Sagar District

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 2,021,783 (2001 census), a 23% increase from its 1991 population of 1,646,198. Sagar is bounded by Lalitpur District of Uttar Pradesh state to the north, and the Madhya Pradesh districts of Chhatarpur to the northeast, Damoh to the east, Narsinghpur to the south, Raisen to the southwest, Vidisha to the west, and Ashoknagar to the northwest.

Sagar District is an extensive, elevated and in parts tolerably level plain, broken in places by low hills of the Vindhyan sandstone. It is traversed by numerous streams, chief of which are the Sunar, Beas, Dhasan and Bina rivers, all flowing in a northerly direction towards the valley of the Ganges. In the southern and central parts the soil is black, formed by decaying trap; to the north and east it is a reddish-brown alluvium. Iron ore of excellent quality is found and worked at Hirapur, a small village in the extreme north-east. The district contains several densely wooded tracts, the largest of which is the Ramna teak forest preserve in the north.

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The district of Sagar lies in the north central region of Madhya Pradesh. It was spelled as Saugar during the British period. It is situated between 23 deg 10’ and 24 deg 27’ north latitude and between 78 deg 4’ and 79 deg 21’ east longitude, the district has a truly central location in the country. The tropic of cancer passes through the southern part of the district.

The origin of the name comes from the Hindi word SAGAR meaning lake or sea, apparently because of the large and once beautiful lake around which the town of Sagar has been built. Sagar was founded by Udan Singh in 1660 and was constituted a municipality in 1867. A major road and agricultural trade centre, it has industries such as oil and flour milling, saw-milling , ghee processing , handloom cotton weaving, bidi manufacture and railway and engineering works. It is known in all over India due to its University named as Dr. Harisingh Gaur University and Army Cantonment and recently it has come into lime light due to "Bhagyodyay Tirth" a charitable hospital named after a Jain Sant Shri VidyaSagarji Maharaj. It is known for Police Training College which are only two in Madhya Pradesh other one is in Indore. Head quarter of Forensic Science Lab is also in SAGAR.

Sagar lies in an extensive plain broken by low, forested hills and watered by Sonar river. Wheat, chickpeas, soghum, and oilseeds are chief crops of the region, there is extensive cattle raising. Sandstone, Limestone, iron ore and asbestos deposits are worked. The archaeological site nearby Eran has revealed several Gupta inscriptions. District Sagar is predominantly a Scheduled Caste/Backward class district. These together form about 75% of the district. The district has sizable population of tribals who are named as Rajgonds after their kingdom.

History of Sagar.

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 governor-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.

Places of Interest

Rahatgarh, Tehsil SagarRahatgarh water fall

A small town 60 km west of Sagar on Bhopal Sagar Road renowned for its battlement ramparts, its gates and its ruins of palaces temples and mosques. It is picturesquely situated on the steep bank of the river Bina which is crossed at this point by a fine bridge of fourteen arches, completed in 1863.Close to the town stands the famous fort of Rahatgarh.It outer wall consists of 26 enormous towers, some of which were used as dwellings connected by curtain walls and enclosing a space of 66 acres. Two miles away from the fort is a waterfall nearly 50 feet high in picturesque surroundings.

Khimlasa, Tehsil Khurai

Panch Pir DargahKhimlasa is said to have been founded by a Mohammedan noble and was mahal in the sarkar of Raisen of the subah of Malwa. The town of Khimlasa is enclosed within a fortified wall built of stone rubble more or less coursed.

In the centre of the towb is a bastion fort of which the gateways alone form an interesting feature. One one side of the fort is the dargah of the Panch Pirs, with an elaborately carved perforated screen work, which deserves an special mention.

Abchand, Tehsil Sagar

In the ravines of river Gadheri,ensconced in the dense growth of Abchand reserve forest ( 23 45' N and 78 55' E), about 22 miles east of Sagar on the Sagar-Damoh road, exist about a dozen rock-cut caves with paintings of the same type as found at Singhanpur and Adamgarh.The largest cave is about 40 feet in length and its walls contain more than a dozen paintings showing activities of the pre-historic men.The hunting scenes represent individual or group of hunters. They are equipped with bows and arrows, spears and other weapons. The game animals shown in these paintings,are bison's, bulls,deer antelopes, tiger, boars etc. In one of the Shelters a fierce fight between two tigers is fitfully depicted.The primitive people seem to have amused themselves with songs and dances. At one place seven figures are shown dancing hand-in- hand in a row. In front of them are played instruments like drums, dhapli and flutes. The colours used in these paintings are yellow, green, red, black, and white. The red colour shows different shades, dark orche and pink. The super- imposition or overlapping is also clear in some cases. There are alos some symbolic representations such as the swastikia, taurine, cross and the tree within railing symbols.

Baleh, Tehsil Rehli

Baleh Tehsil Rehli Situated in 23 degree 35 N and 79 degree 10 E it is a village 36 miles south-east of Sagar and 11 miles from Rehli with which it is connected by a road. A record found here mention Palvana or Yalavana Pattala and refers to a Chandika temple. Formerly the estate of Baleh consisting of 53 villages belong to a gond family of Patehra, which being driven out of Deori, settled here in 1747. It has some old tanks and betel vine gardens producing a leaf of some reputation.

Bamora, Tehsil Khurai

Bamora, Tehsil Khurai - A large village, lying 23 degree 35'N and 79 degree 05'E is a railway station on the Bina-Itarsi line of the Central Railway. There is a ruined temple built of stone without mortar similar to the one at Janjgir. The date of erection is not known, but it is believed to be very ancient. It contains a small stone image of a Varaha and one of a horse with rider. In one corner is an image of Shiva placed there since the temple passed out of its original use. There are also Buddhist ruins in the village.

Barodia kalan, Tehsil Khurai

Barodia Kalan, Tehsil Khurai Situated in 24 degree 10' N and 78 degree 35' E, it is 30 miles north of Sagar on the Jhansi road. There is a ruined fort of the late mediaeval period in the village. On 31 January 1858, an encounter took place at Barodia Kalan between a British force and the insurgents, who had concentrated here after the fall of Rahatgarh fort. A remarkable scene of heroism was enacted in this place, as the Afghan soldiers, even when dying, killed their enemies with their broad swords. From the river Bina to the garhi the British had to fight their way step by step. The fort was surrounded and occupied, but the casualties suffered by the victors were severe.

Bhapel, Tehsil Sagar

Bhapel, Tehsil Sagar - A village situated in 23 degree 45'N and 87 degree 35'E, is 9 miles from Sagar on the Rahatgarh road. It is also called Phular as there is a temple of Mahadeo,locally called Phulnath. During the great Uprising on 15 December,1857 Bhapel was the site of an engagement between a British detachment from Sagar and the mutineers. An annual religious fair is held on the Purnima Day after Diwali which is attended by about 3,000 persons.

Bilhera, Tehsil Sagar

Bilhera, Tehsil Sagar - A village situated in 23 degree 35' N and 78 degree 40' E is 17 miles South of Sagar. It was founded in about 1659 A.D. by a Rajput chief called Pargal Shah, brother of Udan shah, the founder of Sagar who built the small fort which still stands. Later it was assigned, along with other villages as a grant for the maintenance of the old Dangi rulers of Sagar.

Bina, Tehsil Sagar

Bina, Tehsil Khurai - A town situated in 24 degree 10' N and 78 degree 10' E at an elevation of 1352 feet is an important Railway Junction on the Central Railway 47 miles from Sagar by Rail and adjoining the town of Etawa. The Station having been named after the Bina River to avoid confusion with another Etawa in Uttar Pradesh. It is connected with Katni Junction on the Central Railway by a branch line through Sagar and Damoh.

Binaika, Tehsil Banda

Binaika, Tehsil Banda - A large village in 24 degree 05 N and 78 degree 50' E is 24 miles north of Sagar. It is supposed to have been populated in the 15th Century and was held by the Gond rulers of Garh Mandla from whom it was taken by Raja Beer Singh Deo of Orchha and was ceded to the Marathas in 1730 by Chhatrasal Later the Maratha Governor Vinayakrao built a fort here. In 1842 it was plundered by the Bundela Thakur from Narhut and Chandrapur and there after in 1857 was held by the Raja of Shahgarh on the 18th July 1857 a company of soldiers with two European Officers sent from Sagar to Binaika on the 21th the insurgents, having been reinforce from Shahgarh attacked this detachment with a gun and in the action that followed Major Legard was defeated and had to return to Sagar.

Deori, Tehsil Rehli

Deori, Tehsil Rehli - A municipal town situated in 23 degree 05' N and 78 Degree 40' E at an elevation of 1409 feet on the Sukhchain river is 40 miles from Sagar on the Narsinghpur road. It was formerly called Ramgarh or Ujargarh but following the erection of a temple it was renamed as Deori meaning the " abode of God".The town is believed to have been founded about 400 years ago by a chandel Raja to whom local tradition ascribes the present fort.In the kingdom of Garh Mandla the Garh of Deori contained 750 mouzas. Later it became the capital of a tract known as Panch Mahal comprising Naharmau,Gourjhamer Chawarpatha and Tendukheda and was in possession of Durga Singh,the Gond ruler of Gourjhamer who is known to have rebuilt the fort.In 1767 Deori and the attached tract of Panchmahal were given rent free by the Peshwa to Dhondu Dattatreya a deshastha Maratha Brahman.

Dhamoni, Tehsil Banda

Dhamoni, Tehsil Banda - A village situated 24 degree 10' N and 78 degree 45 E, 29 miles North of Sagar on the Jhansi road has a rich historical past.Though know deserted it was a place of sufficient importance to be a Garh in the Kingdom of Garh Mandla and has 750 mouzas. Dhamoni is undoubtedly a place of archaeological interest on account of old ruins. The fortress stands on an eminence and has a triangular ground plan enclosing a space of 52 acres.

Gadpahra, Tehsil Sagar

It is also called old Sagar,was the capital of the Dangi Kingdom. It is situated six miles north of Sagar on Jhansi road. Gadphara still has some historical remains. The fort build on a low range of hills, is approached by a steep road leading to bastion, a rough gateway and a white washed temple on a platform. There are remains of a summer residence called a Shish Mahal or Glass palace of the Dangi Rular. It is a square building very much like a Muslim tomb consisting of two stores, each room having a veranda all around. The glassed tiles of various colors are fixed alternatively in the panel of the battlement and in the ribbing of the domes. It is attributed to Raja Jaisingh who is supposed to have live about 200 years ago. In the neighbour hood is a tomb which is treated as an object of worship.Below the hill toward the north is small lake called Motital.

Eran, Tehsil Khurai

An ancient site lying at the junction of Bina and Reuta rivers, 6 miles from Bamora station on the central railways. By its natural situation, Eran is at the gate of Bundelkhand on one side and Malwa at the other. The name is derived from the abundant growth of ERAKA, a sort of grass of emollient and diligent properties. The village of Eran has a most interesting collection of archaeological relics. There is a fort in rulings attributed to the Dangis, who formerly dominated over this region. The site had a number of Vishnu shrines but nothing now remains except some of the lower courses of masonry, four standing columns with there architrave and some beams and part of door ways. The Principal statue is a colossal Varaha about 10 feet high. The excavation conducted by the Department of Archeology of the University of Sagar have yielded relics similar to those found at Maheshwar and Tripuri showing that Eran formed the Northern most limit of the Chalcolithic culture in Madhya Pradesh.

Rangir, Tehsil Rehli

Harsiddi Devi of RangirA village situated 10 miles from Rehli and 21 miles from Sagar on Sagar Rehli Road on the bank of the Dahar river. It was site of an engagement between Chatrasak Bundela and Khaliq, the Mugal Fauzdar of Damoni. On the adjoining Hill stands a temple of Harsiddi Devi in whose honour fairs are held in the months of Asvina and Chaitra.

The Chaitra fair is an important one and large number of people visit the temple. The image of the goddess is held in great veneration and people believe that she changes her form thrice every day , as a child at dawn, a young girl at mid day and a old women in the evening. A government rest house of forest department is located here.GOURJHAMAR:-