Umaria district is a district of Madhya Pradesh. The town of Umaria is the district headquarters. The district is part of Shahdol Division.
The total geographical area of the district sums up to 4548 square kilometers and has a population of 644,758. Umaria is enriched with its vast resources of forests and minerals. The coal mines are a steady source of revenue for the district.
The most important mineral found in the district is coal and as a result 8 mines are being operated by South Eastern Coalfields Limited (Nowrozabad) in the district. The Bandhavgarh National Park (Tala) and Sanjay Gandhi Thermal Power Station at Mangthar (Pali) are located in the district. Umaria was formerly the headquarters of the South Rewa District and thereafter the headquarters town of the Bandhavgarh tehsil. It is situated at a distance of about 69 km. from Shahdol, the parent district. Metalled roads connect the town with Katni, Rewa, Shahdol, etc., on which regular buses ply. Umaria is also a railway station on the Katni-Bilaspur section of the South East Central Railway zone.
As of 2011 it is the second least populous district of Madhya Pradesh (out of 50), after Harda.
History
Umaria was ruled by Lodhi Rajputs. The Lodhi Rajput family built the temple of Lakshmi Narayan on southern bank of Narbada Barman ghat. They also built on the steps of the northern bank of Barman ghat Karkeli a great gateway called the Hathi Darwaza, to allow their elephants passage. The fort of Bandhavgarh was given as dowry with Padamkuwari, daughter of Somdutt Karchuli of Mandla to Karan Deo, son of Maharaja Vyaghradev. Bandhogarh was the early capital of the Baghel dynasty. Akbar spent his childhood days in Bandhogarh.
Later the Baghels of Rewa came with his force and won Umaria from Lodhis. Umaria was always a favourite town for many princes and kings because the dense forests and tigers. It was the southern capital of old Rewa District under the former Bandhogarh tehsil. The forests of Bandhavgarh were a game reserve of Maharaja of Rewa.
After independence, Umaria was a part of Shahdol district. In 1998, it was carved out of Shahdol as a separate district.
Climate
Average Rainfall : 1293 m.m.
Average Max. Temperature :46.2 °C
Average Min. Temperature : -0.1 °C
Economy
In 2006 the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named Umaria one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640). It is one of the 24 districts in Madhya Pradesh currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).
Demographics
According to the 2011 census Umaria District has a population of 644,758, roughly equal to the nation of Montenegro or the US state of Vermont. This gives it a ranking of 513th in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of . Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 24.73%. Umaria has a sex ratio of 953 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 67.34%. 17.15% of the population lives in urban areas. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes made up 9.02% and 46.64% of the population respectively. The Gonds make up the largest tribal group, accounting for 40% of the total ST population. Other important tribes include the Baigas and Kols.
Hindus are the largest group in the district with 96.33%. Muslims are 2.48% and traditional tribal religions were 0.93%.
Languages
At the time of the 2011 Census of India, 83.58% of the population in the district spoke Hindi, 14.43% Bagheli and 0.94% Gondi as their first language.
Bandhavgarh National Park
Bandhavgarh () is a relatively small park. In the last few years this former game reserve has become one of India's most prominent National Parks. The major reason for all the interest is Bandhavgarh high density of tigers, which roam the mixed forests of sal, bamboo and ambilica officinale in search of an easy kill. The tigers have not only bolstered the local population by breeding successfully, they have also brought international media attention to the park and to the plight of the Royal Bengal Tiger. The density of the tiger population at Bandhavgarh is the highest known in India. 60 Tigers at 450 km2 area in Bandhavgarh National Park. This is also white tiger country. The last known as captured by Maharaja Martand Singh in 1951. This white tiger, named "Mohan," is now stuffed and display in the place of Maharaja of Rewa.
Attractions
Bandhavgarh Fort
Bandhavgarh is the name of tehsil in Umaria District. Formerly it was the capital of the Bandhavgarh Kingdom of the Magha dynasty, then the headquarters of the tehsil. At present its headquarters is Umaria.