Mekala | |
|---|---|
Geographical region | |
 | |
| Continent | Asia |
| Countries | India |
| States or Provinces | Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh |
| Language | Gondi language Chhattisgarhi language |
Mekala is a historical region of India, extending from Amarkantak to Balaghat. It corresponds to the Maikal Hills, which comprises the present-day Kawardha District of Chhattisgarh state and Anuppur district of Madhya Pradesh. [1] [2] In the medieval period, the region was ruled by the Panduvamshis of Mekala. [3]
In the Vishnu Purana, it was mentioned that seven kings would rule over Mekala. The Pushpamitras produced thirteen kings who ruled over this tract in the 3rd century CE and the "Patumitras" succeeded them. [4] However, H.H. Wilson in his translation of the Vishnu Purana, states that the number of Pushpamitra rulers is unknown while the Patumitras had thirteen kings. [5]
In the 5th century CE, the Panduvamshis of Mekala rose in the region and ruled as feudatories of the Gupta Empire. The region came under the suzerainty of the Vakataka king Narendrasena and Harishena. [6] The subsequent history of the region is not recorded, but the region probably came under the sway of the Panduvamshis of Dakshina Kosala, who were possibly related to the earlier Panduvamshis of Mekala. [7]
The Amarkantak portion of the region passed into the hands of the Kalachuris of Tripuri. The Kalachuri king Karna commissioned the beautiful temples in Amarkantak. [8] [9] When the Kalachuris of Tripuri had declined, a cadet branch of their dynasty called the Haihaiyas of Ratanpur took control of the whole region. They are said to have built the actual town of Amarkantak. [10]
In the 16th century, the portion of the Mekala located in Madhya Pradesh was conquered by the Rajgond dynasty of Garha-Mandla. Two of Garha-Mandla's capitals- Ramnagar and Mandla, were located in the Mekala region. [11] Eventually, the Haihaiyas of Ratanpur and Garha-Mandla were invaded and annexed by the Nagpur Kingdom within the Maratha Empire. It is probably at this point that Mekala lost its identity as a separate region. The Nagpur Kingdom was forced to cede the area to the East India Company in 1818 after the Third Anglo-Maratha War. The area comprising Mekala later formed a part of the Central Provinces under British rule in India. [12] [13]
The Mekala region is located in Central India and is mostly forested. The region corresponds to the Maikal Hills, the meeting point of the Vindhya and Satpura mountain ranges. [14] Its core territory comprises the present-day Kawardha District of Chhattisgarh state and Anuppur district of Madhya Pradesh. [1] [15] According to Verrier Elwin and Shamrao Hivale, the region extended from Amarkantak to Balaghat district. [2]
Several streams and major rivers like the Narmada and Son originate from Amarkantak located in the Maikal Hills. [16] [17] In the medieval period, this region was an important forest which provided elephants to the armies of kings. [11]
The Vindhya Range is a complex, discontinuous chain of mountain ridges, hill ranges, highlands and plateau escarpments in west-central India.
Amarkantak is a pilgrim town and a Nagar Panchayat in Anuppur, Madhya Pradesh, India. The Amarkantak region is a unique natural heritage area and is the meeting point of the Vindhya and the Satpura Ranges, with the Maikal Hills being the fulcrum. This is where the Narmada River, the Son River and Johilla River originate.
Anuppur District (अनूपपुर) is an administrative district in Shahdol Division of Madhya Pradesh state in central India.
Rajnandgaon is a district of the state of Chhattisgarh in central India. The administrative headquarters the district is Rajnandgaon town.
Dakshina Kosala is a historical region of central India. It was located in what is now Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh along with parts of Western Odisha. At its greatest extent, it may have also included a part of the Vidarbha region in present-day Maharashtra.
Kabirdham district is one of the 33 administrative districts of Chhattisgarh state in central India. The district was earlier known as Kawardha district. The district is located between 21.32' to 22.28' north latitude and 80.48' to 81.48' east longitude. The district covers an area of 4,447.5 km2 (1,717.2 sq mi). The city of Kawardha is its administrative headquarters. This district is known for the Bhoramdeo temple located at a distance of 18 km from the district headquarters, Kawardha.
The Haihaiyavansi Kingdom, ruled by the Kalachuris of Raipur was a kingdom which consisted of the central part of the present-day state of Chhattisgarh located in India.
The Maikal Hills are range of hills in the state of eastern Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh India. The Maikal Hills are an eastern part of the Satpuras in Kawardha District of Chhattisgarh and Anuppur district of Madhya Pradesh, overlooking the scenic town of Kawardha. Their altitudes range from 340 m to 942 m above sea level. This densely forested and thinly populated range gives rise to several streams and rivers including the tributaries of Narmada and Wainganga rivers. The hills are inhabited by two tribal peoples, the Baigas and the Gonds. The hill range is rich in flora and fauna wealth.
Vindhyashakti was the founder of the Vakataka dynasty. His name might be derived from the goddess Vindhyavasini, or it could be a title or biruda referring to his patrimony in the Vindhya mountains rather than a personal name.
The Kalachuris, also known as Kalachuris of Mahishmati, were an Indian dynasty that ruled in west-central India between 6th and 7th centuries. They are also known as the Early Kalachuris to distinguish them from their later namesakes, especially the Kalachuris of Tripuri. Their territory included parts of present-day Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra. Their capital was located at Mahishmati. Epigraphic and numismatic evidence suggests that the earliest of the Ellora and Elephanta cave monuments were built during the Kalachuri rule.
The Nalas were an Indian dynasty that ruled parts of present-day Chhattisgarh and Odisha during the 6th century CE. Their core territory included the areas around Bastar and Koraput districts. Their capital was probably Pushkari, identified with the modern Garhdhanora in Bastar district. At one point, they seem to have conquered the Vakataka capital Nandivardhana in the Vidarbha region, but suffered reverses against the Vakatakas as well as the Chalukyas. Sharabhapuriyas, their northern neighbours, also seem to have played a part in their downfall. They were probably supplanted by the Panduvamshi dynasty, although one branch of the dynasty seems to have ruled a small territory until the 7th or 8th century CE.
The Uchchhakalpa dynasty ruled parts of central India during 5th and 6th centuries. Their territory included north-eastern parts of present-day Madhya Pradesh. Their capital was located at Uchchhakalpa, the present-day Unchehara.
The Sharabhapuriya dynasty ruled parts of present-day Chhattisgarh and Odisha in India, during 5th and 6th centuries. The dynasty probably served as Gupta vassals in their early days, but became practically independent as the Gupta empire declined. The Sharabhapuriyas were succeeded by the Panduvamshis. The dynasty is known mainly from its copper-plate inscriptions, and a few coins.
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.
The Panduvamshis or Pandavas were an Indian dynasty that ruled the historical Mekala region in present-day Chhattisgarh state of India, during the 6th and the 7th centuries. The Panduvamshi kings, who were Shaivites, claimed descent from the legendary Pandavas and also claimed to be members of the lunar dynasty. They may have been Gupta feudatories, and may have been related to the Panduvamshis of Dakshina Kosala, but this cannot be said with certainty.
Ajay Mitra Shastri was an Indian academic, historian and numismatist associated with the Nagpur University.
The Panduvamshis or Pandavas were an Indian dynasty that ruled the historical Dakshina Kosala region in present-day Chhattisgarh state of India, during the 7th and the 8th centuries. They may have been related to the earlier Panduvamshis of Mekala: both dynasties claimed lunar lineage and descent from the legendary Pandavas.
Hridayshah, also called Hirde Shah, was the 54th and last great king of Garha-Mandla. Hridayshah was a great patron and lover of music, and wrote the musical compostions of "Hriday Koutuk" and "Hriday Prakash" in 1660. He moved his kingdom's capital from Chouragarh to Ramnagar of Mandla district to secure it from Bundela attacks.
The Abhira dynasty was a dynasty that ruled over the western Deccan, where it perhaps succeeded the Satavahana dynasty. From 203 CE to roughly 270 or 370, this dynasty formed a vast kingdom. The Abhira era was started by Ishwarsena in AD 249, and is referred to as the Abhira-Traikutika era. This era was later continued by the Kalachuri Dynasty, who called it the Kalachuri era, and later the Kalachuri-Chedi era. After the rule of five traikuta kings, the dynasty retired to the central provinces and assumed the name Haihaya (Chedi) and Kalachuri. Historians refer to this entire era as Abhira-Traikutika-Kalachuri-Chedi era. In the Ramayana and Mahabharata, the Abhiras in the West are spoken of; and in the Puranic Geographie, the country on the western coast of India, from the Tapti to Devagarh, is called Abhira or the region of cowherds. It seems probable that they were connected with the Yadavas who were in power in the eighth century, and again appear as the rulers of Devagiri or Daulatabad in the 12th and 13th century.
Kokalla I was a ruler of the Kalachuri dynasty of Tripuri in central India. His kingdom was centered around the Chedi or Dahala region in present-day Madhya Pradesh. He appears to have been the first powerful ruler of the dynasty. He consolidated his kingdom and maintained matrimonial relations with the Rashtrakuta empire, and Chandela dynasty.