Census 2011
District population : 39,88,845
Growth : 21.22%
Sex Ratio : 944
Literacy : 61.73
Brief About Mandla District
Mandla is a tribal district of Madhya Pradesh.The
district Mandla is situated in the east-central part of Madhaya
Pradesh. The district lies almost entirely in the catchement of
river Narmada & its tributaries. A district with a glorious history,
Mandla comprises of numerous rivers and endowed with rich forests.
The world's famous Tiger Sanctuary, Kanha National Park located
in the district, is one of the hottest targets for both the domestic
as well as foreign tourists. The extreme length of the district
is about 133 Kms. from north to south and extreme breadth is 182
Kms from east to west. It covers a total area of 8771 Sq.Km. and
consists a total population of 779414. There are 9 blocks 4 Tehsils
and 1214 villages in the district.Mandla district is surrounded
by holy river Narmada.
ORIGIN OF THE NAME
Mandla district derives its name from the headquarters
town, Mandla. Three traditions about the name Mandla are more
or less prevalent in the area. Caption H.C.E. Ward recorded its
puranic details relates Mandla to the Sanskrit word 'Mandal' meaning
a circle; because the river Narmada almost girdles the town on
three sides. According to another view, the real name of Mandla
is said to have been 'Mahish-mandal', or 'Mahishmati' of ancient
Sanskrit literature, which was the capital of Kartvirya of the
thousand arms from whom where sprung the Garha-Mandla kings. Under
the clear cold light of criticism, however, the weakness of the
story becomes palpable; the Mahishmati of Sanskrit legend has
been proved by Dr. Fleet to be Mandhata in Nimar disrtict, whereas
our Mandla is probably a survival of the word, 'Mandla' or feudatory
state. The Brahmans identify it with Mahismati which is said to
have been one of the ancient seats of the Haihaya princes. The
Mandla is not probably the name of a place, as it mean only a
district. The original name might have been Mahishmati-Mandla,
of Mahes-Mandla, which has now become simply Mandla. The third
view of the probable origin of the name is that the word 'Mandla'
is probably a survival of the word 'Mandal' or feudatory division
of the kingdom of the Kalachuri kings of Tripuri.
LOCATION
Mandla district is located in the east-central
part of the Madhya Pradesh. It is a eastern part of the Jabalpur
district. The district forms a part of Satpura hills, which separates
the cotton growing of the south from the wheat growing extension
of the Malwa Plateau on the north, and is the watershed of three
district river systems. It lies between the latitude 220 2' and
230 22' north and longitude 800 18' and 810 50' east. The tropic
of cancer thus passes through the north of the district. The total
area of the district is 13,269 Sq. Km. Thus before bifurcation
it was the 6th largest district in the state. Its extreme length
is about 133 km. from north to south and extreme breadth 182 Km.
from east to west. The total population of the district was 12,91,263
persons as per census of 1991. Highly irregular in shape, it is
not possible to describe it by comparison with any geometrical
figure. However, if one looks at the map of the district, it would
tend to assume a scorpion like appearance. The district is bounded
on the north-west by jabalpur district; on the north and north-east
by Shahdol district; on the south-east by Bilaspur-Rajnandgaon
district; on the south by Durg and Balaghat district and on the
west by Seoni district. With the promulgation of Madhya Pradesh
reorganisation of district has been bifurcated into the Mandla
and Dindori districts. The Dindori, Shahpura Tahsils and Mehandwani
development block formed Dindori district while rest of the area
existed in Mandla District.
CLIMATE
Mandla District extends over the highest plateaus
of the Stapura ranging grow 500 meters to 500 meters above mean
sea level. Thus in comparison with the low-lying plains of Jabalpur
and Raipur on the north and south it is cool and exhilarating.
Thus the climate of this district is characterized by hot summer
season and general dryness except in the southwest monsoon season.
The year may be divided into four seasons. The cold season from
December to February is followed by the hot season from March
to about the middle of June. The period from mid-June to September
is the southwest monsoon season. October and November constitute
the post monsoon or retreating monsoon season.
TEMPERATURE
This is a meteorological observatory in the district
at Mandla and the records of this observatory may be taken as
fairly representative of the conditions prevailing in the district
in general. There is a steady increase of temperature after February.
May is the hottest month with the mean daily minimum temperature
at 41.30 C and the mean daily minimum at 240C.On individual days
during the summer season the day temperature may go above 440C.The
highest maximum temperature recorded at Mandla was 45.00C on 1954
May 22. The lowest minimum was 0.60 C on 1954 January 25
HUMIDITY
During the monsoon season relative humidity generally
exceeds 75 percent. The air becomes drive after the withdrawal
of the southwest monsoon. The driest part of the year is the summer
season when in the afternoons relative humidity is less then 25
percent.
CLOUDINESS
During the monsoon season skies are generally
heaving clouded or overcast. In the rest of the year skies are
mostly clear of lightly clouded.
WINDS
Winds are generally light. During the southwest
monsoon winds blow from directions between southwest and northwest.
In the rest of the year winds are often from directions between
north and east.