Jabalpur is the 15th largest Hindi speaking city of India with a total population of 1 million. Major employment in Jabalpur district is in Agriculture, Government and the Chemical and Construction Industries. Jabalpur has 54% Industry and other workers, 39% Agriculture workers and 7% Household workers. Jabalpur is a good agricultural district because of two major rivers Sone and Narmada. At Jabalpur city, the soil is black cotton soil. The main crops grown in the region are wheat, rice, pulses, oilseeds and maize. Jabalpur is surrounded by low, rocky, barren hillocks and gorges famous for the “marble rocks”. The citys name is derived from the legendary sage Jaabaali, who is mentioned in the Ramayana, and Jabalpur probably refers to Jaabaalis tapasya-bhoomi. According to Bheegnari folklore, a small cave on the bank of the Narmada River was Jaabaalis ashram. Variations of the name include Jabalipuram and Jubbulgarh, and under British rule the city was known as Jubbulpore. In 2006, the Jabalpur Municipal Corporation renamed the city Jabalpur. Jabalpur was ruled by several dynasties such as Mauryan, Satvahana, Kalachuri, Gond kings and by the Marathas. Jabalpur had played an important role in the freedom movement.
