Bhind district
Bhind district is a district in the Chambal division of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The town of Bhind is the district headquarters. Bhind District is situated in Chambal region in the northwest of the state. It is bounded by Agra, Etawah, Jalaun and Jhansi districts of Uttar Pradesh state to the north and the east, and the Madhya Pradesh districts of Datia to the south, Gwalior to the southwest, and Morena to the west. The geography of the district is characterised by uneven ravines, plain fertile fields and scanty forests. The total area of the district  is . Bhind's soil and is drained by the Chambal, Kali Sind, Kunwari or Kwari, Pahuj and Baisali rivers and by an extensive canal system. Formerly there were four tehsils, Bhind, Mehgaon, Gohad and Lahar, but at present there are ten tehsils: Bhind, Ater, Gormi, Mau, Mehgaon, Gohad, Lahar, Mihona, Raun and recently Amayan is the newest tehsil of Bhind. The district is part of the Chambal Division. History. The district is named after the mythological Hindu saint Vibhandak Rishi, also called Bhindi Rishi. During the Mahabharata war it was believed to have been ruled by the Chedis, then the  Yadus. The Chedis were one of the Mahajanapadas. Then the district was ruled by the Nandas, Mauryas and later Shungas. Soon Shunga rule was replaced with branches of the Nagas with headquarters in Kantipuri and Padmavati. After a brief interregnum by the Kushans, the Nagas re-emerged. Around 270 copper coins from this period were found from the 3rd and 4th centuries CE in Akoda village in Bhind district. By the middle of the 4th century the territory came under Gupta control. Afterwards the territory was controlled by the Vardhanas and in the 8th century, the Gujara-Pratiharas. In 1195  Mohammed Ghuri attacked the Pratihara chief in Gwalior, who submitted. For the next three centuries the Delhi Sultanate had control over the district. In the Mughal period the district fell under the Subedar of Agra. At the latter half of the 17th century a Jat family founded the town of Gohad and captured all the territory around it. He was, however, defeated by the Bhadawar rajputs. In 1736 and 1737, the Marathas defeated the Raja of Bhadawar and forced him to flee from the district. In 1805, the British, under a treaty with Gwalior, gave all the land comprising Bhind  to the Scindias of Gwalior. In 1899, the Bhind-Gwalior light rail was built. The State of Madhya Bharat was formally inaugurated by Jawaharlal Nehru, the then Prime Minister of India, on 28 May 1948 at Gwalior. Scindia and Holkar were sworn in as the Rajpramukh and Up-Rajpramukh, respectively. It was decided to divide the Union into six districts and Bhind was one among them. As a result of reorganisation of the states Madhya Bharat was added to Madhya Pradesh state on 1 November 1956. Ravines. This region is known for its extensive ravines. The ravines created by gully  erosion are heavily under soil loss. The Government of Madhya Pradesh has tried to check this soil erosion and expansion of ravines by the means of watershed development and by aerial-seeding for plants like Prosopis, Acacia, and Jatropha in the ravines. Demographics. According to the 2011 census Bhind District had a population of 1,703,005, roughly equal to the nation of The Gambia or the US state of Nebraska. This gives it a ranking of 286th 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 19.25%. Bhind has a sex ratio of 837 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 64.29%. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 22.01% and 0.36% of the population respectively. At the time of the 2011 Census of India, 99.66% of the population in the district spoke Hindi as their first language. The dominant castes of Bhind are Rathour/rathore/rathor , Rajput, Gurjar, Brahmin,Baghel, Gadariya, Kayastha, Jain and Bania with sizeable number of Lodhis and Yadavs. Administration. Sandhya Ray is the MP from Bhind Lok Sabha constituency, elected in the 2019 Indian general election as  a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Tourist attractions. Chhatri of Malhar Rao Holkar, Alampur. Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar built the chhatri of Malhar Rao Holkar at Alampur in Bhind district in 1766. It is marked by carvings. It is built on the pattern of the chhatris of Holkar rulers at Indore. Shri Rawatpura Dham. The temple of Hindu Lord Hanuman is situated at Lahar tehsil of Bhind. This place is known as Rawatpura Dham and is under in Lahar tehsil. Fort of Ater. Ater Fort was built by king Badan Singh Bhadouria in 1664-1668. The Fort of Ater is  located near Ater town, from Bhind and from Porsa Morena. Jain temples. The temple of Lord Mahavira is situated at Barason in Mehgaon tehsil. In Jain tradition, it is among the Atishaya kshetra, i.e. places where lord Mahavira visited during his journey after getting Kaivalya (Ultimate Realization) and miraculous events took place. It is situated from Bhind town. Other Atishaya kshetra are Jain temple of Lord Neminath at Pavai near Bhind town and Lord Ajitnatha at Barahi, which is from Bhind at the Bhind-Etawah district border on the bank of the Chambal. An ancient holy place called "Digambar jain  Parasnath Jinalaya" is situated in the village of Simar Biragma, about from Bhind and approximately 6 km from Atishaya kshetra Barason. There are approximately 60 Jain temples in Bhind town itself. Mata Renuka Temple. An ancient temple is situated at Jamdara village in Mau tehsil, from Bhind, which was thought to be built by the mythological sage Parashurama. Narad Dev Temple. An ancient temple of God Narad Dev is situated on the banks of the Kali Sindh. It can be reached by Lahaar Madori road, and is around from Madori. National Chambal (Gharial) Wildlife Sanctuary. National Chambal (Gharial) Wildlife Sanctuary  is situated on the Chambal River, and is inhabited by crocodiles, ghariyals, Ganges dolphins, and migratory birds. A boat cruise is organised by local forest officials. The sanctuary is from Bhind town. Gohad Fort. This fort at Gohad was built by the Jat king Maha Singh in the 16th century. Government offices are currently situated on its premises. Sun Temple. The Sun temple, also known as Balaji Temple, is situated from Bhind at Balaji near Mihona Tehsil. Ancient Dandraua Temple Mau Tehsil. This is a temple to the Hindu God Hanuman, believed to possess curing powers. Worshipers go to the  temple every Tuesday and Saturday. Another Panchmukhi Hanuman mandir in Heerapura from Lahar. Dandraua Dham [website] Dr. Hanuman | Dandraua sarkar | Dandraua Dham Vankhandeshwar Temple. Vankhandeshwar temple of lord Shiva is located near the bank of Gauri Sarovar, a beautiful lake. It is said that this temple is founded by Prithviraj chauhan (Prithviraj). Malanpur. Malanpur is the modern industrial area in Bhind District near Gwalior in Gohad tehsil, from Bhind town. Its industries include modern automobiles, bicycles, soaps and detergents, electronics, pharmaceuticals and food and dairy products Akoda, a town east of district Bhind. Here is nagarpanchayat having population  approx 20,000. This is a historical place. Nekadi Gurjar ruled here and had their kings here. Main attractions are old garhi and Hanuman mandir.