Background: Reports have shown that approximately 529,000 maternal mortality due to pregnancy-related causes annually and almost all (99%) of these maternal deaths occur in developing nations. Aims and Objectives: To study the direct and indirect causes of maternal mortality. Materials and methods: Sixty three women were studied at Department of Obstrectics and Gynecology, Sultania, Zanana Hospital, Gandhi Medical College, Bhopal from April 2008 to March 2009. Age, parity and direct and indirect causes of mortality were recorded. Results: Out of 63 maternal deaths, majority (74.6%) occurred due to direct causes and 25.4% due to indirect cause. Most common direct cause of mortality were Hypertensive disorder of pregnancy (42.85%) followed by hemorrhage (15.87%) and septicemia (12.70%). Most common indirect cause of maternal mortality were severe anemia (37.5%) and complicated malaria (37.5%). Conclusion: Contribution of direct causes was more in the maternal mortality, of which Hypertensive disorder of pregnancy, hemorrhage and septicemia were most common