Antoniomec at 14:52, 9 February 2026

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{{Short description|Group of centrally located Indian states}}
{{About|a region in North India|the Indian Agency (a type of subdivision) that existed between 1854 to 1947|Central India Agency}}
{{Use Indian English|date=May 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Central India
| other_name = Madhya Bharat
| image_map = Central India.svg
| map_caption = States commonly referred to as Central India
| map_alt = Map showing Central India region consisting of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh
| coordinates_footnotes =
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = {{flag|India}}
| subdivision_type1 = States
| subdivision_name1 = {{plainlist|
* {{flagicon image|Flag of Madhya Pradesh.svg}} [[Madhya Pradesh]]
* [[Chhattisgarh]]
}}
| subdivision_type2 = Largest cities
| subdivision_name2 = {{plainlist|
* [[Bhopal]]
* [[Indore]]
* [[Jabalpur]]
* [[Raipur]]
* [[Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh|Bilaspur]]
* [[Gwalior]]
* [[Durg|Durg-Bhilai]]
* [[Ujjain]]
* [[Korba, Chhattisgarh|Korba]]
* [[Sagar, Madhya Pradesh|Sagar]]
}}
| image_skyline = {{multiple image
| border = infobox
| total_width = 300
| perrow = 2/2/2/2
| image1 = Dhuandhar Waterfalls.jpg
| image2 = Marble Rocks - Jabalpur.jpg
| image3 = Mahakaleshwar Temple, Ujjain.jpg
| image4 = Tiger Kanha National Park.jpg
| image5 = The Chitrakote Falls.jpg
| image6 = 1 Khajuraho.jpg
| image7 = Bhoramdeo Temple, Kawardha.jpg
| image8 = Bhimbetka Caves, Madhya Pradesh.jpg
}}
| image_caption = '''From top, left to right''': [[Dhuandhar Falls]], [[Marble Rocks]] along [[Narmada River]], [[Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga|Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga Temple]], [[Kanha Tiger Reserve|Kanha National Park]], [[Chitrakote Falls]], [[Khajuraho Group of Monuments]], [[Bhoramdeo Temple]], [[Bhimbetka rock shelters|Bhimbetka Rock Shelters]]
|population_as_of=2011
|population_total=98137763
}}
'''Central India''' refers to a [[administrative divisions of India|geographical region]] of [[India]] that generally includes the [[states and union territories of India|states]] of [[Chhattisgarh]] and [[Madhya Pradesh]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Discover Central India's iconic destinations |url=https://www.andbeyond.com/destinations/asia/india/central-india/ |website=andBeyond |access-date=30 May 2025}}</ref>

The [[Central Zonal Council]], established by the Government of India, includes these states as well as [[Uttar Pradesh]] and [[Uttarakhand]] to the north.<ref>{{cite web |title=Zonal Council |url=https://www.mha.gov.in/en/page/zonal-council |publisher=[[Ministry of Home Affairs (India)|Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India]] |access-date=30 May 2025 |language=en}}</ref> The inclusion of Uttarakhand extends the region to the Himalayan border with [[Tibet Autonomous Region|Tibet]]/[[China]].
[[File:Zonal Councils.svg|thumb|Central zone of [[India]] in ''green'']]

==Other definitions==
Another approach, historically more usual, is to base "Central India" on a north-south axis, making it the part of India that is south of [[North India]] and north of [[South India]]; the definition of North India also varies hugely, but that of South India is generally agreed. This definition includes either some or all of the [[Deccan]], in particular [[Maharashtra]], and may or may not include some of the [[Indo-Gangetic Plain]] to the north. If Maharashtra is included "Central India" includes a good part of the western coast, including [[Mumbai]], but the eastern coast is never included, as [[Odisha]] stretches down to meet [[Andhra Pradesh]], and these are counted in [[Eastern India|Eastern]] and Southern India respectively (and none of the eastern coast is part of the [[Hindi Belt]]).

Another definition is "the hill-country south of the Ganges plain", but north of the Deccan.<ref>Blurton, T. Richard, ''Hindu Art'', p. 187, 1994, British Museum Press, {{ISBN|0 7141 1442 1}}.</ref> Some official divisions of the country do not recognise any "Central" division at all.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cea.nic.in/reports/monthly/installedcapacity/2015/installed_capacity-11.pdf |title=Executive summary of month of November 2015 |publisher=Central Electricity Authority, Ministry of Power, Government of India |access-date=15 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304051607/http://www.cea.nic.in/reports/monthly/installedcapacity/2015/installed_capacity-11.pdf |archive-date=4 March 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Another definition, which treats the Deccan as a different unit, defines "Central India" as Madhya Pradesh and "eastern and central [[Uttar Pradesh]]".<ref>Michell, George (1990), ''The Penguin Guide to the Monuments of India, Volume 1: Buddhist, Jain, Hindu'', p. 138, 1990, Penguin Books, {{ISBN|0140081445}}.</ref> "Madhya Pradesh" means "central province", while "Uttar Pradesh" means "northern province", though when adopted in 1950 it had the advantage of preserving the common "UP" abbreviation for what was formerly the [[United Provinces of Agra and Oudh]]. This definition is rather similar to the territories, all [[princely state]]s, grouped by the [[British Raj]] in 1854 as the [[Central India Agency]] (not to be confused with the [[Central Provinces]], bordering this to the south).

The ''Memoir of Central India'' by Sir [[John Malcolm]], [[Governor of Bombay]] begins with a definition:

<blockquote>The country termed Central India is, roughly speaking, the region lying between the [[21st parallel north|twenty-first]] and [[25th parallel north|twenty-fifth degrees]] of north latitude, and the [[73rd meridian east|seventy-third]] and [[80th meridian east|eightieth degrees]] of east longitude...<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=0emFWxyNbNIC&pg=PA1 ''Memoir of Central India''], p. 1, Sir [[John Malcolm]]</ref></blockquote>

Depending on definition, [[Indore]], the commercial capital of Madhya Pradesh, is the largest city in the region. Other major [[list of cities in India by population|cities]] include [[Raipur]], [[Bhopal]], [[Gwalior]], [[Jabalpur]], [[Durg|Durg-Bhilai]] and [[Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh|Bilaspur]]. The states share many [[languages of India|linguistic]] and [[culture of India|cultural]] characteristics with [[North India]] including the predominance of [[Hindi]].

==History==
The Bhimbetka caves show evidence of [[Paleolithic]] settlements in present-day Madhya Pradesh. [[Stone Age]] tools have also been discovered at various places along the [[Narmada River|Narmada river]] valley. Chalcolithic sites have been discovered at a number of places including [[Eran]], Kayatha, Maheshwar, Nagda, and Navdatoli. Rock shelters with cave paintings, the earliest of which can be dated to 30,000 BCE, have also been discovered at a number of places. The settlements of humans in present-day Madhya Pradesh developed primarily in the valleys of rivers such as Narmada, Chambal, and Betwa. During the early Vedic period, the Vindhya mountains formed the southern boundary of the Indo-Aryan territory.

The most powerful and greatest dynasty to emerge from Central India was undoubtedly the [[Chandelas of Jejakabhukti]]. Apart from their extensive conquests, Chandelas played a more important in the national struggle against [[Muslim]] invaders. They ruled Central India for about six centuries, a period that is rather unusual in the annals of the ruling dynasties of [[India]].<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=a9j9ZJGJOV0C&pg=PA125 |title=The Candellas of Jejākabhukti |author=R. K. Dikshit |publisher=Abhinav |year=1976 |isbn=9788170170464 |at=Preface}}</ref>

The [[Holkars]] of [[Indore]], [[Scindia]]s of [[Gwalior]], [[Pawar|Puars]] of [[Dewas Junior]], [[Dewas Senior]] and [[Dhar State]] were powerful families of the [[Maratha Empire]] which were based in Central India. The territories that now comprises [[Madhya Pradesh]] and [[Chhattisgarh]] were ruled by numerous [[Princely State|princes]] who entered into [[subsidiary alliance]] with the [[British Raj|British]].

After [[Purna Swaraj|independence]], the states of [[Madhya Bharat]], [[Vindhya Pradesh]], and [[Bhopal]] were merged into Madhya Pradesh in 1956. In 2000, the new state of [[Chhattisgarh]] was carved out of [[Madhya Pradesh]].

==Language==
[[File:WIKITONGUES- Krishna speaking Hindi.webm|thumb|A Hindi speaker, recorded in [[Taiwan]].]]

The region is part of the [[Hindi Belt]], and [[Hindi|Modern Standard Hindi]] is the predominant language. Other Hindi belt languages such as [[Chhattisgarhi]] are also common regionally. Besides these [[Indo-Aryan languages]], the [[Munda languages|Munda-family language]] [[Korku language|Korku]] is also spoken in Central India.

== See also ==
* [[Administrative divisions of India]]
* [[East India]]
* [[North India]]
* [[Northeast India]]
* [[South India]]
* [[Western India]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{Geographic location
|width = auto
|Centre = Central India
|North = [[North India]]
|Northeast = [[East India]]
|East = [[East India]]
|Southeast = [[East India]]
|South = [[South India]]
|Southwest = [[Western India]]
|West = [[Western India]]
|Northwest = [[North India]]
}}
{{Geography of India}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:Central India| ]]
[[Category:Regions of India]]

Central India - Revision history

Antoniomec at 14:52, 9 February 2026