Sagar District, Madhya Pradesh

Sagar District, Madhya Pradesh :

Sagar District is a district of Madhya Pradesh state in central India. The town of Sagar serves as its administrative center.The district has an area of 10,252 km², and a population of 2,378,458 (2011 census), an increase of 45% or by 732,260 inhabitants from its 1991 population of 1,646,198. Sagar district is dominated by Sonis, Jain's and Yadavs. As of 2011, it is the third most populous district of Madhya Pradesh, after Indore and Jabalpur.

History :

The history of the town of Sagar dates back to about 1660 A.D. When Udan Shah, a descendant of Nihal Shah, built a small fort on the site of the present one, and founded a village close to it called Parkota which is now part of town. The present fort and a settlement under its walls was founded by Govind Rao Pandit, an officer of the Peshwa, who held charge of Sagar and the surrounding territory after 1735 A.D., when it came under the Peshwa’s possession.
In 1818 A.D., the greater part of the district was ceded by the Peshwa Baji Rao II to the British Government, while different parts of the rest of the present district of Sagar came in the possession of the British at different times between 1818 and 1860. The Dhamoni pargana of Banda tahsil was ceded in 1818 A.D. by Appaji Bhonsla. The Bhera pargana of Banda tahsil was acquired by transfer from the Bundelkhand States in 1818 A.D. The parganas, Rahatgarh in Sagar tahsil and Garhakota, Deori, Gourjhamer and Naharmow in Rehli tahsil collectively known as Punch Mahal were originally made over to British by Sindhiya at different dates from 1820 to 1825 for management. The Shahgarh pargana of Banda tahsil was confiscated in 1857 in consequence of the rebellion of the chief. The Kanjia pargana of Khurai tahsil was acquired from Sindhia by a treaty in 1860 A.D. A small area in the north -east corner of the tahsil around the village of Hirapur was similarly transferred to the British from the Charkhari State to Bundelkhand and added to the district after the uprising of 1857.

Administratively, the position of Sagar and the neighbouring territories underwent frequent changes. The Saugor territory was, first of all, placed under the superintendent of Political Affairs of Bundelkhand. Later, in 1820, this area, called the Saugor and Nerbudda Territories, was placed under the administration of an Agent to the governer-General. When the North-Western Province was constituted in 1835, the Saugor and Nerbudda Territories were included in this province. In 1842 occurred the Bundela rising, the quelling of which demanded a more direct attention by the Governor-General. But order was restored in the following year, and the Saugor and Nerbudda Territories were again placed under the political control of an Agent to the Governor-General. The arrangement however, was not found to be satisfactory and these territories were once again restored to the North-Western Provinces in 1853. Thereafter in 1861 the Saugor and Nerbudda territories, along with the Nagpur state formed a Commissioner’s Province called Central Provinces.
Sagar, which was the headquarters of the Sagar Commissionership for a short period, ceased to be so in 1863-64, when this district was incorporated with Jabalpur Commissionership. In the year 1932 the district of Damoh was added to Sagar district and was administrated as Sub-Division. In 1956, however, Damoh Sub-Division was again separated from the district to form a separate district and Sagar district consisted of four tehsils viz, Sagar, Khurai, Rehli, Banda.

Geography :

The history of the town of Sagar dates back to about 1660 AD, when Udan Shah, a descendant of Nihal Shah, built a small fort where the present one sits and founded a village close to it called Parkota Sagar. The present fort and a settlement under its walls was founded by Govind Rao Pandit, an officer of the Peshwa, who controlled Sagar and the surrounding territory after 1735 when it came under the Peshwa's possession. In 1818, the greater part of the district was ceded by the Peshwa Baji Rao II to the British Government, while the remainder of the present district of Sagar came into the possession of the British between 1818 and 1860. Thereafter in 1861, the Saugor and Nerbudda territories (along with the Nagpur state) formed a Commissioner's Province called Central Provinces. Sagar was the headquarters of the Sagar Commissionership for a short period until 1863-64 when this district was incorporated with Jabalpur Commissionership. In the year 1932, the district of Damoh was added to Sagar district and was administrated as Sub-Division. In 1956, however, Damoh Sub-Division was again separated from the district to form a separate district and Sagar district consisted of four tehsils viz, Sagar, Khurai, Rehli, Banda.

Demographics :

According to the 2011 census, Sagar District has a population of 2,378,458, roughly equal to the nation of Latvia or the U.S. state of New Mexico.This gives it a ranking of 188th in India (out of a total of 640).The district has a population density of 232 inhabitants per square kilometre (600/sq mi).Its population growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 17.62%. Sagar has a sex ratio of 896 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 77.52%. At the time of the 2011 Census of India, 98.52% of the population in the district spoke Hindi and 0.57% Urdu as their first language.

Tourist Spots in Sagar District :

The Sagar district has many beautiful places to visit that attract tourists from different places. The Archeological site of Tehsil Bina Eran is located in the North-west of Sagar town. Eran is situated on the bank of river Bina that guards it from all the sides. River Bina is a tributary of river Betwa. Eran is adorned by a fortified wall and a ditch of Chalcolithic Period. The site can be easily reached through the Mandibamora road that passes through Gohar and Dhansara villages. Eran has proved to be useful in unearthing the antiquities of Neolithic and Chalcolithic culture. According to history many powerful dynasties have ruled from Sagar district like the Mauryas, the Sungas, the Satvahanas, the Shakas, the Nagas, the Guptas, the Hunas, the Kalchuries, the Chandellas and the Parmaras. The notable Gupta king Samudragupta had also paid a visit to Eran which was his 'Swabhog Nagar'.

Many beautiful Temples are located on the south bank of Bina River, just half a km to the west of the Village. Apart from these there are many other ruined temples of architectural importance like the Vishnu Temple, Varaha Temple, Nrisingh Temple and Garuda Pillar. Many sati pillars have also been located in the district. One of the oldest sati pillars was found by General Alexander Cunningham in 1874-1875 AD. The inscriptions in the pillar depict that Gopraj, a warrior of Gupta period had lost his life while fighting in a war. Hence his wife has become sati on his pyre. Other sati pillars have also been located from Early Medieval Period to Modern Period. Different inscriptions of Budhagupta, inscription of Saka ruler Sridhar Verma, inscription of Huna ruler Tormanh, inscription of Samudragupta and Gopraj Sati Pillar inscriptions have also been found in Eran. Few of these sati pillars have been destroyed. The other surviving pillars represent the symbols of The Sun, The Moon, Stars, Holy Furnace, blessing hands. They suggest that till the existence of The Sun, The Moon, Stars and Fire on Earth the memory of Sati will remain. All the Pillars found in Village Eran belong to Brahmins and Kshtriyas only. The inscriptions are inscribed in Nagari script.