Jabalpur Jubbulpore
Metropolis
From top: Bhedaghat, Dhuandhar Falls, St. Aloysius Senior Secondary School, Madhya Pradesh High Court, Jabalpur Engineering College, Madan Mahal Fort,
Jabalpur Location of Jabalpur in India Show map of Madhya Pradesh Jabalpur Jabalpur (India) Show map of India
Coordinates: 23°10′N 79°56′E / 23.167°N 79.933°E / 23.167; 79.933
Country	India
State	Madhya Pradesh
District	Jabalpur
Government
• Type	Mayor–Council
• Body	Jabalpur Municipal Corporation
• Mayor	Jagat Bahadur Singh[1]
• Municipal commissioner	Swapnil Wankhade IAS
• MP	Rakesh Singh
Area [2]
• Metropolis	263.49 km2 (101.73 sq mi)
Elevation	412 m (1,352 ft)
Population  (2011)[3][4][5]
• Metropolis	1,055,525
• Rank	40th
• Density	4,000/km2 (10,000/sq mi)
• Metro [6]	1,267,564
• Metro rank	38th
Demonyms	Jabalpurians, Jabalpuriya, Jabalpurites
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN	482001 to 482011
Telephone code	0761
ISO 3166 code	IN-MP
Vehicle registration	MP-20
Sex ratio	929 ♀ / 1000 ♂
Average Literacy Rate	82.13%
Official language	Hindi[7]
Website	jabalpur.nic.in

Jabalpur, formerly Jubbulpore, is a city situated on the banks of Narmada River in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. It is the 3rd-largest urban agglomeration of the state and the 38th-largest of the country. Jabalpur is the administrative headquarters of the Jabalpur district and the Jabalpur division. It is the judicial capital of Madhya Pradesh with Madhya Pradesh High Court being located in the city. It is generally accepted that the game of snooker originated in Jabalpur.^[8] Jabalpur is also the railway headquarters of the West Central Railway. Jabalpur Cantonment is one of the largest cantonments in India and houses the army headquarters of five states (Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Bihar and Jharkhand). The city is known for the marble rocks on the river Narmada at Bhedaghat. It is also known as 'Sanskardhani' meaning 'The Cultural Capital' highlighting the city's rich cultural and historical heritage. The city of Jabalpur was among the first 7 smart cities selected for the Smart Cities Mission.

Etymology

According to a prevalent theory, Jabalpur was named after a sage named Jabali, who meditated on the banks of the Narmada river.

Another theory suggests an Arabic origin of the word since jabal in Arabic means granite boulders or huge boulders, which were common in the region.

According to a fringe theory, the name refers to Jauli Pattala, a sub-divisional unit, mentioned in Kalachuri inscriptions. Jauli also refers to the Huna queen of the Kalachuri king, Karna.

It was spelled as 'Jubbulpore' during British rule^[9]

In 2006, the Jabalpur Municipal Corporation renamed the city to Jabalpur.^[10]

History

Mythology describes three Asuras (evil spirits) in the Jabalpur region, who were defeated by the Hindu god Shiva. Tripurasura being the main asura, gave the city its puranic name Tripur Tirth.^[11] Tripuri region corresponds to the ancient Chedi Kingdom of Mahabharata times, to which king Shishupala belongs.

Ashokan relics dating to 300 BCE have been found in Rupnath, 84 kilometres (52 mi) north of the city, indicating the presence of the Mauryan Empire (322 to 185 BCE) in the region.^[11] When the empire fell, Jabalpur became a city-state before coming under the rule of the Satavahana dynasty (230 BCE to 220 CE). After their reign, the region was ruled locally by the Bodhis and the Senas, following which it became a vassal state of the Gupta Empire (320 to 550).^[11]

The region was conquered by the Kalachuri Dynasty in 875 CE. The best known Kalachuri ruler was Yuvaraja-Deva I (r. 915–945), who married Nohla Devi (a princess of the Chalukya dynasty).^[12] One of the Kalachuri ministers, Golok Simha Kayastha, was instrumental in founding the Chausath Yogini Temple near Bhedaghat. His descendants include Bhoj Simha, who was the Dewan to the Gond king Sangram Shah (1491–1543); Dewan Aadhar Singh Kayastha, who was the prime minister to Rani Durgavati (r. 1550–1564),^[13] and Beohar Raghuvir Sinha, the last Jagirdar of Jabalpur who reigned until 1947.^{[citation needed]}

Gondwana rule

Jabalpur was an important centre of power during the rule of the Gond kings of Garha-Mandla.^[14] The ruler of Garha-Mandla, Madan Shah, (1138–1157) built a watchtower and a small hilltop fort at Madan Mahal, an area in Jabalpur. In the 1500s, the Gond king, Sangram Shah held Singorgarh fort. Rani Durgawati was a princess of the Chandela Dynasty who was married to Dalpat Shah of the Gond dynasty. She was well aware of the importance of water conservation, and hence she built more than 85 ponds in Jabalpur, mainly in Ranital, Haathital, Madhatal and Hanumantal.^[15]

The Gond king, Hriday Shah (1634-1668), moved his court to the Mandla fort. He secured water sources and built irrigation structures. The kingdom was invaded in 1742 by the Maratha peshwa (prime minister), Balaji Baji Rao along with Visaji Chandorkar, the Maratha governor of Sagar, and made a tributary state of the Maratha Empire.^[16][17]

Maratha rule

The Maratha rulers of Sagar finally annexed the weakened Garha Kingdom in 1781.^[18] Around 1798, the Maratha Peshwa gave the Nerbuddah valley to the Bhonsle kings of Nagpur, who ruled the area until 1818, when it was seized by the British East India Company after the Battle of Sitabuldi.^[19]

British rule

The British made Jabalpur the commission headquarters of the Narmada territories and established a cantonment here. Under the British Raj, Jabalpur became the capital of the Saugor and Nerbudda Territories, which was part of the British North-Western Province. The Saugor and Nerbudda Territories became part of the new Central Provinces in 1861 which in 1903 became the Central Provinces and Berar. By the early 20th Century Jabalpur was the headquarters of a brigade in the 5th division of the Southern Army.

A significant event was the Tripuri Congress session in 1939, led by Subhash Chandra Bose. Under the guidance of Lokmanya Tilak, the Flag Satyagraha was successfully launched. Mahatma Gandhi visited Jabalpur four times. The Congress session in 1939, where Subhash Chandra Bose was elected president against Gandhi's wishes, was notable for its debates on strategies for India's independence. A memorial gate, Kamania Gate, was built in the city to commemorate these events.

After India's independence in 1947, the Central Provinces and Berar became the state of Madhya Pradesh.

Under British rule, and among others in the works of Kipling, the city name was spelled Jubbulpore.

The city's institutional buildings still showcase the British colonial architecture.

Geography

Climate

Jabalpur has a humid subtropical climate typical of north-central India (Madhya Pradesh and southern Uttar Pradesh). Summer begins in late March, lasting until June. May is the hottest month, with an average temperature exceeding 40 °C (104 °F). Summer is followed by the southwest monsoon, which lasts until early October and produces 889 mm (35 in) of rain from July to September. The average annual precipitation is nearly 1,386 mm (54.6 in). The Winter begins in late November and lasts until early March. January is the coldest month, with an average daily temperature near 15 °C (59 °F).