Ashoknagar District is situated on the north-eastern part of Malwa Plateau between Parvati River and Betwa River, which forms a part of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The Scindia family, as a part of Isagarh District of Gwalior State, ruled Ashoknagar District. One of the most king of Maurya Dynasty, King Ashoka on his return from Ujjain victory halted a night in this district. That is why the name of the district is Ashoknagar.
History of Ashoknagar District
Ashoknagar district was part of Chedi kingdom of Shishupala in Mahabharata period. In the 6th century B.C, Chanderi area was under Avanti, Dasharna and Chedis. The different famous rulers of Nanda dynasty, Maurya Empire, Sunga dynasty and the monarchs of Magadha, ruled it. After the fall of Mauryan Empire, the Gupta Empire and the Maukharias ruled this district with pomp and power. Later, Harshvardhana, the ruler of Thaneshwar ruled this district with peace in 8th-9th century AD. Later in the medieval times, it fell to the Pratihara Empire and the Rajputs.
The seventh descendent of Pratihara dynasty, Raja Kirtipal founded Chanderi city in the 10th -11th century AD. After the fall of Pratihara dynasty, the Chandella dynasty came in to being. The Chandella king, Jejak bhukti also ruled here briefly. Chanderi kingdom was also affected by repeated invasions of Mahmud of Ghazni in the 11th century AD. After establishment of Delhi Sultanate, the Turks, Afghans and Mughal dynasty ruled it. During the reign of Chanderi`s Bundela ruler Morprahalad, the Ruler of Gwalior State, Daulat Rao Scindia sent his general John Baptiste to attack Chanderi Fort. He captured Chanderi, Isagarh and nearby areas of that part. The last Bundela ruler of Chanderi Raja Mardan Singh made supreme sacrifice as a freedom fighter during the time of Sepoy Mutiny 1857.
Geography of Ashoknagar District
The total area of this district measures 4673.94 square kilometres. The eastern and western parts of the district of this district are well bounded by rivers. The Betwa River separates this district from the district of Lalitpur district of Uttar Pradesh and the Sagar district of Madhya Pradesh. River Parvati is the main river flowing along the western boundary of this district. Vidisha district lies to the south of Ashoknagar District. The western part of the Ashoknagar District is bounded by Kali Sindh River, which also separates it from the Guna district.
Demography of Ashoknagar District
According to the population Census in 2011, Ashoknagar District had population of 844,979 Out of which the male and female were 444,651 and 400,328 respectively. Ashoknagar District population constituted 1.16 percent of total population of Madhya Pradesh.
Economy of Ashoknagar District
The main occupation of the people of Ashoknagar District is agriculture. The main cereal crops cultivated in this district are rice, bajra, jowar, wheat, maize and barley and the main pulses grown in this district are sugarcane, spices and condiments, sesame and linseed. Ashoknagar District is also famous for its market. It includes textiles, automobiles, utensils, cement industry, groceries, gold ornaments and many other things. It is a business abode and people from all around the division come over here for the trade and commerce.
Tourism in Ashoknagar District
Ashoknagar District has a host of places, which raises the interest of the tourists including Chanderi, Anandpur, Kaushak Mahal of Chanderi, Issagarh and the other tourist spots of Shivpuri district. The region of Chanderi is famous for the Chanderi fort, which is situated on a hill 71 meter above the town. Chanderi is also famous in the world for it`s Sarees called Chanderi Sarees. The Kaushak Mahal of Chanderi is a seven-storied palace and is an imposing building for some grandeur, though standing in a half ruined condition. One of the glorious religious place known as Shri Anandpur Sahib is about 30 kilometers from the district headquarters of Ashoknagar. Ashoknagar Jain Temple is a major point of interest of this district. Excursions to Bajrangarh Fort, Kaushak Mahal, Chanderi Fort, Ramnagar Mahal, Issagarh and Anandpur will be an enchanting experience. Reaching Ashoknagar District is very convenient in the recent times. The nearest airport to this district is Bhopal, which links this city to all the major destinations in the Indian subcontinent. This district is also well connected with all the major metropolitan cities in India. The hotels in the Ashoknagar District also provide excellent accommodation to the travellers and business people alike.
