The Basics
Madhya Pradesh at a Glance
India's second-largest state, at the centre of the country — a landlocked land of forests and rivers, temples and tiger jungles, that gives the nation its nickname, the "Heart of India".
- Bhopal Capital, the "City of Lakes"; Indore is the largest city and commercial capital
- 1 Nov 1956 Formed under the States Reorganisation Act — marked as MP Foundation Day (Sthapna Diwas)
- 308,252 km² Area — India's 2nd-largest state; it was the largest until Chhattisgarh split off in 2000
- 55 districts Currently — after the 2023 reorganisation; across 10 divisions
- Hindi Official language; with the Malwi, Nimadi, Bundeli & Bagheli dialects, and tribal Gondi
- 230 seats Legislative Assembly (unicameral); 29 Lok Sabha seats
- Borders Five states — Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Gujarat & Rajasthan
- The Narmada The lifeline river, flowing east-to-west; with the Chambal, Betwa, Tapti & Son
- Vindhya & Satpura The two ranges that cross the state, on either side of the Narmada valley
- Landlocked At the very centre of India, with no coastline — the "Heart of India"
- State symbols Animal: barasingha · Bird: dudhraj (paradise flycatcher) · Tree: banyan · Flower: white lily
People
Population & Society
India's fifth most populous state — and home to the largest tribal population of any state in the country. Census 2011 is the last full count, so current totals are projections.
- 7.26 cr Population, 2011 (72,626,809) — India's 5th most populous; about 8.6 crore today (projected)
- 20.3% Decadal growth, 2001–2011
- 236 /km² Population density, 2011 — below the national average
- 931 Sex ratio — females per 1,000 males, 2011
- 69.3% Literacy rate, 2011 — a little below the national average
- 27.6% Urbanisation — a largely rural state
- Largest tribal population The most tribal people of any Indian state — ~1.53 crore (21%): the Bhil, Gond, Baiga, Sahariya & Korku
- 4 cities Million-plus cities — Indore, Bhopal, Jabalpur & Gwalior
- SC & ST ~16% Scheduled Castes and ~21% Scheduled Tribes (2011)
Economy
Farms, Diamonds & a ₹17-Lakh-Crore Economy
One of India's larger economies — and an unusually farm-heavy one, with agriculture worth almost half of it — alongside diamonds, copper and a fast-growing solar industry. Incomes per head remain below the national average.
- ₹16.94 L cr GSDP 2025-26 (budget estimate, current prices) — among India's larger state economies
- ~13% Nominal GSDP growth, 2025-26 (budget estimate)
- Below average Per-capita income (~₹1.56 lakh, 2023-24) — below the national average
- ~32% Outstanding debt as % of GSDP
What the economy is made of — share of GSVA (2023-24)
- ~46% Agriculture & allied — an unusually high share, the backbone of the state
- ~36% Services — trade, tourism, transport & government
- ~18% Industry — minerals, cement, autos & food processing
Minerals & energy
- Only diamonds India's only diamond mines, at Panna (NMDC's Majhgawan) — the Panna belt holds most of the country's diamond reserves
- Copper Malanjkhand, in Balaghat, is India's largest copper mine
- #1 manganese India's leading manganese producer; and a major source of limestone
- Coal Major coalfields at Singrauli, in the state's east
- Rewa solar The 750 MW Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Park — once among the world's largest single-site parks
- Pithampur The auto-manufacturing cluster near Indore — the "Detroit of India"
- A farm-and-mineral economy: agriculture is the bedrock, but Madhya Pradesh also sits on the country's diamonds, its largest copper mine and big coalfields — and is fast becoming a solar leader.
- Figures here are the latest Madhya Pradesh Budget estimates (2025-26). The India GDP page compares all states at FY2024-25, so its Madhya Pradesh figure is for that earlier year.
Agriculture
The Soya State
Agriculture is the heart of the state's economy — Madhya Pradesh is India's leading grower of soybean and pulses, a top wheat and garlic state, and a record winner of the national farming award.
- Soybean India's leading soybean producer — the "Soya State"; with Maharashtra, one of the two largest
- Pulses #1 India's largest producer of pulses, especially gram (chana)
- Wheat Among India's top wheat states — home of the prized Sharbati "golden grain" of Sehore
- Garlic #1 India's largest garlic producer — Neemuch is the "garlic hub"; also the top coriander grower
- Krishi Karman Won the national Krishi Karman award a record seven years running (2011-12 to 2017-18)
- GI produce The black Kadaknath chicken of Jhabua and the aromatic Chinnor rice of Balaghat
- Narmada valley Canals from the Indira Sagar and other dams are spreading irrigation across the state
Administrative
The Districts
Madhya Pradesh's map keeps changing: from 52 districts it grew to 55 in 2023, with Mauganj, Pandhurna and Maihar carved out. The interactive map below uses the 52 districts in the open data — pick one to highlight it above.
The map and this list share the same data. Clicking a district highlights it on the interactive map in the hero.
What Makes Madhya Pradesh Unique
Tigers, Forests & World Heritage
The Tiger State holds India's biggest tiger and leopard populations and its largest forests — and, in the heritage trio of Khajuraho, Sanchi and Bhimbetka, three of the country's great World Heritage Sites.
World Heritage & wildlife
- 3 UNESCO sites Khajuraho (1986), Sanchi (1989) & Bhimbetka (2003) — the heritage trio
- Tiger State The most tigers of any Indian state — 785 at the 2022 count
- Most leopards Also India's largest leopard population (2022 census)
- Kuno Where the cheetah returned to India in 2022, seven decades after extinction
Forests, temples & stone
- Largest forest The largest forest cover of any Indian state — over 77,000 km²
- Two Jyotirlingas Mahakaleshwar (Ujjain) & Omkareshwar — two of Shiva's twelve
- Forts Gwalior Fort, the hill ruins of Mandu, Orchha & Chanderi
- Pachmarhi The "Queen of Satpura" — the state's only hill station
Culture & Traditions
Music, Tribal Art & Food
From the dance festival at Khajuraho and the music of Tansen's Gwalior to the Kumbh at Ujjain, Gond tribal painting and Indore's famous street food — the traditions of central India.
- Khajuraho Festival The famous classical dance festival, held by the temples each winter
- Tansen Samaroh Gwalior's great music festival, honouring Tansen of Akbar's court — and the oldest Gwalior gharana
- Simhastha Kumbh Ujjain hosts the Kumbh on the Shipra every 12 years — among the world's largest gatherings
- Gond art The renowned Pardhan-Gond tribal painting, of Jangarh Singh Shyam
- Crafts Chanderi & Maheshwari sarees and Bagh hand-block prints — all GI-tagged
- Cuisine Indore's poha-jalebi and the Sarafa night market; dal bafla & bhutte ka kees
Places to Visit
Temples, Tigers & Rock Art
From the sculpted temples of Khajuraho and Ashoka's stupa at Sanchi to Stone Age rock shelters, the Mahakal of Ujjain and the great tiger jungles — Madhya Pradesh's range of sights is rare.
- Khajuraho The Chandela temples, world-famous for their sculpture
- Sanchi Ashoka's Great Stupa — among the oldest stone Buddhist monuments
- Bhimbetka Rock shelters painted in the Stone Age, tens of thousands of years ago
- Ujjain The Mahakaleshwar temple, on the sacred Shipra
- Kanha & Bandhavgarh Among India's finest tiger reserves — with Pench & Panna
- Gwalior The great hill fort and the opulent Jai Vilas Palace
- Bhedaghat The marble gorge of the Narmada and the Dhuandhar Falls, near Jabalpur
- Mandu The romantic hilltop ruins of the Malwa Sultanate
Modern Madhya Pradesh
Clean Cities, Solar & Industry
Indore, India's cleanest city for years running, anchors a modernising state — with big solar parks on the Narmada, an auto-manufacturing belt and new metro lines in its two largest cities.
- Cleanest city Indore has been India's cleanest city eight years running (Swachh Survekshan)
- Solar The Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Park and the Omkareshwar floating solar plant on the Narmada
- Indore The commercial capital and a fast-growing hub — home to IIT and IIM Indore
- Pithampur The auto-manufacturing cluster near Indore — the "Detroit of India"
- Metro rail Bhopal opened its first metro line in 2025; Indore's first stretch has begun too
- Education IIT & IIM Indore, AIIMS & IISER Bhopal, NLIU Bhopal
Road, Rail & Air
Expressways, Junctions & the Vande Bharat
Sitting at the centre of India, Madhya Pradesh is a great crossroads — crossed by the country's longest expressway, busy rail junctions, fast new trains and five airports.
- Delhi–Mumbai India's longest expressway runs about 245 km through western Madhya Pradesh
- Airports Indore (the state's only international airport), with Bhopal, Gwalior, Jabalpur & Khajuraho
- Railways West Central Railway, headquartered at Jabalpur
- Vande Bharat Fast trains link Bhopal with Indore, Jabalpur & Rewa
- Bina & Itarsi Among central India's busiest railway junctions, with Katni
- Metro rail Bhopal and Indore both opened their first metro stretches in 2025
People & Heritage
Icons of Madhya Pradesh
A queen who fought the Mughals, a scholar-king, the greatest musician of his age and some of India's most loved voices — a few of the figures bound to this land.
- Rani Durgavati The Gond queen of Gondwana, who died fighting the Mughals in 1564
- Raja Bhoj The 11th-century scholar-king of Malwa — of Bhojpur and Bhopal's great lake
- Tansen The legendary musician of Gwalior, a "gem" of Akbar's court
- Chandra Shekhar Azad The revolutionary, born at Bhabhra in Alirajpur district
- Atal Bihari Vajpayee The Prime Minister, born and schooled in Gwalior
- Lata & Kishore The singing legends Lata Mangeshkar and Kishore Kumar — of Indore and Khandwa
Through the Ages
A Short History of Madhya Pradesh
From Stone Age painters and Ashoka's stupa to the Chandelas, the Marathas and a state of its own — a few milestones that shaped Madhya Pradesh.
| When | Milestone |
|---|---|
| Stone Age | The Bhimbetka rock shelters are painted — among the oldest art in India |
| 3rd c. BCE | Ashoka, who governed Ujjain, raises the Great Stupa at Sanchi |
| 4th–5th c. CE | Ujjain shines in the Gupta golden age — the city of the poet Kalidasa |
| c. 950–1050 | The Chandelas build the temples of Khajuraho |
| c. 1010–1055 | Raja Bhoja, the scholar-king, rules Malwa from Dhar |
| 1392–1562 | The Malwa Sultanate rules from the hill city of Mandu |
| 1564 | Rani Durgavati of Gondwana dies resisting the Mughals |
| 18th century | The Scindias (Gwalior) and Holkars (Indore) rise under the Marathas |
| 1 Nov 1956 | Madhya Pradesh is formed under the States Reorganisation Act, with Bhopal as capital |
| 2–3 Dec 1984 | The Bhopal gas tragedy — the world's worst industrial disaster |
| 1 Nov 2000 | Chhattisgarh is carved out; MP becomes India's 2nd-largest state |
| 2022 | Cheetahs return to India at Kuno, seven decades after extinction |