Alirajpur

Alirajpur stands in the hills of western Madhya Pradesh, near the borders with Gujarat and Maharashtra, in the Bhil country south of Malwa and north of the Narmada valley. Its landscape of rocky ridges, teak and mahua woods, and small millet and maize fields has long been the homeland of Bhil and Bhilala villagers, whose scattered hamlets kept to the forested heights while roads ran through the valleys into neighbouring regions.

The state of Alirajpur took its name from the fort of Ali and the settlement of Rajpur. Its ruling family claimed Rathore descent from the royal house of Jodhpur, though that claim was not accepted by Jodhpur, and its early history is unclear, with the founder named either as Anand Deo or Ude Deo. Anand Deo is dated to 1437, and he and his successors ruled as Ranas over a small hill territory, balancing Bhil chiefs, the sultans of Malwa and later the Mughals, Marathas and neighbouring Rajput states. The state came under British protection in 1817.

About five kilometres away, the Panchalingeshwar Mahadev temple is carved directly from stone, with small shrines and figures of deities cut into the rock. Its form reflects the region's craft traditions and Hindu religious landscape. Alirajpur's character comes from this meeting of hill settlement, Bhil village life, Rajput lordship and carved stone.