Jhabua, town, western Madhya Pradesh state, central India. It is situated on an upland plateau about 45 miles (72 km) northwest of Dhar.
Jhabua was founded in the 16th century by a Banjari freebooter and served as the capital of Jhabua princely state. Today it is a local agricultural and timber market connected by road with Dhar. There is a government college affiliated with Vikram University in Ujjain. Jhabua’s surrounding region is traversed by the northern ridges of the Vindhya Range. Cultivated land lies chiefly along the Anas and Mahi rivers and their tributaries. Wheat, corn (maize), millet, and cotton are major crops. Manganese deposits are worked. Pop. (2001) 30,577; (2011) 35,753.