Shahdol district

Shahdol District is a district of Madhya Pradesh state in east central India. It old name was Matsya raj or Virat kingdom in the name of great king Maharaja Virata. With a total area of and a population of 10,66,063. Shahdol is an important district of Madhya Pradesh. The town of Shahdol is the district headquarters. The district formerly comprised Shahdol division. The Virateshwara Temple in Sohagpur Vangana is the most important tourist destination of Shahdol and a structural masterpiece. The district extends from east to west and from north to south. Shahdol was once known as Sohagpur, and has a history dating back to the Gupta period. The district was ruled by the Chedis and Kalachuris, before being taken by the Gonds. The town Sohagpur (Shahdol) was established by the Baghel king Sohag Deo. The fort of Bhandavgarh in modern-day Umaria district passed as dowry from the Kalachuris to the Baghels of Rewa, and they gradually conquered the surrounding territory from the Gonds. Later a small portion of the district was taken by a minor branch of the Baghels descended from Jamuni Bhan Singh, a younger brother of the king, who were not subsidiary to Rewa. Eventually the Bhonsles of Nagpur took over the territory, and after the Second Anglo-Maratha War it was ceded to the British. After the Maharaja of Rewa supported the Britishers during the 1857 rebellion, the district was returned to him in gratitude. Shahdol was at this time sparsely settled, and the Baghels invited many cultivators into the district from other parts. It remained an estate of Rewa state under the until Independence, when it became a separate district. Shahdol District is situated in the north-eastern part of the Madhya Pradesh province of India. Because of the division of the district on 15-08-2003, the area of the district remains . It is surrounded by Anuppur in the southeast, Satna & Rewa in the north, Sidhi in the northeast, Umaria in the west and Koriya district of Chhattisgarh in the west. The district extends 110 km from east to west and 170 km from north to south.