Madhya Pradesh
| Country |  India |
|---|---|
| Established | 1956-11-01 |
| Capital | Bhopal |
| Largest city | Indore |
| Districts | 50 |
| Government | |
| • Governor | Ram Naresh Yadav |
| • Chief Minister | Shivraj Singh Chouhan (BJP) |
| • Parliamentary constituency | 29 |
| • High Court | Madhya Pradesh High Court Jabalpur |
| Area | |
| • Total | 308,252 km2 (119,016.8 sq mi) |
| Area rank | 2nd |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 75,697,565 |
| • Rank | 6th |
| • Density | 245.6/km2 (636/sq mi) |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+05:30) |
| ISO 3166 code | IN-MP |
| HDI |  0.488 (medium) |
| HDI rank | 26th (2005) |
| Literacy | 76.5% (8th) |
| Official languages | Hindi |
Madhya Pradesh "Central Province"; abbreviated MP), often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city.
Madhya Pradesh is the second largest state by area and with over 75 million inhabitants the sixth largest state in India by population. It borders the states of Uttar Pradesh to the northeast, Chhattisgarh to the southeast, Maharashtra to the south, Gujarat to the west, and Rajasthan to the northwest.
Legend has it that Lord Rama bequeathed the fort to his brother Laxmana, hence the name Bandhavgarh (Bandhavgarh National Park) which means "brother's fort". The Bhimbetka rock shelters in Madhya Pradesh exhibit the earliest traces of human life in India; its stone-age rock paintings are approximately 9,000 years old.
The city of Ujjain (also known as Avanti) arose as a major center in the second wave of Indian urbanization in the sixth century BC, and served as the chief city of the kingdom of Malwa or Avanti. Further east, the kingdom of Chedi lie in Bundelkhand. Chandragupta Maurya united northern India c. 320 BC, establishing the Maurya empire (321 to 185 BC), which included all of modern-day Madhya Pradesh. King Ashoka's wife was said to come from Vidisha- a town north of today's Bhopal. The Maurya empire went into decline after the death of Asoka the Great, and Central India was contested among the Sakas, Kushanas, and local dynasties during the 3rd to 1st centuries BCE. Ujjain emerged as the predominant commercial center of western India from the first century BCE, located on the trade routes between the Ganges plain and India's Arabian Sea ports. It was also an important Hindu and Buddhist center.
Madhya Pradesh is home to 9 National Parks, including Bandhavgarh National Park, Kanha National Park, Satpura National Park, Sanjay National Park, Madhav National Park, Van Vihar National Park, Mandla Plant Fossils National Park, Panna National Park, and Pench National Park.
There are also a number of natural preserves, including Amarkantak, Bagh Caves, Balaghat, Bori Natural Reserve, Ken Gharial,Ghatigaon, Kuno Palpur, Narwar, Chambal, Kukdeshwar, Narsinghgarh, Nora Dehi, Pachmarhi, Panpatha, Shikarganj, Patalkot and Tamia.
Between 1999 and 2008, the annualized growth rate was very low 3.5%. According to the India State Hunger Index compiled by the International Food Policy Research Institute, the malnutrition situation in Madhya Pradesh is "extremely alarming", receiving a severity rating between Ethiopia and Chad.
Madhya Pradesh's gross state domestic product for 2004 is estimated at $32 billion in current prices. After partition, the new Madhya Pradesh state produces about 70% of the output of the old Madhya Pradesh state – the rest is produced by Chattisgarh. Between 1980 and 2000 the gross domestic product grew from 77,880 million rupees to 737,150 million rupees.
MFP from the forests, such as Tendu leaves used to roll bidi, Sal seed, teak seed, and lak are major contributors to the rural economy of the state