Khandesh Mountains

Mountains frame the Tapti valley of Khandesh, with the Satpura range to the north and hills rising towards the west. Passes connect the valley with Malwa and the Deccan, while wooded slopes and upland settlements offer different resources from those of the cultivated plains.

The Faruqi dynasty ruled the wider Khandesh region before Mughal conquest around the turn of the seventeenth century. Under the Mughals, Burhanpur became the provincial capital, and the region was linked to trade in cotton, grain and cloth. Later struggles between Mughal and Maratha forces again changed control of the area. Hill communities, including Bhil peoples in the wider region, inhabited the wooded country around the valley.