History of Raisen district deals with the rule of the Sultans of Mandu, the Rajputs, Sher Shah Suri, Akbar, Nawab of Bhopal, etc. Raisen with a strong fort was previously a major center of administration from the period of its foundation from Hindu times. In the fifteenth century, the fort of Raisen was ruled by the Sultans of Mandu, from whom it passed to the Rajputs. In 1543 Sher Shah Suri captured from Puranmal. During the rule of Akbar, Raisen was the headquarters of a Sarkar in the Subah of Ujjain in Malwa Plerateau. The third Nawab of Bhopal State, Fiaz Mohammad Khan, occupied it in about 1760, and later he got himself recognized as Faujder of Raisen by Emperor Alamgir II.

During the rule of the Mughal dynasty, Khamkhera was the headquarters of the area which is now in the Gairatganj tehsil. It has got its present name during the same Mughal rule. Shahpur was the headquarters of the Pargana and later it was shifted to Sagoni, which falls in the Begamganj tehsil. After Bhopal State became a part `C` state of the Indian Union, the present district of Raisen came into existence on the 5th of May, 1950, with headquarters at Raisen and it was decided to retain only seven tehsils in this district.

The district of Raisen in the state of Madhya Pradesh got its name from the massive Fort. This fort was erected on a sandstone hill, at the foot of which settles Raisen. The present name of the district is probably a corruption of Rajavasini or Rajasayan, the royal residence. The Raisen District is situated in the middle portion of Madhya Pradesh in India. It is surrounded by Sehore district to the West, Vidisha district to the north, Sagar district to the East and South-East, Narsimhapur district to the south-east, and Hoshangabad district and Sehore district to the South.

The ancient history of Raisen can be found in Sanchi. Sanchi is about forty six kilometers from Bhopal. It is a religious place with historical and archaeological significance. Regardless of the damage and restoration work done, Sanchi is still considered to be the most evocative and attractive Buddhist sites in India. The images carved on the pillars and the stupas narrate the moving story of the incidents from the life of Lord Buddha. At Bhojpur, the famous Shiva temple, Bhojpur speaks about the legendary Parmar king of Dhar, Raja Bhoj, after whom the place was named Bhojpur. Bhimbetka is a rocky terrain of dense forest and craggy cliffs with more than six hundred rock shelters belonging to the Neolithic age. Paintings in more than five hundred caves depict the life of the prehistoric cave-dwellers, making the Bhimbetka group an archaeological treasure, an invaluable chronicle in the history of man.