Tribes of Madhya Pradesh: Heritage, Folk Culture and Folk Literature
2. Constitutional frame: lists, Fifth Schedule and PESA
- Scheduled Tribes are those notified under Article 342 of the Constitution, through the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950, and its amendments. Only Parliament can add or remove a tribe from the list, so a state cannot make one.
- Fifth Schedule areas are where the state's tribal population is concentrated. Ten states have Fifth Schedule areas, and Madhya Pradesh is one of them; the Ministry of Panchayati Raj's December 2025 document counts 89 blocks and 20 districts (5 fully and 15 partly covered) under the state.
- PESA, the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, gives Gram Sabhas a central role in tribal areas. Madhya Pradesh notified its PESA Rules in November 2022, timed to Janjatiya Gaurav Divas; one report gives 15 November and another 17 November.
- Forest Rights Act, 2006, Section 3(1)(e), recognises habitat rights of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups, which is why the three PVTGs of the state come up in forest and conservation questions.
| Body | Seats | ST-reserved | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly | 230 | 47 | Delimitation in use since 2008 |
| Lok Sabha seats from Madhya Pradesh | 29 | 6 | Shahdol, Mandla, Ratlam, Dhar, Khargone, Betul |
3. Major tribes and where they live
| Tribe | Core region | Distinctive feature |
|---|---|---|
| Bhil and Bhilala | Jhabua, Alirajpur, Barwani, Dhar, Khargone | Largest group; Pithora painting; Bhagoria haat before Holi |
| Gond | Mandla, Balaghat, Chhindwara, Seoni, Dindori, Betul | Dravidian language (Gondi); Persa Pen clan deity; Pardhan bards; Gond painting |
| Korku | Khandwa, Burhanpur, Betul, Chhindwara | Munda language family, unlike the Dravidian Gonds |
| Kol | Rewa, Satna, Sidhi, Shahdol | Large group of the Rewa plateau |
| Sahariya (PVTG) | Sheopur, Shivpuri, Morena, Guna, Gwalior, Vidisha | Swang dance around Holi; Kuno relocations |
| Baiga (PVTG) | Mandla, Balaghat, Dindori, Umaria, Shahdol, Anuppur | Bewar (shifting cultivation); tattooing |
| Bharia (PVTG) | Patalkot valley, Tamia tehsil, Chhindwara | Bhariati language; herbal healers called Bhagat |
| Agaria | Dindori | Hand iron-forging; the Dindori iron craft has a GI tag (2023) |
4. The three PVTGs
A Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group is a tribe with a pre-agricultural level of technology, a stagnant or declining population, and very low literacy, as the government's own criteria describe them. Madhya Pradesh has three: the Baiga, the Bharia and the Sahariya. Together they number about 1.22 million by the 2011 census figures for the three entries, roughly 8 per cent of the state's Scheduled Tribe population. The Bharia entry in the census combines several names (Bharia Bhumia, Bhuinhar Bhumia, Bhumiya and others), so the group total is an approximation.
- Baiga: practise bewar (also called dahiya), a long-fallow shifting cultivation in forest patches, and are known for their tattoos (godna) made by specialist women. They are concentrated in Mandla, Balaghat and Dindori, and the census figure is about 4.15 lakh.
- Bharia: live in the Patalkot valley of Chhindwara district and speak Bhariati, an Indo-Aryan language whose speakers are few in the census. Their herbal knowledge of the valley is well known, and MP Tourism lists the Ahirai dance, performed in circles through the night, under the Bharia (sources also link Ahirai to other communities).
- Sahariya: concentrated in the Chambal-Kuno belt (Sheopur, Shivpuri, Morena, Guna and Gwalior), the largest of the three in census numbers at about 6.15 lakh. Their Swang dance is performed around Holi, and their settlements in the Kuno area were moved when the sanctuary was set aside for cheetahs.
5. Tribal culture: arts, dances and festivals
| Community | Art, dance or festival | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Bhil | Pithora painting; Bhagoria haat | Pithora horses are gods; Bhagoria is a courtship fair before Holi |
| Gond | Gond painting; Saila and Karma dances | Groups credited with Karma differ across sources |
| Bharia | Ahirai dance | Performed in circles, often through the night |
| Baiga and Bhumiya | Atari dance | Human pyramids of dancers |
| Sahariya | Swang dance | Performed around Holi with dhol and matki drums |
| Korku | Korku language (Munda family) | Language is the marker, not a dance |
| Agaria | Iron craft | GI-tagged 2023 (Dindori) |
6. Tribal heroes and the freedom struggle
| Person | Community and place | Episode and fate |
|---|---|---|
| Rani Durgavati | Gond; Gondwana, Garha-Mandla | Regent 1550 to 1564; fought Asaf Khan at Narrai; died at Narrai Nala, Jabalpur, on 24 June 1564 |
| Shankar Shah and Raghunath Shah | Gond; Garha-Mandla, Jabalpur | 1857 rebellion; blown from a cannon at Jabalpur on 18 September 1857 |
| Bhima Nayak | Bhil; Barwani | 1857 rebellion with Tantia Tope; taken to Port Blair; hanged there on 29 December 1876 |
| Tantya Bhil | Bhil; Pandhana, Nimar | Armed struggle 1878 to 1889; lured to a parley, taken to Jabalpur and hanged on 4 December 1889 |
| Khajya Nayak | Bhil; Nimad | Joined Bhima Nayak; reported to have been surrounded at Amba Pani in 1858, later arrested. The fate is not reliably established |
| Ganjan Singh Korku (and Badal Bhoi) | Gond and Korku; Chhindwara and Betul | Ganjan Singh Korku is named among the leaders of the 1930 Jungle (Forest) Satyagraha in Betul; Badal Bhoi is the Gond leader of Chhindwara honoured by the state tribal museum. The places, dates and leaders differ across sources |
Bhima Nayak and Tantya Bhil were executed by the British in different decades, and Rani Durgavati is the earliest of the group. The Gond queen's kingdom was Gondwana, and the Madan Mahal fort in Jabalpur, which is associated with her, still stands. Some personalities, including Pema Faliya, are named in the Mains syllabus but are not documented in the sources used here, so the chapter does not state their episodes.
7. Institutions, museums and welfare
- Shri Badal Bhoi State Tribal Museum, Chhindwara: set up in 1954 according to ETV Bharat, and renamed after Badal Bhoi, a Gond leader of the Chhindwara region.
- Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya, Bhopal: dated to 21 March 1977 by the sources (founded in 1977 and developed at its Bhopal campus later), with the Tribal Habitat open-air display. It is the state's main national-level ethnographic museum.
- Adivasi Lok Kala Academy, set up in 1980, with the Adivart museum of tribal and folk arts; it also organises the Lokrang festival.
- Indira Gandhi National Tribal University, Amarkantak: established by Act of 2007, starting operations in 2008.
- National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission: the Prime Minister launched it at Shahdol on 1 July 2023. It targets elimination as a public-health problem by 2047 and covers 278 districts in 17 high-focus states.
- PM-JANMAN, the PM Janjatiya Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan, approved by the Union Cabinet in November 2023 with an outlay of Rs 24,104 crore, targets the 75 PVTGs in 18 states and Andaman and Nicobar. The outlay and the state figures are as reported in 2023 and may have changed.
The Mains syllabus pairs tribes with conservation: the Baiga, Sahariya, Bharia, Bhil and Gond are named for their role in conserving forests and biodiversity, and the state's tiger reserves and parks lie largely in tribal districts. Answers on this theme should join the forest-rights framework, the PVTG habitat rights and the community practice of bewar or sacred groves.
Key takeaways
- Know the numbers apart: 46 notified tribes (as counted in the state table of the Scheduled Tribes article), and 15,316,784 ST persons (21.09 per cent) in Census 2011.
- Madhya Pradesh has three particularly vulnerable tribal groups: Baiga, Bharia and Sahariya. Their status rests on pre-agricultural technology, a stagnant or declining population and very low literacy.
- Bhil is the largest tribe group (about 39 per cent of STs), Gond second (about 33 per cent); keep the Bhil group distinct from the Bhilala-Barela-Patelia names that the census includes in it.
- The Constitution and the Fifth Schedule frame the state: ST lists under Article 342, 89 PESA blocks in 20 districts, the PESA Rules of November 2022, and 47 ST-reserved assembly seats.
- Heroes are matched to episodes: Durgavati (Narrai, 1564), Shankar Shah and Raghunath Shah (Jabalpur, 1857), Bhima Nayak (Port Blair, 1876) and Tantya Bhil (Jabalpur, 1889).
- Bhagoria belongs to the Bhil, held before Holi; the Gond clan deity is Persa Pen, and the Gond bards are the Pardhan.
Practice questions (15)
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.
How many Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) are recognised in Madhya Pradesh in the Ministry of Tribal Affairs list?
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Answer: B — 3
Madhya Pradesh has three PVTGs, the Baiga, the Bharia and the Sahariya, as recognised in the Ministry of Tribal Affairs list of PVTGs. The figure 46 is the number of notified Scheduled Tribes, not the PVTGs, and the question tests keeping those two counts apart.What was the Scheduled Tribe population of Madhya Pradesh in the Census of India 2011?
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Answer: B — About 1.53 crore
The 2011 Census counted 15,316,784 Scheduled Tribe persons, about 1.53 crore, which is 21.09 per cent of the state's 72,626,809. The figure 7.26 crore is the state's total population in the same census, not the tribal population.Which is the largest Scheduled Tribe group in Madhya Pradesh by the Census 2011 state totals?
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Answer: C — Bhil, Bhilala, Barela and Patelia group
The Bhil group, with Bhilala, Barela and Patelia, is the largest at about 5.99 million, or 39 per cent of STs. The Gond group is second at about 5.09 million. The Kol and Korku groups are much smaller.What is the name of the shifting cultivation practised by the Baiga of Madhya Pradesh?
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Answer: B — Bewar
Bewar, also called dahiya, is the Baiga term for shifting cultivation in forest patches followed by a long fallow. Jhum, podu and taungya are the names used in the north-east, Odisha and Myanmar, and do not describe the Baiga practice.Which PVTG is associated with the Patalkot valley of Tamia tehsil in Chhindwara district?
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Answer: B — Bharia
The Bharia live in the Patalkot valley below the Tamia plateau in Chhindwara, speak Bhariati and are known for their herbal knowledge. The Baiga are in the Mandla and Balaghat belt, and the Sahariya in the Chambal-Kuno belt; the Korku are a non-PVTG Munda group.Consider the following statements about tribes of Madhya Pradesh and label them P, Q, R and S. P: the Gond are the largest Scheduled Tribe group in the state by Census 2011. Q: the Korku are concentrated in Khandwa, Burhanpur, Betul and Chhindwara. R: the Baiga are one of the three PVTGs of the state. S: the Saharia form the largest Scheduled Tribe group in Sheopur district by Census 2011. Which statements are correct?
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Answer: B — Q, R and S only
Q, R and S are correct. P is false because the Bhil group, not the Gond, is the largest by the census state totals. S holds because the Sheopur district table shows Saharia as the top tribe there, and R holds because the three PVTGs are Baiga, Bharia and Sahariya.Match the community with its art or dance: P, Pithora painting with the Bhil; Q, Swang dance with the Sahariya; R, Bhagoria haat with the Bhil; S, the Persa Pen clan deity with the Sahariya. Which pairs are correct?
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Answer: A — P, Q and R only
P, Q and R are correct. Persa Pen is the clan deity of the Gond, not the Sahariya, so S is wrong. Pithora is the Bhil art, Bhagoria is the Bhil courtship fair before Holi, and Swang is the Sahariya dance around Holi.Which of these is NOT one of the Scheduled Tribe-reserved Lok Sabha constituencies of Madhya Pradesh?
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Answer: D — Bhind
Bhind is reserved for Scheduled Castes, not Scheduled Tribes. Shahdol, Mandla and Betul are ST-reserved, as are Ratlam, Dhar and Khargone, so the state has six ST seats in the Lok Sabha.How many of the 230 seats of the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly are reserved for Scheduled Tribes under the delimitation in use since 2008?
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Answer: B — 47
Of the 230 assembly seats, 47 are reserved for Scheduled Tribes and 35 for Scheduled Castes, a split that has held since the 2008 delimitation. The Lok Sabha figure of 29 is the state's total Lok Sabha strength, not an assembly figure.According to the Ministry of Panchayati Raj's December 2025 document on PESA, how many development blocks in Madhya Pradesh fall under the Act?
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Answer: C — 89
The document lists 89 blocks, 5 fully covered and 15 partly covered districts (20 in all), and 11,784 villages. The question asks for blocks, so 89 is correct and the 20 districts and 11,784 villages are the tempting distractors.The table in the stem gives Bhil group 5,993,921, Gond group 5,093,124, Kol 1,167,694, Korku 730,847 and all Scheduled Tribes 15,316,784. What percentage of the state's Scheduled Tribe population is the Gond group, to one decimal place?
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Answer: C — 33.3
5,093,124 divided by 15,316,784 is about 33.25 per cent, which rounds to 33.3. The Bhil group gives 39.1 per cent and the Kol group 7.6 per cent, so the options are the shares of other groups in the same table.Using the 2011 figures for the three PVTG entries (Baiga 414,526; Bharia entry 193,230; Sahariya 614,958) and the all-ST total of 15,316,784, roughly what share of the state's STs do the three PVTGs together account for?
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Answer: A — 8.0 per cent
The three entries add to about 1,222,714, which is roughly 8.0 per cent of 15,316,784. The Baiga alone is 2.7 per cent and the Sahariya 4.0 per cent; the Bharia entry combines several names, so the total is an approximation.Arrange these tribal personalities in order of the year of their death, from the earliest to the latest: Shankar Shah, Rani Durgavati, Bhima Nayak and Tantya Bhil.
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Answer: D — Durgavati, Shankar Shah, Bhima Nayak, Tantya Bhil
Durgavati died in 1564, Shankar Shah was executed in 1857, Bhima Nayak was hanged in 1876 and Tantya Bhil in 1889. The trap is placing Shankar Shah after Bhima Nayak, which is the order of the rebellion narrative rather than of the dates.Consider the following statements about tribal leaders of Madhya Pradesh and label them P, Q, R and S. P: Tantya Bhil was hanged at Jabalpur in 1889. Q: Bhima Nayak was hanged at Port Blair in 1876. R: Rani Durgavati died at Narrai Nala near Jabalpur in 1564. S: Shankar Shah was blown from a cannon at Mandla fort in 1857. Which statements are correct?
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Answer: C — P, Q and R only
P, Q and R are correct. S is false: Shankar Shah and Raghunath Shah were blown from a cannon at Jabalpur, not at Mandla, although the Garha-Mandla kingdom was their family's realm. Keep the kingdom's name apart from the place of execution.Which fact about the National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission is correct?
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Answer: A — It was launched at Shahdol on 1 July 2023.
The Prime Minister launched the mission at Shahdol on 1 July 2023, and it aims to eliminate sickle cell disease as a public-health problem by 2047. Shahdol is in the tribal belt, which is why the sickle cell item of the syllabus is linked to tribal health.