The ancient Indian kingdom of Chedi had its capital as “Suktimati”, which is located in Sagar in contemporary times. Sagar owes its importance to having been made the capital of the Maratha governor Govind Pant Bundele who established himself here in 1735. By a treaty concluded with the Maratha Peshwa in 1818, at the conclusion of the Third Anglo-Maratha War, the greater part of the present district was made over to the British. The town became the capital of the Saugor and Nerbudda Territories, then attached to the North-Western Provinces. The Saugor and Nerbudda Territories later became part of the Central Provinces (afterwards Central Provinces and Berar) and Sagar District was added to Jabalpur Division. During the Revolt of 1857 the whole district was in the possession of the rebels, except the town and fort, in which the British were shut up for eight months, until relieved by Sir Hugh Rose. The rebels were totally defeated and British rule restored by March, 1858. In the early 20th century Sagar had a British cantonment, which contained a battery of artillery, a detachment of a European regiment, a native cavalry and a native infantry regiment. Upon India’s independence in 1947, the former Central Provinces and Berar became the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.
University of Sagar was the first university to be established in Madhya Pradesh by Dr. Hari Singh Gour and it is the 18th university established in India. A precursor to this university was established well before Indian independence. The University has a center of Indira Gandhi Open University that offers all the major disciplines of study. Situated on top of hills overlooking the town it has an extensively large UTD Campus. Sagar also has a Government Engineering College and its very own Sagar Medical College to train doctors and nurses. Sagar is a popular location for pharmacy education. It has a reputed Pharmacy Department located in the University of Sagar. It offers courses like B.Pharm and M.Pharm and PhD in Pharmaceutics, Pharmacology, Quality Assurance and Pharmacognosy. Sagar enjoys status of alumni to many great achievers in Pharmacy field in India and abroad.
Sagar is a focal point of two national highways and many state highways. It is about 190 km to Bhopal on the state highway, about 200 km to Jhansi on national highway 26, about 180 km to Jabalpur on state-highway, about 70 km to Bina (a rail head on main north-south India rail route), and about 200 km to Khajuraho, a well known tourist destination with an airport. The way to Jhansi from Sagar is being newly built and it a treat to the drivers for driving on that massive highway.It takes just a day to reach New Delhi from Sagar. The route is Sagar–Lalitpur–Jhansi–Gwalior–Agra–Mathura–Faridabad–New Delhi. However, a night halt is advisable at Gwalior.
The region is popular on India’s tourism scene, due to its cultural heritage and diversity. Some places of interest in and around Sagar are the Rahatgarh Waterfalls, Garhphra Mountains and Temples, and Khimlasa Forts. Sagar is developing into an industrial area with many new corporate industries setting up their plants within the city. Sagar has an army cantonment unit. The city, known as the Heart of Madhya Pradesh, has a very good transportation network, with the railway system and national highways connecting it with all major cities across India. The nearest airport to the city is at Bhopal, the capital of the state of Madhya Pradesh.
These are the Katni and Bina Railway Stations. The Bina Railway Station falls on the Delhi-Bhopal Rail Route, while Katni is on the Allahabad-Itarasi rail route. Bina falls under the Sagar District and is just 1 hour distance from Sagar Town. So, by reaching Bina one can easily get trains for Delhi, Gwalior, Agra, Mathura, Jammu, Amritsar, Mumbai, Bangalore, Bhopal, Chennai, Goa, Hydrabad and other South and north Indian cities. Katni is quiet a distance from Sagar. There are a pair of passenger trains running between Katni and Bina but they are few and are not always precise to scheduled time.
Sagar region is served by various media networks. Regional commercial television networks such as Doordarshan (DD) operate in and around the city. The region also receives local radio networks and is home to various daily newspapers such as Dainik Bhaskar and Dainik Jaagran, as well as Aajtak, ZeeNews, NDTV new and local cable network. The Pragati Shopping Mall and many commercial shops are located mainly in the Civil Lines area. Sagar has a small stadium, where different sporting events are organized. Cricket, Football and Hockey are the most popular sports.
The market is quite developed and organised, however it is not as big. The lights of the city can be seen in the night as the market provides a magnificent view. The area is known for its Mangauri & panipuri (called as ‘fulki’ locally). Tea shops at the Radha Market, Civil Lines, Bada Bazar & near the railway station, offer a great taste of tea. Exploring the city on foot can be difficult and tiring as the whole city is built on hilly terrain.
Sagar (Saugor), ,is a city in Madhya Pradesh state of central India. In a picturesque situation on a spur of the Vindhya Range and 1758 ft. above sea-level, and around 180 km northeast of state capital, Bhopal. Its original name ‘Saugor’ is an amalgamation of two words namely ‘SAU’ meaning 100 and ‘GARH’ meaning forts, as there were countless small-forts in this region. With time the name has changed from ‘Saugor’ to ‘Sagar’.
The city has schools, which include St Josephs Convent School . There are also three Kendriya Vidyalayas in the city. Army Public School and a few other private schools are budding in and are trying their best to improve the quality of education which is imparted to the students. Vatsalya School has also established itself in the field of education, with many IIT (Indian Institutes of Technology), NIIT and medical selections.
Sagar is full of entertainment. Common places to visit include the parks. One is located near the bus stop in front of Govt. Girls College. The bus-stand side of Lakha Banzaara lake is quite beautiful as it provides the full view of the great lake and the hills behind it. There are also parks at the Civil Lines. There is also the Varun Smriti park with a water park and restaurant.
The health care services in Sagar are dependent mainly on the government hospital. After the opening of a Government medical college the medical facilities have improved. The college is under construction and is dependent on the age old district hospital; as of the end of 2011 only the outpatients department (OPD) of the college hospital is functioning.
Sagar is a handsomely built university town with great natural beauty and cultural heritage. Hindi is the official language of the city, while Bundelkhandi is the local dialect. Sagar is well known for its contribution to Hindi literature, and hosts a number of writers, poets and other leading artists in their respective fields.
The city is full of religious structures such as Mosques, Temples , Gurdwara and a few Churches. The Jaama Masjid is at the Katra Square and the Hanumaan Temple is near the Kachhahari. There is also a great temple near Makroniya(city suburb) at Jabalpur-Sagar state highway,having a large statue of lord Shiva.
From Sagar, one can visit Bhopal, Sanchi stupa, Khajuraho, Kanha forest at ease by vehicle either self-driven or by a driver. The Sagar city is a small place, so travelling from one place to the other does not take much time. There are cars in the city, but scooters and bikes and four-wheelers are frequently seen as well.
The Sagar Railway Station (Station Code: SGO) is the main railway station of the city which serves a few trains for Bombay and Calcutta, While it serves trains for Bhopal, Indore and Jabalpur too. The Sagar Railway Station lies between the two major rail stations linking northern India to South and Central India.
Dr. Hari Singh Gour university has now become a central university. The university has an excellent campus with a huge library. The dept of Forensic Science and Pharmaceutical Sciences are the leading ones. There are also some private engineering colleges that have recently opened, namely :
Sagar has a borderline humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cwa) and tropical savanna climate (Köppen climate classification Aw) with hot summers, a somewhat cooler monsoon season and cool winters. Very heavy rain falls in the monsoon season from June to September.
Nearest airports with regular domestic flights are at Jabalpur and Khajuraho. Each of these airports are about 180–200 km from Sagar. It takes 3–5 hours by road to these airports. There is also an air-strip at Dhana(15 km) which has been proposed to be expanded.
As of the 2001 India census, Sagar had a population of 232,321. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Sagar has an average literacy rate of 74%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 80%, and female literacy is 68%.
The city also has a stadium, A Sports Complex and a Mall at the Cantonment. Stadium is not used for most of the part of year but beside a sports complex there is a huge play-ground which is used on regular basis. The sports complex is quite active.
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