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A part of Madhya Pradesh has been separated and formed into a new state Chattisgarh from November 1, 2000. The details given here are before the separation. Click on Chattisgarh for more information. Madhya Pradesh situated in the centre of India, is surrounded by Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh in the south, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan in the north, Bihar and Orissa in the east and Gujarat in the west. The state of Madhya Pradesh came into existence on November 1, 1956. ARTSFolk entertainment and Drama The Muria and Maria Gonds of Bastar enact the hobby-horse dance during festivals and religious ceremonies. The Gonds of Mandla district perform the horse-ride mainly as an entertainment. Boys come riding on hobby-horses made of sticks with rags tied around the top-ends as heads. They beat the people sitting around with tail ends of their hobby-horses. Then they pretend to ride away. At some distance they throw their hobby-horses and return. Riddles provide both boys and girls a good entertainment. But with the gradual urbanization, this aspect of life is becoming rare and is fading away even from the remotest of villages. Maanch : Lyric Drama Maanch is generally performed in open air with barest of theatrical accessories. The stage is a round platform. It is never covered from any side. No curtain is used for the background. Close to the stage, at the rear, a place is reserved for old veterans. It is known as 'Bara Ghant Ka Pat' means a seat for experienced persons. On both sides the seats are provided for organisers and workers. The Guru or the leader sits on the stage itself. Provision for instrumentalists is made on the left side corner of the platform. The person who joins the singing of the refrain during the performance also sits near the 'Bara Ghant Ka Pat' or else gets a place near the instrumentalists on the stage. Folk Music The folk musical map of Madhya Pradesh has certain predominant features. The people seldom confine themselves to their own songs except when singing ritualistic songs and the one's related to wedding ceremonies. The peasant class has no taboo to sing popular songs of other racial groups. Singing up participation is instinctive and unavoidable. The folk music of Madhya Pradesh comes from the tribal areas. Bastar which is the land of the famous Muria and Sing Maria tribes is known for its haunting melodies. The Relo is a remarkable type of the Muria song. Every young man must respond to its call. It is an everlasting favourite song of the Muria boys and girls. They may sing the Relo on any occasion. Ritual Motifs and Clay designs The striking art of Sanja displays the imaginative sense of Malwa girls. During the month of September when Shradha Paksh starts, young maidens make designs on mud walls with cow-dung. Each day the pattern is changed and it continues to change for a full fortnight. Cow-dung lines are decorated with flower petals and panni (tin foils). The Sanja figures represent a set of fifteen designs in which each and every piece of pictograph shows the imagination of girls and purpose with which they are led to draw them. In Mandla, an Agria (village smith) use a bamboo tube for making coloured patterns. A bamboo tube is first drilled with several holes. Then it is filled with turmeric powder (yellow), wheat flour (white) and gram flour (orange). After this, it is rolled for drawing designs over the ground. The mixed flour emits out from the holes making different kinds of patterns. The use of Mehndi (henna) during the auspicious occasions by the women of Malwa reveals interesting designs. Palms, feet and fingers are painted by the henna paste. Each design is identified with some sort of a name. Every space is utilised around the central motif to give perfect look to the Mehndi Mandana. Craftsmanship and Bell workThe exquisite taste for making handicrafts is an important trait of the tribals of Madhya Pradesh. The Murias and the Marias of Bastar are excellent wood carvers. They show their art either on visible logs of wood pieces used in their dwelling hutments or on various objects of daily use. Tobacco containers of the Murias will attract anyone for their tortoise and the sun-moon motifs and designs. Craftsmanship of the Murias can be seen in wooden blocks made for supporting hair and in wooden pins used to adorn hairdo's by the Ghotul girls. The most charming work of this tribe is the making of combs. On many of the combs leopard and other kinds of animal motifs are made. Wooden spears and utensils are intensely carved. In Bastar those who can afford would care to erect funerary pillars in the memory of their deceased relatives. The Murias and Marias call these pillars Munde or Khamba. They are mostly made of saja or saria wood and are carved on all sides. It bears all sorts of figures. TOURISMSANCHISanchi is known for its stupas, monasteries, temples and pillars stretching from the 3rd century BC to the 12 century AD. The most famous of these monuments, the Sanchi Stupa 1,was originally built by the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka.KHAJURAHO The Khajuraho village surrounded by the mountains of Chatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh is 395 Km southeast of Agra. Today this village remains with 22 temples which give us a glimpse of a golden time of art and devotion at their peak. Out of 22 temples, two were made from sandstone. The stone blocks were first carved and then the interlocking pieces were assembled to form a temple. Each temple is different from one another. Western Group: Khndariya Mahadeo: The largest most typical of Khajuraho's temples, it soars 31 metre high. Dedicated to Shiva, the sanctum enshrines a linga. The main shrine is exquisitely carved, and features in delicate detail, gods, goddesses, celestial maidens and lovers. Chaunsat Yogini : The only granite temple and the earliest surviving shrine of the group (900AD), it is dedicated to Kali. Chitragupt Temple : Facing eastwards to the rising sun, the temple is dedicated to the sun-god, Surya. The image of the deity in the inner sanctum is particularly imposing: five feet high and driving a horse-drawn chariot. Vishwanath Temple: A three headed image of Brahma is enshrined in this temple. The approach is equally impressive with lions flanking the northern and elephants the southern steps that lead up to it. Lakshmana Temple: The lintel over the entrance of its beautiful Vaishnavite temple shows the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, with Lakshmi, Vishnu's consort. Matangeswara Temple : Still living a place of worship, the temple is dedicated to Shiva, and has an eight-feet high lingam, and is outside the precincts of the Western Group. Eastern Group Khndariya Mahadeo: The largest most typical of Khajuraho's temples, it soars 31 metre high. Dedicated to Shiva, the sanctum enshrines a linga. The main shrine is exquisitely carved, and features in delicate detail, gods, goddesses, celestial maidens and lovers. Chaunsat Yogini : The only granite temple and the earliest surviving shrine of the group (900AD), it is dedicated to Kali. Chitragupt Temple : Facing eastwards to the rising sun, the temple is dedicated to the sun-god, Surya. The image of the deity in the inner sanctum is particularly imposing: five feet high and driving a horse-drawn chariot. Vishwanath Temple: A three headed image of Brahma is enshrined in this temple. The approach is equally impressive with lions flanking the northern and elephants the southern steps that lead up to it. Lakshmana Temple: The lintel over the entrance of its beautiful Vaishnavite temple shows the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, with Lakshmi, Vishnu's consort. Matangeswara Temple : Still living a place of worship, the temple is dedicated to Shiva, and has an eight-feet high lingam, and is outside the precincts of the Western Group. Southern Group Duladeo Temple: Dedicated to Shiva, the apsara and ornamented figures are the temple's most striking features. Chaturbhuj Temple: This temple has a massive, intricately carved image of Vishnu in the sanctum.
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