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Bhopal district
District of Madhya Pradesh
Clockwise from top-left: Tajul Masajid, Bhopal, Gond Mahal in Islamnagar, Shaurya Smarak, New Market on the eve of Diwali, Van Vihar National Park, AIIMS Bhopal
Location of Bhopal district in Madhya Pradesh
Country	India
State	Madhya Pradesh
Division	Bhopal
Headquarters	Bhopal
Government
• Lok Sabha constituencies	Bhopal
• Collector & District Magistrate	Avinash Lavania IAS
Area
• Total	2,772 km (1,070 sq mi)
Population
• Total	2,371,061
• Density	860/km (2,200/sq mi)
• Urban	1,917,051
Demographics
• Literacy	82.3%
• Sex ratio	911/1000
Time zone	UTC+05:30 (IST)
Vehicle registration	MP 04
Website	bhopal.nic.in, smartbhopal.city

Bhopal District (Hindi: भोपाल ज़िला, Hindi pronunciation: [bʱoːpaːl zɪlaː]) is a district of Madhya Pradesh state in central India. The city of Bhopal serves as its administrative headquarters. The district is part of Bhopal Division.

History

Bhopal district was carved out of the erstwhile Sehore District of Bhopal division vide M.P.Govt. Notification No.2477/1977/Sa/One/ dated 13 September 1972.The district derives its name from the district head-quarters town Bhopal which is also the capital of Madhya Pradesh. According to the Imperial Gazeteer of India, Bhopal derives from "Bhoj Pal" named after the legendary founder of the city.

The early history of the present-day district area is obscure. According to a legend, the area was part of Mahakautar, a barrier of dense forests and hills separating North India from South India. 10th century CE onwards, names of Rajput rulers (including Bhoja) Malwa appear in the historical records. The number of Muslims rose after invasions by the Delhi Sultanate under Iltutmish. In 1401, Dilawar Khan Ghori (father of Hoshang Shah) took control of the territory, ruling from Dhar.

In the 14th century, a Gond warrior Yadoram established a kingdom headquartered at Garh-Mandla. At the time of Mughal invasion of Malwa in 1561, the area was subdivided into territories known as chaklas. The present-day Bhopal district was part of the Ginnor chakla, which comprised 750 villages. The Gond warlord Nizam Shah controlled these villages from his fort of Ginnorgarh. After his death, the Afghan mercenary Dost Mohammad Khan managed the state's affairs on behalf of his widow Kamlapati. After her death, Khan usurped the territory, and acquired neighbouring territories to establish the Bhopal princely state. He founded the town of Islamnagar, and also established the modern city of Bhopal. His son Yar Mohammad Khan paid tribute to the Marathas. After his death, there was a war of secession between Sultan Mohammad Khan and Faiz Mohammad Khan, during which the Nawabs of Bhopal had to cede some territories to the Marathas. Faiz was a religious recluse, and his step-mother Mamola Bai effectively ruled the state on his behalf. His successors maintained good relations with the East India Company, which eventually came to rule India.

Between 1819 and 1926, Bhopal was ruled by four female rulers, including Shah Jahan Begum and Sultan Jahan, Begum of Bhopal. After independence of India, her son Hamidullah Khan expressed his wish to retain Bhopal as an independent unit, leading to public protests. On 30 April 1949, the Nawab relented and signed an Instrument of Accession to the Dominion of India. The state was taken over by Government of India on 1 June 1949, resulting in the formation of Bhopal State (1949–56).

After the States Reorganisation Act of 1956, Bhopal state was integrated into the Sehore district of the newly formed state of Madhya Pradesh. The Bhopal city was declared as the capital of Madhya Pradesh. On 26 January 1972, the Government of Madhya Pradesh announced that Bhopal would be made a separate district. The Bhopal district was officially carved out of the Sehore district on 26 November 1972.

Geography

The district has an area of 2,772 km.

Bhopal District is bounded by the districts of Guna to the north, Vidisha to the northeast, Raisen to the east and southeast, Sehore to the southwest and west, and Rajgarh to the northwest.

The city of Bhopal lies in the southern part of the district, and the majority of the population resides within Bhopal municipality. The town of Berasia lies in the northern part of the district.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census, Bhopal District has a population of 2,371,061, roughly equal to the nation of Latvia or the US state of New Mexico. This gives it a ranking of 189th in India (out of a total of 640).

The district has a population density of 855 inhabitants per square kilometre (2,210/sq mi). Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 28.46%. Bhopal has a sex ratio of 918 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 80.37%. 80.85% of the population lives in urban areas. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 15.08% and 2.93% of the population respectively.

Languages of Bhopal district (2011)

At the time of the 2011 Census of India, 84.67% of the population in the district spoke Hindi, 6.76% Urdu, 2.61% Marathi and 2.23% Sindhi as their first language.

Tourist places

• Van Vihar National Park
• Upper Lake (Bhojtal)
• Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya
• Gohar Mahal
• Birla Mandir
• Tribal Museum
• Regional Science Center
• Taj-ul-Masajid
• Kerwa Dam
• Bhadbhada Dam

Subdivisions

The Bhopal district has three tehsils: Berasia Kolar and Huzur. There are two community development blocks: Berasia and Phanda. The two tehsils are further sub-divided into units known as Patwari Halkas.

Cities and towns

Berasia tehsil:

1. Berasia (municipality)

Huzur tehsil

1. Bhopal (municipal corporation)
2. Kolar (municipality)

In 2019, Kolar was declared a separate tehsil.

References

1. ^ "District Census Hand Book – Bhopal" (PDF). Census of India. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.
2. "Total Population, child population in the age group 0-6, literates and literacy rates by sex: 2011". Office of The Registrar General & Census Commissioner, Government of India. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
3. Khanal, Bhavesh. "History of Bhopal". bhopal.nic.in. District Administration. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
4. ^ "District Census Handbook 2011: Bhopal" (PDF). Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 August 2015.
5. S.R. Bakshi and O.P. Ralhan (2007). Madhya Pradesh Through the Ages. Sarup & Sons. p. 360. ISBN 978-81-7625-806-7.
6. "Table A-02 Decadal Variation in Population Since 1901: Madhya Pradesh" (PDF). census.gov.in. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.
7. "Table C-01 Population by Religion: Madhya Pradesh". Census of India. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India. 2011.
8. US Directorate of Intelligence. "Country Comparison:Population". Archived from the original on 13 June 2007. Retrieved 1 October 2011. Latvia 22,04,708 July 2011 est.
9. "2010 Resident Population Data". U. S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 19 October 2013. Retrieved 30 September 2011. New Mexico - 2,059,179
10. "Table C-16 Population by Mother Tongue: Madhya Pradesh". Census of India. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.
11. Kolar becomes third tehsil of state capital

External links

• Bhopal District web site

v t e Places adjacent to Bhopal district
Rajgarh district Guna district Vidisha district Bhopal district Sehore district Raisen district

v t e State of Madhya Pradesh
Capital: Bhopal
State symbols	Animal: Barasingha Bird: Dudhraj Fish: Mahseer Flower: Lily River: Narmada Tree: Banyan Highest point: Dhupgarh
Topics	Tourism Culture Protected areas Sports
Governance	Governors Chief Ministers Legislative Assembly High Court Police
Divisions	Bhopal Chambal Gwalior Indore Jabalpur Narmadapuram Rewa Sagar Shahdol Ujjain
Districts	Agar Malwa Alirajpur Anuppur Ashoknagar Balaghat Barwani Betul Bhind Bhopal Burhanpur Chhatarpur Chhindwara Chambal Damoh Datia Dewas Dhar Dindori Guna Gwalior Harda Hoshangabad Indore Jabalpur Jhabua Katni Khandwa Khargone Maihar Mandla Mandsaur Mauganj Narsinghpur Neemuch Niwari Panna Raisen Rajgarh Ratlam Rewa Sagar Satna Sehore Seoni Shahdol Sidhi Singrauli Shajapur Sheopur Shivpuri Tikamgarh Ujjain Umaria Vidisha
Major cities	Bhopal Dewas Gwalior Indore Jabalpur Rewa Sagar Satna Ujjain

23°16′00″N 77°24′00″E / 23.2667°N 77.4°E / 23.2667; 77.4

• Bhopal district
• Districts of Madhya Pradesh
• Minority concentrated districts in India
• 1972 establishments in Madhya Pradesh