01The Gond kingdom of Garha
The Gond kings of Garha-Mandla ruled the upper Narmada for centuries from Garha, now a part of Jabalpur. Sangram Shah, early in the 16th century, gathered fifty-two forts under his rule, and the little stronghold on the boulder hill above Garha, called Madan Mahal after a Raja Madan Shah of the line, served as a lookout over the plain. The building is tiny: a few rooms, a stable, a water tank and a terrace balanced on the rocks, reached by steep steps. Below it, among the scattered boulders, is the famous Balancing Rock.
02Rani Durgavati’s stand
Durgavati, a Chandela princess of Mahoba, married Sangram Shah’s son Dalpat Shah and ruled Garha after his death in her young son Vir Narayan’s name, beating back the Sultan of Malwa. In 1564 Akbar’s governor Asaf Khan invaded. She met him in the hills near Jabalpur and was wounded by arrows; on 24 June 1564, rather than be taken, she drove her own dagger into herself. Her son fell defending Chauragarh soon after. Abul Fazl, Akbar’s own historian, wrote of her courage. Her samadhi is at Barela near Jabalpur, and the city’s university bears her name.
The life of this place
- 24 June 1564Rani Durgavati dies in battle against Asaf Khan near Jabalpur.
