| Lok Sabha Constituencies in Dhar district, Madhya Pradesh (MP Constituencies) | Dhar |
| MLA Assembly Constituencies in Dhar district, Madhya Pradesh | Badnawar Dhar Dharampuri Gandhwani Kukshi Manawar Sardarpur |
District profile
Dhar, located in south-western part of Madhya Pradesh, is administrative headquarter of Dhar District. It is a part of Indore Division. The total Geographical area of Dhar is 8153 sq.kms. and thus it is one of the largest districts of Madhya Pradesh.
The District comprises of eight Revenue Blocks (Tehsils) viz. Dhar, Kukshi, Badnawar, Sardarpur, Gandhwani, Manawar, Dharampuri and Dahi.
It further has 13 development blocks in Dhar, Nalchha, Tirla, Sardarpur, Badnawar, Kukshi, Dahi, Bagh, Nisarpur, Dharampuri, Manawar, Gandhwani and Umarban.
Dhar has 1625 Revenue villages having 1326 Patwari halkas. The total number of Gram Panchayats in Dhar is 761.
District is subdivided into five Sub-divisions, Tehsils and Blocks as shown in the table:
The head of District Administration is District Collector who is assisted by various line and staff functionaries. He is in charge of overall Governance including development and law and order functions.
HISTORY
Prehistory– The existence of stone age man in Dhar District is proved by discovery of Stone Age micro lithic tools near famous Bagh caves.
Classical History– Dhar District perhaps was part of Avanti during Bharat War which fought on sides of Kaurvas at Kurukshetra.
The Mauryas– According to Dipavamsa Ashok was his father’s viceroy at Ujjain and linking Dhar to this important centre of Mauryan Empire it is believed that Dhar might have been part of Mauryan Empire.
Imperial Guptas– During reigns of Chandragupta II also believed to be Vikramaditya of Ujjayani the region flourished as most prosperous place at that time.
Western Kalchuris of Malwa– During 6-7th century Malwa was in possession of Kalchuri ruler of Mahismati.
Gurjar-Pratihara– During 8th century the Malwa region and hence Dhar passed under rule of Gurjar-Pratihara kingdom. Nagbhatta, Vatsyaraja and Nagbhatta-II were some of the prominent rulers of this dynasty whose deeds are described by Al.Mas’di and inscribed in pratapgarh inscription.
The Parmaras– Before final disintegration of pratihar empire, Malwa passed under rule of Parmaras who were vessels of Rashtrakutas. They ruled for around 400 years and their fondness for art, literature and architecture have made their reigns one of the most glorious epochs in Indian history.
Munja or Vakpati II was a great ruler of Parmara dynasty who defeated Karnataka king Tialpa. He was a great general, poet of repute and a great patron of art and literature. He excavated Munja sagar of Dhar, Munja sagar of Mandu and built many beautiful temples and embankments.
Bhojadeva I was the most illustrious of Parmaras who defeated western Chalukya, konkana king, Indaratha the king of Orissa and kalchuri ruler of Tripuri. The University which he established at Dhar for Sanskrit studies is still called Bhoja Shala. In it was enshrined the famous image of Goddess Saraswati. Last Parmara ruler Mahalak dev was killed by Ala-ud-din-khaljiin 1305 in fort of mandu and Malwa finally passed into Muslim hands.
Muhammadan Conquest– Ala-ud-din’s army captured Dhar and Mandu and they remained under Delhi sultan till Muhammad II, son of Firoz Tuglaq after which Dilawar khan who was appointed Governor of Malwa who later declared himself the Ruler. His son ruled under the name of Sultan Hoshang Shah Gauri and took capital to Mandu from Dhar. He had constant wars with Ahmed shah of Gujarat and he later died enroute from hoshangabad to Mandu. His son Muhammad Shah Ghuri named Mandu as ‘Shadiabad’ or the ‘City of joy’.
Khaljis of Malwa– Mahmud khalji ascended throne upon the death of Muhammad Ghuri. He had constant strife with Rana kumbha of Mewar and rulers of Gujarat. Khalji rule ended with death of Mahmud khalji II in 1532 A.D
The Mughals– Humayun captured Dhar fort during his march against Bahadur Shah of Gujarat. For a short while Mandu came under control of sher shah who ruled Mandu by appointment of Governor. Later Baz bahudur became famous ruler of Malwa. In 1561, however Akabar dispatched army to take control of Malwa and Baz bahadur was defeated and his beloved Rupmati took poison. Akbar, Jahangir and khurram all have visited Dhar during some invasion or conquests.
Maratha Raids- In closing years of Aurengzeb’s reign Mughal empire began to disintegrate and malwa became hunting ground of Marathas. Their raids continued till 1732 till peshwas divided Malwa among Sindhia, Holkars and Pawar chiefs. Anand Rao, yashwant Rao and Anandrao II were prominent rulers.
Revolt of 1857– In this revolt mercenaries employed by two separate parties in Dhar, united and took possession of the fort. These people paralysed authority of state and opposed British. Colonel Durand arrived with1401 men and after fighting defeated rebels. The state was annexed to British territory thereafter. However British Government later changed decision to restore it back to ruler when he attains the Majority and thus Anand Rao III was made ruler in 1860.
Independence– During intergartion of Princely state, Dhar was merged with Gwalior and Indore to form Union of Madhya Bharat states and Covenant was signed in 1948. On 1st November 1948 during reorganisation of state Dhar became a district in Revenue division of Indore.
GEOGRAPHY
Dhar district extends over three physiographic divisions. They are Malwa plateau in the north, the Vindhyachal range in the central zone and the Narmada valley along the southern boundary.
The Vindhyachal Range- It extends in the District in a crescentic belt generally from south-east to north-west. The range is continuous in the eastern and central part but is dissected by deep channels of rivulet. The range slopes towards north and meets the Malwa plateau. The highest peak of the district is Magraba which is 741.03 meters high.
Malwa Plateau- The northern half of the District lies on Malwa plateau. The average elevation is 500 meters and the land is undulating with general slope towards north.
The Narmada valley- Below the Vindhyan scarps lies the narrow valley of Narmada. In the east the valley is undulating, wider, more open and fertile compared to western part of the district.
| River | Part of the District |
| Narmada | Forms southern boundary of the district with West Nimar |
| Chambal | North-eastern part of the district |
| Mahi | North-western part of the district |
| Karam | Rises in Indore, joins Narmada near Gujri |
| Man | Rises in malwa plateau and joins narmada in south |
| Wagh | Flows through Bagh, Kukshi and joins narmada |
River System– The southern part of the District lies in the catchment area of Narmada which forms the southern boundary of the District. The north-eastern part is drained by Chambal and its tributaries whilethe north-western part drains into Mahi.
The Narmada river flows through Dharampuri, Manawar, Kukshi and Dahi Tehsils of the District.All along the valley of Narmada the soil is fertile and water is available for irrigation. There are scenic and religious sites along the bank of the river like Khalghat.
Forests and Minerals– Apart from the village forests, there are 901.786 sq kms of Reserved and 377.93 sq. kms. of protected forests in the district. The main characteristics of forests in Dhar district is that they are composed of a large number of moist species. It is usually predominated by teak except on hills and shallow soils. On hills, salai forests are found in abundance and while anjan forests dominate areas covered by shallow soils.
| Forests | Characteristics and Spread |
| Dry Teak Forests | Found on Vindhyan Scarps on mixed black and sandy soil. Mainly occur in Bagh, Sardarpur, Dhamnod and Manawar ranges. |
| Very Dry Teak Forests | Occur under vary dry conditions in upper contours of Vindhyan Scarps. |
| Mixed forests | Admixture of large number of species mainly in south-western parts of the district. |
| Salari forests | Found over dry and limestone areas of the district |
| Anjan forests | Typified by green leaves all the year round they grow over poor soil and hard murram |
| Dry Scrub forests | Occur over areas of Malwa Plateau and consists of babul, bel, sindi etc. |
It is the endeavour of District Administration to increase the area under forests in the District and in this connection afforestation activities are being carried out along canals, institutional buildings and in the Collectorate.
Minerals– As regards minerals, limestones, building material, semi-precious stones and iron ores are found in the District. The areas under Bagh and Indwan are rich in Iron while Nimar sandstone are quarried near Aspura and used as building material.
Climate and Rainfall– The District enjoys a Pleasant Climate. It is generally dry except in the monsoon season. The average annual rainfall of the district is 833.6 mm. Dhar district receives maximum rainfall during south – west monsoon period i.e. June to September. About 91.1% of the annual rainfall received during monsoon season. The average rainfall in recent years is given in the table.
| Year | Average Rainfall |
| 2016-17 | 886.2 mm |
| 2015-16 | 872.7 mm |
| 2014-15 | 783.3 mm |
After February there is steady increase in the Temperature. May is the hottest month with mean daily maximum at about 410C. January is usually the coldest month with mean daily minimum at about 100C. Winds are generally hot in the post-monsoon and winter season and stronger in the summer and monsoon season. Thunderstorms are possible in all months though in post-monsoon and winter months they are rare. Fog occurs occasionally in cold season.
Agriculture– Dhar is primarily an agricultural district with more than –% people engaged in agriculture. The net sown area in Dhar as per 2012-13 is 504500 hectares. Major crops are soyabean, wheat, cotton and Maize in order of their production. While soyabean is mainly grown in Northern region of the district, cotton in predominant in southern region near Narmada belt in tehsil like Kukshi and Dharampuri. In pulses gram and moong are also grown in sufficient quantities in the District. Horticultural crop production has also picked up in the district with focus on fruits like banana and other vegetables. In fact banana which is mainly grown in southern part of the district is being exported to countries like Iran .The dhar district is divided into three agro-climatic zones namely Nimar belt, Jhabua belt and the Malwa belt.
Irrigation– Around 56% of total cultivated land is irrigated in Dhar. Gross irrigated area in the district is 281.900 ha with tube-well/bore well, being most important source of irrigation. Area under the canals irrigation system has increased after construction of dams and canals structures. Man, jowat, mahi and sakalda projects are being utilised for irrigation purposes.
Animal husbandry– Livestock population is mainly consists of graded and local low yielding varieties of cattle, buffaloes, sheep , goat and other animals.
Fishery– It is mainly carried out in rivers and ponds and is mainly fresh water type.
Industries– Pithampur is the famous industrial region not only in the District but in the entire India and is called Detroit of India for being a major car making hub in the country. There are over 1000 big and small auto component manufacturing units, mostly small scale, in the city. In fact, Asia’s largest auto testing track is coming up at Pitampur.Some of the major key players who are based in Pithampur are Mahindra 2 Wheelers, Eicher Motors, Cummins India, Mahle Engine Components, Flexituff International Limited, Anant Steel P. Ltd., L&T Case Equipment, etc. The region also has special economic Zones (SEZ) as per Government policy.
Apart from Pitampur there is cluster of industries in kheda region of the district.
There are about 8000 industrial units registered in the District with large numbers in metal based and chemical based sectors. Around 12000 people are employed in the large and medium industries in the district.
In villages people are engaged in cottage industries, weaving, pottery making, making of gur, khandasari etc. Carpentry, Black smithy are scattered in urban centres.
Pithampur-Dhar-Mhow Investment Region- It is part of proposed DMIC project and its proposed infrastructure improvements will create a vibrant regional economic center in an underutilized area planned for industrial and commercial development. This will support job creation, preserve the surroundings environmental and enhance the regional economy.
Transport and Communication– Dhar is well connected by road with other districts as well as with places within the district. Main road links are NH 79, NH 59 & NH 3 which passes through the city and add to dense network of roads in the district. Tehsil and blocks are also well connected to the district headquarters by road network.
There is no railway station in the district and nearest stations are indore and Ratlam.
The nearest airport is in Indore which is well connected with big cities.
Though there are many big rivers in the district but the water transport is yet to be developed.
As regards communication networks, the district is adequately equipped with telephone, mobile and Internet facility.All major operators are providing mobile and Internet services. Dhar district has achieved success with connecting gram Panchayats through Intranet network in first decade of new millennium itself. These computers have been established in Gram Panchayats. They have been called Soochanalayas. From the Soochanalaya, user-charge based services are given to the masses and at the same time the information technology related developmental needs of government departments and Panchayats are met free of cost. This successful Intranet initiative has been named Gyandoot.
Population– As per 2011 census the total population of Dhar is 21.84 lacs with male constituting about 51% of total population. The growth rate was 25.53% which is higher than the national average. One of the main reason for high growth rate is be high fertility rate at 3.3. the child sex ratio is 913 which is lower than the national average. On the other hand, sex ratio at 961 is higher than national average. Other indicators are given in the table: –
| Population | 2011 | 21,84,672 | Census of India |
| Male | 2011 | 11,14,267 | Census of India |
| Female | 2011 | 10,70,405 | Census of India |
| Growth Rate (%) | 2011 | 25.53% | Census of India |
| Sex ratio (Females per 1000 males) | 2011 | 961 | Census of India |
| Child sex ratio (0-6 years; girls per 1000 boys) | 2011 | 913 | Census of India |
| Literacy Rate, Total | 2011 | 60.57 | Census of India |
| Literacy Rate, Male | 2011 | 71.12 | Census of India |
| Literacy Rate, Female | 2011 | 49.69 | Census of India |
| Gross Enrolment Ratio | 2009-10 | 171.5 | DISE |
| Crude Birth Rate, Total | 2010-11 | 25 | Annual Health Survey |
| Crude Death Rate, Total | 2010-11 | 6.2 | Annual Health Survey |
| Total Fertility Rate | 2009 | 3.3 | SRS |
Education– Literacy rate of the District as per 2011 census is 60.57 which has shown consistent increase over the years. Literacy rate in males is 71.12% while in case of female it is 49.69%. As regards tehsils, the highest literacy rate is in Dharampuri while the lowest is in Kukshi. There are 4055 Primary schools in the district while number of high schools stands at 128. However, there are no engineering and medical college in the district.There are 8 colleges in Dhar.
| Gross enrollment ratio | |
| Drop out ratio | |
| Retention rate | |
| Total number of students enrolled |
As can be seen from the table The GER is around 100%. However the high drop-out rate is a cause of concern. Also, the tribal pockets in the district has got low level of literacy and the District Administration is taking special effort to increase literacy.
Health– Dhar health indicators is presented as: –
| Infant mortality rate | 57 |
| Neo-Natal Mortality | 34 |
| Maternal mortality rate | |
| Underweight children |
There is one district hospital at the district headquarter. There are 46 PHCs, 15 CHCs and 399 SHCs in the district. A total of 28 ambulances are under DPMU running under Janani express programme.
Tourism– The city of Mandu is adorned with spell-binding Afghan architecture surrounded by baobab trees, native to Africa. The grand palaces are still alive with royal romance while the gateways (darwazas) speak of a history of imperial conquests.
For convenience, the buildings of Mandu can be divided in three groups: the Royal Enclave Group, the Village Group, and the Rewa Kund Group.
Royal Enclave Group- Jahaz Mahal (or the Ship Palace) is probably the most famous building in Mandu. This ship-like structure was constructed by Ghiyas-ud-din, son of Mohammed Shah, for his harem. According to the legends, this harem was home to 15,000 maidens. There are two lakes on the east and west side of the palace that create a perfect illusion of a ship with its rectangular shape.
Taveli Mahal is located just south of Jahaz Mahal and now houses the antiquity gallery of the Archeological Survey of India.
Hindola Mahal (or Swing Palace) was a pleasure dome that gives the impression that the inward slopes of the walls are swaying.
Champa Baodi is an interesting step-well on the north edge of the tank situated there. It was a popular hot-weather retreat and featured cool wells and bathrooms.
Village Group- Jama Masjid is a huge mosque built in 1454 dominating the village of Mandu and is considered the finest example of Afghan architecture in India.
Hoshang Shah’s Tomb is located immediately behind the mosque and reputed to be the oldest marble structure in India. The tomb was constructed in 1435 and depicts typical Hindu influences including carved marble lattice screens (jali). It is said that Shahjahan sent his architects to study this double-domed structure before constructing Taj Mahal.
Ashrafi Mahal was originally built as a madarsa (a Muslim religious school), but later extended to become Mohammed Shah’s tomb. Now only the ruins of this building are visible.
The Jain Temple is a complex of numerous buildings. There is also a Jain museum in the complex.
Rewa Kund Group- Baz Bahadur was the legendary king featuring in many folk stories of India for his love with Rupmati. He was the last independent king of Malwa. His palace was constructed in 1509 beside Rewa Kund. The palace displays a curious mix of Rajasthani and Mughal style of architecture. There was a water lift at the northern end of the tank to supply water to the tank.
Rupmati’s Pavilion is situated on the very edge of Mandu Fort. It is a very romantic building, a perfect setting for fairytale romance. Nevertheless, unfortunately, the love story of Baz Bahadur and Rupmati had a tragic end. It is said that Akbar attacked Mandu for the sake of Rupmati and Baz Bahadur fled Mandu leaving Rupmati to poison herself.
There are some other monuments in Mandu like Darya Khan’s Tomb, Hathi Mahal, and Neelkanth Temple that can be visited.
Places Around Mandu- Bagh Caves is around 50 km off Mandu on the road between Indore and Vadodra in Gujarat. These Buddhist caves date from AD 400 to 700 and were in a poor condition until few years back when the restoration work began. There are some government guest houses and Dak bungalows nearby.
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