Chhota Udaipur district

Chhota Udaipur district
Orsang River near Bodeli
Orsang River near Bodeli
Location in Gujarat
Location in Gujarat
Coordinates: 22°19′12.000″N 74°0′36.000″E / 22.32000000°N 74.01000000°E / 22.32000000; 74.01000000
Country India
StateGujarat
HeadquartersChhota Udaipur
Area
 • Total3,436 km2 (1,327 sq mi)
Population
 • Total1,071,831
 • Density310/km2 (810/sq mi)
Languages
 • OfficialGujarati, Hindi
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
ISO 3166 codeIN-GJ
Vehicle registrationGJ 34
ClimateSemi-Arid (BSh) (Köppen)
Avg. annual temperature12-43 °C
Avg. summer temperature26-43 °C
Avg. winter temperature12-33 °C
Websitechhotaudepur.nic.in

Chhota Udaipur district is a district in the state of Gujarat in India. It was carved out of the Vadodara district on 26 January 2013 with its headquarters at Chhota Udaipur town and is the 28th district of Gujarat.[1]

Establishment

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The district consists of the six talukas of Chhota Udaipur, Jetpur Pavi, Kawant, Naswadi, Sankheda and the newly created Bodeli taluka.[2] The district headquarters is located at Chhota Udaipur.[3]

The district was created to facilitate decentralisation and ease of access to government services.[4][5] Its creation, announced in the run up to the Assembly elections in Gujarat in 2012, was also seen by the media and political analysts as a government strategy to attract tribal votes.[6]

History

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Chhota Udaipur shares its borders with the state of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. Chhota Udaipur district has a forest area of 75,704 hectares and has deposits of dolomite, fluorite, granite and sand all of which are mined. The district is also home to a large dairy industry.

Chhota Udaipur is a tribal dominated district, and the district headquarters is located 110 km away from Vadodara. Chhota Udaipur is the third tribal dominated district in eastern Gujarat after the Narmada and Tapi districts.[1][7]

Chhota Udaipur, once a princely state of Gujarat lies in the heart of a tribal area with rich indigenous history and culture which is more representative of the region than palaces. The town is a good base from which to explore the surrounding tribal villages, particularly in the Rathwa communities. The Rathwa tribals who live here produce the Pithora mural paintings by mixing colours with liquor and milk and then using it to depict intricate motifs and scenes on the walls of their village dwellings.[8] The Tribal Museum here displays a nice collection of people and culture of this place. Every Saturday there is a tribal market which is a hub for local artisans making pithoda paintings and terracotta horses.[9]

Chhota Udaipur town sits on the edge of a big lake, with a series of temples along the skyline. Structures from the 1920s such as the Kusum Vilas Palace (now a heritage hotel) and Prem Bhavan are also worth visiting, though they need permission from the local royal family. The Kali Niketan (Nahar Mahal) palace, built as the summer residence of the erstwhile royal family is a notable monument in Chhota Udaipur.[10] The Jain temple is an interesting example of the influence of Victorian art on local building styles, which is otherwise rare display in traditional Jain buildings elsewhere.

Administration

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This district has been divided into a total of 6 taluks. [11]

The number of seats in Chotaudepur Taluka Panchayat was increased from 23 to 26 in the delimitation of 4 taluka panchayats of Chotaudepur district which was published in June 2015 by Gujarat State Election Commission Secretary Mahesh Joshi. The number of seats in Naswadi taluka panchayat was increased from 17 to 22 and the number of seats in Navarchit Bodeli taluka panchayat was fixed at 26, while the number of seats in Sankheda taluka panchayat was reduced from 23 to 18.

A population of 2,15,590 of the taluka has been taken into consideration for the formation of Chotaudepur Taluka Panchayat. A census of 1,55,543 of the taluk has been taken for the formation of Naswadi Taluka Panchayat. Whereas for Sankheda taluka panchayat the population of taluka is 1,05,952 and for Bodeli taluka panchayat the population of taluka is 1,83,850.

Demographics

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Chhota Udaipur has a population of 1,071,831, of which 72,415 (6.76%) lived in urban areas. The district had a sex ratio of 967 females per 1000 males. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes made up 25,279 (2.36%) and 856,862 (79.94%) of the population respectively.[12]

Religions in Chhota Udaipur district (2011)[13]
Hinduism
96.57%
Islam
3.19%
Other or not stated
0.24%
Distribution of religions

Hindus are 1,035,085 while Muslims are 34,222.[13]

Languages of Chhota Udaipur district (2011)[14]

  Gujarati (98.46%)
  Hindi (1.05%)
  Others (0.49%)

At the time of the 2011 census 98.46% of the population spoke Gujarati and 1.05% Hindi as their first language.[14]

Politics

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District No. Constituency Name Party Remarks
Chhota Udaipur District 137 Chhota Udaipur (ST) Rajendrasinh Rathwa Bharatiya Janata Party
138 Jetpur (Chhota Udaipur) (ST) Jayantibhai Rathwa Bharatiya Janata Party
139 Sankheda (ST) Abhesinh Tadvi Bharatiya Janata Party

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Modi Announces Creation of New District". Outlook. September 10, 2012. Archived from the original on 2013-11-05. Retrieved 23 February 2013.
  2. ^ "Process to set up Chhota Udepur district begins". The Times of India. 9 February 2013. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 23 February 2013.
  3. ^ "Bandh to protest Chhota Udepur as headquarters peaceful". The Indian Express. 17 August 2013. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
  4. ^ "Narendra Modi announces new tribal district to clear his 'debt'". The Indian Express. September 11, 2012. Retrieved 23 February 2013.
  5. ^ "Chhota Udepur is Gujarat's 28th dist". DNA. September 11, 2012. Retrieved 23 February 2013.
  6. ^ "Gujarat CM announces Chhota Udepur district". The Pioneer. 10 September 2012. Retrieved 23 February 2013.
  7. ^ "Gujarat gets its 28th district as Chhota Udaipur". Daily Bhaskar. September 11, 2012. Retrieved 23 February 2013.
  8. ^ "Rich in mineral resources, Chhota Udepur set to become highest revenue-earning district". The Indian Express. 30 August 2013. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
  9. ^ "Chhota Udepur, Princely state, Vadodara, Tourism Hubs, Gujarat, India". Archived from the original on 2019-12-09. Retrieved 2016-06-13.
  10. ^ "KALI-NIKETAN - Home Page". chhotaudepur.com.
  11. ^ ""New demarcation of four taluka panchayats of Chotaudepur district announced"". Divya Bhaskar.
  12. ^ "District Census Hand Book – Vadodara" (PDF). Census of India. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.
  13. ^ a b "Population by Religion - Gujarat". censusindia.gov.in. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India. 2011.
  14. ^ a b "Table C-16 Population by Mother Tongue: Gujarat". censusindia.gov.in. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.
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