Raisen District :

Raisen district got its name from massive Fort. This fort is made on a sandstone hill, at the foot of which is the district. The name of this district is probably a corruption of Rajavasini or Rajasayan, the royal residence. The district of Raisen is situated in the central part of the state of Madhya Pradesh in India.

History :

The district of Raisen with a strong fort was an important centre of administration from the period of its foundation from Hindu kingdoms in India. In the fifteenth century, the Sultans of Mandu ruled this fort, from whom it passed on to the Rajputs. In the year 1543, Sher Shah Suri captured from Puranmal. In the time of Akbar, Raisen was the headquarters of a Sarkar in the Subah of Ujjain in Malwa. Fiaz Mohammad Khan, the third Nawab of Bhopal state occupied it in about 1760, later got himself recognized as Faujder of Raisen by Emperor Alamgir II. The present district of Raisen in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh came into existence on the 5th of May 1950, with its headquarters at Raisen.

Geography :

The District is located in between 22 degrees 45 minutes and 22 degrees 33 minutes to the North Latitudes and 77 degrees 21 minutes and 78 degrees 49 minutes to the East Longitudes. The Raisen district forms its borders with the Sehore district to the West, Vidisha district to the North, Sagar district to the East and South-East, Narsimhapur district to the south-east and Hoshangabad district and Sehore district to the south. The total area over which the district of Raisen is spread is 8395 square kilometres, which is about 1.93 percent of the total are of the state of Madhya Pradesh.

Demography :

According to the 2011 Population Census, Raisen District had a population of 1,331,699. Raisen District ranks 365th in India. The district has a population density of 157 inhabitants per square kilometres. The population growth rate of 2011 was 18.36 percent. Raisen has a sex ratio of 899 females for every 1000 males.

Education :

The average literacy rate of Raisen is 74.26 percent. According to the gender, the male and female literacy rates were 82.46 and 65.09 percent respectively. The total literates in Raisen District were 837,567. Out of which the male and female literates were 490,921 and 346,646 respectively. For educational purposes, there are one thousand eight hundred and thirty three primary schools, six hundred and thirty one middle schools, eighty-seven high schools, forty-three higher secondary schools, twelve colleges, one technical institute, etc

Tourism :

There are several places of tourist interest like Sanchi Stupa, Bhimbetka, Bhojpur, etc in the district of Raisen in Madhya Pradesh state.

Sanchi : Situated on the foot of a hill, Sanchi is just forty-six kilometres from Bhopal. Sanchi is more of a village than a town. It is a religious place with archaeological and historical significance. Sanchi is a site for numerous stupas, which were constricted on a hilltop. The place is related to Buddhism but not directly to the life of Buddha. It is more related to Emperor of Maurya Empire, Ashoka than to Lord Buddha. Ashoka constructed the first stupa and put up many pillars here. Sanchi has been famous for the Stupas, which were erected on the top of a hill. Though most of the stupas are in ruins, now three remain intact and are of great archaeological value.

The Gupta Temple is one of the most famous attractions of Sanchi. Even if in ruins, this temple is a burning example of the greatness of the past. The temple was erected during the 5th century is an excellent example of ancient temple architecture in India. The Archaeological Survey of India maintains a museum, which house many items, which were discovered during the excavation of Sanchi area. Most prized possession of the museum is the lion crown from pillars of Asoka . 

Bhojpur : Bhojpur is one of the most prominent centres of tourist interest in the district of Raisen in Madhya Pradesh state. Founded by the legendary king of Dhar of Parmaras Raja Bhoj, and named after him, Bhojpur is twenty-eight kilometres from Bhopal. It is known for the remains of the Cyclopean dam and the magnificent Shiva Temple, Bhojpur. The temple, which is famously called the Somnath of the East, is known as the Bhojeshwar Temple. Four pillars support the richly carved dome. In the west of Bhojpur was a vast lake, but nothing remains except the ruins of the magnificent old dams by which its waters were contained. The lake was destroyed by Hoshang Shah of Malwa (1405-1434), who cut through the lesser dam, and thus, either intentionally or in a fit of destructive passion, added an enormous area of the highest fertility to his possessions. According to a Gond legend, it took three months for the army to cut through the dam, and the lake took three years to empty, while its bed was not habitable for thirty years afterwards. The climate of Malwa is said to have altered by the removal of this vast sheet of water.

Bhimbetka : Bhimbethika is another place of tourist interest in the district of Raisen which is surrounded by the northern fringe of the Vindhya Mountain Range. It is forty-six kilometers to the south of Bhopal. In vivid panoramic detail, paintings in over five hundred caves depict the life of the prehistoric cave dwellers, making the Bhimbetka group an archaeological treasure, an invaluable chronicle in the history of man. 

It is forty-six kilometers away from Bhopal. It is a rocky terrain of dense forest and craggy cliffs, where over six hundred rock shelters belonging to the Neolithic age were discovered recently. Here, in vivid, panoramic detail, paintings in over five hundred caves depict the life of the prehistoric cave dwellers; making is an archaeological treasure, an invaluable chronicle in the history of man. Prepared mainly in red and white with the occasional use of yellow and green, with themes taken from everyday events of Aeons ago, the scenes usually depict hunting, music, dancing, elephant and horse riders, animals fighting, honey collection, decoration of bodies, disguises, masking and household scenes. Popular religious and ritual symbols also occur frequently in these cave paintings.
The colours used by the cave dwellers were prepared combining manganese, haematite, soft red stone and wooden coal. Sometimes animal fat and extracts of leaves were also used in the mixture. The colours have remained intact for many centuries due to the chemical reaction resulting from the oxide present on the surface of the rocks. The superimposition of paintings shows that different people used the same canvas at different times.