Hoshangabad District

Hoshangabad is a district that is located on the lower middle portion of Madhya Pradesh. It lies in the central Narmada Valley, and is just on the northern fringe of the state’s Satpura Plateau. Its district headquarters is the town of Hoshangabad, where the district also took its name from. The name itself came from Sultan Hushang Shah Gori, the second king of Malwa during the 15th century.

Being found near the center of the state, Hoshangabad is bounded by Madhya Pradesh districts all around. To the north, it is bounded by the district of Raisen while to the south, Betul district is found. To the direct east, one can find the district of Narsinghpur, while Harda district bounds it to the west. Chhindwara district is found on the southeast and Sehore district bounds it on the northwest. Hoshangabad district has a total land area of 5,408.23 square kilometers, with a population of 1,085,011 people as of the 2001 census. This is a 22% increase from the census done in 1991.

Hoshangabad is part of the Bhopal division. Topographically, the district has a soil that consists chiefly of black basaltic alluvium; along the banks of the Nerbudda river, the land is very fertile, making up for the relative tameness of the scenery. The west part of the district has level ground that is cut up by broken ridges and low, stony hills. This is contrasted by the spires, jutting spurs and ranges that are thrown up by the Vindhya and Satpura range. The south is composed of valleys that are locked in by the lofty range typical of good mountain scenery that are starkly in contrast with the Vindhyan chain in the north part of the district.

There are also a lot of streams that wind from the mountain range precipices down to the glens, flowing across the plains and into the sandy, jungle-covered banks and into the Nerbudda. While these streams are not significant, the Tawa is, since geologists have discovered that many minerals can be found along its course. Aside from this, though, the only bodies of running water that are of any importance are the Nerbudda and the Tapti.

The district is mainly agricultural since the lands are mostly fertile thanks in large part to the plentiful water supply provided by the Narmada River. The river also provides sands and tiles which the district export to other regions. The principal crops are wheat, oil-seeds and millets. Aside from agriculture, main trades include handicrafts, leather, silk and pulses. There is also one large industry in Hoshangabad, that being the Security Papers Mill which functions under India’s Ministry of Finance.

The district has 960 primary schools, 207 middle schools and 69 senior secondary schools. There are also 9 schools operated by the Tribal Department. As for colleges, there are 11 district colleges with 1 polytechnic college. All function under Bhopal University, in Bhopal. The district has a total literacy of 58.64%.