Raisen district, a part of Bhopal division is a district of Madhya Pradesh state with its administrative headquarters located at Raisen town. The district got its name from its headquarters town, Raisen. Raisen, located at the foot of a hill, derived its name from a huge fort constructed on a sandstone hill. Natives of the district believe that its name might be a corrupted form of the original words ‘Rajavasini or Rajasayan, meaning the royal residence. During different periods of time the district was ruled by different rulers such as the Sultans of Mandu, the Rajputs, Sher Shah Suri, Akbar, Nawab of Bhopal, etc. Earlier, the place got an advantageous position as a prominent centre of administration from the period of its foundation due to the strong fort. The Raisen Fort was captured by the Sultans of Mandu in the 15th century. Then came the Rajputs and seized the fort. After sometime, in 1543 Sher Shah Suri conquered the place from Puranmal side. During the rule of Akbar, he made Raisen as the headquarters of a Sarkar in the Subah of Ujjain in Malwa Plateau. In 1760 the place was ruled by Fiaz Mohammad Khan, third Nawab of the Bhopal State. This place got its present name during the period of Mughal rule. The place of Raisen emerged as a separate district in the map of Madhya Pradesh on 5th May, 1950.

Geographically, the district lies at 23°33'N latitude, 77°80'E longitude and 550 m Altitude. In the year 2021, there was a total 31.55% forest area of total geographical area. The district encompasses a geographical area of 8,466 sq km. and in terms of geographical area it occupies the ranks of 8th in the state and 93rd in India. It is bounded by Vidisha district on the North, Sagar district on the South East and East, Narsinghpur district on the South East, Hoshangabad district and Sehore district on the South and Sehore district on the West. Most of its rainfall occurs in the monsoon season. The actual rainfall in the district was 1157.2 mm in the year of 2021-22.

Administration wise, the district is divided into 8 tehsils namely Raisen, Goharganj, Begamganj, Gairatganj, Silwani, Bareli, Udaipura and Badi. There are 1 Lok Sabha seat and 4 assembly constituencies in the district. Moreover, the district comprises 8 sub-districts, 12 towns and 1,485 villages. The administrative language in the district is Hindi.

According to 2011 census the district has a population of 13,31,597 including 7,00,358 are males and 6,31,239 are females. The district has a sex ratio of 901 females for every 1000 males. In the year 2001-2011 the population growth rate in the district was 18.35% out of which 17.07% were males and 19.80% were females. The population density in the district is 157 persons per sq. km. In the year 2020 the number of live births in the district was 23,338 out of which 12,154 were males and 11,184 were females. In the same year the number of deaths in the district was 7,048 out of which 4,507 were males and 2,541 were females. As per 2011 census the major religion in the district is Hindu with 89.76% of the total population. According to 2011 census the principal language in the district is Hindi with 97.56%.

The economy of the district is totally dependent on agriculture. Majority of its natives are engaged in agriculture in order to earn their livelihood. More than half of its lands are use for agricultural purposes. The chief agricultural products in the district are soyabean, maize, jowar, wheat, gram, lentil, pea, linseed, urd, etc. The adoption of the new agricultural technologies amongst the farmers of the district helps to increase the production of various agricultural items. The industrial growth in the district is insufficient but it has some industries of polytuff, cement, plastic, etc. Every year a good amount of revenue comes from these industries helps in its economy to a great extent. In the year 2019-20 the gross domestic product in the district was Rs. 17,37,651 lakhs at current price and Rs. 10,54,714 lakhs at constant prices in the year 2011-2012. The net domestic product in the district during the period 2019-20 was Rs. 15,95,612 lakh at current price and Rs. 9,43,068 lakh at constant prices in the year 2011-2012. The Per Capita Income or NDDP, At Factor Cost during the period 2019-20 was Rs. 1,04,980 at current price and Rs. 62,047 at constant prices in the year 2011-2012.

The district is an abode of several reputed educational institutions. It provides a platform for higher education. Some of its recognised government educational institutions are Govt PG College (Bareli), Govt College (Gairatganj), Govt College (Obedullaganj), Govt Girls College, Govt College (Udaipura), Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Govt College, Govt Arts, Commerce and Science College (Mandideep), Swami Vivekanand Govt College, Govt College (Silwani), etc. As per 2011 census the literacy rate in the district is 72.98% including 80.81% are males and 64.24% are females.

Rampal Singh, an eminent Indian politician and a member of the 14th Lok Sabha from the Vidisha Lok Sabha constituency was born on 4th January, 1956 at Udaipura in the district. He is a member of Bharatiya Janata Party.

The district has several centres of attraction which allures many travellers from different parts of the country as well as world. Sanchi, a place located in the district is renowned for its stupas and pillars. The place is full of immense archaeological and historical importance. Archaeologists believe that these stupas are constructed prior to 3rd century by using the bricks made of stone. The Pillar of Asoka is also present among all the pillars of the place. Other notable places of interest in the Sanchi are the Four Gateways, the Ashoka Pillar, the Buddhist Vihara, the Great Bowl, the Gupta Temple, the Museum maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India, etc. Bhimbetka, another attractive place in the district has more than six hundred rock shelters of the Neolithic age. It possesses more than five hundred paintings on canvas, which portray the life style of the cave dwellers during the prehistoric period. Bhojpur, one of the principal tourist destinations in the district was founded by Parmaras Raja Bhoj, the legendary king of Dhar. The place is famous for the remains of the Cyclopean dam and the marvellous Temple of Lord Shiva.