town, Madhya Pradesh state, central India. Located on Bahadur Lake, it was founded in the 16th century by a Banjari freebooter and served as the capital of the former Jhabua princely state. It is a local agricultural and timber market connected by road with Dhar. There is a government college affiliated with Vikram University. Jhabua's surrounding region is traversed by the northern ridges of the Vindhya Range. Cultivated land lies chiefly along the Anas and Mahi (Mahi River) rivers and their tributaries. Wheat, corn (maize), millet, and cotton are major crops. Manganese deposits are worked. Pop. (2001) 30,577.