Morena district is one of the tourist`s attraction districts of the Madhya Pradesh in India. The district of Morena is divided into 4 sub divisions, 6 tehsils and 8 Nagar Palikas or panchayats. The four sub divisions of the Morena district are Joura, Morena, Ambah and Sabalgarh and the six tehsils are Porsa, Sabalgarh, Morena, Ambah, Kailaras and Joura. The Morena district is drained by the important rivers like Chambal River, Kunwari River, Asan River and Sank River. The Chambal River, which originates in the Indore district, forms the north-western boundary of Madhya Pradesh with the state of Rajasthan. A wild river, broken hills, deep ravines and to top it all the violent legends of man and beast provide a unique touch to the district of Morena. The National Chambal Sanctuary is in the three states of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. The Chambal River is one of the most beautiful and the least polluted river systems in the country.
History of Morena District
Morena district is formed from Tonwarghar District of the former princely state of Gwalior. After the independence of India in 1947, the princely states acceded to the Government of India. After that, the Morena District has acquired its present boundaries. Morena District is also added with the princely state of Pahargarh in the south of the district. Morena District became part of the newly formed state of Madhya Bharat, which was merged into Madhya Pradesh on 1 November 1956.
Geography of Morena District
Morena District is located at 26.30 degree North to the 78.00 degree East in both latitudinal and longitudinal extent. Geographically, the Morena District is an interesting place for the both inland and out land tourists as Madhya Pradesh touches two neighbouring states: Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. Morena District also touches Dholpur District in Rajasthan in North-West and Pinahat District situated in Agra in Uttar Pradesh in North-East. The neighbouring districts are Bhind District, Gwalior State, Shivpuri District and Sheopur District.
Demography of Morena District
According to the Population census in the year 2011, Morena District had population of 1,965,137. Out of which the males and female population were 1,068,364 and 896,773 respectively. The population of Morena District constituted 2.71 percent of total population of Madhya Pradesh. The average literacy rate of Morena was 72.07 percent. According to the gender, the male and female literacy rates were 84.22 and 57.64 percent respectively. The total literates in Morena District were 1,200,551 of which male and female were 761,687 and 438,864 respectively.
Education in Morena District
In Morena District, there are more than 1900 primary schools, 552 middle schools and 99 High Schools still educating the children in Morena District. Apart from these, there are 112 higher secondary schools and nine colleges provide higher education in this district. Some of the schools and colleges are Govt. P.G. College, Govt. Girls College, G.L.S. College, Ambah P.G. College, Govt. Nehru College, Govt. College of Porsa, Govt. College of Joura, Acharya Narendra Dev College in Kailaras, Shiv Shankar College in Sumavali and Rishi Galav College in Morena District.
Economy of Morena District
Morena district in Madhya Pradesh with its rich agricultural tract is in the stage of development. The topography is also gradually changing with the reclamation of ravines for agricultural purpose, through the Chambal Ayacut Development Project. The dubious diction of Morena as the region of dacoits, since dacoits have been part of the life in the district, is gradually fading. It is hoped that with the pace of agriculture and irrigation taking place in Morena, the district will be one of the highly prolific, developed and prosperous districts of the state soon. About 50 percent of the total geographical area of this district is available for cultivation and about 58.74 percent of the cultivable area in the district is irrigated. Canal irrigation is the major source of irrigation process. It accounts for 42.94 percent of the total irrigated area. Wheat is the most important food grain grown in the district. Mustard is the major oilseed grown in the district. The prominent Kharif crop is Bazra.
Tourism of Morena District
The district of Morena has several places of interest including temples, natural beauties, etc. Morena and Gwalior State are the railway stations on the Delhi-Mumbai railway line. The nearest airport from Morena headquarters of the Chambal division is Gwalior which is at a distance of 46 kilometres from Morena. Morena district has a few archaeological spots with some monuments from the Mahabharata era to the medieval age. These monuments are the part of the country`s rich cultural heritage. Some of the places of tourist interest are Sihonia (the capital of the Kachwahas), Padawali (Gupta Empire), Pahargarh (Cave Paintings in the cave Shelters), Nareshwar-Norar, The Fort of Sabalgarh, Nurabad (The monuments built during the rule of Mughal Dynasty), Likhichhaj, Mitawali, Kutwar, Kakanmath temple, Dubkund Kacchap Ghat, Mitawali Chausath Yogini temple, Kuntalpur Kutwar etc.
National Chambal Sanctuary forms one of the most prominent attractions in the Morena district, which is the dwelling places for several creatures like Ganges River Dolphin, Gharial (Gavelia Gangeticus), Crocodile (Muggar), River Otters, Freshwater Turtles and several species of fishes.
Another major attraction of this district is the District Archaeological Museum. This museum possesses several statues of archaeological importance, which were collected from different spots like Sihoniya, Bateshwer, Dubkund, Bhensora, Chitara, Parhawali and Sultangarh. These items are displayed in different galleries which are Lord Shiva Gallery, Shakti Gallery, Dhatu Pratima (Statues of Metal), Photo and Picture Gallery, Vividhi Gallery and Jain Gallery.
Apart from the sanctuary and the archaeological museum, there is a temple of great importance in the district of Morena. This temple is known as the Shanichara temple. It is made of stone at Aeti. It houses the original black idol of Shani brought from Ceylon (presently Sri Lanka). Legend have it that Shanideva was held prisoner by the demon-king Ravana (king of Lanka), in the Hindu epic Ramayana. The dusty village of Aeti came into being only after the temple was established. Earlier it was just a barren hilltop dotted with a few trees. Rail and road transport are common means of communication in the Morena district. Rail or bus routes connect about 15 percent of the villages.
