Rewa District

Rewa district is a district of the Madhya Pradesh state in central India. The city of Rewa is the district headquarters. Rewa is known for world famous beetle nut toys. Rewa is also known as the 'Land of White Tigers' as the first White Tiger was discovered here by Maharaja of the province, Martand Singh in 1951 in the nearby jungle of Govindgarh. In the memory of Maharaja Martand singh Ju deo and the first white tiger mohan the very first white tiger safari has been opened in 2018 in mukundpur Rewa. Madhya Pradesh's only Sainik School is also situated in Rewa. Rewa was capital city of Vindhya Pradesh.

History

Present day Rewa was part of Baghelkhand region which expanded from present day Prayagraj in North to Ratanpur in South, Jabalpur in West to Surajpur in East.

Baghel Dynasty

Baghel Dynasty was founded by Bhimaldev (son of Vyaghradev, the chieftain of Vyaghrapalli) in 1236 CE. Baghelas are basically Chalukyans of Anhilwara (Gujarat).

The region was earlier governed by Lodhi and Sengar chieftains of Rajgond Dynasty. Lodhi's Diwan Tiwari conspired with Baghelas and assisted in foundation of Baghela Rule in the Gahora Patti region. In return of this favour, Baghelas granted title of "Singh Tiwari" or "Adhrajiya Tiwari" to the Diwan Tiwari.

Raja Ramchandra shifted capital to Bandhavgarh, and later Raja Vikramjit Singh shifted capital to Rewa in 1605 CE.

Bandhavgarh Fort was sieged by Mughals. Tansen and Birbal (Mahesh Das) were in court of Ramchandra Singh Baghel.

Raghuraj Singh Baghel built Govindgarh Fort, which lies in between Govindgarh lake. Govindgarh is famous for its exquisite varieties of mangoes.

Raja Gulab Singh was called "social reformer King" of Rewa. Raja Martand Singh was the last Baghela Ruler. Later, the state joined the Union of India, after independence.

Revolt of 1857

Thakur Ranmat Singh of Mankahri revolted against British, and was hanged in 1859.

Geography

Rewa lies between 24° 18’ and 25° 12’ north latitudes and 81° 2’ and 82° 18’. The district is bounded on the north by Uttar Pradesh, on the east and southeast by Sidhi, on the south by Shahdol, and on the west by Satna. Rewa district is part of Rewa Division and has an area of 6,240 km².

The Huzur, Sirmour and Mauganj tehsils lie between the Kaimur Range in the south, and the Binjh pahar in the north, and form what is known as the Rewa plateau or uprihar. To the north lies the Teonther tehsil which is quite different in its physical and other features from the plateau tehsils. The Rewa plateau decreases in height from south to north. In the south, the Kaimur Range rises to more than 450 meters above sea level, whereas the alluvial plain of Teonthor is just 100 meters above sea level. In the eastern side of Rewa some small cities and towns are there like Manikwar , Mauganj , Mangawan , Hanumana.

The district has a varied terrain that includes alluvial plains, hills, ravines, scarp, rivers, and water-falls. The rain-water of the district flows out along two tributary rivers of the Ganges, the Tons or Tamas and the Son. The Bichiya River flows through the heart of Rewa city. Other rivers are - Beehar, Mahana, Odda, Nihai, Belan etc.

The Tamsa or Tons and its tributaries form waterfalls as they descend from the Rewa Plateau, including: the Chachai Falls (127m) on the Bihar River, a tributary of the Tamsa, the Keoti Falls (98m) on the Mahana River, a tributary of the Tamsa, Bahuti fall on Nihai river (Chataniha or Odda river) beside Hatwa Bhudhar village, Bahuti-Mauganj, and the Purwa Falls (70m) on the Tamsa or Tons.

Demographics

As of 2011 census, total population of Rewa district is 2,365,106 of which 12,25,100 are males and 11,40,006 are males. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 16.22% and 13.19% of the population respectively.

Hinduism is majority religion in Rewa district with 95.93% followers. Islam is second most popular religion of Rewa with approximately 3.61% following it. Christianity is followed by 0.08%, Jainism by 0.03%, Sikhism by 0.04% and Buddhism by 0.04%. Around 0.01% stated 'Other Religion', approximately 0.26% stated 'No Particular Religion'.

At the time of the 2011 census, 65.01% of the population spoke Bagheli and 34.34% Hindi as their first language.

Society

The region is home to Kol Tribes of Madhya Pradesh. Rewa Riyasat had gave royal patronage to three Brahmins, today known as Tiwari, Mishra and Dubey (Parauha). These three formed closed matrimonial alliances.

Tiwari had assisted Vyaghra Singh Deo Baghel and his sons to orchestrate Coup d'état of Lodhis and ascend the throne of Rewa Estate. In return of the favor, Tiwari and his successors called "Adhrajiya Tiwari" with title of "Singh Tiwari". The other known Tiwari clans are - Tiwani, Hanna etc.

Mishras belong to four clans - Amanv (Chakghat), Anjora ( Teonthar), Umapur (Prayagraj) and Tudihar ( Mirzapur). Last brahmin to receive royal patronage was - Parauha, which used title Dubey or Dwivedi. Some other major Brahmin clans of Rewa are - Shukla, Gautam, Garg, Pandey, Tripathi etc.

Kurmi people are landed wealthy agriculturalists of the region with expertise in mango, tobacco, linseed and rice cultivation.

Cuisine

The region has highest production of pulses, tobacco, mangoes, flaxseeds, Mahua etc. Thus, cuisines enjoyed by people are -

# Indrahar - paste of several pulses mixed and baked in steam
# Kadhi - kadhi uses Rasaj (gram flour cakes), Sooran (elephant foot yam) and Indrahar
# Bagza - aam kery pana with toppings of gram flour spaghettis and fried with cumin and mustard
# Kusuli - regional variation of Guziya sweet
# Dal Poori - breads filled with grinded Gram Dal and spices like - Garlic, Garam Masala etc.
# Nimona - peas or green grams fine grinded and fried to curry masala
# Sattu - fine grinded popcorns of wheat, gram and barley
# Mahua Poori - pooris used with fillings of sun dried ripen Mahua fruits

Governance

Rewa district, itself Rewa Lok Sabha constituency is divided into following 8 Vidhan Sabha (Legislative assembly) Constituencies:

# Deotalab
# Gurh
# Mangawan
# Mauganj
# Rewa
# Semariya
# Sirmaur
# Teonthar

Climate

Rewa has a humid subtropical climate, with cold, misty winters, hot summer and a humid monsoon season. Summers start in late March and go on till mid-June, the average temperature being around 30 °C (86 °F), with the peak of summer in May, when the highs regularly exceed 45 °C (104 °F). The monsoon starts in late June and ends in late September. These months see about 40 inches (1025 mm) of precipitation. The average temperature is around 25 °C (77 °F) and the humidity is quite high. Temperatures rise again up to late October when winter starts, which lasts up to early March. Winters in Rewa are cold and misty with average temperatures around 15 °C (58 °F) and little rain. The winter peaks in January when temperatures may drop close to freezing on some nights. The total annual rainfall is about 1128 mm (44 inches).

Divisions

Rewa district of Madhya Pradesh has 11 Tehsils

# Gurh
# Hanumana
# Huzur
# Jawa
# Mangawan
# Mauganj
# Nai Garhi
# Raipur - Karchuliyan
# Semaria
# Sirmaur
# Teonthar

Tourism

Deorkothar (or Deur Kothar) is known for its Buddhist stupas and may have been established by the Mauryan king Ashoka in the 3rd century BCE. In ancient times the site was located on the Dakshinapatha (Southern Trade Route) running east–west from Pataliputra (Patna) to Pratishthana in Maharashtra through Central India.

Forts

Rewa Riyasat had many forts under its regency, like -

# Rewa Fort (by Vikramjit Singh Baghel; confluence of Bichhiya and Beehar river)
# Bandhavgarh Fort
# Keonti Fort
# Sohawal Fort
# Sohagpur Fort
# Govindgarh Fort
# Maihar Fort
# Amarpatan Fortress

Waterfalls

Rewa being a Table landform has many falls -

# Bahuti Prapat
# Chachai Prapat
# Keonti Prapat
# Mahana Prapat
# Purva Prapat

White tigers

The first of the white tigers to be captured was a cub, approximately two years old, who was captured by Maharajah Martand Singh of Rewa. The tiger lived in captivity at the Maharajah's summer palace for five years and, on its death, was stuffed and sent as a gift to King George V as a sign of India's loyalty to the crown. To this day, white tigers are still kept at the Maharajah's summer palace which is located at Govindgarh.

There is a White Tiger Safari in Mukundpur town of Satna district which first opened in April 3, 2016.

Mohan

The first white tiger discovered in May 1951 was named Mohan by Maharajah Shri Martand Singh, who was hunting in the jungles of Bandhavgarh. On 25 May there was a report that a tigress had been sighted with four cubs, one of which was white. The tigress was shot, as were two of her four cubs, but the white cub escaped. The white cub was captured and kept in a large open courtyard within the Maharajah's 150-roomed palace. On 30 May, only three days after its capture, the white cub escaped and a long hunt was organised to recover it. The white cub was reintroduced to a repaired courtyard where he lived for the remainder of his life.

Religious tourism

Devtalab Temple is a famous Shiva shrine.

Ashtabhuja Mata Temple is a pious center of goddess worship.

Maihar Mata Temple is visited by millions of worshippers across the region.

Birasini Devi Mandir, Birsinghpur is another famous place of worship during Navratri festival.

NRITY RAGHAV MANDIR
ANCIENT RAM MANDIR WHERE LORD RAMA STAND IN NRITY(DANCING)POSTISION ALONG WITH MAA SITA
LAST 182 YEARS CONTINUOUSLY RAMLEELA HEALD IN नृत्य राघव मंदिरhttps://photos.app.goo.gl/nbbWdbdN6c5FyQ9M7

Economy

A limestone belt runs through the Rewa district and coal is found in the nearby districts of Shahdol, Umaria, Sidhi and Singrauli. Cement factories are located in nearby Naubasta, Bela (Satna district) and Bhagwar (Sidhi district). The Jaypee Group has built a township known as Jaypee Nagar in Rewa. Prism cement (previously Rasi Cement), operates near Rewa in Satna district.

In 2006, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named Rewa one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640 districts in India). It is one of the 24 districts in Madhya Pradesh currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).

The 750MW Rewa Ultra Mega Solar plant, one of the largest solar power projects in India was commissioned in July 2018.

Transport

Railways: Rewa is connected to Satna through a 50 km Rewa-Satna Rail Line. Satna falls on the Mumbai Howrah main line via Allahabad. For state capital Bhopal and National capital Delhi there is daily train service from Rewa. Rewa Jabalpur intercity is also a good train for commuting between these two cities within single day.

Road: Main city lies where NH30 and NH39 interact with each other. It is connected with Jabalpur and Nagpur on one side and Prayagraj, Varanasi on the other side by four lane national highway. Sidhi and Shahdol districts are connected by two lane road. Daily bus service is available for major cities like Nagpur, Bhopal, Indore, Raipur etc.

Air: Closest major Airport to Rewa is in Prayagraj which is 130 kilometers (80.7 miles) away and has flights to major destinations such as Delhi, Bangaluru, Mumbai,Pune, Kolkata etc. Other nearest airport is at Khajuraho. Rewa also has an air strip.

Notable people

* Awadhesh Pratap Singh, former Speaker of Legislative assembly of Madhya Pradesh
* Avani Chaturvedi, India's first female fighter pilot
* Mohena Singh, Indian Television actress
* Kumud Mishra, Indian actor
* Ram Vilas Vedanti, Indian Politician, former MP and Member of Shri Ram Janmabhumi
* Govind Narayan Singh, former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh
* Rajendra Shukla, Politician and Member of the State Assembly

See also

References

External links

Government website on Rewa

{{Rewa Division

Districts of Madhya Pradesh