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Context

• Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has set the stage for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the State by renaming the Habibganj railway station after Rani Kamlapati, an 18th century Gond queen.

About

• Rani Kamlapati was the Gond queen of the Bhopal region in the 18th century.
• She was one of the seven wives of Gond ruler Nizam Shah.
• Rani Kamlapati was known for her bravery and beauty.

Palace

• Kamalapati Palace is located on the bridge, between the larger and the smaller lake of Bhopal.
• Kamalapati Palace lies on the eastern side of the ancient embankment known as Bhojpal, built by the Parmara Rajput King Bhoj (AD 1010-1055) from which the present name Bhopal is derived.
• The existing structure is a part of the palace which was constructed by Rani Kamlapati, the widow Gond ruler of Nizam Shah, Chief of Ginnorgarh in AD 1722.
• The architecture of the palace was secular. It was made out of Lakhauri bricks.
• The merlons in the palace were designed in the form of water lotuses to honour the queen.
• The Palace has been designated as a Monument of National Importance by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

Gond

• The Gond are a Dravidian ethno-linguistic group.
• They are one of the largest groups in India.
• They are spread over the states of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Odisha. They are listed as a Scheduled Tribe.
• The Gondi language is related to Telugu.
• The 2011 Census of India recorded about 2.98 million Gondi speakers.
• Most Gonds, however, speak regional languages like Hindi, Odia and Marathi.

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