Gondwana Kingdoms

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The Gondwana Kingdoms were the ruling kingdoms in the Gondwana region of India. The Gondwana region includes the core region of the eastern part of the Vidarbha of Maharashtra, Garha Kingdom, the parts of Madhya Pradesh immediately to the north of it, and parts of western Chhattisgarh. The wider region extends beyond these, also including parts of northern Telangana, western Odisha and southern Uttar Pradesh.

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The Gondwana Kingdoms were ruled by Rajgonds. The Rajgonds are the ruling class among the Gond. The Gond is the dominating Community in Gondwana region. The name Gondwana named after Gondi people.

Gonds are followers of the nature-based religion Gondi Religion/Koyapunem. [1]

Gondwana means "Country inhabited by Gonds".

In the early period, the Gondwana kingdom consisted of majorly four kingdoms — The Northern Gondwana was Garha Katanga or Garha Mandla Kingdom of Jabalpur and Southern part was Chanda Kingdom of Chandrapur. The western past was Kherla Kingdom of Betul and in 16th century Deogarh Kingdom of Nagpur and Chhindwara emerged as a strong kingdom. [2]

The Gonds were first mentioned in 14th-century Muslim chronicles. From the 14th to the 18th century the area was held by powerful Gond dynasties, which during Mughal times remained independent or served as tributary chiefs. When in the 18th century the Gonds were conquered by the Marathas, the greater part of Gondwana was incorporated into the dominions of the Bhonsle rajas of Nagpur or the nizams of Hyderabad. Many Gonds took refuge in relatively inaccessible highlands and became tribal raiders. Between 1818 and 1853 the greater part of the region passed to the British, although in some minor states the Gond rajas continued to rule until Indian independence in 1947.

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. [3] 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.

History

Deogad-Nagpur Kingdom

The second kingdom of Deogad (Chhindwada in Madhya Pradesh and Nagpur in Maharashtra), was created by King Jatba in the 15th century. [4] One of his successors, Bakht Buland Shah, converted to Islam to win the favour of emperor Aurangzeb. However, he did not demand conversion from his subjects and married a Gond woman. He fell into disfavour in Delhi after he plundered some Muslim kingdoms of Deccan. The city of Nagpur was founded by the king of Deogad Raja Bakht Buland Shah in 1702. The kingdom of Nagpur and later came under the rule of the Nagpur Bhonsles. [5]

Chanda Kingdom

The 10th ruler of the Gond dynasty of Chanda, Khadkya Ballal Shah (1472 -1497 CE), who made Chandrapur his capital. [6] The Chanda kingdom (Chandrapur in Maharashtra), a contemporary of the Kherla and Deogadh kingdoms, produced several remarkable rulers who developed excellent irrigation systems and the first well defined revenue system among the Gond kingdoms. [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gondwana (India)</span> Region in India

Gondwana, also known as Gondaranya, the land of Gondwana, is a region of India named after the Gondi people who live there. The name of the ancient continent of Gondwanaland was derived from Gondwana, because some of the earliest rock formations of this continent were first investigated in part of the region in modern Odisha.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gondi people</span> Ethnolinguistic group in India

The Gondi (Gōṇḍī) or Gond people, who refer to themselves as "Kōītōr", are an ethnolinguistic group in India. Their native language, Gondi, belongs to the Dravidian family. They are spread over the states of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, and Odisha. They are listed as a Scheduled Tribe for the purpose of India's system of reservation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bhandara district</span> District of Maharashtra in India

Bhandara District is an administrative district in the state of Maharashtra in India. The district headquarters are located at Bhandara. The district occupies an area of 3717 km2 and has a population of 1,200,334, of which 19.48% are urban as of 2011. The growth rate of Bhandara is 5.56% Bhandara has a mixed economy with agriculture, industries and forest resources. Bhandara is known for its large production of rice. Tumsar, a tahsil town, is a noted rice market. Bhandara town is also known as "Brass City" owing to the presence of a large brass products industry. Bhandara has several tourist destinations, like Ambagad Fort, Brahmi, Chinchgad, and Dighori.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mandla</span> City in Madhya Pradesh, India

Mandla is a city with municipality in Mandla district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of Mandla District. The city is situated in a loop of the Narmada River, which surrounds it on three sides, and for 15 miles between Mandla and Ramnagar, Madhya Pradesh the river flows in a deep bed unbroken by rocks. The Narmada is worshiped here, and many ghats have been constructed on the banks of the river. It was a capital of the Gondwana Kingdom who built a palace and a fort, which in the absence of proper care have gone to ruins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Balaghat district</span> District of Madhya Pradesh in India

Balaghat district is a district of Madhya Pradesh state in Central India. Its belongs to Jabalpur Division. Balaghat city is Administrative Headquarter of Balaghat District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chhindwara district</span> District of Madhya Pradesh, India

Chhindwara district is one of the major districts of Madhya Pradesh state of India, and Chhindwara town is the district headquarters. Chhindwara was the largest district in Madhya Pradesh with an area of 10,293 square km before the bifurcation of Pandhurna district. The district is part of Jabalpur division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seoni district</span> District of Madhya Pradesh in India

Seoni District is a district of Madhya Pradesh state in central India. The town of Seoni is the district headquarters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chandrapur</span> City in Maharashtra, India

Chandrapur is a city and a municipal corporation in Chandrapur district, Maharashtra state, India. It is the district headquarters of Chandrapur district. Chandrapur is a fort city founded by Khandkya Ballal Shah, a Gond king of the 13th century. The city sits at the confluence of the Erai river and Zarpat river. The area around the city is rich in coal seams.. Hence, Chandrapur is also known as the "Black Gold City".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingdom of Nagpur</span>

The Kingdom of Nagpur was an Indian kingdom within the Maratha Confederacy in the 18th and 19th centuries. It came under the rule of the Marathas of the Bhonsle dynasty in the mid-18th century. The city of Nagpur was the capital of the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Nagpur</span> Aspect of Indian history

The history of Nagpur, in central India, spans over 5,000 years, including the Kingdom of Nagpur in the 18th and 19th century. Human existence around present-day Nagpur city can be traced back 3,000 years to the 8th century BC. Menhir burial sites at Drugdhamna indicate megalithic culture existed around Nagpur and is still followed in present times.

The Rajgonds are the ruling class of the Gonds. The region of Gondwana consisted of neighbouring kingdoms. To the south was the Kingdom of Chanda and to the north was the powerful Garha-Mandla kingdom. In the 16th century, the Kingdom of Deogarh rose as a powerful state with the Kherla Kingdom in its western past.

Ajanbahu Jatbasha is considered by historians to be founder of the Gond dynasty of Chhindwara and Nagpur, which ruled the present days territories of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and part of Maharashtra in the 16th-18th centuries. Documentation of his origins and rise to power have not survived, but he is the first historical leader of the mountain Gondi people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bakht Buland Shah</span> Gond king and founder of Nagpur city, India

Bakht Buland Shah was a ruler of the Rajgond dynasty. He added to his kingdom, the territories of Chanda and Mandla, and portions of Nagpur, Balaghat, Seoni, Bhandara and the adjoining Rajput kingdom of Kherla/Khedla. The present districts of Chhindwara and Betul also fell under his control. A great warrior, he went on to conquer Pauni, Dongartal, Sivni, and Katangi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chand Sultan</span> Raja

Chand Sultan (1706-1739) was a Gond king of Nagpur. He was the eldest son and successor of Bakht Buland Shah of Deogarh. He ascended the throne of Deogarh in 1706 and shifted his capital from Deogarh to Nagpur. He carried out further reforms in his kingdom and planned layout of the new city of Nagpur and under him, the kingdom prospered. He was a kind ruler who loved his people and extended his territory considerably to the east of the river Wainganga.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Garha Kingdom</span> Former Indian kingdom

The Garha Kingdom, also called Garha Mandla or Garha Katanga, was an early-modern-era kingdom in India. It was the first large kingdom to be founded by the Gond tribe and dominated much of Central India at its peak.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bhonsles of Nagpur</span> Maratha royal house that ruled the Nagpur Kingdom

The Bhonsles of Nagpur were a Maratha royal house that ruled the Kingdom of Nagpur from 1739-1853. They hailed from the Bhonsle clan of Marathas and were one of the most important and powerful Maratha chiefs in the Maratha Confederacy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gonds of Deogarh</span> Gond royal house in 17th-century India

The Gonds of Deogarh were a Gond royal house that ruled large parts of the Vidarbha region and parts of present-day southern Madhya Pradesh. Their Kingdom consisted of the area which later became the Nagpur Kingdom. They made Nagpur region a prosperous and plentiful kingdom, founding the city of Nagpur and building further infrastructure. However, internal bickering led to their decline and they were practically made state pensioneries by the Maratha general Raghoji I Bhonsle in the 1743.

Raghunath Singh was the Diwan of the Gond king of Deogarh. He tried to unsuccessfully overthrow Raghuji Bhonsla's sway with the help of the Gond king of Chandrapur, Nilkanth Shah.

The siege of Nagpur was laid by Khan-i-Dauran, a high-ranking Mughal official to the fort of Nagpur, ruled by the Gond king of Deogarh, Kok Shah.

The Kingdom of Chanda was one of the main Gond kingdoms, ruling parts of central India. In 1751, it was conquered by the Maratha ruler of Nagpur, Raghoji I Bhonsle.

References

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  2. gondodisha (2 October 2017). "GOND KINGDOMS OF CENTRAL INDIA". The Gond Culture, bestowed to nature. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  3. Sohoni, Pushkar (2017). "'Old fights, new meanings: Lions and elephants in combat'". Res: Anthropology and Aesthetics. 67–68: 225–234. doi:10.1086/691602. ISSN   0277-1322. S2CID   165605193.
  4. Kale, Yogesh (1 September 2022). "History history and archeology of nagpur gond kingdom (deogarh) page 1". www.nagpurpeople.in. Archived from the original on 21 September 2023. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  5. "Chronicles of Gonds and Bhosles of Nagpur". India Heritage Walks. 28 May 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  6. "Chandrapur's Royal Gond Legacy". www.livehistoryindia.com. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  7. "The Gond kingdoms". www.downtoearth.org.in. Retrieved 30 December 2020.