Mandla

Mandla district lies in the Maikal–Satpura region of eastern Madhya Pradesh, in a landscape of dense forests, rolling hills and the upper basin of the Narmada River. For many centuries it formed part of Gondwana, the homeland of the Gond tribes. Local Gond chiefs eventually consolidated power into the Garha-Mandla kingdom, with its centres at Garha (near Jabalpur) and Mandla. This Gond kingdom reached its height between the 15th and 16th centuries, before coming under pressure from both northern and Deccan powers.

Mandla’s history is strongly associated with the Gond rulers and later with the heroic figure of Rani Durgavati, who resisted Mughal expansion in the mid-16th century before being defeated and dying in battle. Over the following centuries, the region saw alternating influence of the Mughals, regional sultanates and later Maratha powers, while tribal communities continued to dominate the interior hills and forests.

In the 19th century, after the defeat of the Marathas, Mandla became part of the British Central Provinces. Forest reservation, limited road building and revenue settlements changed local life, but much of the district remained sparsely populated and tribal. After Independence, Mandla continued as a separate district, later gaining national attention as part of the landscape of Kanha Tiger Reserve, with forestry, agriculture and tribal culture shaping its modern identity.