Nagpur district is an administrative district in the Vidarbha region of the state of Maharashtra, India. Its headquarters is the city of Nagpur, which also serves as the second (winter) capital of Maharashtra and hosts the annual winter session of the state legislature. The district lies in the eastern part of the state and forms the core of the Nagpur Division.
| Country | India |
|---|---|
| State | Maharashtra |
| Region | Vidarbha |
| Division | Nagpur Division |
| Headquarters | Nagpur |
| Type | District |
Nagpur district is situated on the Deccan Plateau in central India. It is bordered by Bhandara district to the east, Chandrapur district to the south-east, Wardha district to the south-west and Amravati district to the west, while the state of Madhya Pradesh lies to the north. The terrain is generally undulating, with the Satpura foothills in the north and stretches of fertile plains drained by the Kanhan, Pench, Wainganga and Wardha river systems. The region is widely associated with the cultivation of oranges, particularly the Nagpur orange, which has received Geographical Indication recognition.
The district forms part of the Nagpur Revenue Division of Maharashtra. It is administered by a District Collector, with separate authorities responsible for police administration and rural development through the Zilla Parishad. For local governance, the city of Nagpur is administered by the Nagpur Municipal Corporation, while smaller towns are administered by municipal councils and nagar panchayats. Rural areas are organised under tehsils (talukas) and gram panchayats.
The district is divided into several tehsils, which include:
The area now forming Nagpur district has a long political history. The city of Nagpur was founded in the early 18th century by Bakht Buland Shah, a Gond raja of Deogarh. It later became the seat of the Bhonsle dynasty of the Marathas, who ruled the kingdom of Nagpur until it was annexed by the British East India Company in 1853 under the Doctrine of Lapse following the death of Raghoji III. The district subsequently became part of the Central Provinces and, after independence, of Madhya Pradesh. With the reorganisation of states in 1956 and the formation of Maharashtra in 1960, Nagpur district was incorporated into Maharashtra. Under the Nagpur Pact of 1953, the city was designated as the second capital of the new state.
The economy of the district combines agriculture, industry and services. Agriculture is dominated by cotton, soybean, jowar, wheat and citrus fruits, with the Katol and Narkhed belts being notable for orange orchards. Industrial activity is concentrated around Nagpur city and the Hingna and Butibori industrial estates, the latter being one of the largest industrial areas in Asia by spread. Coal mining and thermal power generation are significant in the Koradi, Khaparkheda and Mauda belts. The Multi-modal International Cargo Hub and Airport at Nagpur (MIHAN) is a major logistics and aviation infrastructure project located in the district.
Nagpur is a key node in India's transport network because of its near-central location. The district is served by the Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport at Nagpur, several National Highways including NH-44 and NH-53, and the Howrah–Nagpur–Mumbai and New Delhi–Chennai railway corridors. Nagpur Junction and Ajni are major railway stations, and the city operates the Nagpur Metro rapid transit system.
Ramtek, located in the district, is associated with the legend of Rama and is home to the historic Ramtek Fort temple; it is also linked to the Sanskrit poet Kalidasa, who is traditionally believed to have composed the Meghadūta there. The Deekshabhoomi in Nagpur city is a major site for Buddhists, marking the place where B. R. Ambedkar embraced Buddhism with his followers on 14 October 1956. The Pench and Bor wildlife reserves located in or near the district are notable for tiger conservation.
Nagpur district is among the more populous districts of Maharashtra, with a high degree of urbanisation owing to the presence of Nagpur city. Marathi is the principal language, with significant use of Hindi. The district has historically been religiously and linguistically diverse, with substantial Buddhist, Muslim and other communities alongside the Hindu majority.
The district hosts several institutions of higher learning, including Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University, the Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT), the Indian Institute of Management Nagpur (IIM Nagpur), the All India Institute of Medical Sciences Nagpur (AIIMS Nagpur), and the National Law University Nagpur, among others.