Shahdol District is a
district of
Madhya Pradesh state in central India. With a total area of 5,671 square kilometers and a population of 908,148. Shahdol is an important district of Madhya Pradesh. The town of
Shahdol is the district headquarters. The district is part of
Rewa Division. Some of the towns in this district are
Dhanpuri and
Burhar.
The Virateshwar Temple in Sohagpur Vangana is the most important tourist destination of Shahdol and a structural masterpiece. The district extends 110 km from east to west and 170 km from north to south.
According to 2001 Census, the total population of the district is 908,148, out of which 391,027 are Scheduled Tribes and 67,528 are Scheduled Castes.
History
The etymology of the name as ascertained from the local residents points to its derivation from the name of the one Shahdolwa
Ahir of
Sohagpur village. The progenitor of the Ex-Illakadar family of Sohagpur, Jamni Bhan was the second son of Maharaja Virbhan Singh of
Bagelkhand. He decided to settle at Sohagpur and assured maximum facilities to settler around, and also declared that places settled by clearing forests will be named after the pioneer settlers. Shahdolwa Ahir is believed to have settled the former village of Shahdolwa, about 2.5 km. from the headquarters of Sohagpur after this declaration. Later on, the place used to be the camp site for the Maharaja of
Rewa and British officers on tour. More villages were grouped into the village of
Shahdol as it grew to a town. The District Headquarters was shifted from
Umaria to Shahdol after the merger of princely states took place in 1947.
Origin of the name of the District
Shahdol is named after the headquarters town Shahdol which is located on the Bilaspur-Katni Section of the South-Eastern Railways. The etymology of the name as ascertained from the local residents points to its derivation from the name of the one Shahdolwa Ahir of Sohagpur village. The progenitor of the Ex-Illakadar family of Sohagpur, Jamni Bhan was the second son of Maharaja Virbhan Singh of Bagelkhand. He decided to settle at Sohagpur and assured maximum facilities to settler around, and also declared that places settled by clearing forests will be named after the pioneer settlers. Shahdolwa Ahir is believed to have settled the former village of Shahdolwa, about 2.5 km from the headquarters of Sohagpur after this declaration. Later on, the place used to be the camp site for the Maharaja of Rewa and British officers on tour. More villages were grouped into the village of Shahdol as it grew to a town. The District Headquarters was shifted from Umaria to Shahdol after the merger of princely states took place in 1948.
With lush green forests, natural wealth of coal, minerals and with primitive tribal population, the district Shahdol is situated among the range of Vindhyachal and heading fast in development track. The district has vast reserves of coal mines.
Location
Shahdol District is situated in the northeastern part of the Madhya Pradesh provinces of India. Because of the division of the district on 15-08-2003, the area of the district remains 5671 km
2. It is surrounded by Anuppur in the southeast, Satna & Sidhi in the north and Umaria in the west. The district extends 110 km from east to west and 170 km from north to south. This district is situated between 22°38' N latitude to 24°20' N latitude and 30°28' E Longitude to 82°12' E longitude.
Topography
The District is located in the north-eastern part of the Deccan Plateau. It lies at the trijunction of Maikal Ranges of the
Satpura Range, the foot of the
Kymore Range an extension of the
Vindhya Range and a mass of parallel hills which extend over the Chhota Nagpur plateau in Jharkhand. In between these hill ranges lies the narrow valley of the Son and its tributaries. Since the Kymore Range extends along the Son just across the northern boundary, the District may be divided into three physiographic divisions. They are :-
* The Maikal Range
The Hills of Eastern Plateau
The Upper Son Valley
Geographical scenario
District Shahdol is predominantly hilly district. It is picturesque with certain pockets and belt of
SAL and mixed forests. Total geographical area of the district is 5671 km
2. Adjacents to the District Shahdol are the boarding districts Dindori, Satna, Sidhi, Umaria, Anuppur and Rewa.
Mineral resources
District Shahdol is very rich in its mineral resources. Minerals found in district are coal, fire clay, ochers and marble. District coal mines contribute a major part in the revenue of the state. A brief description of the various occurrences is given below :
Coal
The important coal field in the District is Sohagpur coal field. The Barakars in this area are about 3100 km
2 Four coal seams have been recorded from the lower Barakars whereas a few thin seams are reported from Upper Barakars. The Lower Barakar coal of lower ash content and better quality as compared to that from Upper Barakars. In general the coal is of low rank, high moisture, high volatiles and non-cocking type. A reserve of 4064 million tonnes has been estimated from this field.
Clay
Good plastic clay deposits occur near Jamuni and Hinota.
Ochers
Ochers deposit in the Shahdol district is reported from Bagaiya.
Marble
Marble deposits are found near villages Pasgarhi, Bagdari and Paparedi. Details of the deposit to be under search in these areas.
Agriculture
District is very backward in the field of agriculture. Tribals of the district prefer the cultivation in the old traditional method. The size of the fields are very small and mainly the tribals are marginal farmers. The yearly yield of the products from the fields are not enough for their home use. Hence, for the rest part of the year they work on daily wages.
Living standard of the tribe
The living standard of tribals is very simple. Their houses are made of mud, bamboo sticks, paddy straw and local tiles. Tribal men wear Dhoti, Bandi, Fatohi and headgear. Women wear Saree named "Kaansh" saree in the local dialect. The saree is always of body colour. Women in the tribal community prefer to get their body parts hands, legs and neck encovered with colours. They wear different kinds of ornaments made of bamboo, seeds and metals.
Population of the District
The population of District Shahdol is 15,75,303 out of which 8,04,988 are males and 7,70,315 are females.
A new district Anuppur was formed out of District Shahdol in year 2003. After the new district formation, the population of District Shahdol is 9,08,148, out of which 4,64,784 are males and 4,43,364 are females.
Virateshwar Temple
There is a Virateshwar temple of Lord Shiv in Sohagpur Vanganga. Kalchuri King Maharaja Yuvraj Deva had got it built between 950 A.D. and 1050 A.D. to present it to the Acharya of Golkaki Math. Many Archaeologists consider this temple as the temple of Karn Deva. When you reach the campus of this 70 feet high temple you will find this beautiful example of Kalchuri Age architecture. When you ascend the five steps of the terrace of this temple, you will find Nandi and Lion as if welcoming you. The statue of Mahavir, Shiv and Parvati in dancing posture, the statue of Saraswati, Ganesh, Vishnu, Nrisingh, Vyal, beautiful young woman taking out a thorn, fighting men, Lord Krishna playing flute, beautiful erotic postures related to Kamasutra, Vinavadini, Ardhnarishwar will fascinate you. Having the statues of AgniDevata, Panchlokpal, Batuk Bhairav, Amrut Bhairav, Nag Couple etc. this temple is the beauty of District.
Category:Districts of Madhya Pradesh
