Mahidpur is a town and municipality in the Ujjain district of the Ujjain division in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. Situated on the banks of the Shipra river, it serves as the headquarters of the Mahidpur tehsil and is best known historically as the site of the Battle of Mahidpur fought in 1817 between the British East India Company and the Holkars of Indore.
| Type | Town and municipality (Nagar Palika) |
|---|---|
| State | Madhya Pradesh |
| Division | Ujjain |
| District | Ujjain |
| Tehsil headquarters | Mahidpur |
| River | Shipra (Kshipra) |
| Country | India |
Mahidpur lies in the Malwa plateau region of western Madhya Pradesh, on the left bank of the Shipra river, upstream of the pilgrimage city of Ujjain. The surrounding terrain is part of the black-soil agricultural belt of Malwa, which supports cultivation of soybean, wheat, gram and oilseeds.
The town gained historical prominence through the Battle of Mahidpur, fought on 21 December 1817 during the Third Anglo-Maratha War. The forces of Maharaja Malhar Rao Holkar III of Indore engaged a British army under Sir Thomas Hislop and Sir John Malcolm. The Holkar forces were defeated, and the engagement led directly to the Treaty of Mandsaur in January 1818, by which the Holkar state accepted British paramountcy and ceded substantial territory.
Following the treaty, the Holkar capital was effectively shifted from Maheshwar back to Indore, and the political map of the Malwa region was reorganised under the influence of the East India Company.
Mahidpur is administered as a municipal council under the Madhya Pradesh Municipalities Act. It functions as the headquarters of the Mahidpur tehsil, one of the administrative subdivisions of Ujjain district. The town falls within the Mahidpur Vidhan Sabha (legislative assembly) constituency of Madhya Pradesh.
The local economy is primarily agricultural, with markets serving the surrounding villages of the Malwa region. Trade in agricultural produce, particularly soybean and wheat, dominates commercial activity, supplemented by small-scale retail and services typical of a tehsil town.
Mahidpur is connected by road to Ujjain, Khachrod and Agar Malwa. The nearest major railway station is at Ujjain Junction, which lies on the Western Railway network, while the closest airport is Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airport in Indore.