Mandsaur is a city and a municipality in Mandsaur district located on the border of Mewar and Malwa regions of Madhya Pradesh, a state in Central India. It is the administrative headquarters of Mandsaur District. The ancient Pashupatinath Temple is located in Mandsaur. Later come under Gwalior state Which was 2nd biggest state. Mandsaur is famous for its opium farming.
Name
Mandsaur is identified with the city of
Daśapura, which is attested in various ancient and medieval texts and inscriptions. According to the 12th-century Jain work called the
Pariśiṣṭaparvan, the name
Daśapura was given to the city by a group of merchants visiting the royal fortress of a king named Udayana and his ten sons.
History
Aulikaras of Dashapura
Epigraphical discoveries have brought to light two ancient royal houses, who call themselves as
Aulikaras and ruled from Dashapura (present-day Mandsaur). The first dynasty, who ruled from Dashapura from the beginning comprised the following kings in the order of succession: Jayavarma, Simhavarma, Naravarma, Vishvavarma and Bandhuvarma. The Risthal stone slab inscription discovered in 1983 has brought to light another Aulikara dynasty, which comprised the following kings in the order of succession: Drumavardhana, Jayavardhana Ajitavardhana, Vibhishanavardhana, Rajyavardhana and Prakashadharma. After Parakshadharma, the ruler of Mandsaur was
Yashodharman, who is identified with Vishnuvardhana, who erected a pillar of victory at
Bayana due to which Bayana's name became
Vijaygarh. In all probabilities, he was the son and immediate successor of Prakashadharma.
[Agarwal, Ashvini (1989). Rise and Fall of the Imperial Guptas, Delhi:Motilal Banarsidass, , pp.250-6]
Yashodharman rule
Sondani (सोंधनी) is a small village at a distance of about 4 km from Mandsaur situated on Mahu-Nimach Highway towards Mahu. In a part of the inscription
Yasodharman praises himself for having defeated king
Mihirakula:
[ Coin Cabinet of the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna]
Gurjara-Pratihara Dynasty
The Gurjara Pratihara empire was extended up to
Mandasor during the reign of
Mahendrapala II.
Medieval era
There are two gardens in which there is a pillar of torandwar. It is believed to be pillar of Surya Mandir of the inscription of Bandhu Varma. There is a
Shiva statue also in the garden.
[Usha Agarwal:Mandsaur Zile ke Puratatvik samarakon ki paryatan ki drishti se sansadhaniyata - Ek Adhyayan, Chrag Prakashan Udaipur, 2007, p. 19]
Maratha Empire
The Battle of Mandsaur took place in Mandsaur,
India between the
Maratha Empire Maratha Army and Jai Singh II of Amber.
In February 1732, the Marathas completely surrounded Jai Singh with their enormous cavalry and started cutting of his supplies. The Jaipur Raja was forced to sue for peace, he offered the Marathas six lakhs, but Holkar refused and demanded more. While the negotiations were taking place, a rumour surfaced about reinforcements from the emperor. This raised the morale of the
Jaipur army and the
got ready for battle, the Marathas quickly attacked the rearguard of the Jaipur army and killed its commander. The Rajputs also attacked and killed fifteen Maratha officers in the fight that followed. Holkar and his men retreated 30 miles away from the battlefield. Jai Singh followed them but was outpaced by the
Maratha Army who reached Jai Singhs camp and forced him to surrender.
Jai Singh was forced to give six lakhs to Holkar and allow him to collect
chauth from 28 pargana's in
Malwa.
[
The Maratha victory at the Battle of Mandsaur][S.R. Bakshi And O.P. Ralhan, Madhya Pradesh Through the Ages, page 362] had the following consequences:
and Holkars were emboldened to renew their attack on Rajputana.
Kota and Bundi were made the next targets in the same year by the Marathas.
Princely State
In 19th century before India's independence in 1947, Mandsaur was part of the princely state of Gwalior State. It gave its name to the treaty with the Holkar Maharaja of Indore, who concluded the Third Anglo-Maratha War and the Pindari War in 1818. At the turn of the 20th century it was a centre of the Malwa opium trade.
Mention in Kalidas Manuscript
The 47th stanza of Kalidasa's poem Meghdoot (Purva-megha) mentions Dashpur. In his aesthetic piece of writing, Kalidas writes about the beauty of women's eyes in Dashpur.
Geography
Mandsaur district is bordered by Neemuch district and Ratlam district districts of Madhya Pradesh and Chittorgarh, Kota district, Jhalawar, Pratapgarh and Bhilwara districts of Rajasthan.
Mandsaur district forms the northern projection of Madhya Pradesh from its western Division, i.e., Ujjain Commissioner's Division. It lies between the parallels of latitude 230 45' 50" North and 250 2' 55" North, and between the meridians of longitude 740 42' 30" East and 750 50' 20" East.
The district is an average size district of Madhya Pradesh. It extends for about from north to south and from east to west. The total area is with a population of 1,16,483 in 2001.
Culture
Mandsaur District in Madhya Pradesh exhibits a rich cultural tapestry influenced by Rajasthani traditions, particularly the Malwi & Mewari culture. This unique blend is evident in local festivals, music, and crafts, reflecting vibrant Rajasthani customs while integrating regional nuances. The Malvi dialect, a variant of Rajasthani Language, enriches daily communication and cultural expressions. Traditional attire and cuisine also reveal a fusion of Rajasthani styles with local flavors.
Demographics
India [[census]],
Education
The institutes and universities headquartered in Mandsaur include:
Notable People
-
Yashodharman, the ruler of the Malava Empire
-
Sudhir Gupta, Indian Politician
-
Jagdish Devda, Indian Politician and deputy CM of MP
-
Sunder Lal Patwa, Indian Politician and 11th CM of MP
-
Virendra Kumar Sakhlecha, Indian Politician and 10th CM of MP
-
Laxminarayan Pandey, Indian Politician
-
Vipin Jain, Indian Politician
Transportation
It is the main station in Mandsaur. Its code is MDS. Mandsaur is B category railway station of Western Railway Zone on the Ajmer — Ratlam section. Mandsaur is connected to Ratlam, Ujjain via Nagda and Kota, Bundi via Chittorgarh.
