Mission Madhya Pradesh

The state has become the template for India’s second green revolution. If only it could replicate this in industry and focus more on reducing regional disparities

- Ajit Kumar Jha

The erotic 10th century Khajuraho sculptures built by the Chandela kings contrast sharply with the serene Sanchi stupa erected by Emperor Asoka (3rd century BC), yet both the Hindu and Buddhist structures symbolise Madhya Pradesh’s monumental historical legacy. Equally powerful is the state’s literary tradition: the classical Sanskrit poet Kalidasa’s Meghadootam was a serenade of love for the beauty of prosperous Ujjain under King Vikramaditya just as the modern-day novel, A River Sutra, by Gita Mehta, is an ode to the holy river Narmada, lifeline of MP. Bhopal’s Bharat Bhavan has lorded over Hindi literature since 1982 with its array of avant garde poets, novelists, artists and theatre personalities.

Meanwhile, the rugged rock-cut Udayagiri caves, the Bhimbetka rock shelters in Raisen district, the ornately built Jahangir Mahal in Orchha, the royal Rajwada in Indore, the great lakes of Bhopal built by the Paramara Raja Bhoj of Malwa, the palaces of Gwalior, the ancient Kal Bhairav temple, the Panch Pandav caves and the Ujjain Simhastha make MP a tourist’s paradise no less than Rajasthan or Kerala. In sharp contrast to neighbouring Raj asthan’s Thar desert, MP, nicknamed “the heart of India”, with magnificent parks such as the Satpura national park in Pachmarhi, Bandhavgarh Tiger Safari, Kanha Tiger Reserve and Pench National Park near Seoni echo the enduring world of Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle Book.