Chhatarpur is a city and a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

in Chhatarpur district in the state of

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the seco ...

, India. It is the administrative headquarters of Chhatarpur District. Chhatarpur is a city and a municipality in Chhatarpur district in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. It is the administrative headquarters of Chhatarpur District.

History

Chhatarpur was founded in 1785 and is named after leader

Chhatrasal Chhatrasal Bundela (4 May 1649 – 20 December 1731) was an Indian warrior and ruler from the Bundela Rajput clan, who fought against the Mughal Empire, and established his own kingdom in Bundelkhand during the 17th-18th centuries. Early l ...

, the founder of

Bundelkhand Bundelkhand (, ) is a geographical and cultural region and a proposed state and also a mountain range in central & North India. The hilly region is now divided between the states of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, with the larger portion lyin ...

independence, and contains his

cenotaph A cenotaph is an empty tomb or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been reinterred elsewhere. Although the vast majority of cenot ...

. The state was ruled by his descendants until 1785. At that time the

Ponwar Parmar is a Rajput clan found in Northern and Central India, especially in Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Kutch, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and North Maharashtra. See also * Paramara Dynasty * Panwar Dynasty * Pawar * Pan ...

clan of the

Rajput Rajput (from Sanskrit ''raja-putra'' 'son of a king') is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the Indian subcontinent. The term Ra ...

s took control of Chhatarpur. The state was guaranteed to

Kunwar Sone Singh Ponwar Kunwar Sone Singh Ponwar also knowns as Kunwar Sone Shah, died in 1816, ruled on Chhatarpur dynasty as Raja ''Raja'' (; from , IAST ') is a royal title used for South Asian monarchs. The title is equivalent to king or princely ruler in ...

in 1806 by the

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...

. In 1854 Chhatarpur would have lapsed to the British government for want of direct heirs under the

doctrine of lapse The doctrine of lapse was a policy of annexation initiated by the East India Company in the Indian subcontinent about the princely states, and applied until the year 1858, the year after Company rule was succeeded by the British Raj under the ...

, but was conferred on Jagat Raj as a special act of grace. The

Rajas ruled a

princely state A princely state (also called native state or Indian state) was a nominally sovereign entity of the British Raj, British Indian Empire that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule, ...

with an area of , and population of 156,139 in 1901, which was part of the Bundelkhand agency of

Central India Central India is a loosely defined geographical region of India. There is no clear official definition and various ones may be used. One common definition consists of the states of Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, which are included in alm ...

. In 1901 the town of Chhatarpur had a population of 10,029, a high school and manufactured paper and coarse cutlery. The state also contained the British cantonment of Nowgong.

Rajas

*1785–1816 Kunwar Sone Shah (d. 1816) *1816–1854 Partab Singh (d. 1854) *1854–1867 Jaghat Singh (b. 1846 – d. 1867) *1867–1895 Vishvanath Singh (b. 1866 – d. 1932)

Maharajas

* (4 May 1649 – 20 December 1731)

Maharaja Chhatrasal Chhatrasal Bundela (4 May 1649 – 20 December 1731) was an Indian warrior and ruler from the Bundela Rajput clan, who fought against the Mughal Empire, and established his own kingdom in Bundelkhand during the 17th-18th centuries. Early ...

* 1895–1932 Vishvanath Singh (b. 1866 – d. 1932) * 1932–1947 Bhawani Singh (b. 1921 – d. 2006) After the independence of India in 1947, the Rajas of Chhatarpur acceded to India, and Chhatarpur, together with the rest of Bundelkhand, became part of the Indian state of

Vindhya Pradesh Vindhya Pradesh was a former state of India. It occupied an area of 23,603 sq. miles. It was created in 1948 as Union of Baghelkhand and Bundelkhand States, shortly after Indian independence, from the territories of the princely states in the e ...

. Vindhya Pradesh was later merged into the state of

in 1956.

Geography

Chhatarpur is located at . It has an average elevation of 305 metres (1,000 feet). It is located on the far north-east border of Madhya Pradesh.It is 133 km from

Jhansi Jhansi (; Hindi: झांसी, Urdu: ) is a historic city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It lies in the region of Bundelkhand on the banks of the Pahuj River, in the extreme south of Uttar Pradesh. Jhansi is the administrative hea ...

in Uttar Pradesh and 233 km from

Gwalior Gwalior() is a major city in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh; it lies in northern part of Madhya Pradesh and is one of the Counter-magnet cities. Located south of Delhi, the capital city of India, from Agra and from Bhopal, the s ...

Climate

Chhatarpur has

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

''Cwa'') with hot summers, a somewhat cooler monsoon season and cool winters. Heavy rainfall occurs in the monsoon season from June to September.

Demographics

India

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

, Chhatarpur had a population of 99 519. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Chhatarpur has an average literacy rate of 69%: with male literacy of 75% and female literacy of 62%. 15% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Economy

There is no large scale industry in Chhatarpur apart from a few small scale industries available, but these industries are not sufficient for giving enough employment to local people. The economy is mostly dependent on farming. The city however, has a growing private commercial sector, mainly retail businesses. There are many granite mining industries operating in Chhatarpur district. Most depend for their livelihood on farming. This region is in a drought-affected area, so the whole district faces a water crisis for farming and potable drinking water.

Administration

Chhatarpur Police is a Law enforcing unit of MP Police which protects the world heritage "

Khajuraho Group of Monuments The Khajuraho Group of Monuments are a group of Hindu and Jain temples in Chhatarpur district, Madhya Pradesh, India, about 175 kilometres southeast of Jhansi. They are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The temples are famous for their nagara-styl ...

". The district is divided into 5 police subdivisions, with 34 Police Stations and 21 outposts.

Education

India's largest chain schooling Kendriya Vidyalaya Chhatarpur is situated at Mahoba Road near RTO office Most of the colleges in Chhatarpur district are affiliated to

Maharaja Chhatrasal Bundelkhand University Maharaja Chhatrasal Bundelkhand University (MCBU) is a state university in Chhatarpur, India. Dr. Priyavrat Shukla is appointed as first vice-chancellor. Affiliated colleges The institution affiliates the colleges of Chhatarpur district and ...

, Chhatarpur. They offer graduate and post-graduate courses in the faculties of Arts, Science, Commerce, Education and Law. Government Maharaja P.G. College, Government Girls P.G. College and Digital Institute of Science & Technology are the premier institutions of graduate and post-graduate education in the city. Christian English College is the only

CISCE The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) is a privately held national-level board of school education in India that conducts the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) Examination for Class X and the Indian ...

- affiliated school of the city. Swami Pranawanand Homeopathic Medical College is affiliated to Madhya Pradesh Medical Science University,

Jabalpur Jabalpur is a city situated on the banks of Narmada River in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. According to the 2011 census, it is the third-largest urban agglomeration in Madhya Pradesh and the country's 38th-largest urban agglomeration. J ...

Transportation

Chhatarpur can be reached by road and railway. Chhatarpur station started in 2017. Chhatarpur has railway station named Maharaja chhatrasal station Chhatarpur, MCSC. There are direct trains to

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

Bhopal Bhopal (; ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and the administrative headquarters of both Bhopal district and Bhopal division. It is known as the ''City of Lakes'' due to its various natural and artificial lakes. It i ...

Indore Indore () is the largest and most populous Cities in India, city in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It serves as the headquarters of both Indore District and Indore Division. It is also considered as an education hub of the state and is t ...

, and

Ujjain Ujjain (, Hindustani language, Hindustani pronunciation: Help:IPA/Hindi and Urdu, �d͡ːʒɛːn is a city in Ujjain district of the States and territories of India, Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the fifth-largest city in Madhya Prad ...

. The nearest railway stations are at Khajuraho (45 km),

Lalitpur Junction railway station Lalitpur Junction railway station is an important railway station in Lalitpur district, Uttar Pradesh, India. Its code is LAR. It serves Lalitpur city and towns such as Chanderi in nearby Madhya Pradesh. The station consists of three platforms ...

(135 km) Harpalpur (55 km)

(125 km),

Mauranipur Mauranipur is a town and a municipal board in Jhansi district state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located in the Jhansi District. It is the largest tehsils in India by land area. This town was known for textile production, known in ancient ...

(65 km) and

Satna Satna is a city in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It serves as the headquarters of Satna district. It is 7th largest city and 8th most populous city of the state. The city is 500 km east of the state capital Bhopal. The city is ...

(140 km). The nearest airport is Khajuraho Civil Aerodrome, located 45 km away but has limited number of flights. The nearest major airport with flights to Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata is

Kanpur Airport Kanpur Airport (), proposed to be renamed as Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Airport, is a domestic airport and an Indian Air Force Base that serves the city of Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. It provides easier connectivity to major tourist and hist ...

190 km away.

Radio and television station

Chhatarpur has got its own radio station of

All India Radio All or ALL may refer to: Language * All, an indefinite pronoun in English * All, one of the English determiners * Allar language (ISO 639-3 code) * Allative case (abbreviated ALL) Music * All (band), an American punk rock band * ''All'' (All a ...

(आकाशवाणी) under

Prasar Bharati Prasar Bharati (abbreviated as PB; Hindi: ''Praśar Bharati'', lit. Indian Broadcaster) is India's State media, state-owned public broadcaster, headquartered in New Delhi. It is a Statutory corporation, statutory autonomous body set up by an A ...

. It transmits at 675 kHz. Chhatarpur also has a

Doordarshan Doordarshan (abbreviated as DD; Hindi: , ) is an Indian public service broadcaster founded by the Government of India, owned by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and one of Prasar Bharati's two divisions. One of India's largest bro ...

's Hi power transmitter for TV which is located at Deri Road.

Tourism

Ancient holy Temple Ma Manshapurn Mandir Bijawar * Khajuraho,Group of Monuments is a group of Hindu temples and Jain temples * Khajwa Kutni Dam, Kutni dam is the largest dam in Chhatarpur district. *Kutni Island Resort (Khajwa) *Jatashankar, a holy place near Bijawar. *

Bhimkund Bhimkund (also known as Neelkund) is a natural water tank and a holy place in Madhya Pradesh, India. It is located near Bajna village in Chhatarpur district, Madhya Pradesh. It is 77 km away from Chhatarpur by road in the Bundelkhand regi ...

, a natural water tank and a holy place near Bajna * Gangau dam, a huge structure built at the confluence of two rivers, namely the Simiri River and Ken River (a prominent river of Bundelkhand), near Khajuraho, around 18 km away. *

Raneh Falls The Raneh Falls is a natural waterfall on the Ken River, located in Khajuraho in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The falls The Ken River forms a long, and deep canyon made of pure crystalline granite in varying shades of colours rangin ...

, the only waterfall in Asia having

igneous rock Igneous rock (derived from the Latin word ''ignis'' meaning fire), or magmatic rock, is one of the three main The three types of rocks, rock types, the others being Sedimentary rock, sedimentary and metamorphic rock, metamorphic. Igneous rock ...

. It is around 17 km from Khajuraho * Hanuman Tauria, a Hanuman temple * Bambar Baini, Ancient temple of maa Durga on a hill in Lavkushnagar *

Panna National Park Panna National Park is a national park located in Panna and Chhatarpur districts of Madhya Pradesh in India. It has an area of . It was declared in 1994 as the twenty second Tiger reserve of India and the fifth in Madhya Pradesh, Panna was ...

, near Panna district *

Pandav Falls The Pandav Falls is a waterfall in the Panna district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. About high, it is located on a tributary of the Ken River, as it plunges over the falls to join it. Pandav Falls is located from Panna and from Kh ...

, close to Khajuraho,

Pandavas The Pandavas (Sanskrit: पाण्डव, IAST: Pāṇḍava) refers to the five legendary brothers— Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva—who are the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. They are acknowledg ...

said to have sought shelter here during exile * Hanuman Mandir, temple of Hanuman on a hill in Lavkushnagar *Prannath Mandir Panna it is 70 KM from Chhatarpur *Kishor Ji Temple it is 70 KM from Chhatarpur *Maa Shavri Temple aharajpur*Kali Mata Temple aharajpur*Maa Baghrajan Temple aharajpur

References

Bibliography

* J. R. Ackerley, ''Hindoo Holiday'', NYRB Classics,

External links

Chhatarpur official website by MP Govt.
{{Authority control Cities and towns in Chhatarpur district Cities in Bundelkhand Cities in Madhya Pradesh