Alirajpur district is an administrative district located in the western part of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It was carved out of the larger Jhabua district on 17 May 2008, becoming the 50th district of the state. The town of Alirajpur serves as the administrative headquarters.
| State | Madhya Pradesh |
|---|---|
| Division | Indore |
| Headquarters | Alirajpur |
| Date of formation | 17 May 2008 |
| Parent district | Jhabua |
| Country | India |
Alirajpur lies in the south-western corner of Madhya Pradesh, on the border with the state of Gujarat. The terrain is largely hilly and forms part of the Vindhya and Satpura uplands, with the Narmada River flowing along its southern boundary. The district shares borders with Jhabua to the north and east, Barwani to the south-east, and the Gujarati districts of Dahod and adjoining areas to the west.
The district falls under the Indore Division. It is divided into administrative subdivisions and tehsils, including Alirajpur, Jobat, Bhabhra, Sondwa, Kattiwada and Chandrasekhar Azad Nagar (Bhabhra). For parliamentary purposes, the area lies within the Ratlam Lok Sabha constituency, while the Alirajpur and Jobat assembly constituencies represent it in the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly. Both seats are reserved for Scheduled Tribes.
Alirajpur has one of the highest concentrations of tribal population in Madhya Pradesh. The Bhil and Bhilala communities form a substantial majority of the residents, and the local culture is shaped by their language, festivals and traditions. The district is known for the annual Bhagoria festival, a vibrant tribal fair held in the period preceding Holi, which features dance, music and customary courtship traditions.
The territory of present-day Alirajpur corresponds largely to the former princely state of Alirajpur, which acceded to the Indian Union after independence in 1947 and was integrated into the state of Madhya Bharat, later merged into Madhya Pradesh in 1956. The area is also closely associated with the revolutionary Chandra Shekhar Azad, who was born in 1906 at Bhabhra (now renamed Chandrashekhar Azad Nagar) within the district.
The economy of the district is predominantly agrarian, with maize, wheat, cotton and pulses being important crops. Forest produce, animal husbandry and seasonal migration for labour to neighbouring Gujarat also contribute significantly to household incomes. Alirajpur is classified among the aspirational districts of India under the central government's development programme aimed at improving socio-economic indicators in less-developed areas.
The district is connected by state and national highway links to Indore, Vadodara and Ahmedabad. The nearest broad-gauge railway connectivity is available through stations in adjoining districts, while the closest major airports are at Indore and Vadodara.