The River Narmada, too, is a beautiful woman, as most rivers are, in
India. But though she passes close to Jabalpur, she shyly avoids the
town. Or, perhaps the town has grown away from her, and its own past.
onsequently, there is really very little in Jabalpur town to capture the
attention of the visitor. But a short drive out of the long narrow
plain holding the town, brings one to sub-montane lands: rocky, rugged
and a natural bulwark against attackers. One of the more intriguing
monuments to Jabalpur's past in the Madan Mahal Fort. On a historical
note, a pleasure resort and capital of the Gond Kings during the 12th
century, Jabalpur was later the seat of the Kalchuri dynasty. The
Marathas held sway over Jabalpur until 1817, when the British wrested it
from them and left their impression on the spacious cantonment with
its colonial residences and barracks. Today Jabalpur is an important
administrative centre, abustle with commercial activity.
