Shahdol district General information
Shahdol is a district of Madhya Pradesh state in central India. The town of Shahdol is the district headquarters. The district is part of Rewa Division. Some of the towns in this district are Amlai and Burhar.
Origin of Name
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 North-Eastern part of the Madhya Pradesh provinces of India. Because of the division of the district on 15-8-2003, the area of the district remains 5671 Sq. Kms. It is surrounded by Anuppur in the South-East, Satna & Sidhi in the North and Umaria in the West. The district extends 110 Kms. from East to West and 170 Kms. from North to South. This district is situated between 22o38' N latitude to 24o20'N latitude and 30o28' E Longitude to 82o12' 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 Mountain, the foot of the Kymore Range of the Vindhya Mountain and a mass of parallel hills which extend over the Chhota Nagpur plateau in Bihar. 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 :-
1. The Maikal Range
2. The Hills of Eastern Plateau, and
3. The Upper Son Valley
Geography
District Shahdol is predominantly hilly district. It is pituresque with certain pockets and belt of SAL and mixed forests. Total Geographical area of the district is 5671 Sq. Km. Adjacents to the District Shahdol are the boarding districts Dindori, Satna, Sidhi, Umaria, Anuppur and Rewa.
Mineral
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 Sq. kms. 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.
Population
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.
Tourist Place
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 hight 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 Kamsutra, 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.