Which is a dominant tribe in Patalkot area of Chhindwara district ?

Question

UnlockIAS · Accepted Answer

Correct — B, Bharia. Patalkot is a deep horseshoe-shaped valley in Tamia tehsil of Chhindwara district, lying roughly 400 metres below the surrounding Satpura plateau and covering about 79 sq km. Its scattered hamlets are inhabited by the Bharia and the Gond, with the Bharia dominant — the valley is the best-known habitat of the Bharia, one of Madhya Pradesh's three Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups, long known for their knowledge of the valley's medicinal plants.

Why the other options are wrong — (a) The Bhil are Madhya Pradesh's most numerous tribe, but their belt is the western/Nimar–Malwa tract — Jhabua, Alirajpur, Barwani, Dhar — hundreds of kilometres from the Satpura's Patalkot. Largest in the state does not mean dominant in every pocket.  (c) The Khairwar (Kharwar) are concentrated in the eastern districts of Madhya Pradesh towards the Chhattisgarh–Jharkhand side, not in the Satpura valleys of Chhindwara.  (d) The Oraon are a Kurukh-speaking tribe of the Chotanagpur plateau (Jharkhand and adjoining states); they are not the resident community of Patalkot.

Concept: Madhya Pradesh's tribal map falls into recognisable belts rather than being uniform. The western/Nimar–Malwa belt is Bhil–Bhilala–Barela country; the central Satpura belt is Gond, Korku and Bharia; the eastern Baghelkhand–Mahakoshal belt is Baiga, Kol and Khairwar; the northern Gwalior–Chambal belt is Sahariya. Patalkot sits in the Satpura belt, and is the Bharia's heartland.

State PCS 2025 Q54 — Madhya Pradesh GK PYQ with Answer

State PCS 2025 Q54 — Madhya Pradesh GK PYQ with Answer