Mahakoshal or Mahakaushal is a region of central India. Mahakoshal lies in the upper or eastern reaches of the Narmada River valley in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. Jabalpur is the largest city in the region. Nimar region lies to the west, in the lower reaches of the Narmada valley.
Mahakoshal is now predominantly a Hindi language-speaking area, although it is actually the native region of
Dravidian languages such as Gondi language, Pardhan language and Bharia language. Due to the prevalence of Gondi the region is also called Gondwana by Gondi language speakers. Other languages used in the region include Bagheli and Marathi language.
Geography
The
Vindhya Range forms the northern boundary of the region; north of the Vindhya Range lie the regions of
Malwa to the northwest,
Bundelkhand to the north, and
Bagelkhand to the northeast.
Chhattisgarh state lies to the east, and the
Vidarbha region of
Maharashtra state lies to the south across the
Satpura Range. Cities and districts of the region include
Jabalpur,
Shahdol,
Katni,
Chhindwara,
Narsinghpur,
Mandla, Dindori,
Seoni and
Balaghat.
History
Dynasties that held the territory include the
Gondi people, Kalachuri,
, and
Maratha Empire.
[Hunter, William Wilson, Sir, et al. (1908). Imperial Gazetteer of India, Volume 6. 1908-1931; Clarendon Press, Oxford.] During the
British Raj Mahakoshal was part of the Central Provinces which contained two distinct linguistic regions: Mahakoshal (Hindi and
Gondi language) and
Vidarbha (Marathi). The two linguistic regions could not be fully integrated as a unit owing to regional and cultural differences.
[Raghaw Raman Pateriya, Provincial Legislatures and the National Movement. Northern Book Centre, 1992. pg. 9]
See also
-
Central Provinces
-
Mahakoshal Express
-
Proposed states and territories of India
