Bhopal (District)

Bhopal District ; ( Hindi भोपाल ज़िला )
State	Madhya Pradesh
Division :	Bhopal
Administrative headquarters :	Bhopal
Area :	2772 km²
Residents :	2,371,061 (2011)
Population density :	855 inhabitants / km²
Website :	Bhopal District

The district of Bhopal ( Hindi भोपाल ज़िला ) is a district of the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh . The administrative and economic center is the city of Bhopal, with a population of around 2 million .

geography

The district of Bhopal borders in the southwest on the district Shore , in the northwest on the district Rajgarh ; in the north the district is bounded by the Guna district ; the Vidisha district borders in the northeast and the Raisen district in the southeast .

The Bhopal district, which is rather small in terms of area, but still around 90% rural, is divided into two administrative districts ( Tehsils or subdivisions ): Berasia and Huzur with a total of around 500 villages and - in addition to the megacity Bhopal - only two medium-sized or smaller cities: Berasia ( approx. 35,000) and Kolar (approx. 90,000).

The entire district lies at heights of 480 to 520 m on the Malwa Plateau. The average annual rainfall is around 1130 mm / year, of which, however, around 90% is attributable to the summer monsoon months .

population

As a result of the sustained population growth in large parts of northern India and due to immigration, the population of the district has increased enormously in recent decades:

year	1991	2001	2011
Residents	1,351,479	1,843,510	2,371,061

Hindus dominate the rural villages (around 90%); about 30% of the urban population are Muslims . In the decade between 2001 and 2011, the population grew by a good 25% to around 2.37 million, with the male population clearly exceeding the female population. Just under 20% of the population lives in rural villages; a fifth of people (mostly women) are illiterate. One speaks Hindi and various Bhil dialects.

economy

Bhopal - Taj-ul-Masjid (around 1850)

Bhopal - Moti Masjid (around 1860)

The district of Bhopal is still characterized to a very high degree by agriculture, with migrant workers also playing a not unimportant role to this day. The megacity of Bhopal, on the other hand, is an industrial center; There are also smaller and larger shops as well as craft businesses, banks, hospitals and secondary schools. Most of the villages are connected to the regional transport network by bus routes; two national railway lines cross in Bhopal .

history

The region around Bhopal belonged to the Maurya Empire and the Gupta Empire , but there are no archaeologically usable traces from this time. The first founding of the city of Bhopal goes back to the king [Bhoja] (ruled around 1010-1065), but the city already lost importance in the 12th century with the decline of the Paramara dynasty. During this time, the Islamic invasion of northern India began , which led to the establishment of the Sultanate of Delhi and its expansion. After the Battle of Panipat (1526), western North India fell to the Mughal Empire , which also conquered Malwa in 1561. After Aurangzeb's death (1707), Dost Muhammad Khan laid the foundation for the independent princely state of Bhopal , which came under British control in 1818 . After India's independence (1947) and the territorial reform of 1956, the area came to the then newly created state of Madhya Pradesh . It belonged to the Sehore district, but was established as a separate district in 1972.

Attractions

The region around Bhopal has neither ancient nor medieval buildings or sculptures. The mosques and mausoleums of the Islamic rulers from the 19th century in the city of Bhopal are interesting . The modern Shikhara tower of the Karuna Dham temple or the Laxmi Narayan temple are also impressive . The State Archaeological Museum of Bhopal shows the few medieval finds from the region around Bhopal and many from the rest of Madhya Pradesh.