Mekala | |
|---|---|
Geographical region | |
 | |
| Continent | Asia |
| Countries | India |
| States or Provinces | Madhya Pradesh andChhattisgarh |
| Language | Gondi language Chhattisgarhi language |
Mekala is a historical region ofIndia, extending fromAmarkantak toBalaghat. It corresponds to theMaikal Hills, which comprises the present-dayKawardha District ofChhattisgarh state andAnuppur district ofMadhya Pradesh.[1][2] In themedieval period, the region was ruled by thePanduvamshis of Mekala.[3]
In theVishnu Purana, it was mentioned that seven kings would rule over Mekala. ThePushpamitras produced thirteen kings who ruled over this tract in the 3rd century CE and the "Patumitras" succeeded them.[4] However, H.H. Wilson in his translation of theVishnu Purana, states that the number ofPushpamitra rulers is unknown while the Patumitras had thirteen kings.[5]
In the 5th century CE, thePanduvamshis of Mekala rose in the region and ruled as feudatories of theGupta Empire. The region came under the suzerainty of theVakataka kingNarendrasena andHarishena.[6] The subsequent history of the region is not recorded, but the region probably came under the sway of thePanduvamshis of Dakshina Kosala, who were possibly related to the earlierPanduvamshis of Mekala.[7]
TheAmarkantak portion of the region passed into the hands of theKalachuris of Tripuri. TheKalachuri kingKarna commissioned the beautiful temples inAmarkantak.[8][9] When theKalachuris of Tripuri had declined, a cadet branch of their dynasty called theHaihaiyas of Ratanpur took control of the whole region. They are said to have built the actual town ofAmarkantak.[10]
In the 16th century, the portion of the Mekala located inMadhya Pradesh was conquered by theRajgond dynasty ofGarha-Mandla. Two ofGarha-Mandla's capitals-Ramnagar andMandla, were located in the Mekala region.[11] Eventually, theHaihaiyas of Ratanpur andGarha-Mandla were invaded and annexed by theNagpur Kingdom within theMaratha Empire. It is probably at this point that Mekala lost its identity as a separate region. TheNagpur Kingdom was forced to cede the area to theEast India Company in 1818 after theThird Anglo-Maratha War. The area comprising Mekala later formed a part of theCentral Provinces underBritish rule in India.[12][13]
The Mekala region is located inCentral India and is mostly forested. The region corresponds to theMaikal Hills, the meeting point of theVindhya andSatpura mountain ranges.[14] Its core territory comprises the present-dayKawardha District ofChhattisgarh state andAnuppur district ofMadhya Pradesh.[1][15] According to Verrier Elwin and Shamrao Hivale, the region extended fromAmarkantak toBalaghat district.[2]
Several streams and major rivers like theNarmada andSon originate fromAmarkantak located in theMaikal Hills.[16][17] In themedieval period, this region was an important forest which provided elephants to the armies of kings.[11]