In the
Mughal chronicles and early
British records, the name of Handia often appears as
Hindia. During the Mughal period, Handia was a
sarkar (subdivision) comprising 23
mahals (smaller divisions), including
Harda.
Mulla Do-Piyaza was buried in Handia, and his tomb is located here. In 1742,
Marathas led by
Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao captured the area, and displaced the Muslim governor of the Handia sarkar. Subsequently, Harda replaced Handia as the most important town in the area, as the local Maratha
amil (chief) resided at Harda. Even after the Maratha defeat in the war, the Scindias retained control of the Harda-Handia tract. Handia was the headquarters of a district in
Daulat Rao Sindhia's kingdom. The area was ceded to the British in 1844, but the cession was completed only in 1860. It was a part of the
Hoshangabad district, until the
Harda district was carved out in 1998. == Demographics ==