Jabalpur is the administrative headquarters of Jabalpur district and Jabalpur division. The city is considered to be a Sanskardhani, literally meaning a "cultural centerplace". Many gorges in the nearby rocks have been taken advantage of to surround the city with a series of lakes, which, shaded by fine trees and bordered by fantastic crags, which adds lots of beauty to the suburbs.

Jabalpur city itself dates from the nineteenth century, and is laid out in wide and regular streets. It has a beautiful collection of marble rocks at Bhedaghat about 21 Kms, surrounding the river Narmada. Every year many tourists come to visit Jabalpur because of this major attraction.

Jabalpur is also an important junction for the Indian Railways. It has a big Defence and Military Center - Head Quarters, headquarters of West Central Railway Zone, the Madhya Pradesh State Electricity Board, and the Madhya Pradesh High Courts.

Jabalpur is also known for housing spiritual leaders like Maharishi Mahesh Yogi of Transcendental Meditation and Bhagwaan Rajneesh (Osho).

Jabalpur is said to be the tapsya bhumi of the sage Jabali, from whom the name Jabalpur is derived. Asokan relics have been found. Later on it was the capital of the famous Tripuri kingdom.