History of Panna

History : Steeped in the splendour of the royal legacies of its past, Panna is infectious, reverentially mysterious, enveloping and holy. The oldest reference to Panna is in the Ramayan and various Purans. The ancient name of Panna was Padmawati-Puri, mentioned in Vishnu Puran and Bhavishya Puran. In the 41st sarg of Valmiki Ramayan it is described as Kilkila-Khand by Sugriv and Shrimad Bhagwat calls it Kilkila Pradesh. According to local believes, it was the capital of Raja Dadhichi and also of Raja Padmavat during satyug.

That was Swami Pran Nathji who told Raja Chhatrasal Bundela, a great medieval warrior regarding Diamond mines of Panna and thus strengthened his financial position. He also persuaded Chhatrasal to make Panna his capital and arranged his coronation there.


Panna district of today has been carved mainly out of former princely states of Panna and Ajaigarh. Originally a Gond settlement up to the thirteenth century, it was raised to importance by Raja Chhatrasal Bundela who made it his capital.

From explorations, it is proved that the district was inhabited by primitive men in the earlier pre-historic period. During the Ramayan period the Panna region seems to have been included in the great Dandkaranya. The district was the part of the vast empires of Mauryas, Shungas and Imperial Guptas.

From the middle of the 10th century AD to the second half of the 13th century, the Chandellas kingdom included Khajuraho, Kalingar and Ajaigarh. When the Bundelas came to power in the 17th century , the area came to be known as Bundelkhand.