Produce of India:  The major Kala Chana producing states of India are Madhya Pradesh, followed by Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. 

History:  Bengal gram is known in this country since ancient times. It is said to be one of the oldest pulses known and cultivated in Asia and Europe. Though India is one of the main producers of chickpeas in the world today, its origins are dated back to the 13th century. While the traditional name Chickpea is derived from French word chiche and cicer where another modern name Garbanzo came straight from Spanish. According to De Candolle, the fact that gram has a Sanskrit name “Chanaka ” indicates that the crop was under cultivation in India longer than in any other country in the world.