About Narsimhapur / Narsinghpur District (Madhya Pradesh)
Narsinghpur district (also called as Narsimhapur district), a part of Jabalpur division is a district of Madhya Pradesh state with its administrative headquarters located at Narsinghpur town. The district got its name from its administrative headquarters town i.e. Narsinghpur. At the very beginning this area was ruled by Satvahans from the second to fourth centuries AD. Then the place went into the hands of Gupts,during the rule of Samudra Gupt, he extended the borders of his kingdom. Some historical evidences of Padi rule were also found in the time excavations in this region. After some time the place was captured by the Raj Gond Vansh and remained under his rule for a long period of time. In the early 19th century the place was popularly known as "Gadaria Kheda" and at that time the place was ruled by the Maratha Bhonsle Maharajas of Nagpur. Later, the place was overpowered by a Jat Leader who constructed a huge temple of Lord Narsingh on it. And because of the temple of Lord Narsingh the place got its present name, Narsinghpur. After some time, in 1818 this district was ceded to the British Raj. Prior to the independence the Narsinghpur district was under the Nerbudda (Narmada) division of the Central Provinces and Berar which after India got its independence in 1947, became the state of Madhya Bharat and finally Madhya Pradesh.
Geographically, the district lies at 22°94'N latitude, 79°19'E longitude and 360 m Altitude.In the year 2021, there was a total 26.12% forest area of total geographical area. The district encompasses a geographical area of 5,133 sq km. and in terms of geographical area it occupies the ranks of 32nd in the state and 222nd in India. It is bounded by Sagar district and Damoh district on the North, Raisen district on the North West, Chhindwara district on the South, Seoni district on the South East, Jabalpur district on the East and Hoshangabad district on the West. The climate of the district remains pleasant throughout the year except summer. Most of its rain fall occurs in the monsoon season. The actual rainfall in the district was 972.1 mm in the year of 2021-22.
Administration wise, the district is divided into 5 tehsils namely Narsinghpur, Kareli, Gotegaon, Gadarwara and Tendukheda. There are 1 Lok Sabha seat and 4 Assembly constituencies in the district. Moreover , the district comprises 5 sub-districts, 8 towns and 1,067 villages. The administrative language in the district is Hindi.
According to 2011 census the district has a population of 10,91,854 including 5,68,810 are males and 5,23,044 are females. The district has a sex ratio of 920 females for every 1000 males. During the year 2001-2011 the population growth rate in the district was 14.01% out of which 13.39% were males and 14.70% were females. The population density in the district is 213 persons per sq. km. In the year 2020 the number of live births in the district was 23,203 out of which 12,060 were males and 11,143 were females. In the same year the number of deaths in the district was 7,779 out of which 4,774 were males and 3,005 were females. As per 2011 census the major religion in the district is Hindu with 95.13% of the total population. According to 2011 census the principal language in the district is Hindi with 99.57%.
The economy of the district is basically dependent on agriculture. More than half of the population in the district are engaged in agriculture in order to earn their livelihood. The black soil of the district is very suitable for the cultivation of various agricultural products. The chief agricultural products in the district are wheat, jowar, paddy, tuwar, grams, groundnut, til, soybean, peanuts, etc. The adoption of the new agricultural technologies amongst the famers of the district helps to increase the production of various agricultural items. The district is also well developed in terms of industrial sector. The principal industries of the district are Sugar industry, beedi, oil mills, daal mills, paper mills, pipe, cement, plastic, rubber, leather, etc. Every year a huge chunk of revenue comes from the industrial sector helps in its economy to a great extent. It is rich in mineral resources as well. Soap stone, dolomite, fireclay, limestone, etc are commonly found mineral resources in the district. Sometime its economy is based on forestry since a remarkable area of the district is covered by dense forests. In the year 2019-20 the gross domestic product in the district was Rs. 14,89,027 lakhs at current price and Rs. 8,19,094 lakhs at constant prices in the year 2011-2012. The net domestic product in the district during the period 2019-20 was Rs. 13,80,090 lakh at current price and Rs. 7,39,962 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. 1,10,738 at current price and Rs. 59,374 at constant prices in the year 2011-2012.
The district is an abode of several reputed educational institutions. It provides a platform for higher educational institutions. Some of its recognised government educational institutions are Government Multipurpose Higher Secondary School, Government Post Graduate College, Government School of Excellence, Government Shyamsundar Mushran Women's College, etc. As per 2011 census the literacy rate in the district is 75.69% including 83.64% are males and 67.06% are females.
Prahlad Singh Patel, the current Member of Parliament of Damoh Lok Sabha Constituency and the former union minister of state for coal in the Third Vajpayee Ministry was born on 28th June, 1960 in the Narsinghpur district. He is a member of Bharatiya Janata Party.
The district has several centres of attraction which allures many travellers from different parts of the country as well as world. Narsimha Mandir, located at the Narsinghpur town was built by Jat Sardars in the 18th century. It has a huge deity of Lord Narsimha, the human avatar of Lord Vishnu with a lion's head. Pilgrims from far off places come to this temple to offer their prayers. Bramhan Ghat, situated on the bank of the Narmada River at distance of 12 km. away from Kareli railway station has many notable places of interest likewise, Lord Brahma's Yagya shala, Rani Durgawati temple, Elephant gate, Varahas statue, etc. Jhoteshwar (Paramhanshi ganga Ashram), situated in the district is a place full of mesmerising natural sceneries. Moreover, it has a marvellous temple of golden Raj-Rajeshwari tripur sundari. Some other prominent tourist places of the district are Damaru Ghati, Fort of Chauragharh, Rudra Pratap Singh National festival mela, Manegaon, etc.
