Ashokan relics have been found in Rupnath, a place 84 km north of Jabalpur, suggesting the existence of human civilization here dating back to c. 300 BCE. Much later in history, Karanbel (now called Tripuri/Tewar) on the outskirts of current Jabalpur was the capital of the famous Kalchuri kingdom in the 9th–10th centuries CE.
• The Haihayas.
In c. 675 CE, the region was taken over from Raja Mandalik of the Parmar-dynasty by Raja Bamraj Dev (ruled c. 675-800 CE) of the Kalachuri-dynasty who made Karanbel (Tripuri/Tewar) near Jabalpur their capital. They were so powerful that their kingdom was spread over present day MP, UP, Nepal, far-eastern states, Bangladesh, Bengal, Orissa, Bihar, Jharkhand and Chattisgarh. The most illustrious of Kalchuri kings was Yuvrajdev-I (ruled c. 915-945 CE) who married Nohladevi - a princess of the Chalukya-dynasty. Their Amatya (Diwan in Urdu) was Golok Simha Kayasth (mis-spelt Gollak in some scriptures) who was instrumental in the establishment of the Chausath-Yogini shrine near BhedaGhat. While the descendents of the Kalchuri kings are lost in history, those of Amatya Golok Simha Kayasth continued to look after the politics of the region as Diwan Bhoj Simha under Raja Sangramsahi (ruled c. 1491-1543 CE), Diwan Adhar Simha under Rani Durgavati (ruled c. 1550-1564 CE) and Beohar Raghuvir Simha who remained the Jagirdar of Jabalpur till 1947 and whose family still lives in Jabalpur.
• The Gonds.
In the 13th century CE, the Gonds seized it and made it their capital. Inscriptions record the existence during the 11th and 12th centuries of a local line of princes of the Haihai people who are closely connected with the history of Gondwana.
Gond Raja Madansahi (ruled c. 1138-1157 CE) of Mandla constructed a bastion in the 12th century CE on top of a hill which, after him, was named Madan-Mahal. In the 16th century CE, Maharaja Sangramsahi, who ruled for
