Location
The district comes under
It lies at lattitudes 20.39º and 21.38º North and longitudes 89.27º to 82.42º east. It is situated on North-Eastern side of
About The Gondia District
The total population of the District is about 1200151. The male and female population is 598447 and 601704 respectively. The SC and ST population in the district is 355484 and 309822 respectively. The literacy rate of district is approximately 67.67%.
This is an underdeveloped district and most of land is covered with forest. Paddy is main crop in the area. The other agriculture produce in the district are Jawar, Linseed, wheat, tur (arhar). The main profession of people is farming.
There is no large scale industry in the entire district due to this district is economically backward. There are many rice mills in the district as paddy is the main agriculture produce here. Gondia city is popularly known as
The district is divided into two subdivisions namely Gondia and Deori. Each subdivision has 4 talukas, 556 Grampanchayat 954 revenue villages exist in the district. The district area is divided into six legislative assembly constituencies namely Gondia, Tiroda, Goregaon, Amgaon, Lakhandur and Sakoli. Lakhandur and Sakoli constituencies have some area of Gondia and Bhadara district.
Basically district is divided into 8 talukas and 8 Panchayat Samiti. Only two mucipalities are existing at Gondia and Tiroda.
Wainganga is the largest and most important river. Rivers like Bagh, Chulbandh, Gadhavi and Bavanthadi are the tributaries of river Wainganga.
| District At a Glance | |
| Geographical Area of District | 4843.13 Sq. K.M. |
| Geographical Location | 70.39 to 21.38 North Latitudes, |
| 89.27 to 82.42 East Latitudes | |
| Temperature (2002) | Min. 7.4°C and Max. 47.5°C |
| Average Rainfall (2002) | 1197 mm |
| No of Sub Divisions (2)1. Deori 2.Gondia | |
| No of Talukas | 8 |
| Villages in the District | 954 |
| No. of Cities | 2 ( Gondia, Tiroda) |
| No of Grampanchayats | 556 |
| Municipalities (2) | 1. Gondia 2. Tiroda |
| Police Stations | 12 |
| Police Out Post | 11 |
| Population (2001) | |
| Total | 1200151 |
| Male | 598447 |
| Female | 601704 |
| Density | 247 Per K.M. |
| Female/Male Ratio | 1005/1000 |
| Literacy (Census 2001) | |
| Total | 67.67 % |
| Male | 76.74 % |
| Female | 58.62 % |
| Health | |
| Civil Hospital | 1 |
| Rural Hospitals | 9 |
| Primary Health Centres | 39 |
| Agriculture | |
| Net Cultivated Area(1998-99) | 194867 Hect. |
| Major Crops | Paddy |
| No. of Co-operative Societies | 664 |
| Technical Education | |
| Government I.T.I. | 8 |
| Private I.T.I. | 0 |
| Admission Capacity | 1996 |
| Polytechnic | 1 Private |
| Polytechnic Adm. Capacity | 210 |
| Vocational Colleges | 1 |
| Admission Capacity | 500 |
| Road & Transport | |
| Rail Track | 163.8 K.M. Broad Gauge |
| Proposed | 35 K.M. |
| | 400 K.M. |
| State Highway/ Roads | 382 K.M. |
| Major District Roads | 678.86 K.M. |
| Other District Roads | 76.88 K.M. |
| Village Roads | 15.80 K.M. |
| No. of Fair Price Shop (Working) | 977 |
| Historical & Religious Places | Sukadi, Pratapgarh,Bangarh,Kachargarh |
| | 156175 Hec., 35.04 % |
| Animal Husbandry | |
| Total Live Stock | 1806268 |
| Veterinary Dispensers | 90 |
| Veterinary Aid Centers | 44 |
| Mobile Veterinary Hospitals | 7 |
| Media | |
| Daily Newspapers | 7 |
| Weekly Newspaper | 27 |
Languages Spoken in the District:
Mainly people speak Marathi and Hindi. Other languages spoken are Gujarati, Marvari, Sindhi, Telgu, etc.
Administrative Divisions of District
Divisions in the District
| Sr. No. | Name of Division | Talukas in the Division |
| 1 | Gondia | Gondia, Goregaon, Tirora, Arjuni Moregaon |
| 2 | Deori | Deori, Amgaon, Salekasa, Sadak Arjuni. |
The following tables shows the statistics of Sub Divisions, Talukas and Villages per Taluka exist in the district.
Sub Division, Taluka and No. of Vollages per Taluka in the District
| Sr No | Name of Sub-Division | Taluka's in Sub-Division | No. of Villages | No. of Circles | No.of Sazas |
| 1 | Gondia | 1. Gondia | 153 | 5 | 40 |
|
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| 2. Goregaon | 99 | 2 | 21 |
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| 3. Tirora | 125 | 4 | 33 |
|
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| 4. Arjuni More. | 159 | 4 | 27 |
| 2 | Deori | 1. Deori | 135 | 2 | 20 |
|
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| 2. Amgaon | 83 | 3 | 22 |
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| 3. Salekasa | 92 | 2 | 15 |
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| 4. Sadak Arjuni | 108 | 3 | 18 |
Geography and Land Use Pattern
Geology
Gondia district is unique in
The brief description of various lithorites is given below
| Age | Formation | Lithology |
| Pleistocene to Recent | Alluvium and Lalerite | Silt, Sand, Gravel, Laterite |
| Protozoic | Vindhyan Super Group | Quartzite and Shale |
|
| Doongargarh Super Group | Andesite, Sandstone granite, Ehyolite |
|
| Sausar Group | Muscovite-boitite-schist, Granite, Tirodi Gneiss |
|
| Sakoli Group | Schist, Phyllites, Quartzite |
| Archaean | Amagon Group | Granite & Gneisses |
- Alluvium is developed all along major river courses such as Bagh, Chulbandh and Gadavi.
- Laterites are distributed all over the district but observed prominently in S.Arjuni and Arjuni Moregaon.
- Metamorphic rocks like various granites, Gneiss, Schists, Phylites etc. are exposed throughout district.
- Gondia district is rich in economic minerals like manganese, kyonite, sillimanite corundum and pyrophyllite.
Geomorphology
Geomorphologically the district can be divided into two parts
1) The north-Western, north eastern, south-eastern and central parts which have structural units like hills and ridges.
2) The northen, north-central, west central, south and south-west portions having undulating topography over denudational units like pediments and fluvial units
The important geomorphologic units identified in the area are mentioned below
| Nature of Unit | Land form |
| 1. Structural origin | Structural hills and structural ridges |
| 2. Denudation Origin | Pediments/Pediplains, denudational |
| 3. Fluvial Origin | Older and younger alluvium. |
Land Use Pattern
The major land use categories in district include
1) Buildup land
2) Agricultural land: which comprises of
a) Kharif b) Rabi c) Double crop d) Fallow
3)
a)
4) Waste land comprising of
a) Land with or without scrub
b) Barren rocky/stony waste.
5) Water bodies which include
a) Lakes and reservoirs
b) Rivers and streams.
6) Other comprising of mining area
The largest land use category in the district is that of agriculture. Deciduous forest constitutes 90% of total area under forest which is maximum in south east and central parts.
The following table gives the figures for land use in Gondia district
| Land use/Land Cover Category | Area in He. | Percentage to the total Geographical area |
| Built up land | 1155 | 1.36 |
| Agricultural land | 1,98,750 | 41.19 |
| Forest Land | 1,36,175 | 35.05 |
| Waste Land | 17,511 | 4.51 |
| Waterbodies | 34,619 | 8.91 |
| Total | 5,88,209 | 100.00 |
Climate
Gondia District experiences extreme variations in temperature with very hot summers and very cold winters and an average relative humidity of 62 percent
Rainfall
Gondia district receives rainfall from South- Western winds mainly in the months of June, July, August and September. July and August are the months during which the maximum rainfall as well as maximum continuous rainfall occurs.
Rivers and Dams
Rivers
The
The rivers like Bagh, Chulbandh, Panghodi Suz, Gadhavi, Chandan, Bavanthadi are the tributaries of river Wainganga.
Major and Minor Dams
| Name of Dam/ Project | Location of Dam/ Project | River on Which Dam is constructed/ proposed | Capacity (m Cubic Mtr) | Completed/ Not completed |
| Major Dam | ||||
| Itiadhoh | Godhangaon Tah_. Arjuni Moregaon | Gadhavi | 318.85 | Completed |
| Sirpur | Sirpur - Tahsil Deori | Bagh | 193.0 | " |
| Pujaritola | Kothara - Tahsil Salekasa | Bagh | 49.0 | " |
| Kalisara | Bijepar - Tahsil Salekasa | Kalisarar Nalk | 28.0 | " |
| Minor Dam | ||||
| Bodalkasa | Bodalkosa - Tahsil Tirora | | 16.454 | Completed |
| Chorkhamara | Chorkhamara - Tahsil Tirora | Kothari | 20.800 | " |
| Chulbandh | Chalbandh - Tahsil Goregaon | Chulbandh | 21.456 | " |
| Managarh | Managarh - Tahsil Salekasa | | 7.051 | " |
| Rengebar | Regebar - Tahsil Goregaon | | 3.565 | " |
| Sangrampur | Sangrampur - Tahsil Gondia | | 3.866 | " |
| Umarzari | Tahsil -n Goregaon | Khobragadi | 5.522 | " |
| Katangi | Katangi - Tahsil Goregaon | | 9.397 | " |
People and Culture
The total population of district is 1200151 that include 598447 males and 601704 females (as per census 2001). Density of Population is 247 per Sq.Km.
The population of schedule tribes is 309822 i.e. 14.70%. The population of schedule caste is 355484 i.e. 16.87%.
The tribals in the district have their own culture. They are used to perform the worships of their God "Persa Pen" and others. They do the dance "Rela" on auspicious occasions and when new crops come. Rela dance is popular dance among the tribals. The other dance is "Dhol" dance. Holi, Dashehara and Deewali are the main festivals of tribals. The tribal community is resides in the dense
The other community peoples are having their own Festival such as Ganpati, Dashera, Diwali and Holi. In some area of the district, peoples are interested in playing a role in “Natak” or arrange the culture programes "Natak" after Diwali or on Festival days.
Transportation
How to reach Gondia (District Headquater)?
It is situated about 170 Kms by road. from Nagpur of Vidarbha region. The district has road links to adjoining districts Chandrapur, Bhandara,
The major highlights about the transportation in Gondia District are as follows;
| No. of | 1 (NH-6) |
| National Highway in Km | 35 km |
| State Highway in Km | 382 K.M. |
| Other District Roads in K.M. | 678.86 K.M. |
| No. of ST Depots | 2 (Gondia, Tirora) |
| No. of Villages not accessed by ST | 271 |
| Railway Route in Km | 181.8 |
| No. of Railway bridges | 1 Chulbandh |
| No. of Unmanned Railway crossing | - |
| No. of Important Railway Stations | 3 (Gondia, Tirora, Amgaon) |
| No. of Airports | 1 Birsi |
| No. of Sub-Post Offices | 161 |
Demography
According to 2001 Census, the demographic features observed in Gondia District are as follows;
| Total Number of Household | 5,12,380 |
| Total Population of district | 12,00,151(C2001) |
| Total Male population | 5,98,447 (C2001) |
| Total Female Population | 6,01,704 (C2001) |
| Sex Ratio | 1005 (C2001) |
| Urban Population | 1,43,405(C1991) |
| Rural Population | 10,56,746 (C1991) |
| % of Urban Population to the total population | 12 % (C1991) |
| Population Density | 247 / Sq.Km. (C2001) |
| Literacy Rate | 67.67 (C2001) |
| Male Literacy Rate | 76.74 (C2001) |
| Female Literacy Rate | 58.62 (C2001) |
| Total SC Population | 3,55,484 (C1991) |
| SC Population Percentage | 16.87 % (C1991) |
| Total ST Population | 3,09,822 (C1991) |
| ST Population Percentage | 14.70 % (C1991) |
The main Urban and Rural Centres in the district along with their Population are given as follows;
Population of Urban Centres (As per Census 2001)
| Sr.No. | Name of Urban Centre | Population | Population Density | Major Occupational Pattern |
| 1 | Gondia | 120878 | 6685 | Other Industry - 13.73% Trade + Comm. - 24.72% Other Servi. - 61.55% |
| 2 | Tiroda | 22527 | 1365 | Other Industry - 32.40% Trade + Comm. - 32.40 Other serv. - 55.35 |
Population of Rural Centres (As per Census 1991)
| Sr.No. | Name of Rural Centre | Population | Population Density | Major Occupational Pattern |
| 1 | Amgaon | 9250 | 775 | These centres being big villages major occupation of majority of people is agriculture. A small portion of total population is doing trade, commerce, and service. Hence correct percentage can't be given. |
| 2 | Goregaon | 5719 | 588 | |
| 3 | Salekasa | 3679 | 1016 | |
| 4 | Deori | 9544 | 676 | |
| 5 | Arjuni Moregaon | 6424 | 1293 | |
| 6 | Sadak Arjuni | 3521 | 1015 |
Agriculture and Cropping Pattern
The main agriculture crops in the district along with the cropping period and market area is given as follows;
| Type of Crops | Name of Crops | Cropping Period | Market |
| Major Crops (Irrigated) | Kh Paddy S/Paddy | June - October Jan - May | District, State, Interstate |
| Major Crops (Non-Irrigated) | Kh. Paddy | June - October | District, State, Interstate |
| Major Cash Crops | Sugar Cane Soyabean Groundnut | | District, State |
The statistical details regarding land under forests, cultivation , Non-agriculture use and fallow lands are indicated as follows(for Year 2000-2001);
| Total Area of District | 484313 Hectares |
| Area Under Forests | 136174.97 Hectares |
| Land Not Available for Cultivation | 34418.92 Hectares |
| Land Used for Cultivation | 198750 Hectares |
| Land Under Non-agriculture Use | 1154.88 Hectares |
| | 17510.68 Hectares |
| Other | 55.08 Hectares |
| Net Area Under Irrigation | 103213 Hectares |
| Other Land | 96248.47 Hectares |
| Area Under Food-Grain Crops | 220543 Hectares |
The classification of Land Holders are given in the following table.
| Number of | 204320 |
| Number of | 44103 |
| | 248423 |
Important Professional Educational Institutes
1. Manoharbhai Patel Institute of Engineering and Technology (AICTE approved)
One can get details about the institues from the following URLs
a. http://www.mietgondia.com/Institute.htm
2. National Flying Training Institute (NFTI) for commercial pilot training at recently developed airport at Birsi near Gondia.
Gondia Tourism
One can experience nature beauty in the district during any season of the year. There are several spots which are of tourism interest.
1. PADAMPUR: It is situated some 30 km from district headquarter and in Amgaon thasil. Great Sanskrit poet Bhavbuti was born here. He wrote famous sanskrit dramas like Malti Madhav, Mahavir Charitra, and Uttam Ram Charitra. Historical and ancient idols are found here.
2. NAGRA: 5 Km from Gondia having archeological excavation site. A Shiv temple of 15 A.D. is located here.
3. KACHARGARH: 55Km from Gondia and in Salekasa thasil. A cave of 25000 year old is located in the dense forest here. Archeologist found stone weapons used by the people in that era. Excellent place for trekking.
4. KAMTHA: 15 Km from Gondia. It was once the administrative place of the Zamindar who used to ruled the district from Kamtha. Famous Shiv temple built by local saint Lahari Baba.
5. DAKRAM SUKARI: 40Km from Gondia and in Tirora thasil. Famous for
6. ITIADOH: Some 80 Km from Gondia and in Morgaon Arjuni thasil. A dam is situated here which is one of the main source for rice production in the Gondia and adjoining districts. Famous for fish and prawn production. There is an settlement of Tibetian people who runs Tibetian carpets weaving centre here.
7. SURYADEO MANDAVBAI: Famous Durga devi and Suryadeo temples are located on the hill tops and are the places of devotees attraction especially during Navratra Utsav.
8. CULBAND: 25 Km from Gondia and in Goregaon thasil. A dam between the hills has been build here and has great natural beauty.
9. HAZARA FALL: 50 Km from Gondia and in Salekasa thasil. 1km from Darekasa railway station. Major attraction during rainy season but can be visited in other seasons of the years. Nice place for site seeing and trekking.
Other spots are CHANDPUR near Tirora, PUJARITOLA dam near AMGAON, KALISARAR DAM near Deori, etc.
Major Tourist Attraction of the district
1)
The park is situated at southern part of Gondia district. You can reach Navegaon by bus and railway route also. Nearest railway station is Deulgaon on Gondia-Chandrapur railway route. It is 150 Km. away from
It is located in eastern part of
The national park has diverse type of vegetation ranging from dry mixed forest to moist forest. The forest type is 5 A/C3. Southern tropical dry deciduous forest.
The National park includes 209 species of birds, 9 species of reptiles and 26 species of mammals which includes Tiger, Panther, Jungle cat, Small India Civet, Palm Cavet, Wolf and Jackle.
National park exhibits amazing diversity of terrain and altitude ranges from nearly 30 meters to about 702 meters above the mean sea level.
For accommodation, there is holiday home, rest house, log hut rest house and youth hostel facility. Interpretation centre, small museum and library facilities are available at park. Seven Watch cabins and five watch towers are located at park for wild life observation and photography.
2) Nagzira Wild Life Sanctuary:
The sanctuary is 40 km away from Gondia and 100 km away from
The sanctuary has an area 152.81 sq. km. This sanctuary is locked in the arms of nature and adorned with picturesque landscape, luxurious vegetation. It has got immense potentials from biodiversity conservation point of view.
The sanctuary has diverse type of vegetation ranging from dry mixed forest to moist forest.
The vertebrate fauna of sanctuary includes 166 species of birds, 36 species of reptiles, and 34 species of mammals like Tiger, Panther, Jungle cat, Wolf, Jackel etc.
The sactuary has got immense potentials for providing wildlife education. Nearly 30000 tourists visit this sanctuary annually.
For accommodation there are facilities of rest house, holiday homes, tent house, hyouth hostel.
Five watch cabins are four watch towers are located for wild life conservation.
Besides above these two centers there are various other tourist and religious places in the district.
For further information related to the district one can visit following URLs
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gondia
http://www.gondia.com/index.html
