Morena district
is one of the 52 districts of the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, located in the Chambal division.
History
Excavations in the district have found Naga coins from the 3rd and 4th centuries, suggesting the region was under their rule. After them, the district was ruled by the various dynasties of the Gangetic Plain: Guptas, Vardhanas, and Gujara-Pratiharas. After the Gujara-Pratiharas the region was ruled by the Kachchapaghatas, whose king Kirtiraja built the temples at Sihoniya. After their demise, the Tomar Rajputs took over the region and ruled until the Mughal hegemony. After this, part of the district fell under the Ranthambore sarkar of Ajmer Subah and Gwalior sarkar of Agra Subah. After the Third Battle of Panipat in 1761, Mahadaji Shinde of Ujjain captured the region for the Marathas and in 1810 the Scindias established Gwalior State. In 1853 Gwalior established districts. What became Morena district comprised four: Sabalgarh, Sheopur, Sikarwari and Tanwarghar.
During the 1857 rebellion, Gwalior remained loyal to the British and was invaded by Tatya Tope and Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi. Although they captured Gwalior for a time, they were eventually defeated in battle where the Rani was killed. In 1947, Gwalior joined the Indian Union and in 1948 it became part of the state of Madhya Bharat. After the 1956 reorganisation it remained in Madhya Pradesh.
Morena has been home to various famous dacoits of the Chambal region such as Paan Singh Tomar, Phoolan Devi, etc.
Geography
Morena is located in the northernmost part of Madhya Pradesh. It is bordered by Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh to the north, Bhind and Gwalior districts to the southeast and Sheopur district to the south. The district lies in the Chambal region – a place with many ravines. The Chambal river forms the northern boundary of the district and there are many ravines near its banks. In the far southwest can be found hills.
Divisions
Morena district comprises four sub-divisions: Morena, Ambah, Joura and Sabalgarh. Morena sub-division comprises a lone tehsil and a lone block: Morena. Ambah sub-division comprises two tehsils and blocks: Ambah and Porsa. Joura sub-division comprises Joura tehsil, which is further divided into two blocks: Joura and Pahargarh. Sabalgarh sub-division has two tehsils and blocks: Sabalgarh and Kailaras. Significant towns of this district are: Morena, Bamor, Ambah, Porsa, Joura, Sabalgarh, Kailaras and Jhundpura.
The district has six Vidhan Sabha constituencies: Sabalgarh, Joura, Sumawali, Morena, Dimani and Ambah. All of these are part of Morena Lok Sabha constituency. The nearest public airport is Gwalior Airport.
Demographics
According to the 2011 census, Morena District has a population of 1,965,970, roughly equal to the nation of Lesotho or the US state of New Mexico. This gives it a ranking of 236th in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of 394 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,020/sq mi). Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 23.38%.
Morena has a sex ratio of 839 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 72.07%. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 21.44% and 0.87% of the population respectively.
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1901 | 390,014 | — |
| 1911 | 384,516 | −0.14% |
| 1921 | 351,358 | −0.90% |
| 1931 | 385,721 | +0.94% |
| 1941 | 437,478 | +1.27% |
| 1951 | 482,474 | +0.98% |
| 1961 | 590,404 | +2.04% |
| 1971 | 742,350 | +2.32% |
| 1981 | 979,564 | +2.81% |
| 1991 | 1,279,094 | +2.70% |
| 2001 | 1,592,714 | +2.22% |
| 2011 | 1,965,970 | +2.13% |
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At the time of the 2011 Census of India, 99.87% of the population in the district spoke Hindi as their first language. The dialect of the region is Bundeli.
Religion
Hinduism is the majority religion in the district, followed by more than 95% of the total population and the district has many significant Hindu temples. Islam is the second most followed religion, with 3.9% of the population with Jainism and Buddhism making up small minorities. There is also a small minority of Christians and Sikhs in the region.
Notable residents
- Ram Prasad Bismil: Indian revolutionary, from the village of Barbai
- Paan Singh Tomar: Athlete Bhidosa (Morena), seven times national champion in steeplechase, represented India in Asian Games held in Japan, later turned to be an outlaw
- Narendra Singh Tomar: Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Minister of Rural Development and Minister of Food Processing Industries in the Second Modi ministry
- Ashok Argal: Mayor of Morena Municipal Corporation
- Collector : B.Karthikeyan IAS
- SP : Lalit Shakyawar IPS