Ekadashi, and the 2026 edition was set for 21 to 27 November. The Tansen Samaroh is in December, the Khajuraho festival in February, and the Pachmarhi fair in February or March.