Madhya Pradesh: Heart of India and the Tiger State

Madhya Pradesh was once India’s largest state. It is now its second-largest, but still holds more wild tigers than any other.

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General Knowledge · GK0054

Madhya Pradesh: State Profile

Heart of India, and home to the most wild tigers

1 Nov 1956

State formed

308,252 km²

2nd-largest state by area

785 tigers

2022 census, highest of any state

5 states

Share a border with MP

CapitalBhopal

Chief MinisterMohan Yadav

GovernorMangubhai C. Patel

UNESCO SiteKhajuraho Temples

From largest to second-largest

Madhya Pradesh was India’s largest state until 2000, when its southeast became Chhattisgarh — the same year Jharkhand and Uttarakhand were also carved from larger states.

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Must Know

• Madhya Pradesh’s capital is Bhopal.
• The state was formed on 1 November 1956. It combined parts of the former Central Provinces and Berar with the princely states of Vindhya Pradesh and Bhopal.
• As of 2026, the Chief Minister is Mohan Yadav, in office since 13 December 2023.
• The Governor is Mangubhai Chhaganbhai Patel, in office since 6 July 2021.

Good to Know

• Madhya Pradesh lies in central India, covering about 308,252 square kilometres.
• It borders five states: Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Rajasthan.
• It was India’s largest state by area until 2000, when its southeastern region became the separate state of Chhattisgarh. It is now the second-largest.
• Madhya Pradesh has more tiger reserves than any other Indian state, including Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Pench, Panna, and Satpura.
• A 2022 tiger census recorded 785 tigers in the state, the highest count nationally. This has earned it the nickname “Tiger State.”
• The Khajuraho Temples, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, are famous for their elaborate sculptural work. See AncHist0021 — Post-Gupta Regional Dynasties of North India for the Chandela dynasty that built them.
• The Narmada, one of India’s major rivers, flows through Madhya Pradesh for most of its course. It is considered sacred by many Hindus.
• Ravi Shankar Shukla was the first Chief Minister of present-day Madhya Pradesh, formed on 1 November 1956. He had already led the region’s government since 1946, under earlier titles. See ModHist0225 — Ravi Shankar Shukla.

Test Yourself

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1. What is the capital of Madhya Pradesh?

Indore

Bhopal

Jabalpur

Gwalior

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Great to Know

• Madhya Pradesh’s central location and shared borders with five other states give it the informal nickname “Heart of India.”
• The 2000 split into Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh mirrored a broader pattern that year, when Jharkhand and Uttarakhand were also carved from larger states.
• Madhya Pradesh’s tiger reserves and Khajuraho’s temples represent two very different draws, wildlife tourism and heritage tourism, both concentrated in one state.
• Bhopal itself carries a dual identity. Older parts of the city, built around lakes and a historic old town, sit alongside newer planned districts.
• Bhopal is sometimes called the “City of Lakes,” after the two large lakes at its centre. These are the Upper Lake and the Lower Lake.
• Madhya Pradesh’s tribal population is significant too. Gond, Bhil, and Baiga communities live across many of its districts, especially in the south.
• Madhya Pradesh also runs Ladli Behna Yojana, a monthly cash-transfer scheme for women that other states have since copied.