About Dahod District (Gujarat)
Dohad district is a district of Gujarat state with its administrative headquarters located at Dohad city, situated on the banks of the River Dudhimati. The term Dohad means "two boundaries" since it is located at the borders of the states of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. The headquarters city Dohad is a well planned city in Gujarat. According to the historical records Emperor Aurangzeb was born in November 1618, inside the fort of Ghaddi in Dohad. During the period of Indian struggle for independence, at the time of Sepoy Mutiny in the year 1857, Tantia Tope, an eminent freedom fighter came to Dohad where he had fought against a single soldier who was assigned the responsibility of protecting the fort from Tantia Tope. But the efforts of Tantia Tope were all in vain and soon after that the place Dahod was captured by the British. On 2nd October, 1997 Dohad district was emerged as a separate district in the map of Gujarat state.
Geographically, the district lies at 22°83'N latitude, 74°25'E longitude and 313 m altitude. In the year 2021, there was a total 14.33% forest area of total geographical area. The district encompasses a geographical area of 3,642 sq km. and in terms of geographical area it occupies the ranks of 18th in the state and 332nd in India. It is bounded by Banswara district of Rajasthan on the north and north east, Vadodara district on the south, Jhabua district and Alirajpur district of Madhya Pradesh on the east and south east and Panchmahal district on the west. The climate of the district remains extremely hot during the summer. The actual rainfall in the district was 598.0 mm in the year of 2021-22.
Administration wise, the district is divided into 8 tehsils namely Dohad, Jhalod, Devgadh (Baria), Garbhada, Limkheda, Fatehpura, Dhanpur and Sanjeli. There are 1 Lok Sabha seat and 7 Assembly constituencies in the district. Moreover, the district comprises 6 towns and 692 villages. The administrative language in the district is Gujarati.
According to 2011 census the district has a population of 21,27,086 out of which 10,68,651 are males and 10,58,435 are females. The district has a sex ratio of 990 females for every 1000 males. During the year 2001-2011 the population growth rate in the district was 29.98% including 29.66% were males and 30.31% were females. The population density in the district is 584 persons per sq. km. In the year 2020 the number of live births in the district was 62,027 out of which 32,037 were males and 29,984 were females. In the same year the number of deaths in the district was 10,960 out of which 7,095 were males and 3,865 were females. As per 2011 census the major religion in the district is Hindu with 96.15% of the total population. According to 2011 census the principal languages in the district are Gujarati and Bhili/Bhilodi with 96.29% and 2.14%.
Agriculture is the backbone of the economy of the Dohad district. The chief agricultural products in the district are wheat, maize, paddy, pulses, wheat, gram, etc. The adoption of the new agricultural technologies amongst the farmers of the district helps to increase the production of various agricultural items. Every year a huge chunk of revenue comes from these agricultural products helps in its economy to a great extent. The district is scantily industrialised but there are some industries of rubber, plastic, minerals, food products, engineering, ready made garments, agro processing, etc can be found in it. In the year 2006 the Ministry of Panchayati Raj declared Dohad as one of the country's 250 most backward districts and currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).
The district is an abode of numerous reputed educational institutions. It provides a platform for higher education. Some of its recognised educational institutions are St. Stephen's higher secondary school, Government Engineering College, Government Polytechnic, M.Y. High School, Little Flowers School, Jamali English School, Burhani English Medium School, Sunrise public school, etc. As per 2011 census the literacy rate in the district is 58.82% out of which 70.01% are males and 47.65% are females.
Babubhai Khimabhai Katara, a distinguished Indian politician and a member of the 13th and 14th Lok Sabha until suspended was born on 1st January, 1961 at Jhalod in the district. In the Lok Sabha election he represented the reserved seat (Scheduled Tribe) of the Dohad constituency and before his suspension he was a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
The district has several centres of attraction which allures many travellers from different parts of the country as well as world. Devzari Mahadev temple, located at the outskirts of the Dahod district is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Pilgrims from far distance place come to this temple to offer their prayers. Dhudhar Dev Shiva temple, situated at the Chakaliya town of the district has marvellous idols of Lord Shiva and Lord Hanuman which were carved in stone. Mangadh hill, stands at the Gadhada village of the district which is considered as a scared place for the tribal population of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. Ratanpur, a renowned bear sanctuary is located at Dhanpur of the district. The sanctuary is rich in a great variety of flora and fauna. Some other places of interest in the district are Kedarnath temple, Panchkrishna temple, Bavka temple, Jhalod tower, Jalaimata temple, Hanuman temple, Ramsagar Lake, etc.
