1. Bagh Prints
Bagh Print is a traditional hand block print with natural colours, an Indian Handicraft practised in Bagh, Dhar district in Madhya Pradesh, India. Its name is derived fromthe village Bagh on the banks of the Bagh River.
- Bagh Print, as it is presently known in Madhya Pradesh, was started by the community of Khatris in 1962 when they migrated from Manawar to Bagh.
- Their antecedents are traced to Larkana in Sindh (now in Pakistan) from where they shifted base to Marwad in Rajasthan and then to Manawar; the printing technique prevalent in Sind which they practiced is known as Ajrak However, the reasons for their migration from Sindh across the Indus is not clear.
- Weaving and hand block printing process with the geometric designs, imaginative use of red and black natural colours and taking advantage of the chemical properties of the river and effective use of colours results in Bagh Prints in a unique art The process involves pre- printing, printing and post printing
- In this technique the cloth used is cotton and silk cloth which are subject to treatment ofa blend of corroded iron fillings, alum and Alizarin.
- The designs are patterned by skilled artisans.
- On completion of the printing process, the printed fabric is subject to repeated washing in the floeing waters of the river and then dried in the sun foe a specific period to obtain the fine luster.
2. Bell Metal Wares of Datia and Tikamgarh
- The main feature of Datia is the jail work done o the side of product.
- Tikamgarh: Bell metals products from Tikamgarh are plain and solid in appearance withfine decorative work at certain areas.
- The bell metal casting in Madhya Pradesh’s Tikamgarh has been practiced for overthree centuries.
- The Craftmanship initially catered to kings and soldiers for war weapons.
- Today, all kind of decorative items are crafted here for every need and desire
- The process of metal casting used in Tikamgarh is very similar to the Dhokra art in Betul.
- But while the Betul’s Dhokra is created with thin strings of wax, in bell metal craft of Tikamgarh, the metal pieces are sculpted in the usual way and moulds are created to produce the objects.
3. Chanderi Fabric
- Chanderi is a hamlet of looms and a majority of them are located in an area called ‘Bahar Shahar’.
- Here, the streets are lined with noisy looms with each artisan claiming ownership of at least 2 to 4 looms (there are over 3500 looms in the township).
- Raw materials are collected by the artisans from major traders in India and abroad(Japan, Korea and China) in order to produce rich Chanderi fabrics.
- The traditional Indian fabric of Chanderi is known for its sheer texture, its light weight and luxurious drape.
- There are mainly three types of fabrics produced by the Chanderi: pure silk, silk cottonand chanderi cotton.
- There has been a significant transformation in the motif designs of Chanderi over theyears. Today, in addition to florals, peacocks and ancient coin patterns, Chanderi is also seen in modern geometric designs.
- The manufacturing of Chanderi fabric takes place with the weaving in of silk and zari. It is mostly done in old-fashioned cotton yarns and the end product is a glorious and shimmering textured fabric.
- The ancient Sanskrit literature, including the 1200 B.C Rig Veda and the Mahabharata, provide interesting references to the famous Chanderi silk saree.
- The Scindian royal family patronized Chanderi sarees in 1910 and during this period, we saw the appearance of the golden thread motif.
- Some of the beautiful striking motifs on Chanderi fabric include ‘Nalferma’, ‘Chatai’, ‘Dandidar’, ‘Jangla’, ‘Ashrafi’, ‘Bundi’, ‘Churi’ and ‘Keri’
- Chanderi kurtas, suits and dupattas are also gaining immense popularity among modern fashionistas.
4. Leather Toys of Indore
- Leather toys from Indore, Madhya Pradesh are lifelike animal sculptures mouldedand covered with leather skin and painted to give a realistic look.
- The art of making leather toys is said to be inspires from Taxidermy, the art of preserving animals in their original shape, after being hunted.
- Craftsman first starts with creating a skeleton of the desired animal with steel wires. This skeleton works as a frame on which the rest of material is added.
- The leather toys of Indore have huge demand in international as well as local markets.
5. Ratlami Sev
- The famous Ratlami Sev is synonymous with This tasty snack was actually prepared around the 19th century quite by accident.
- The Bhil, the tribals of this region to prepare sevaiyan with gram flour the delightful predecessor to Ratlami sev was born.
- The light yellow crispy sev made of gram flour and spices was granted the Geographical Indication Tag (GI) in 2014-15
- There is significance of sev in Ratlam and surrounding areas of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Rajasthan.
Language-
- Hindi is the official language of Madhya It is also the most widely understood language.
- However,dialects such as Malwi, Nimar, Bundeli and Bagheli related to this language are commonly spoken in the Malwa, Nimar, Bundelkhand and the Baghelkhand regions repectively.
- Besides, Marathi, Urdu, Gujarati, and Sindhiare also spoken by those who belong to these language-speaking
- In addition, different tribal groups also speak their respective languages.
- In major towns and cities, English has also emerged as a major functional language.
Literature-
- Makhan Lal Chaturvedi a brave and fearless journalist but equally prolific as a writer, poet and dramatist. His work, Him Taringini won him the first ever Sahitya Akademi Award for writing in Hindi in the year 1955.
- Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the 10th Prime Minister of India, is another notable literary figure from the State. His books of poetry- Samvedna and Nayi Disha.
- Nida Fazli is another well-known Hindi and Urdu poet from the State.
Dress-
- Traditionally, the women in Madhya Pradesh wear lehenga and choli with a lugra or odhnito cover their heads and shoulders.
- Black and red are the most favoured colours for such Besides, sarees have also become quite common among the women in Madhya Pradesh.
- Bandhani sarees coming inrich, colourful patterns are especially popular among them.Ujjain, Indore and Mandsaur are famous for producing such sarees in bulk.
- In addition, Madhya Pradesh is also famous for producing the much acclaimed Maheshwari and Chanderi silk
- Dhoti and Safa (a kind of turban) are the traditional dresses of men in Madhya Pradesh.
- Mirzai and bandi (types of jackets in white or black) also constitute a part of the traditional dress of men in the Malwa and Bundelkhand regions.
Food
- Madhya Pradesh is well-known for its warmth and This is reflected in the amalgamation of cultures and cuisines in the State.
- Wheat along with arhar dal (pigeon pea) form the regular food of the people. However, these staples are also used to prepare several special dishes.
- Bafla, made of wheat and eaten with dal (a broth made of lentil) and ghee (clarified butter) is one such special dish.
- Specialities of Madhya Pradesh are Bhutte ki Kees (made of grated corn and skimmed milk), Chakki ki Shaak (steamed wheat doughs added to a gravy rich in spices), Palak Puri (made of wheat dough and grated spinach) and Poha (flattened rice prepared with onions, tomamoes and other spices.
- Among non-vegetarian dishes, Seekh Kebab, Shammi Kebab , Keema and Korma of Bhopal are most well-known.
- Madhya Pradesh is also quite famous for its sweet The most famous among thses are Malpua, Jalebi, Mawa Bati Srikhand, Faluda and Rabri. Similarly, among the salted snacks, the most popular are Dalmoth, Khasta Kachori and Khatta Meetha Chiwra.
Festivals
Best Practices
- Madike are earthen pots used to strore grains for purpose of consumption.
- These small capacity containers are made from clay and have a small opening.
- The walls of the pots are coated with clay and mouth of the pot is closed with stiff cowdung paste reinforced with cloth.
- The pots are arranged vertically one over the other depending upon their sizes.
- Since they are stacked one over the other, this method is also space saving.
The Agaria Technique- Ecofriendly Ore Processing
- The traditional Agaria technique involves processing iron ore in a low shaft furnace built of clay.
- Agairas are a community of producers of iron objects found in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha and Madhya Pradesh.
- Verrir Elwin points out that the Agarias use low quality ore preffering it over rich ore which may be He also states thet the Agarias can identify the ore by its colour, appearance and density.
- The ore is usually collected from the surface and never by digging.
- The ore is separated from the sand of the river bed by a unique gravitational process.
- A sloping pan is made on the river bank slightly above the water level and the sand is laid on Water is poured into it repeatedly to wash out the lighter siliceous particles, leaving the heavier black ore particles.
- The ore is then collected and dried in the sun. For the Agaria this is better metal than quality iron.
- The Agaria process of iron smelting is charcoal based unlike modern fossil fuelbased technology.
- Wood of sal and teak are preferred and usually the wood is obtained from dead trees.
- A shallow pit of dry twigs and branches is prepared and logs piled on it. This is then seton fire and allowed to burn until it forms charcoal.
Baiga Weather Science
- The Baiga tribals of Madhya Pradesh have a well developed system for rainfall prediction, according to which they after the timing and composition of their crops.
- In bewar cultivation, sowing has to be done just before the first gentle showers ofearly monsoon.
- This makes accurate prediction of these first showers crucial.
- Baigas in Dindori district do it with the help of a local tuber known as balchandi kanda. They plant it in badi (vegetable garden) in summer, and when it sends its first shoots up through the ground, they know that rains will be here in a week or 1 days. That is the signal for them to start burning the undergrowth to prepare for sowing.
- Another signal for the coming monsoon is the Peepal tree. When the tree has shed all its old leaves and the process of sprouting new leaves is incomplete, the Baigas know that rains are about two three weeks away.
- The proportion of different millets to be sown in the bewar is dedicated through weather prediction too.
- In late summer, a tiny insect called ghunguti appears in droves in the open spaces.
- When there are too many of those, they get in the people’s eyes. This is believed to be an indication of heavy rainfall.
UNESCO World Heritage Sites
Bhedaghat-Lemhetaghat in Narmada Valley
- Bhedaghat, often referred to as the Grand Canyon of India, is a town in the Jabalpurdistrict of Madhya Pradesh (India), around 25 kms from Jabalpur.
- One can experience the outstanding beauty of marble rocks and their various morphological glittering forms on either side of the graceful Narmada river which flows through the gorge.
- It has also been observed that the magical marble mountains assume different colours and even shapes of animals and other living forms as one moves through them.
- Several dinosaur fossils have been found in the Narmada valley particularly in Bhedaghat- Lametghat area of Jabalpur.
- In 1828 the first Dinosaur fossil was collected from Lameta Bed by William Sleeman.
- Alexander Cunningham stated it as a bathing place on the Narmada River while the village is located at the confluence of the Narmada and Banganga, which is the reason for its sacred and holy considerations.
- The perpendicular magnesium limestone rocks fringe the crystal-clear waters of the Narmada, providing a fascinating view.
- Dhuandhar fall waterfall gives the epic view of smoke coming out of the river. River Narmada narrows down on its way through marble rocks and plunges in a waterfallgiving out the appearance of a smoke cascade.
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