Jhansi is the largest city in Bundelkhand. Another major city of Bundelkhand is Sagar being second largest city of Bundelkhand and headquarter of Sagar Division.
Etymology
Bundelkhand means "Bundela domain".[1] The region was earlier known as Jejabhukti or Jejakabhukti ("Jeja's province"). According to the inscriptions of the Chandela dynasty, this name derived from Jeja, the nickname of their ruler Jayashakti. However, it is possible that the name derives from an even earlier name of the region: "Jajhauti" or "Jijhoti". After the Bundelas replaced the Chandelas around 14th century, the region came to be known as Bundelkhand after them.[2]
History
The Chandelas were a powerful dynasty in Central India, ruling from the 9th to the 12th century. They are best known for constructing the temples of Khajuraho, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[3] The Chandelas ruled over a vast territory, and their influence gradually diminished until their eventual fall in 1182 CE.
After the decline of the Chandela, the Khangar community, an ancient Kshatriya clan, established their rule over parts of present-day Bundelkhand from the late 12th century until the mid-14th century.[4] The Khangar dynasty had its seat of power at Garh Kundar, a fort built by Khet Singh Khangar.[4] Their rule over Jujhauti, a region in Bundelkhand, began after the fall of the Chandels in 1182 CE.[4]
By the 14th century, the Bundela dynasty emerged and supplanted the Khangar rulers. Before the advent of British colonial rule in India, the region of Bundelkhand also included several princely states, such as Orchha, Datia, and Samthar.[5] Also, kingdoms such as Damoh, Ramgarh were ruled by Lodhi Rajputs.[6][7]
Since the early 1960s there has been a movement for establishing a Bundelkhand state or promoting development of the region. Bundelkhand is geographically the central part of India covering some part of Madhya Pradesh and some part of Uttar Pradesh. (At Sagar is the exact centre of the original undivided India: the granite bench mark by British surveyors indicating this is placed in the compound of a church in Sagar Cantonment.) In spite of being rich in minerals, the people of Bundelkhand are very poor and the region is underdeveloped and underrepresented in state and central politics. There are several local parties and organisations, some promoting further development of the region and some seeking statehood.[12][13] The agrarian crisis and farmers' suicides are also cited as reasons for separate statehood.[14]
In November 2011, the Uttar Pradesh Council of Ministers proposed to split the state into four parts, with one part being Bundelkhand.[15]
Uma Bharti, Prominent BJP politician and the former MLA from Charkhari in UP's Bundelkhand region.
Raja Bundela - (Raja Rajeshwar Pratap Singh Judev) is an Indian actor, producer, politician and civil activist.
Dhyan Chand, (29 August 1905 – 3 December 1979) army Major and an Indian field hockey player, regarded by many as the greatest field hockey player in history.
Maharaja Chhatrasal Chhatrasal Bundela was an early modern Indian Rajput king, who fought against the Mughal Empire, and established his own kingdom in Bundelkhand
Phoolan Devi, (1963–2001) popularly known as "Bandit Queen", was an Indian dacoit and later a politician.
Raghunath Vinayak Dhulekar MCA & Member of Parliament 1952, MLC & Speaker Vidhan Parishad 1958, social leader
Rani Durgavati, Queen of Gondwana (born to Chandelas of Mahoba / Kalinjar) immortalised owing to her bravery in defending her kingdom against invasion by Mughal emperor Akbar
Jhalkaribai (22 November 1830 – 1858) was an Indian Koli[18] woman soldier who played an important role in the Indian Rebellion of 1857 during the battle of Jhansi.
Keshavdas (1555 – 1617), usually known by the mononym Keshavdas or Keshavadasa, was a Sanskrit scholar & Hindi poet
Harishankar Parsai - a noted satirist and humourist of modern Hindi literature, known for his simple and direct style.
Nathuram Premi (1881–1960), publisher of Hindi, Sanskrit, Urdu and Jain literature. Independent scholar, Jain historian and editor of several Jain works.
An engraving of a picture by Henry Melville entitled Scene near Chillah Tarah Ghaut, Bundelkhund was published in Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1835 alongside a poetical illustration by Letitia Elizabeth Landon, Scene in Bundelkhund, which alludes to the desperate conditions in the district due to the famine then prevailing.[20]
James Foote Holcomb, Helen Harriet Howe Holcomb, In the Heart of India, or, beginnings of missionary work in Bundela Land, with a short chapter on the characteristics of Bundelkhand and its people, and four chapters of Jhansi history. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1905 Text at archive.org
