Hoshangabad District

Hoshangabad is a city in Madhya Pradesh state, central India. It is located on the south bank of the Narmada River, and is the administrative center of Hoshangabad District.

Hoshangabad is named after Sultan Hoshang Shah, second of the Ghori sultans of Malwa, who ruled from Mandu in the early fifteenth century. It remained a relatively insignificant place till the Bhopal conquest about 1720, when a massive stone fort was constructed, with its base on the river, commanding the Bhopal road. It sustained several sieges during the 18th century, and passed alternately into the hands of the Bhopal and Nagpur rulers. after 1818 it became the residence of the chief British officials in charge of the district.

Hoshangabad District

Area 5408.23 sq. km., population 1,085,011 (2001 census), a 22% increase from 1991. Hoshangabad district is bounded by the districts of Raisen to the north, Narsinghpur to the east, Chhindwara to the southeast, Betul to the south, Harda to the west, and Sehore to the northwest. In 1998, the western portion of Hoshangabad District was split off to become Harda District.

The district lies in the Narmada River valley, and the Narmada forms the northern boundary of the district, Hoshangabad District is part of Bhopal division. The Tawa River is a tributary of the Narmada, rising in the Satpura Range to the south and flowing north to meet the Narmada at the village of Bandra Bhan. The Tawa Reservoir lies in the south-central region of the district.

Hoshangabad District is also home to Pachmarhi, a hill station and popular tourist spot in the Satpura Range in the southern part of the district. Pachmarhi was the summer capital of the British Raj Central Provinces and Berar. The Pachmarhi Sanctuary (461.37 sq km) is part of the larger Pachmarhi Biosphere Preserve, which extends into Betul and Chhindwara districts.