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Gondwana (India)

Coordinates: 21°N 81°E / 21°N 81°E / 21; 81
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This article is about the region in India. For the supercontinent, see Gondwana.
For other uses, see Gondwana (disambiguation).

Gondwana
Proposed state
Gondwana kingdom 1525, as depicted in central India, on a map drawn in 1907
Gondwana kingdom 1525, as depicted in central India, on a map drawn in 1907
Coordinates: 21°N 81°E / 21°N 81°E / 21; 81
CountryIndia
RegionCentral India
Proposed capitalNagpur
Proposed Divisions
List
LanguageGondi

Gondwana, also known as Gondaranya, the land of Gondwana, is a region of India named after the Gond people who live there (though they can also be found in other parts of India). The name of the supercontinent of Gondwanaland which existed 420 Million years ago, during the Silurian Period 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.

As Gondi people are spread widely across central India and are a minority almost everywhere, the region has no unambiguous boundary. However, the core region can be considered to be the eastern part of the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, Garha Kingdom the parts of Madhya Pradesh immediately to the north of it, and parts of the west of Chhattisgarh. The wider region extends into parts of northern Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, western Odisha and southern Uttar Pradesh.

The region is part of the northern Deccan plateau, with an average height of about 600–700 metres. Geologically it is mostly Pre-Cambrian rock, with some areas dated to Permian and Triassic periods. Part of it is overlaid with alluvium, and in the west, it is overlaid with the igneous rocks of the Deccan Traps. The landscape is generally rugged and hilly.

The climate is hot and semi-arid. Large sections are forest, specifically dry monsoon forest and monsoon scrub forest. Gondwana contains several national parks with tiger populations.

Gondwana has a relatively high proportion of people of the "scheduled tribes" of India, including the Gonds. The scheduled tribes are recognised as economically and socially disadvantaged, forming most of the population in many districts.

Gonds are followers of religion based on Gondi, koitur, according to nature Gondi people[1]

History

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A number of old kingdoms were established by, or together with, ruling families of the Gondis and other scheduled tribes in this region. The first of these is mentioned in 1398, when Narsingh Rai, King of Kherla, Madhya Pradesh, is said by a Ferishta to have ruled all the hills of Gondwana. He was finally overthrown and killed by Hoshang Shah, king of Malwa. Between the 14th and the 18th centuries, three main Gond kingdoms existed; Garha-Mandla occupied the upper Narmada River Valley, Deogarh-Nagpur occupied the Kanhan River and upper Wainganga River valleys, and Chandra-Sirpur occupied present-day Chandrapur, Gadchiroli, and eastern Adilabad districts.

The three Gondi principalities of Garha-Mandla, Deogarh, and Chanda-Sirpur were nominally subject to the Mughal emperors. In addition to the acquisitions made in the north at the expense of Garha-Mandla, the Mughals, after the annexation of Berar in 1595, established governors at Paunar in Wardha District and Kherla in Betul District. Having thus hemmed in the Gond states, however, they could not assert any effective sovereignty over them; the Gond kings enjoyed practical independence within their dominions. After the defeat and subsequent fall of the Mughals, Gondwana came under the rule of the Bundela and Maratha empires.

In the 17th century Chhatar Sal, the Bundela chieftain, deprived the Mandla principality of part of the Vindhyan Plateau and the Narmada Valley. In 1733 the Maratha Peshwa won Bundelkhand; and in 1735 the Marathas had established their power in Saugor. In 1742 the Peshwa advanced to Mandla and exacted tribute, and from this time until 1781, when Gond dynasty of Garha-Mandla was finally overthrown, Garha-Mandla remained practically a Maratha dependency. Meanwhile, the other independent principalities of Gondwana had in turn succumbed. In 1743 Raghoji Bhonsle of Berar established himself at Nagpur and by 1751 had conquered the territories of Deogarh, Chanda, and Chhattisgarh.

The economic disadvantage to which the tribal people are now subject is often ascribed to the Maratha conquest of the region in the 18th century [citation needed], followed by the British imposition of the permanent settlement in the 19th century. A number of rebellions against British rule took place throughout the 19th century. Some of these rebellions focused on the protection of forests against commercial logging.

Emblem of Gondwana State

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Gondwana circa 1525, with neighbouring polities.[2]

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. 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 furthers this imagery. Yet, the simple image of a lion victorious over one or more elephants was strategically situated within specific architectural programs for 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. While tracing the history of this visual motif.

Gondwana Express

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The Gondwana express train runs between Raigarh and Hazrat Nizamuddin in India. It is a 5-day service. It operates as train number 12409 from Raigarh to Hazrat Nizamuddin and as train number 12410 in the reverse direction after the name of Gondwana kingdom.

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Political and communal movements against the dominant political structure still occur in the region, including the Gondwana Praja Party, founded in 2014 in Maharashtra state. Gondwana Praja Party was founded to demand the new formation of the old Gondwana State for the tribal people of central India instead of the old Vidarbha region. Gondwana Ganatantra Party is also established. The founder of Gondwana Gadtantra Party is Heera Singh Markam. He is the only Member of Parliament of this party.

References

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  1. ^ Mehta, Behram H. (1984). "Gonds of the Central Indian Highlands".
  2. ^ Schwartzberg, Joseph E. (1978). A Historical atlas of South Asia. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. p. 147, map XIV.4 (a). ISBN 0226742210.

Sources

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