Hoshangabad district, a part of Narmadapuram division is a district of Madhya Pradesh state with its administrative headquarters located at Hoshangabad city. The district got its name from the headquarters city i.e. Hoshangabad city. The name of the city is taken from the ruler of Narmadapuram, Hoshang Shah. Earlier, the place was popularly known as Narmadapuram, named after the Narmada River. Then the place was again re-named as Hoshangabad, after the first ruler of Malwa i.e. Hoshang Shah, who also ruled over Narmadapuram. At the very beginning Hoshangabad district was under the Nerbudda (Narmada) Division of the Central Provinces and Berar. When India got its independence in 1947 the Nerbudda (Narmada) Division of the Central Provinces and Berar became transferred into the Madhya Bharat state. Finally, the Madhya Bharat changed into Madhya Pradesh.

Dada Makhan Lal Chaturvedi, an eminent Indian poet, writer, essayist, playwright and journalist was born on 4th April, 1889 at Babai Village in the Hoshangabad district. In 1955 he was honoured by the first Sahitya Akademi Award for his work Him Taringini. Moreover, the Government of India conferred him the most prestigious Padma Bhushan Award in 1963.

Geographically, the district lies at 22°75'N latitude, 77°72'E longitude and 278 m Altitude. In the year 2021, there was a total 36.12% forest area of total geographical area. The district encompasses a geographical area of 6,703 sq km. and in terms of geographical area it occupies the ranks of 18th in the state and 140th in India. It is bounded by Raisen district on the North, Betul district on the South, Narsinghpur district on the East, Chhindwara district on the South East, Sehore district on the North West and Harda district on the West. The climate of the district remains pleasant and normal throughout the year. Most of its rainfall occurs in the monsoon season. The actual rainfall in the district was 1128.1 mm in the year of 2021-22.

Administration wise, the district is divided into 7 tehsils namely Seoni Malwa, Itarsi, Hoshangabad, Babai, Shohagpur, Pipariya and Bankhedi. There are 1 Lok Sabha seat and 4 Assembly constituencies in the district. Moreover, the district comprises 8 sub-districts, 12 towns and 961 villages. The administrative language in the district is Hindi.

According to 2011 census the district has a population of 12,41,350 out of which 6,48,725 are males and 5,92,625 are females. The district has a sex ratio of 914 females for every 1000 males. In the year 2001-2011 the population growth rate in the district was 14.49% including 13.46% were males and 15.64% were females. The population density in the district is 185 persons per sq. km. In the year 2020 the number of live births in the district was 22,986 out of which 12,070 were males and 10,916 were females. In the same year the number of deaths in the district was 8,635 out of which 5,353 were males and 3,282 were females. As per 2011 census the major religion in the district is Hindu with 94.67%of the total population. According to 2011 census the principal language in the district is Hindi with 96.08%.

The economy of the district is mainly dependent on agriculture. More than half of its population are engaged in agriculture in order to earn their livelihood. Moreover, the production level of its agricultural products is high enough due to its fertile land and good canal irrigation facilities from the Tawa Dam throughout the year. The chief agricultural products in the district are wheat, paddy, jowar, maize, gram, tuar, urad, pulses, soybean, ground nut, til, sugarcane, cotton, spices, vegetables, etc. The district is also well developed in terms of industrial sector. It has many large and small scale industries of silk, leather, handicraft, paper, ceramics, etc. The two most valuable industrial unit of Government of India, located in the district are Security Paper Mill and Ordnance Factory. Now-a-days, a huge chunk of revenue comes from the tourism sector helps in its economy to a great extent. In the year 2019-20 the gross domestic product in the district was Rs. 21,55,161 lakhs at current price and Rs. 12,76,239 lakhs at constant prices in the year 2011-2012. The net domestic product in the district during the period 2019-20 was Rs. 19,75,839 lakh at current price and Rs. 11,41,075 lakh at constant prices in the year 2011-2012. The Per Capita Income or NDDP, At Factor Cost during the period 2019-20 was Rs. 1,39,447 at current price and Rs. 80,533 at constant prices in the year 2011-2012.

The district is an abode of several reputed educational institutions. It provides a platform for higher education. Narmada Maha Vidhyalaya (NMV) and most of its educational institutions in the district were set up by the late Pt. R L Sharma, an eminent visionary. Almost all the colleges in the district are affiliated to Barkatullah University, located in Bhopal. It also has an office of Saksharta Programme which operates many literacy programs. As per 2011 census the literacy rate in the district is 75.29% out of which 83.35% are males and 66.45% are females.

The district has several centres of attraction which allures numerous travellers from different parts of the country as well as world. Sethani Ghat, one of the largest ghats in India is located on the banks of river Narmada at Hoshangabad. During the period of the Narmada Jayanti, people from far off places come to this ghat since it attains a festive look at that time. It is named after a noble lady called Jankibai Sethani, who constructed the ghat. Panchmarhi, a unique site situated in the district is popularly known as “Satpura ki Rani”. It is a perfect destination for nature’s lovers. Bandhrabhan, a meeting point of Tawa and Narmada Rivers has a great religious significance. Pilgrims from various places come to this place to offer their prayers. Salkanpur, a place in the district is famous for its temple of Goddess Durga, which attracts thousands of people every year. Hushang shah fort, a fort with historical important located adjacent to the Narmada River in the district was built by the ruler of Malwa, Hushang Shah. Satpura Tiger Reserve, a national park covers an area of 524 sq km. was established in 1981.