Khargone district

Summary

Khargone district, formerly known as West Nimar district, is a district of Madhya Pradesh state in central India. The district lies in the Nimar region and is part of the Indore Division. The district headquarters is the city of Khargone, which lies south of the Indore metropolis, the headquarters of Indore district.

Khargone district
Clockwise from top-left: Maheshwar Fort from Narmada,, Nagar Palika building of Sanawad, hills near Gogawan, Mahalakeshwar Temple, Un
Location of Khargone district in Madhya Pradesh
Location of Khargone district in Madhya Pradesh
Country India
StateMadhya Pradesh
DivisionIndore
HeadquartersKhargone
Government
 • Lok Sabha constituenciesKhargone (Lok Sabha constituency)
Area
 • Total8,030 km2 (3,100 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)
 • Total1,873,046
 • Density230/km2 (600/sq mi)
Demographics
 • Literacy63.98%
 • Sex ratio965
Time zoneUTC+05:30 (IST)
Major highwaysChittaurgarh - Bhusawal Highway, Khandwa - Vadodara Highway, Agra-Mumbai Highway, Indore-Icchapur Highway, Madhya Pradesh
Websitekhargone.nic.in

History edit

In ancient times, the Haihayas of Mahishmati (present-day Maheshwar) ruled the region. In the early medieval ages, the area was under the Paramaras of Malwa and the Ahirs of Asirgarh. In the late medieval ages, the area was under the Malwa Sultanate of Mandu.

In 1531, Gujarat sultan Bahadur Shah brought this area under his control. In 1562, Akbar annexed this territory along with the whole Malwa to Mughal empire. In 1740, Marathas under the Peshwa brought the area under their control. In 1778, the Peshwa distributed this territory to the Maratha rulers: Holkars of Indore, Shinde (Scindia)11 of Gwalior, and Ponwars of Dhar.

After the independence and merging of the Princely states into the Union of India in 1948, this territory became West Nimar district of Madhya Bharat. Khargone district had been part of the Nerbudda (Narmada) Division of the Central Provinces and Berar, which became the state of Madhya Bharat (later Madhya Pradesh) after India's independence in 1947.[1] On 1 November 1956, this district became part of the newly formed state of Madhya Pradesh. On 25 May 1998, West Nimar district was bifurcated into two districts: Khargone and Barwani.

Geography edit

The area of the Khargone district is 8,030 km2 (3,100 sq mi). The district is situated between 21°22' and 22°35' north latitudes and 74°25' and 76°14' east longitudes. The district is surrounded by the districts of Dhar, Indore, and Dewas to the north; Jalgaon district of Maharashtra state to the south; Khandwa and Burhanpur districts to the east; and Barwani district to the west.

Economy edit

Khargone's economy is dependent on agriculture, with several other industries in the cities of Nimrani and Barwaha. The major cash crops of the Khargone district are cotton, soybean, and chilli pepper.

The district is India's biggest cotton-producing region. There are various cotton processing units (spinning) in the cooperative sector and private sector. One of the major spinning units is the cooperative Jawaharlal Nehru Sahakari Soot Mill, situated on Julwania Road.[citation needed] The famous Sendhwa cotton hub is just 70 km from Khargone city.

The red chilli pepper is exported abroad. A famous mandi[clarification needed] of chilli at Bedia is located about 50 km from Khargone city.

Divisions edit

The district is divided into two sub-divisions, Barwaha and Khargone, which are further divided into nine tehsils. The Barwaha sub-division has three big tehsils (Barwaha, Maheshwar, and Kasrawad) which cover 50% of the area of the Khargone district, while the Khargone sub-division has six small tehsils (Khargone, Gogawan, Segaon, Bhagwanpura, Bhikangaon, and Jhirnya) which cover the remaining 50% of the area.[2]

Khargone city is the administrative headquarters of the district. Other towns include Maheshwar, Kasrawad, Segaon, Bhagwanpura, Jhirnya, Bhikangaon, Gogawan, and Barwaha. Maheshwar is a tourist destination due to it being the former capital of the Haihayas and the Holkars of Indore.

The district consists of six Vidhan Sabha constituencies: Bhikangaon, Barwaha, Maheshwar, Kasrawad, Khargone, and Bhagwanpura. Bhikangaon and Barwaha are a part of the Khandwa Lok Sabha constituency, while the rest are part of the Khargone Lok Sabha constituency.

Demographics edit

Religions in Khargone district (2011)[4]
Religion Percent
Hinduism
92.12%
Islam
7.21%
Other or not stated
0.67%

According to the 2011 census, Khargone district has a population of 1,873,046,[5] roughly equal to the population of Kosovo[6] or the US state of West Virginia.[7] It ranks 252nd out of the 640 districts in India in terms of population.[5] The district has a population density of 233 inhabitants per square kilometre (600/sq mi).[5] Its population growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 22.81%.[5] West Nimar has a sex ratio of 963 females for every 1000 males,[5] and a literacy rate of 63.98%. 15.96% of the population lives in urban areas. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 11.16% and 38.98% of the population, respectively.[5]

Languages edit

Languages of Khargone district (2011)[8]

  Nimadi (51.80%)
  Hindi (17.38%)
  Bareli (11.10%)
  Bhilali (6.74%)
  Bhili (6.43%)
  Urdu (1.98%)
  Banjari (1.81%)
  Others (2.76%)

At the time of the 2011 census, 51.80% of the population in the district spoke Nimadi, 17.38% Hindi, 11.10% Bareli, 6.74% Bhilali, 6.43% Bhili, 1.98% Urdu, 1.81% Banjari, 0.61% Gujarati, and 0.43% Marathi as their first language.[8]

Nimadi is the most spoken language in west Nimar. Bareli Palya, a Bhil language, has approximately 10,000 speakers, centered in Madhya Pradesh;[9] Bareli Rathwi, another Bhil language, has approximately 64,000 speakers, written in the Devanagari script;[10] and Bhilali has 1,150,000 speakers.[11]

Villages edit

References edit

  1. ^ Hunter, William Wilson, Sir, et al. (1908). Imperial Gazetteer of India, Volume 6. 1908-1931; Clarendon Press, Oxford
  2. ^ "Man helps cops arrest rape accused, gets beaten up in Chenpur jail". Hindustan Times. HT Media Limited. 26 July 2014. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  3. ^ "Table A-02 Decadal Variation in Population Since 1901: Madhya Pradesh" (PDF). census.gov.in. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.
  4. ^ "Table C-01 Population By Religion: Madhya Pradesh". census.gov.in. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.
  5. ^ a b c d e f "District Census Handbook: Khargone" (PDF). Census of India. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India. 2011.
  6. ^ US Directorate of Intelligence. "Country Comparison:Population". Archived from the original on 13 June 2007. Retrieved 1 October 2011. Kosovo 1,825,632 July 2011 est.
  7. ^ "2010 Resident Population Data". U. S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 19 October 2013. Retrieved 30 September 2011. West Virginia 1,852,994
  8. ^ a b "Table C-16 Population by Mother Tongue: Madhya Pradesh". censusindia.gov.in. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.
  9. ^ M. Paul Lewis, ed. (2009). "Bareli, Palya: A language of India". Ethnologue: Languages of the World (16th ed.). Dallas, Texas: SIL International. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
  10. ^ M. Paul Lewis, ed. (2009). "Bareli, Rathwi: A language of India". Ethnologue: Languages of the World (16th ed.). Dallas, Texas: SIL International. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
  11. ^ M. Paul Lewis, ed. (2009). "Bhilali: A language of India". Ethnologue: Languages of the World (16th ed.). Dallas, Texas: SIL International. Retrieved 30 September 2011.

External links edit

  • Official "Khargone district" website in Hindi language

21°49′23″N 75°36′37″E / 21.82306°N 75.61028°E / 21.82306; 75.61028