Sehore

History

Sehore stands at the foothills of the Vindhya Range in the middle of the Malwa region. It has a long and glorious past. Shaiva, Shakta, Jain, Vaishnav, Buddhists and Nath priests made Sehore a significant seat of meditation/ worship. Sehore was a part of the Bhopal estate. After formation of Madhya Pradesh, it was bifurcated, in 1972 and a new district - Bhopal - was carved out of it. Ancient lore states that Maharshi Patanjali, the illustrious founder of a Yoga sect, also spent some time here in prayer, penance and worship. Folklore also points to the visits of Lord Rama, Laxman and Sita to different places in and around Sehore. Sehore has many temples, Mutts, Shrines, Mosques and Churches of historical antiquity and religious significance. Sehore, thus, boasts of a glorious tradition of communal harmony and culture. Sidhhapur is the old name of Sehore. According to a rock-edict found in the Seevan river, it got its name from Sidrapur. According to an old document, Sehore got its name from the Anglo-Indian corruption of Sher or Lion as pronounced by the British, since lions or "Sher"s were in abundance in the nearby jungles. Sehore has been an integral part of Awanti. Later on, it was under the tutelage of the Magadh dynasty, Chandragupta I, Harshavardhan, Ashoka, Raja Bhoj, Peshwa chiefs, Rani Kamlapati and the Nawabs of the Bhopal dynasty. Sehore remained the headquarters of the political agent and resident of the British Raj till Indian independence in 1947. Rivers big and small abound in the landscape of Sehore. Narmada, Parwati, Dudhi, Newaj, Kolar, Papnas, Kulans, Seewan, Lotia and other rivers tell a sad tale of lost splendor in the form of scattered idols found in them. Idols of Lord Vishnu, Ganesha, Shiva, Parvati, Nandi, Garuda, Lord Mahavira, Gautam…

Geography

Sehore is 37 km from the state capital, Bhopal, towards the south-west and on the Bhopal - Indore highway. Its height from mean sea level is between 1500 ft. and 2000 ft. Sehore is situated on the Western Railway line from Bhopal to Ratlam. It is surrounded by 7 districts: Bhopal, Raisen, Harda, Hoshangabad, Dewas, Shajapur and Rajgarh. Sehore district extends between the parallels of Latitude 22'31 to 23'40 North and between the meridians of Longitude 76'22 and 78'08 East. Sehore is located at . It has an average elevation of 502 metres (1646 feet). The only river passing through the Sehore district is the Siven.

Most-observed species

• Red-vented Bulbul

  Pycnonotus cafer (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  214
• Red-wattled Lapwing

  Vanellus indicus (Boddaert, 1783) · Aves
  183
• Purple Sunbird

  Cinnyris asiaticus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  182
• Saxicoloides fulicatus (Linnaeus, 1766)

  Saxicoloides fulicatus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  164
• Rock Pigeon

  Columba livia J.F.Gmelin, 1789 · Aves
  163
• Oriental Magpie-Robin

  Copsychus saularis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  157
• Black Drongo

  Dicrurus macrocercus Vieillot, 1817 · Aves
  155
• Ashy Prinia

  Prinia socialis Sykes, 1832 · Aves
  154