According to the Hindu epic Mahabharata, Rukmini, the wife of lord Krishna, was born to Bhishmaka, the king of the Vidarbha kingdom.

The coins and inscriptions from the period of Paramara king Jagadeva, the son of the Udayaditya (reigned c. 1060–1086) have been found in the northern parts the region.

In 1724, Asaf Jah, who later became the Nizam of Hyderabad, declared independence and brought most of the region under his nominal rule.

The economy of the region is largely dependent on agriculture with oranges and cotton being the major crops.

According to the Hindu epic Mahabharata and other Puranic scriptures, princess Rukmini considered to be an incarnation of the goddess Lakshmi and the wife of lord Krishna, was born to Bhishmaka, the king of the Vidarbha kingdom.

[2] The coins and inscriptions from the period of Paramara king Jagadeva have been found in the northern parts the region.

An inscription discovered at Jainad names Jagadeva as the son of the Paramara king Udayaditya (reigned c.

[3][4] Scholar M. H. Krishna argued that the Chalukya king Someshvara was known by the title "Jagadeva" ("Lord of the world") in the northern part of his kingdom, and it was he who issued these coins.

Most of the region came under the nominal rule of Jah, who later became the Nizam of Hyderabad, though the administration and right of collecting chauth were held by the Marathas.

[13] Large basaltic rock formations exists throughout the region, part of the 66-million-year-old volcanic Deccan Traps.

Bhandara and Gondia district are entirely occupied by metamorphic rock and alluvium, making their geology unique in Maharashtra.

[14] The Poorna river basin lies in Western Vidarbha and comprises Akola, Amaravati and Buldhana districts.

[23] The largest city in the region is Nagpur and other major towns include Amravati, Akola, Chandrapur and Gondia.

[25] As per the 2011 census, 73.72% of the population speaks Marathi, 8.30% Hindi, 6.23% Urdu, 2.58% Lambadi, 1.83% Gondi, 1.10% Korku and 1.02% Telugu as their first language.

[34] Columnist and journalist P Sainath opined that the relief packages were destined to fail as corruption in the government meant that little impact happened on the ground.

[48][49] Shegaon is a place of pilgrimage with temples attributed to the Hindu saint Gajanan Maharaj who lived there.

The demand has been raised at times due to perceived neglect of the region by the Government of Maharashtra.

[56][57][58] Political economist Shrikant Jichkar opposed the separation of the region from Maharashtra, stating that it was not sustainable.

He noted that income from available natural resources would not be able to balance the subsidies given by the government, whose cooperation would be vital to any development and that the division introduces societal risks due to dividing of the Marathi-speaking state.