EK GOND GAON ME JEEVAN (HB)

This book reveals a forgotten chapter in the history of central India and the glorious past of the Gonds. The Gond kingdom of Garha is often remembered only in the context of the brave queen Durgavati, who fought against the army of Mughal Emperor Akbar, and the rest of history remains shrouded in a hazy veil. It is surprising that so little is known about this vast native kingdom, which ended only two hundred years ago. In this work, the author presents an authentic and systematic history of the Garha kingdom based on Persian, Sanskrit, Marathi, Hindi, and English sources. He connects all the previously unknown links. The book reveals that in the early fifteenth century, the Gond kings established kingdoms in the Vindhya, Satpura, and Vindhyachal regions, known respectively as Garha, Garha-Katanga, and Garha-Mandla. Although the Gond kingdom of Garha fell to the Mughals in the sixteenth century, it continued to exist, with varying degrees of expansion, until the eighteenth century. At its peak in the sixteenth century, the kingdom stretched from Panna in the north to Bhandara in the south, from Bhopal in the west to Laphagarh beyond Amarkantak in the east, and even at the time of its annexation by the Marathas in 1784, it encompassed the present-day Mandla, Dindori, Jabalpur, Katni, and Narsinghpur districts, along with some other areas. The fact that this vast kingdom continued to exist for nearly three hundred and fifty years is remarkable. Along with political details, this work introduces the cultural activities of the period, demonstrating that, contrary to popular belief, the Gond rulers were also committed to literature, art, and public welfare.