Shahdol is a district of Madhya Pradesh state in central India. The town of Shahdol is the district headquarters. The district is part of Rewa Division. Some of the towns in this district are Amlai and Burhar. Shahdol is named after the headquarters town Shahdol which is located on the Bilaspur-Katni Section of the South-Eastern Railways. The etymology of the name as ascertained from the local residents points to its derivation from the name of the one Shahdolwa Ahir of Sohagpur village. The progenitor of the Ex-Illakadar family of Sohagpur, Jamni Bhan was the second son of Maharaja Virbhan Singh of Bagelkhand. He decided to settle at Sohagpur and assured maximum facilities to settler around, and also declared that places settled by clearing forests will be named after the pioneer settlers. Shahdolwa Ahir is believed to have settled the former village of Shahdolwa, about 2.5 Km. from the headquarters of Sohagpur after this declaration. Later on, the place used to be the camp site for the Maharaja of Rewa and British officers on tour. More villages were grouped into the village of Shahdol as it grew to a town. The District Headquarters was shifted from Umaria to Shahdol after the merger of princely states took place in 1948.
Shahdol District is situated in the North-Eastern part of the Madhya Pradesh provinces of India. Because of the division of the district on 15-8-2003, the area of the district remains 5671 Sq. Kms. It is surrounded by Anuppur in the East, Mandla and Bilaspur in the South, Satna & Sidhi in the North and Umaria in the West. The district extends 110 Kms. from East to West and 170 Kms. from North to South. This district is situated between 22o38' N latitude to 24o20'N latitude and 30o28' E Longitude to 82o12' E longitude.
Places of Interest
VIRATESHWAR TEMPLE: There is a Virateshwar temple of Lord Shiv in Sohagpur Vanganga. Kalchuri King Maharaja Yuvraj Deva had got it built between 950 A.D. and 1050 A.D. to present it to the Acharya of Golkaki Math. Many Archaeologists consider this temple as the temple of Karn Deva. When you reach the campus of this 70 feet hight temple you will find this beautiful example of Kalchuri Age architecture. When you ascend the five steps of the terrace of this temple, you will find Nandi and Lion as if welcoming you. The statue of Mahavir, Shiv and Parvati in dancing posture, the statue of Saraswati, Ganesh, Vishnu, Nrisingh, Vyal, beautiful young woman taking out a thorn, fighting men, Lord Krishna playing flute, beautiful erotic postures related to Kamsutra, Vinavadini, Ardhnarishwar will fascinate you. Having the statues of AgniDevata, Panchlokpal, Batuk Bhairav, Amrut Bhairav, Nag Couple etc. this temple is the beauty of District.
