Aravalli district is a

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

in the state of

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

that came into being on August 15, 2013, becoming the 29th district of the state. The district has been carved out of the

Sabarkantha district Sabarkantha district is one of the 33 districts of Gujarat state of India and is located in the northeastern part of the state. The administrative headquarters of the district are located in Himatnagar. Geography Sabarkantha District is bounded ...

. The district headquarters are at

Modasa Modasa is a town and a municipality in Aravalli district in the Indian state of Gujarat. Modasa was named after the Bhil chieftain Malaji Bhil, who ruled in Modasa during 1466. Modasa became headquarters of new Aravalli district, carved out ...

Etymology

The district has been named for the

Aravalli Hills The Aravalli Range (also spelled ''Aravali'') is a mountain range in Northern-Western India, running approximately in a south-west direction, starting near Delhi, passing through southern Haryana, Rajasthan, and ending in Ahmedabad Gujarat. ...

that run across Gujarat and

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern si ...

. According to records with the

Government of Gujarat The Government of Gujarat, also known as Gujarat Government, is the supreme governing authority of the Indian state of Gujarat and its 33 districts. It consists of an executive of the legislators appointed by the Governor of Gujarat, a judiciary ...

, the Arasur branch of Aravalis passes through the regions of Danta, Modasa and

Shamlaji Shamlaji, also spelled Shamalaji, is a major Hindu pilgrimage centre in Aravalli district of Gujarat state of India. The Shamlaji temple is dedicated to Vishnu. Several other Hindu temples are located nearby. The present temple dedicated to Sham ...

in the district.

History

It was one of 7 new districts in the state whose formation has been approved by the Government of Gujarat in 2013. The district is predominantly tribal and its formation, announced in the run up to the Assembly elections in Gujarat in 2012.

Geography

Aravalli district consists of

Bhiloda Bhiloda is a taluka headquarters situated in Aravalli District in the state of Gujarat in India. It is situated on the banks of the Hathmati River among the Aravalli Hills. History Bhiloda was a part of Idar State during British rule. After inde ...

Meghraj Meghraj is a town in the Indian state of Gujarat. Geography Meghraj is a Taluka in Aravalli District. It is located 22 km west of District headquarters Modasa and108 km from state capital Gandhinagar towards west. Meghraj Taluka is b ...

Malpur Malpur is a census town in Aravalli district in the Indian state of Gujarat. History Malpur State was an Indian princely state founded about the middle of the fifteenth century. Rawal Virajmal, son of Rao Kiratsinghji of Idar State, was succ ...

Dhansura Dhansura is a small town in the Aravalli district of Gujarat, India. The town is located about 85 km northeast of Ahmedabad. Previously it was a part of Sabarkantha district and now it is part of Aravalli district. Dhansura is 16 km from ...

and Bayad

talukas A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluka, or taluk) is a local unit of administrative division in some countries of South Asia. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administr ...

of former

. Of these, Meghraj, Malpur and Bhiloda are tribal dominated talukas. The district includes 676 villages and 306 village panchayats with a total population of 1.27 million and is the most literate tribal district in Gujarat.

Demographics

At the time of the 2011 census Aravalli district had a population of 1,039,918. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 62,223 and 213,913 which is 5.98% and 20.57% of the population respectively. Hindus are 975,342 while Muslims are 58,536.

Language

Politics

Places of interest

*Kakarai Temple Dadhaliya *Majum dam

*Meshwo Dam

*Sakariya Hanuman Temple *Shamliya Temple

*Shyamal Van

*Vatrak (Malpur)

Villages

Akrund Akrund is a small village in Dhansura Taluka of Aravalli district of northern Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar pe ...

Economy

Aravalli district has the first private sector, 5 MW

solar power plant A photovoltaic power station, also known as a solar park, solar farm, or solar power plant, is a large-scale grid-connected photovoltaic power system (PV system) designed for the supply of merchant power. They are different from most building- ...

of Gujarat at Kharoda near Modasa. The district is industrially backward, having no major industrial units although small scale industrial areas exist in Modasa, Bhiloda and Dhansura talukas. The Mazum is a major river in the region with two large dams on it. Another major river is the Watrak River.

References

External links

Official website
{{Gujarat Districts of Gujarat 2013 establishments in Gujarat