The United States of Bundelkhand and Baghelkhand, or VINDHYA PRADESH

When India's Princely States were being absorbed into the Indian Union, one didn't anticipate that several of these states would cease to exist and be annexed to the neighbouring bigger ones. Central India, in particular, was rearranged multiple times when states such as Madhya Bharat, Vindhya Pradesh, and Bhopal State were reorganized to form a proper Madhya Pradesh (which was already an existing state at this time). Historically, Vindhya Pradesh comprised the regions of Bundelkhand and Baghelkhand, two names that echo in history innumerable times. Then how come, instead of them being states, an entity called Vindhya Pradesh gets statehood? Why were these two regions never considered as states, and how was the identity of Vindhya Pradesh created and wiped out in a span of just eight years? This post shall try digging into these questions.

The basic answer lies in multiple steps. First, when the Princely States of Vindhya Pradesh were being incorporated into the Indian Union, they were clubbed together under one new entity for the first transition of power. Both Madhya Bharat and Vindhya Pradesh were former Central India Agency—a clubbing of roughly 150 smaller Princely States—that were incorporated into the Indian government between 1947 and 1949. Economically, these two states were far too downtrodden to be administered as successful states, and either they could have been merged with Uttar Pradesh or Madhya Pradesh. Then why the latter and not the former?

Its original name after uniting all the Princely States was the United States of Bundelkhand and Baghelkhand, and a total of 37 royalties had acceded to India. Out of these 37, there were 13 enclaves scattered in Uttar Pradesh's Jhansi, Lalitpur, Jalaun, Banda, and Hamirpur districts. But these were exclaves of the larger Panna, Orchha, and Chhatarpur states. But the biggest of these states—Rewa State—was technically placed under the authority of Indore Residency during colonial times. As Indore and Gwalior were tussling over the fate of the newly created Madhya Bharat, the natural orientation of the two families was to join the larger Madhya Pradesh state. Hence, since Indore would join Madhya Pradesh, Vindhya Pradesh would do the same, although legally the former ruler of Rewa didn't necessarily have to follow the footsteps of the Indore ruler.

There was another participant in this push and pull: the Mahakoshal region (comprising Katni, Jabalpur (or Jubbulpore), Dindori, Narsingpur, Chhindwara, Seoni, Mandla, and Balaghat, proposed Jubbulpore as the capital of the newly formed Madhya Pradesh, but Bhopal was chosen as the final one. To end the conflict, in 1956, Madhya Bharat, the Bhopal State, and Vindhya Pradesh were merged into Madhya Pradesh. The creation of this state served multiple purposes—Mahakoshal and Vindhya Pradesh didn't have to bear the burden of being underdeveloped, and they could be nurtured by the fruits of Madhya Bharat's advancement. It also ended the hostility between the former rulers of Indore and Gwalior.

Now the issue of why Vindhya Pradesh didn't join Uttar Pradesh was actually resolved soon after independence. On 12th March 1948, Central Indian states were organized to form Vindhya Pradesh. In the same year, nine months later, a proposal was made to divide the state into Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Bharat, and Madhya Pradesh to the rulers of Panna and Rewa, but the royalties didn't commit to it, hence the decision was delayed. A year later, the rulers of Orchha, Ajaigarh, Maihar, and Khaniadhana agreed to divide Vindhya Pradesh among the three giants, but as no decision was made by the royalties, the Central Government intervened and took the call of arranging the state by itself.

The current districts of Madhya Pradesh that were once part of Vindhya Pradesh are as follows. The former districts of Vindhya Pradesh are mentioned in italics: 

1. Datia - Datia
2. Niwari - part of Orchha 
3. Tikamgarh - Orchha
4. Chhatarpur - Chhatarpur, Bijawar, Charkhari and parts of Panna district.
5. Panna - Panna, Ajaigarh and minor districts of Bundelkhand Agency.
6. Satna - Nagod, Baraunda, Maihar, parts of Rewa district and minor states of former Bundelkhand Agency.
7. Rewa - Rewa
8. Sidhi - part of Rewa
9. Singrauli - part of Rewa
10. Shahdol - part of Rewa
11. Umaria - part of Rewa

Below here is a reconstructed map of Vindhya Pradesh in 1950. N.B. the exclaves of various districts are shown absorbed in Uttar Pradesh in this map.