The Garha Kingdom was considered to be one of the most prominent kingdoms of all of Gondwana. What led the Gonds to form kingdoms when most other tribals were pretty much forest dwellers who weren't organized?
I’m from the place where Rani Durgavati laid her life to fight the Mughals. The Gonds were prosperous and effective administrators. For example, Rani Durgavati knew of the importance of water conservation, which is why she built many ponds in Jabalpur. This prosperity is mentioned by Muslim writers even as early as the 13th and 14th century.
Even when we had Muslim rule (a combined 300 years max), the control was very minimal or non-existent.
The empire itself was led by the Rajgonds, they might be ST’s today, but back in the day, owing to their martial traditions and legacy, they were the equivalent of Rajputs in status. Their decline occurred after the Maratha empire took over and jailed most of the Gond Zamindars and later because of British policies.
So they weren’t just tribals back then, but rather a formidable warrior class.
by u/KingfisherPlayboy.