Vemareddy at 07:36, 2 May 2026

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{{Short description|Former Indian kingdom}}
{{Infobox country
| common_name =
| image_coat = MadanMahalFort.JPG
| coa_size = 250px
| symbol_type = Madan Mahal, capital of Garha kingdom
| conventional_long_name = Garha kingdom of Gondwana
| government_type = Monarchy
| year_start = 1440
| year_end = 1781
| p1 = Kalachuris of Ratnapura
| p2 = Kalachuris of Tripuri
| s1 = Marathas of Saugor
| capital ={{ubl| [[Jabalpur|Garha]] (1116–1488){{cn|date=October 2024}} | [[Singorgarh fort|Singhorgarh]] (1488–1564){{cn|date=October 2024}} | [[Narsinghpur|Chouragarh]] (1564–1634) | [[Ramnagar, Madhya Pradesh|Ramnagar]] (1634–1781) }}
| religion = Hinduism, Gondism
| common_languages = [[Gondi language|Gondi]] [[Hindi]], [[Sanskrit]] And Other Central languages
| today = [[India]]
|footnote_a =
}}

The '''Garha kingdom''', also called '''Garha-Mandla''' or '''Garha Katanga''', was [[History of India#Early modern period (c. 1526–1858 CE)|an early-modern-era]] kingdom in India. It was the first kingdom to be founded by the [[Nagavanshis of Chotanagpur|Naagvanshi Gond Rajput Dynasty]], and was based in [[Central India]]. The kingdom was founded in the 15th century and lasted until conquest by the [[Maratha Confederacy]] in 1781.

==History==
The first Gond king of Garha-[[Mandla]] was Jadurai. He became king after deposing the [[Kalachuris of Tripuri|Kalchuris]] of Garha-Mandla, where earlier he worked in court.{{r|gondwana}}<ref name= "women"/>{{r|dTe}}

The Garha-Mandla kingdom was initially a small territory whose early kings focused on consolidating their rule. Kharji (1440–1460) expanded his army and his grandson Sukhandas (1480–1500) included [[Rajput]]s in his army and administration.{{sfn|Mishra|2008|p=44}}<ref name="akbarnama">{{cite book |last1=Beveridge |first1=H. |title=The Akbarnama Of Abul Fazl |volume=II |date=1907 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.189290/page/n332/mode/1up 323]–[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.189290/page/n342/mode/1up 333] |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.189290 |language=en |chapter=Conquest of the country of Gadha Katanga by the sword of the genius of Khwaja Abdul Majid Asaf Khan |access-date=1 April 2023 |archive-date=29 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161229074346/http://www.new.dli.ernet.in/handle/2015/55649 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The kingdom witnessed rapid expansion under the rule of [[Sangram Shah]], the 48th king, He captured territories like Narmada Valley, [[Bhopal]], [[Sagar, Madhya Pradesh|Sagar]], [[Damoh]] and most of the [[Satpura]] hills. He conquered 52 forts called ''Garh''s to strengthen and consolidate his hold on territory. The Chouragrh Fort in [[Narsinghpur]] was built in the honour of conquering 52 forts.{{r|gondwana}} Sangram Shah is best known as a patron of arts and literature and he had great knowledge of [[Sanskrit]]. ''Rasratnamala'' was written by Sangram Shah.<ref name="misra">{{cite book |last1=Miśra |first1=Sureśa |title=Tribal Ascendancy in Central India: The Gond Kingdom of Garha |date=2007 |publisher=Manak Publications |isbn=978-81-7827-185-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R4MMAQAAMAAJ&q=Rasratnamala |language=en}}</ref> During Sangram Shah's reign, the capital of Garha kingdom was [[Singorgarh fort|Singhorgarh]]. The Akbar nama, a history of Akbar's reign, mentions the Gond kingdom of Garha Katanga that had 70,000 villages.

His successor [[Dalpat Shah]], was married to [[Rani Durgawati]] ([[Rani]]-queen)<ref name="goddess">{{cite book |last1=Datta |first1=Saurav Ranjan |title=Goddesses of Fury: History's Most Daring Queens |publisher=The Little Booktique Hub |isbn=978-93-93209-19-1 |page=151 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xDpTEAAAQBAJ&dq=Dalpat+Shah&pg=PA151 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="women">{{cite book |last1=Gupta |first1=Archana Garodia |title=The Women Who Ruled India: Leaders. Warriors. Icons. |date=20 April 2019 |publisher=Hachette India |isbn=978-93-5195-153-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4XuLDwAAQBAJ&dq=Dalpat+Shah&pg=PT67 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.livehistoryindia.com/snapshort-histories/2017/07/17/rani-durgavati-the-warrior-queen-of-the-gonds.html |title="Rani Durgavati: The Warrior Queen of the Gonds" |access-date=2018-02-12 |archive-date=2018-02-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180213021957/https://www.livehistoryindia.com/snapshort-histories/2017/07/17/rani-durgavati-the-warrior-queen-of-the-gonds.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> who was a [[Chandelas of Jejakabhukti|Chandela]] [[Rajput]] princess. [[Rani Durgavati]] moved her capital to [[Narsinghpur|Chouragarh]] because it was safer than [[Singorgarh fort]]. Rani Durgawati made the kingdom extremely prosperous, it was said that the people paid their taxes in gold in her reign.<ref name= "women"/> [[Baz Bahadur]], the last [[Malwa Sultanate|sultan of Malwa]], invaded Garha but was thoroughly defeated by Rani Durgawati.<ref name="rani">{{cite book |last1=Sengupta |first1=Nandini |title=Rani Durgawati: The Forgotten Life of a Warrior Queen |date=25 November 2022 |publisher=Penguin Random House India Private Limited |isbn=978-93-5492-829-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pVWbEAAAQBAJ&dq=kalyan+sahai&pg=PT111 |language=en}}</ref> The powerful [[Mughal Empire|Mughal Emperor]] [[Akbar]] sent his forces led by [[Asaf Khan I]] to [[Mughal conquest of Garha|capture Garha in 1564]]. The queen put up a fierce resistance in the Battle of Narrai despite being heavily outnumbered and was eventually killed. She is remembered as a war-heroine and is still praised across the whole [[Gondwana (India)|Gondwana]] region by the [[Gondi people|Gond]]s.<ref name= "women"/> The Mughals acquired immense booty from this victory, including coins, gold, silver, jewels and thousands of elephants.<ref name="akbar">{{cite book |last1=Chandra |first1=Satish |title=Medieval India: From Sultanat to the Mughals Part – II |date=2005 |publisher=Har-Anand Publications |isbn=978-81-241-1066-9 |page=105 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0Rm9MC4DDrcC&q=pg=PA105 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="west">{{cite book |last1=West |first1=Barbara A. |title=Encyclopedia of the Peoples of Asia and Oceania |date=19 May 2010 |publisher=Infobase Publishing |isbn=978-1-4381-1913-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pCiNqFj3MQsC&dq=Sangram+Shah&pg=PA241 |language=en}}</ref>

After some years of [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] rule, the kingdom was restored to Chandra Shah, another son of [[Sangram Shah]] and half-brother of [[Dalpat Shah]].<ref name="orissa">{{cite book |title=Orissa District Gazetteers: Mandla |date=1995 |publisher=Superintendent, Orissa Government Press |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p14KAQAAIAAJ&q=Hirde+Shah |language=en}}</ref> He was recognized as the successor of [[Rani Durgavati]] by [[Akbar]] on accepting Mughal suzerainty and ceding 10 of the garhas.<ref name="balaghat">{{cite book |last1=Pradesh (India) |first1=Madhya |title=Madhya Pradesh: Balaghat |date=1992 |publisher=Government Central Press |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NCduAAAAMAAJ&q=Hirde+Shah |language=en}}</ref><ref name="thakur gonds">{{cite book |last1=Sharma |first1=Anima |title=Tribe in transition : a study of Thakur Gonds |date=2005 |publisher=Mittal Publications |location=New Delhi |isbn=9788170999898 |edition=1st |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=72DFmlOlViEC&dq=Dalpat+Shah&pg=PA124}}</ref>
He was followed in succession by Madhukar Shah and Prem Narain.<ref name="balaghat"/> [[Jhujhar Singh]] of [[Orchha State|Orchha]] assassinated Prem Narain, however, [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] interference restored the kingdom to [[Hridayshah]].<ref name="balaghat"/><ref name="thakur gonds"/>

[[Hridayshah]] maintained friendly relations with the [[Mughal Empire|Mughals]], he spent days at the imperial court in Delhi as well.<ref name= "gondwana"/> He moved his capital from Chouragarh to [[Ramnagar, Madhya Pradesh|Ramnagar]] of [[Mandla]] district.

==Decline==
Hriday Shah was the last great king of Garha-Mandla. After his death, no great ruler appeared and court intrigue was common, greatly weakening the state. It ceded away portions of its territory and its revenues were spent to buy off its enemies. One of its feudatories, the Gond rajas of Deogadh, took advantage of the kingdom's weakness subsequent to the temporary Mughal conquest in the early 17th century and annexed a large part of its territories.<ref name="vidarbha">{{cite book |last1=Deogaonkar |first1=Shashishekhar Gopal |title=The Gonds of Vidarbha |date=2007 |publisher=Concept Publishing Company |isbn=978-81-8069-474-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X39c2VODLT0C&pg=PA16 |language=en}}</ref> [[Bakht Buland Shah]], the Gond raja of Deogarh, was ceded the district of Seoni, Chauri, Dongartal and Ghansour by Narendra Shah of Mandla for his aid against the rebellious [[Pathan]] jagirdars in the kingdom.<ref name="berar">{{cite book |last1=Sil |first1=Jogendra Nath |title=History of the Central Provinces and Berar |date=1917 |publisher=J.N. Sil |url=https://indianculture.gov.in/rarebooks/history-central-provinces-and-berar |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Maharashtra State Gazetteers: Bhandara District |date=2013 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4b4uPjJJFOkC&q=bakht+buland+shah |language=en}}</ref>

By the time of Maharaj Shah (1732–1742), the kingdom held only 29 out of the initial 52 forts held by his ancestor [[Sangram Shah]].<ref name="seoni">{{cite book |last1=Pradesh (India) |first1=Madhya |title=Madhya Pradesh: Seoni |date=1989 |publisher=Government Central Press |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vyVuAAAAMAAJ&q=bakht+buland+shah |language=en}}</ref> In 1742, [[Peshwa]] [[Balaji Baji Rao]] attacked Garha-Mandla along with Visaji Chandorkar, leader of the [[Marathas of Saugor|Sagar Marathas]] and killed the ruler, Maharaj Shah.<ref>{{cite book |title=Indian Dissertation Abstracts |date=1988 |publisher=Popular Prakashan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yu8agexm5TUC&q=govind+pant+bundele+sagar |language=en}}</ref> His son, Shivraj Singh, ascended he throne on the condition that he would pay an annual tribute of 4 lakhs to the Marathas.<ref name="seoni"/> Garha-Mandla essentially became a dependent state of the [[Marathas of Saugor|Sagar Marathas]].

In 1780, Narhar Shah of Mandla was defeated by the [[Nagpur Kingdom|Maratha king of Nagpur]], [[Mudhoji Bhonsle]] and annexed the territories now constituting [[Balaghat District]] and some part of [[Bhandara District]]. Narhar Shah's kingdom was finally annexed in 1781 by the [[Marathas of Saugor|Sagar Marathas]] and he was sent to spend the rest of his days at [[Khurai|Khurai fort]] in Saugor.<ref name= "gondwana"/><ref name="thakur gonds"/> The anthropologist [[Stephen Fuchs]] describes- "In 1781 the last Gond ruler of Mandla, Narhar Shah, was tortured to death by the Maratha general Moraji, and Mandla became a dependency of the [[Marathas of Saugor|Saugor Marathas]]. In 1799 Mandla fell to the [[Bhonsles of Nagpur]], till in 1818 the British took over and assumed the rule also over Mandla."<ref Name = "imperial">Hunter, William Wilson, Sir, et al. (1908). ''Imperial Gazetteer of India'', Volume 17. 1908–1931; Clarendon Press, Oxford.</ref><ref name="colonial">{{cite book |last1=Rashkow |first1=Ezra |last2=Ghosh |first2=Sanjukta |last3=Chakrabarti |first3=Upal |title=Memory, Identity and the Colonial Encounter in India: Essays in Honour of Peter Robb |date=18 August 2017 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-1-351-59694-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lJ4xDwAAQBAJ&dq=Narhar+Shah&pg=PT229 |language=en}}</ref>
==Aftermath==
In 1817, Mandla came under British rule during the [[Third Anglo-Maratha War]].<ref name="thakur gonds"/>
[[Shankar Shah]], a pensioner of the British, descendent of the rajas of Garha-Mandla and his son Raghunath Shah were arrested of a plot to murder the English residents of [[Jabalpur]] during the [[Indian Rebellion of 1857|Revolt of 1857]] and were executed by [[blowing from a gun]] in [[Jabalpur]].<ref name="west"/><ref name= "gondwana"/>

==Emblem of Gondwana State==
For over a millennium in South Asia, the visual trope of a triumphant lion vanquishing one or several elephants has been common in architectural sculpture, both in the round and in relief. In the rather limited scholarship on this motif, diverse interpretations have been offered. Although its presence has remained fairly stable through time, there exist many minor variations on this motif, including the use of leonine creatures variously described as vyālas or yālīs, and the incorporation of other fantastic creatures known popularly as makaras in such combats. In South India, the myth of the fantastic composite animal called the Śarabha takes this imagery yet further. Yet, the simple image of a lion victorious over one or more elephants was situated very strategically within certain architectural programs for given periods and places. For example, [[Gondwana Kingdom]] forts, Deccani forts constructed between the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries carried this representation on their barbicans and gateways . While tracing the history of this visual motif.

==Administration==
Administration of Gondwana was becoming centralised. The kingdom was divided into ''garh'', each ''garh'' was controlled by particular [[Gondi people|Gond]] clan. This was further divided into units of 84 villages called ''chourasi''. The ''chourasi'' was further subdivided into ''barhots'' which are made up of 12 villages each.

===List of garh===
The 53 forts or ''garh'' on which each Gondwana division was based were:
{{columns-list|colwidth=20em
|# [[Jabalpur|Garha]]
# [[Singorgarh fort|Singhorgarh]]
# [[Kurwai]]
# [[Rahatgarh]]
# Ginnorgarh
# [[Bhopal]]
# [[Makrai State|Makrai]]
# Madogarh (Mandla)
# Amoda (Jabalpur)
# [[Patan, Madhya Pradesh|Patangarh]] (Jabalpur)
# [[Chaurai Khas|Chourai]]
# [[Bargi Dam|Bargi]]
# [[Ghansor|Ghansour]]
# Karvagarh (Seoni)
# Chaiturgarh Lafagarh-Korba
# [[Raigarh]]
# Tipagarh (Balaghat)
# Kanoja (Jabalpur)
# Pachelgarh (Jabalpur)
# Bagmar (Mandla)
# Dongartal (Nagpur)
# Jhanjhangarh (Jabalpur)
# Santagarh
# Diyagarh (Jabalpur)
# Bankagarh
# Amargarh (Dindori)
# Devhar (Dindori)
# Nimuagarh (Narsinghpur)
# Bhanwargarh (Narsinghpur)
# [[Pawai]]-Karhi
# [[Shahnagar]]
# [[Dhamoni]]
# [[Hatta, Madhya Pradesh|Hatta]]
# [[Madiyadoh]]
# [[Garhakota]]
# [[Shahgarh]]
# [[Garhpehra]] (Sagar)
# [[Damoh]]
# [[Rehli]]
# [[Bina-Etawa|Itwa]] (Sagar)
# [[Khimlasa]]
# [[Badi, Raisen|Badi]]
# Chowkigarh (Hoshangabad)
# Karubag (Raisen)
# [[Raisen]]
# Bhanwaraso
# Opadgarh (Bhopal)
# Punagarh (Narsinghpur)
# [[Deori, Sagar|Deori]]
# [[Gaurjhamar|Gourjhamar]]
# Partabgarh ([[Bilaspur, Madhya Pradesh|Bilaspur]])
# [[Fatehpur, Bhopal|Fatehpur]] (Hoshangabad)
# Garh Katanga
}}

== List of rulers ==
The following is a list of the rulers of Garha-Mandla-<ref name="later">{{cite journal |last1=Chauhan |first1=D. S. |title=A study of the later history of the Rajgond kingdom of Garha-Mandla(1564–1678) |journal=Proceedings of the Indian History Congress |date=1966 |volume=28 |pages=154–161 |jstor=44140413 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/44140413 |issn=2249-1937}}</ref>{{sfn|Mishra|2008|p=34138}}
{{div col|colwidth=25em}}
* Kharji (1440–1460)
* Gorakshadas (1460–1480)
* Sukhandas (1480–1500)
* Arjun Das (1500–1513)
* [[Sangram Shah]] also known as Aman das (1513–1543)
* [[Dalpat Shah]] (1543–1550)
* [[Rani Durgawati]] (1550–1564)
* Chandra Shah (1566–1576)
* Madhukar Shah
* Prem Narain
* [[Hridayshah]] (1634–1668)
* Chhatra Shah (1668–1685)
* Kesari Shah (1685–1688)<ref name="Naidunia-Five-storey palace built from 350 year old stones">{{cite web |last1= |first1= |title=Five-storey palace built from 350 year old stones |url=https://www.naidunia.com/madhya-pradesh/mandla-fivestorey-palace-built-from-350-year-old-stones-2725820 |website=Naidunia |publisher=Naidunia |access-date=12 December 2020}}</ref>
* Narendra Shah (1688–1732)
* Maharaj Shah (1732–1742)
* Shivraj Shah (1742–1749)
* Durjan Shah (1749)
* Nizam Shah (1749–1776)
* Narhar Shah (1776–1781)
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name="gondwana">{{cite book |last1=Chatterton |first1=Eyre |title=The Story Of Gondwana |date=8 January 2021 |publisher=Read Books Ltd |isbn=978-1-5287-6963-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z7UTEAAAQBAJ&dq=Sangram+Shah&pg=PT23 |language=en}}</ref>
<ref name="dTe">{{cite news |last1=Pallavi |first1=Aparna |title=The Gond kingdoms |work=Down To Earth |date=1 October 2014 |url=https://www.downtoearth.org.in/environment/the-gond-kingdoms-46701|language=en}}</ref>
}}

===Works cited===
* {{cite book |last1=Mishra |first1=Suresh |title=Gadha Ka Gond Rajya (The Gond kingdom of Garha) |date=1 January 2008 |publisher=Rajkamal Prakashan |isbn=978-81-267-1549-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gyq3uGRT-JEC |language=hi}}

[[Category:Former countries in Indian history]]
[[Category:Garha kingdom]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 1440]]
[[Category:States and territories disestablished in 1781]]

Garha kingdom-279118 - Revision history

Vemareddy at 07:36, 2 May 2026