Dhar district was a historical centre of the
Malwa region. It was part of the
Paramara kingdom for four centuries, and was ruled by
Raja Bhoj, who shifted the capital from
Ujjain to Dhar. In 1305,
Alauddin Khilji conquered Malwa from the Paramaras. In 1405, the Governor of Malwa,
Dilawar Khan, became independent from Delhi and founded the
Malwa Sultanate with the capital at Dhar. His successor
Hoshang Shah moved his capital to
Mandu, also in Dhar district, which he developed with many mosques and monuments. His son was poisoned by
Mahmud Khilji, who assumed the throne and began the rule of the Khiljis over Malwa. Their rule lasted until 1531, when Sher Shah Suri put Shujat Khan in charge of Malwa. His son
Baz Bahadur fought the Mughal Army during their conquest of the region, and was forced to flee after he was defeated. According to legend, his beloved queen
Roopmati committed suicide rather than be dishonoured. Dhar became part of the Malwa Subah of the Mughal Empire, and was visited by Akbar and Jahangir. After the decline of Mughal power, the Marathas captured Malwa under the rule of Peshwa Bajirao. Bajirao in 1732 divided Malwa among many Maratha chiefs, and Dhar was given to Anand Rao Pawar. His dynasty continued to rule the state even after the Marathas fell to the British. In 1857, freedom fighters captured the fort at Dhar which they held until October 1857. The local people faced cruel reprisals from British forces after they retook the fort. Dhar was briefly annexed by the British after the revolt before it was returned to Anand Rao Pawar III in 1860. Dhar State joined the Indian Union in 1948, and became part of the state of
Madhya Bharat. It then became part of Madhya Pradesh in 1956. ==Geography==