Jabalpur

Jabalpur (Hindi: जबलपुर)is one of the major cities of Madhya Pradesh state in India. It is the third largest urban agglomeration in Madhya Pradesh and the 38th largest urban agglomeration in India as per the 2011 census statistics.

It is bordered by Katni to the north, Umaria to the north-east, Dindori to the east, Mandla to the south-east, Seoni to the south, Narsimhapur to the south-west and Damoh to the north-west. Jabalpur is the administrative headquarters of Jabalpur district (the second most populous district of Madhya Pradesh) and Jabalpur division. Jabalpur also is the headquarter of the Electricity Board of state Madhya Pradesh as well as the High Court of the state Madhya Pradesh is located here.

Historically, a center of Kalchuri and Gond dynasties, Jabalpur developed a syncretic culture influenced by the intermittent reigns of the Maratha and Mughal empires. In the early nineteenth century, it was gradually annexed in British India as Jubbulpore and incorporated as a major cantonment town. Post-independence, there have been demands for a separate state of Mahakoshal with Jabalpur as its capital.

Jabalpur was also the epicenter of a major earthquake in 1997. Jabalpur is known for its picturesque marble rock formations (Bhedaghat) across the banks of the river Narmada. Being the army headquarters of five states (Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Orissa, Bihar and Jharkhand), one sixth of the city is occupied by the Indian Army.

Jabalpur is also the birthplace of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Osho Rajneesh. Several important federal and state institutions are located in Jabalpur including premier technology institute Jabalpur Engineering College, Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design and Manufacturing, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh High Court, four Ordnance Factories of the gigantic Ordnance Factories Board, Madhya Pradesh Electricity Board, Tropical Forest Research Institute and West Central Railway zonal headquarters.